SKT signs 2 more, will this save them?
SK Telecom T1 is widely regarded as the best League of Legends teams to ever come about. Having won 3 World championships, they have always been a solid team without many major issues aside from 2014.
Unfortunately last year, SKT were unable to take out the world championship, losing miserably 0-3 to fellow Korean rivals, Samsung Galaxy. This loss was devastating for many in the team, especially Faker who even cried on stage.
Following the devastating blow, the team’s management opted to switch out the majority of the roster, keeping only Bang and Faker as the core players. As foreseen by many analysts, the new 2018 line up was much weaker, leading to their extremely slow start to the split.
The end of week three saw the team finishing 1-5, lurking around the weakest teams in the LCK. This clearly threw pressure on not only the players, but management to improve results. While SKT were able to win both matches in week four, they are by no means free from their issues. Clearly a change is needed, now coming in the form of two new players.
The team has just picked up Pirean and Leo. It is likely SKT will rotate their players in the coming weeks to form a more cohesive roster. Pirean had previously played for various North American teams, starting in 2016 with Impulse, before moving to Phoenix 1, his most recent team.
Leo on the other hand is a completely new rookie, having no major competitive experience. While many may be skeptical regarding the signing of Leo, SKT did after all do the exact same when they risked signing Faker to the team.
While it is unlikely SKT will make a miraculous comeback from simply signing two players, the deal will add additional pressure on the existing players in hopes of lifting performance.
Does SKT have a chance to take the LCK Spring Split?
SKT has always been infamous for turning the tides, whether it be on an individual game or an entire tournament. There is little doubt that the team is much weaker compared to last year, however, they still have the world’s best player, Faker.
That said, SKT does stand a chance, since not even half the games have been played, after all, it is only Week 5. If the team wished to take a few wins in the coming weeks, they would opt for a mid-late game comp built around Faker. However, it is unlikely they’ll do so, as it would stunt the growth of the remaining players.
SKT will most probably finish the split just enough to enter Playoffs under KSV and Kingzone.