This year’s LCK Spring, which completed a third of the entire schedule, is flowing into a semi-final system. While Dplus Kia (DK), a strong championship candidate, has been slowing down, Liv Sandbox is unexpectedly doing well.
T1, which has not changed their roster, is playing in the midst of confusion based on long-term coordination. The ‘One Deal Pot’ (distance dealer placement in the position of a supporter), which is considered the best strike this season, has emerged as a new key strategy.
In the ‘2023 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring’ ahead of the 4th week on the 6th, T1 and Gen.G tied for first place with a score of 5 wins and 1 loss.
It’s going in the direction I expected to some extent, but the initial blast of the sandbox stands out. Last month, when asked who would win at the Spring Opening Media Day, 5 out of 10 participating teams picked DK, and 4 teams picked T1. Genji also received one vote.
A team whose members have not changed is a strong figure. T1 has been with us since summer 2021, so we didn’t need time to adapt. Genji, who reached the finals with T1 in last year’s spring and summer, retained the upper body players, but the newly joined bottom duo also quickly integrated into the team.
The sandbox is causing a ‘sand storm’. In the spring of last year, they narrowly escaped last place with 4 wins and 14 losses, but after realigning their power and advancing to the playoffs in the summer of the same year, they are having a huge impact on the change in the top rankings this time.
After losing to DK 0-2 in the opening game, Sandbox won 4 consecutive victories over Hanwha Life Esports, KT Rolster, Brion, and Nongshim Red Force. After that, he lost to Gen.J and finished 4th with 4 wins and 2 losses. He struggled against a strong team, but when he met a team he needed to catch, he pushed ahead. Although they are behind in terms of gains and losses, their win/loss is the same as that of 3rd place DK.
At the center of the sandbox is mid laner Lee “Closer” Lee. He was selected as POG (Player of the Game) four times and tied for first place with Ryu “Keria” Min-seok, “Owner” Hyeon-jun Moon (T1), “Face” Soo-hwan Kim (Gen.G), and Kim “Canyon” Gun-bu (DK). occupied
Lee Ju-hyeon, who debuted as a backup for Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in T1, moved over to the sandbox in 2022. He is entering his third year this year and is showing off his skills to the fullest. Even in the game that lasted more than 40 minutes, he played the role of a strong back that did not collapse and took the victory point.
In the match against Brion on the 28th of last month, Irelia, a sword-type champion, was put up, and he did not use only strong advantages on the side, but linked play with his colleagues to bring the team a come-from-behind victory. 먹튀검증
What shocked the fans the most this spring was Ryu Min-seok’s one-deal pot. T1 supporter Minseok Ryu surprised the fans by choosing AD ‘Caitlyn’ in the 2nd set against Guangdong Freecs and ‘Calista’ in the 3rd set against DK. It is the first time in the LCK that two champions have been appointed as supports.
Usually, distance dealers and supporters are placed on the bottom line. This is because ranged dealers have weak stamina and need to grow with the help of supporters in the early stages.
However, Ryu Min-seok chose another offensive resource instead of a supporter. In League of Legends, there is room for weak teams to create variables when the game is in the middle and late stages. Teams with relatively low skills tend to focus on developing champions in the early stages, and tend to focus on late-game play.
T1 used extreme tactics to block it at the source. In terms of football, it is the same as concentrating on attacking without a defender. Most of these matches are over within 30 minutes.
‘Saturday Showdown’, introduced for the first time in this year’s spring, offers new attractions. The game with high interest is sent to the first game on Saturday. Rivals of the same age, Lee Sang-hyeok and “Deft” Hyuk-gyu faced each other, and players who transferred to Hanwha Life Insurance after winning Worlds last year played against their former team, DRX.
The 2023 LCK Spring will enter the second round starting on the 17th. If the sandbox, which was weak against strong teams, wins against T1 and DK, the ranking can be reversed at once. The performance of Hanwha Life, which turned into an upward trend in the third week, is also raising expectations.
