Introduction: The 2016 IEM Gyeonggi-do tournament came to a successful conclusion this week, and Samsung finally won its first championship after the team reorganization. After going through all kinds of changes, this championship has a different meaning for them. At the end of the LCK transfer period, ROX Tigers, who won the LCK Summer Championship last season and reached the top four of the global finals, finally unveiled the new lineup for the 2017 season, which attracted much attention. During this period, Pawn also said in an interview that he returned to South Korea because he wanted to win the LCK championship, and stated that he did not say that EDG needed him.
IEM Champion Samsung Interview: When we meet SKT again, we can win
In the final of the IEM League of Legends project held at the Gaoyang Indoor Stadium on the afternoon of the 18th, Samsung defeated KONGDOO Monster 3:1 to ascend to the championship throne. Samsung received a $50,000 prize as the winner and decided to participate directly in the IEM Global Finals, which will be held in March next year. After the game, all the players of Samsung were interviewed.
- Feelings of winning the championship.
Cuvee: After that, I'll also try to show great performances at LCK.
Ambition: I think it's a game that should win the championship and it's nice not to miss the opportunity.
Crown: Because I just finished S6, I think this game is a little smaller. I will try to have a good performance in Katowice, where the IEM World Finals are held.
Ruler: It's a good idea to win on a stage like this.
CoreJJ: I have a championship experience in my career as a professional player and I am in a good mood. Based on this, it seems that new records can be set in the future.
- Facing the KONGDOO Monster, which has been gaining momentum lately.
Crown: I was tired after LCK and the contract part was under discussion, so it was difficult to play my strength. But before this competition, I felt that as long as I played well, I would have the confidence to achieve good results.
- Who do you think is the one who won the game?
CoreJJ: Thanks to the mid-single and the high-end order, we can win. [Laughs]
- Innings 3 was a bit of a pity.
Ambition: Because there is no dominance in the middle, whatever you do will fail. (Laughs) Although I have confidence in my strength, I seem to be a little nervous and have not let go.
- This is the 3rd time I have been to Katowice.
Ambition: This is the third time I've been there, and I don't think I'll have anything else to say but "I'm tired." It was cold there all the time, there was nothing around and the hotel was not good.
- There is a good chance of encountering SKT again at the IEM Global Finals.
Cuvee: I think it's important to face SKT's central dominance, and I think it's enough to win them.
- You have also cooperated with each other for more than 1 year, what kind of impact do you think it has on your strength?
CoreJJ: I think that no matter how well the players play, they will still perform well in the competition, and the most important thing is the strength of the cooperation.
- Want to say something.
Ruler: If we continue to work hard at this level, I think we can win against other teams that are rebuilt. Even if I'm not the "strongest ADC in the world", I can reach a certain level of strength.
CoreJJ: I'm happy to be able to defend the strongest ADC Ruler player in the LCK next season. I don't think the ADCs of other teams are rivals of the Ruler players. I will try to show that kind of strength in the game. [Laughs]
Samsung announced the new Haroo joining to form a 2-person wilderness system
Samsung officially announced yesterday (19th) that Itano Haroo joined the franchise through the official Facebook. The shin-tatsuno originally belonged to the CJ team, and the ID was changed from Haru to Haroo.
Facebook Content Translation:
Fans, we have good news for you.
Samsung GALAXY LOL Team welcomes a new player Haroo (Playing Wild) to join, please support the Samsung GALAXY LOL Team's Haroo players.
Samsung, who won the championship at the IEM Gyeonggi-do tournament, formed a two-person playing system in which the new and old Hato Haroo and the big brother Ann took charge. Haroo, who joined CJ in May, played 43 games in the LCK Summer Tournament, with a KDA of 2.25.
Former Xenics single Candy joined CJ and has been active at LMS
CJ announced today (20th) through the official Facebook that the new Single Candy has joined.
Candy has played for team Xenics and Midnight Sun Esports in the LMS division and is known for the ID "Chupa Chups Candy". Candy said that before taking a vacation until recently decided to return to the pros.
As a result, the CJ team currently has Playing Wild and Auxiliary Pure, Shangdan Soul, and the newly joined Zhongdan Candy, only the ADC players have not yet been announced.
