SKT T1 is starting their year right with a convincing win over the Jin Air Green Wings. The perennial World Champions rolled over their opponents easily, taking both matches in 27 minutes and 33 minutes respectively.
#LCK Spring Split R1. SKT vs JAG.
2세트도 가져오며 우리 팀이 오늘 경기 승리하였습니다. 선수들 고생 많으셨습니다.
We won as 2:0 agaisnt JAG. Our players played well today.#SKTWIN pic.twitter.com/UgwZNKLZG7
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) January 16, 2019
This season is one of the most anticipated in recent memory, due to the SKT T1 redemption arc. After suffering their worst year in the organization’s history, many believed that the SKT Dynasty was over. However, the management ended up stripping the team down to its core during the offseason. Dropping six of its players, SKT made room for a huge retooling centered around their legendary mid laner, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. In the ashes of the old SKT stood a new superteam, ready to reclaim the crown in Korea and beyond.
A Convincing Start
SKT T1’s newest members would come out to play today, showing off their skills throughout the match. In game one, Kim “Clid” Tae-min would shine on Lee Sin with some great engages. He would have almost 100% kill participation for the whole game. Many people were praising Clid for his excellent jungling skills, stating that it was “weird having a jungler who’s actually good”. Additionally, their newest ADC, Park “Teddy” Jin-seong, would also become a huge factor on his Ezreal.
https://clips.twitch.tv/ShyKnottyInternHassanChop?tt_content=player_title&tt_medium=clips_embed
In game two, it would be Teddy picking up plenty of the slack on his Varus. He would lead his team in kills, dealing out an impressive 759 damage per minute. However, even though SKT would handle JAG in the later stages of game two, there were still some issues to be ironed out. We saw the Jin Air Green Wings take a slight lead after a few laning phase kills early. “In game two, I got caught out several times. I wasn’t aware of where my teammates were, and I was kind of nervous”, Clid would mention in a post-game interview.
Looking Ahead
For SKT, they now have Afreeca Freecs to prepare for, who they will be facing this coming Friday. Like many LCK teams, Afreeca Freecs also went through an extensive rebuild. They ended up dropping a majority of their roster in the 2018 offseason. As a result, they would build around their star top laner Kim “Kiin” Gi-in. The team also picked up young star Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon, who was previously the mid laner for the KT Rolster superteam. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find any other players to fill the holes on their team, so they had to settle for their substitutes for this split.
Jin Air Green Wings have another huge challenge for them in their next game. This Saturday, they will have to face off against the fiery Team Griffin. Griffin took the LCK by storm last year, surprising everyone and becoming one of the best teams in the region in one split. They boast one of the youngest, most talented rosters in the world. For example, they have Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, a 17-year-old phenom who is on the way to becoming a bonafide superstar. Their ADC, Park “Viper” Do-hyeon, is also an 18-year-old prodigy that will probably be a staple name in the LCK soon.
What are your thoughts on SKT’s victory over JAG? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more LCK coverage, check us out here!
