OGN Round of 8: SKT T1 K vs Samsung White; former glory and heated rivalry!

The OGN Champions‘ round of eight brought two very exciting sets of matches, both ending in a blind pick. The Najin e-mfire organization could not withstand the rising power of KT Arrows nor the experience of SK Telecom T1 S, and it’s now time for Season 3 world champions SKT T1 K to prove its worth against nemesis Samsung White.

(See: OGN round of 8: KT Arrows vs Najin White Shield; the rise and fall of rookies)

This time, it’s do or die for SK Telecom T1 K as its Season 4 World Championship spot is on the line. If the team suceeds, it will secure a score of 550 circuit points, which is enough to overcome any team unless Samsung Blue wins its match and proceeds to beat SKT T1 K in the semi-finals.

The Season 3 World Champion looks stronger than last split, though it doesn’t seem like the meta-game is in its favor. Faker continues to perform on non-assassin champions, though his ability to carry SKT K has been significantly reduced. The main core of the team, Bengi, seems to also be struggling in the current jungle environment, with his inability to find the right champions to play. While team synergy has definitely prevailed, individual player proficiency seems to have diminished. My thoughts? It will be all up to Bengi to find his old self, as well as his previous ability to single-handedly pressure the entire opposing team. If SKT T1 K is ever to return to its former glory, then Bengi must succeed.

On the other hand, Samsung White jungler Dandy seems to be as fearsome as ever, constantly putting pressure on the mid and bottom lanes while leaving Acorn to outplay his opponent one-on-one. Samsung White loves getting its bottom lane ahead, and I believe this will be the main point interest for both teams. Midlaner Pawn displayed ability to play against, and most importantly, beat Faker in the lane; however he has not been able to transition his early lead into late game. Nonetheless, it will be a bad sign for SKT T1 K if Mata and Imp manage to beat Piglet and Pooh in a two-on-two in the bottom lane, as Samsung White is extremely good at snowballing its leads there. Those instances almost always lead to a crushing victory.

Prediction: SKT T1 K wins 3-2

There is a lot at stake for both teams. SKT T1 K has an indomitable fighting spirit that makes it unstoppable in crunch times. On the other hand, Samsung White looks to accompany its sister team in this split’s top two, and to secure the second spot for the Season 4 World Championship. Whoever loses this game will most likely have to face the other teams in Korea’s regionals, though both K and White are considered favorites if it comes to that.

I believe the quarter-final will be the match where SKT T1 K finally gets out of its slump, partially in thanks to Samsung White and its tendency to get extremely cocky once ahead. SKT T1 K has always been a great team for comebacks, and I believe this may yet be its finest hour in the series.

The first match starts at 6 p.m CST, 7 p.m KST, 3 a.m PDT and 12 p.m GMT on July 23, check out the coverage on OGN’s official stream.