KesPA Cup Reveals New Dynamic in League of Legends Korean Scene
*By Brandon Brathwaite*
League of Legends' Korean scene has a new look.
While the region's SK Telecom T1 has remained the dominant force in competitions, other contenders threaten its position. In particular, last season saw teams like Griffin and KT Rolster take advantage of a weakened SKT T1, which missed the Worlds Finals in 2018 for the first time in several years.
So what's next for LoL ー and will SK Telecom T1 make a triumphant return to glory?
According to League of Legends analyst and reporter, Emily Rand, last month's KesPA Cup 2018 provided a glimpse into the the future of the game for the upcoming LCK Season. Rand said that the new season will likely involve a resurgence of SK Telecom T1 "demon king" Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
"He has a good team around him," she told Cheddar Sports.
But, she added, "now it's going to depend on the team coming around him as a whole."
The team is in a tenuous spot after landing in eighth place in the KesPA Cup, falling to DAMWON Gaming. Griffin had a stellar outing at KesPA, nabbing the first tournament win.
Other teams like Gen. G, the former World champions and second place finishers at KesPA Cup, showed they'll be part of the conversation once the new season begins later this month.
Wyndham Clark is the U.S. Open champion and certainly played the part. All he did was hold his nerve against a world-class collection of contenders. Clark held off Rory McIlroy to win by one shot at Los Angeles Country Club.
Diver Diego Balleza, desperate because of a lack of financial resources ahead of next year's Paris Olympics, is making a leap to a different platform in which he also wears few clothes: OnlyFans.
The Vegas Golden Knights captured the young organization’s first Stanley Cup with a 9-3 romp Tuesday over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers.
Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets sharing hugs while passing around the NBA championship trophy. Those scenes that, for almost a half-century, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night.