Korea’s SK Telecom T1 have long been the dominant franchise in League of Legends, winning three of the last four World Championships. Even with players changing every season, SKT find a way to remain the best team in the world year in and year out. With only one current player present since the beginning, Faker, SKT are still favourites to win most events in 2017. Here is a look at how SKT are currently constructed.
Huni Provides Consistency
Top lane was one of the biggest question marks for SK Telecom T1 entering the 2017 LCK Spring Split. Following in MaRin and Duke’s shoes is no easy task, but up until this point Huni (and to a lesser degree Profit) has matched his forebears. Huni has provided consistency within the Top lane as an incredibly solid tank player with the ability to play bruiser counter match-ups such as Gangplank into Shen. Huni has also shown his carry potential at times, but his ability to play whatever the meta deems necessary at the time has been an incredible asset for SKT.
Peanut Adds More Star Power
In the Jungle both Peanut and Blank have seen their own fair share of success this season. Peanut was one of the most talked about acquisitions of the offseason as he adds superstar play to a role where SKT have lacked any sort of consistency. However, Peanut has struggled at times this season and as a substitute off the bench Blank has performed incredibly well. Many wrote off Blank the moment Peanut arrived, but as more and more tank Junglers enter the fray, Blank may see an increased amount of play. The flexibility of having two starting-calibre Junglers is another edge SKT have over many other teams.
No One Better Than Faker
Faker is considered the single greatest League of Legends player of all-time, and this has largely been the case since he entered the pro scene. Faker is an incredible asset to SKT as he demands a huge amount of resources from the other team. This is particularly related to the time other players have to spend in the Mid lane to try and keep him down as well as the minutes spent warding the river due to Faker’s roaming. Faker’s diverse champion pool, coupled with his incredible mechanical prowess, has resulted in him being the foundation of SKT’s success for years.
While performing on the biggest stages, Faker is the most consistent superstar the game has ever seen. Faker’s ability to win lane pretty much every single game allows the rest of his team to play more risky champions knowing there will always be a threat from the Mid lane to fall back on.
Bang Another Pillar
The secondary carry to Faker, Bang is considered one of the best AD Carry players in the world. Bang shares a similarity with every other member of SKT; the ability to play any champion within the meta game. Renowned for his play on the likes of Ashe and Jhin, Bang has shown an incredible ability to kite around the outskirts of a fight while providing consistent damage from afar. While primarily known for utility focused champions (Ashe, Jhin and Varus), Bang has also displayed incredible play on heavy damage dealers such as the likes of Lucian and Ezreal. If Faker is ever to stumble, Bang is the other pillar around which SKT can focus their gameplay in order to find success.
Wolf Is Underrated
Perhaps the most underrated player for SK Telecom, Wolf has quietly become one of the best supports in the world. Once again with a wide champion pool and a high consistency of play, Wolf is rarely caught out of position while setting up map vision to assist his team. While not known for incredibly mechanical plays, Wolf’s discipline and ability to be in the right place at the right time are why he is now viewed, correctly, as a top player in his position.
Coach Also Key
The unsung hero for SKT is coach KkOma as he has the ability to give SKT the edge in champion select in every game. KkOma is highly respected among the community, yet still does not seem to receive the credit he deserves for SKT’s consistency. Huni always refused to play tank champions and listen to his coaches, yet since joining SKT he has played almost exclusively tanks and provided consistent play for SKT to play around. This is an example of the influence that KkOma has on players and shows why he is the glue that has allowed SKT to perform at such a high level for so long.
