SPRING IS COMING: OGN CHAMPIONS RETURNS

It’s still the middle of winter in Korea, but the competitive League of Legends scene is heating up as OGN Champions kicks into full gear.

IF you’ve been out of the loop in the Korean scene, the Spring season of Champions may seem like a completely different landscape to that of 2014. Many players have departed Korea in search of overseas glory, and the region as a whole has undergone some structural changes. With that in mind, here are the biggest stories leading into Champions Spring.

BACK ON TOP

Any discussion about SKT T1 cannot progress very far without mention of mid lane mainstay Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. And even though SK Telecom T1 went on a tear in the pre-season, dropping only one game to longtime rival KT Rolster, Faker was not the only player who made an impact.

Top laner Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan had an excellent pre-season performance, finally stepping up and meeting the expectations that fans have had of him since his debut on SK Telecom T1 S as the ‘Faker of top lane’. Additionally, mid laner Lee “Easyhoon” Ji-hoon has been rotating with Faker for the mid lane spot, and is making a strong claim as Korea’s second best mid laner.

Jungler Bae “Bengi” Seong-ung’s place on the illustrious SKT T1 roster was called into question after a poor performance in 2014, but coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun kept his faith in the world champion nonetheless. His belief in Bengi seems to have paid off, as the jungler's performance has taken a turn for the better, though he's still prone to making crucial errors in the early game.

CHASING PAST GLORY

While it is great to celebrate Korea’s top performers, something must also be said for the less-notable teams in Champions. Samsung Galaxy has experienced the fastest fall from grace seen in League of Legends history, going from fielding the top two teams in the world to a ragtag squad of solo queue heroes and unsuccessful veterans.

Surprisingly, in the span of one month, the new Samsung team has managed to take games off such teams as KT Rolster and NaJin e-mFire. Their room for growth is theoretically higher than any other team in Champions, particularly in the areas of team synergy and big-picture strategy. Watch the new Samsung team closely - they may well reach the same heights as their predecessors.

On the other hand, CJ Entus are in dire straits. Since entering League of Legends, the CJ Entus organization itself has not produced any Champions winners. The acquisition of three rookies in Kim “Trick” Gang-yun, Oh “Roar” Jang-won, and Jeong “Max” Jong-bin may inject a little hope into CJ fans, but it’s hard to see these three players replacing their starters any time soon. For CJ Entus, and other straggling teams like Jin Air and Incredible Miracle, Champions will be a time to iron out issues and plan for the future.

THE NEW SUPERSTARS

With many top Korean players moving to China, some fans feared that Korea was being drained of its talent. However, the pre-season demonstrated that Korea still has a lot of individually skilled players left.

One such player is NaJin e-mFire’s Lee “Duke” Ho-seong, a top lane veteran who found his start with KT Rolster under the moniker “Leopard.” Duke’s name has always been thrown around the conversation for best top laner in Korea, and given the departure of names such as Flame, Looper, and Acorn from the region, Duke is finally making a strong claim for the throne. He's shown great proficiency on all kinds of champions from Kassadin to Maokai, but his entertaining play on Sion in the pre-season was particularly striking.

Undoubtedly the breakthrough AD carry of the pre-season, Samsung Galaxy’s Lee “Fury” Jin-yong is one of two Samsung players to have competed in Champions before. Fury’s competitive debut was with Prime Optimus, with the ID “ZetNjin”. His new ID fits him a lot better, as he has produced some of the most aggressive marksman play seen to date in Korean League of Legends. Along with his support partner Kwon “Wraith” Ji-min, Fury anchors the young Samsung squad, and will be the player to watch as Samsung make waves in their first tournament.

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