Korean media: The end of the transfer period Analysis of the outlook for the 2017 season of LCK
With the transfer period at the end, there are many opinions about the future of LCK's 2017 season. This Winter Transfer Period in South Korea has been more enthusiastic than ever, and is characterized by the transfer of many star-level players. Rumors of speculation and contract conditions were circulating for a time, and the atmosphere was as high as baseball's winter transfer period. Regarding the transfer situation, even overseas public opinion has shown strong concern. The LCK can be said to be a veritable big league in the esports world.
- What is Faker's annual salary?
The most talked about person in the transfer period is Faker. Known as "Esports Jordan" and winner of the 3-time Global Finals championship, he already had a lot of predictions about where he would go before his contract expired. Other overseas teams led by China have issued invitations, but in the end, Faker renewed his contract with SKT, which made Korean fans very happy.
Although the specific amount was not disclosed, SKT said that in order to retain Faker, it offered an annual salary comparable to the highest level of Professional Baseball in South Korea. A relevant person broke the news: "Many overseas teams led by China have issued invitations to Faker, and marin's annual salary in China last year reached 2 billion won, so you can imagine Faker's annual salary."
- Overseas players also return to the big leagues
In addition to Faker, the transfer news of other star players has also attracted much attention.
Smeb, the no. 1 in the 2016 global rankings selected by Fist, was transferred from ROX to KT, and ROX's other young peanut, who was also outstanding in stature, moved to SKT.
The return of Overseas Korean players to LCK has also formed a huge topic. Pawn, Deft, and Mata all joined KT, while Marin joined Afreeca.
A large part of the return of overseas players is due to various visa problems. But the main reason is that the players recognize that staying overseas at LCK is more effective at developing their own strengths.
- Who is the winner of the transfer market?
With many star players packing up back to LCK, the prospects for the 2017 season have also caused a lot of discussion.
The first is the success of the global finals champion team SKT and Faker, Balnk, Bang, Wolf selection appointment, is expected to lead the 2017 season. Not to mention that the addition of Peanut and Huni is expected to increase SKT's combat effectiveness.
In addition, the main players of the three-star team, the runner-up of the Global Finals, all renewed their contracts to play in the 2017 season.
The most high-profile team in this transfer market is KT.KT signed Smeb, Pawn, Deft, Mata, giving the team a new look. In particular, the main players of the S4 champion "Samsung Dynasty" have joined, which makes people look forward to the opposition between KT and SKT.
Not to be outdone, Afreeca signed one of the big fish in the transfer market, Marin, and Spirit, Mowgli, Kuro, Kramer, and Tusin completed a six-man lineup to form a fighting force that was enough to keep an eye on the upstream circle of the 2017 season.
- Overseas public opinion is also hotly concerned
The news of LCK's winter transfer period has also attracted the attention of overseas public opinion.
In particular, e-sports media tycoon ESPN published a report on the in-depth analysis of the lineup under the title of "Superteam Showdown: The new SKT and KT Rolster lineups" on the news of SKT and KT players joining.
The attention of overseas public opinion like this is the result of the majesty of the rapidly growing e-sports.
Recently, Activate, a < of South Korean market research companies>, reported that "the average annual sales of esports will surpass the NBA and NHL in 2020", showing that the explosive growth of the esports market is more concerned than ever.
Pawn Interview: Returning from China to South Korea LCK Re-Challenge
"The situation now is very different from when I went to China after I won the S4 championship. Now the Korean team also provides treatment that is in line with the ability of the players, and I am satisfied. Also, I haven't won the LCK championship yet. I won the LPL, MSI, and the World Championship, and only the LCK champion didn't win once. The Korean league championship is really remarkable in the player's career, so I have more ambitions to win."
As Pawn said, he won the 2015 LPL Spring Season after traveling to the LPL in China. Although it is difficult to communicate with the EDG teammates and doctors I met for the first time, this is not a big problem. Then in the MSI final against South Korean representative SKT, EDG won the championship in 3:2 in five sets. However, in the most brilliant moment, Pawn was dragged back by a low back injury, and what made him suffer for the rest of his Chinese life was lumbar disc herniation.
"After the MSI ended, the pain in the lower back started a little bit, and it was getting worse and worse. If the lumbar disc is not surgery, it can only be privately convalescent. Because if I had surgery, there would be a gap in my career, and it would be difficult to adapt when I returned, and it was very likely that I would retire, so I rarely played in the summer race that year. Also, 'EDG needs me' wasn't what I said. At that time, in addition to the waist injury, other parts were not good, and I was resting all the time. The other singles played, 2-2 draws, so that's why I played."
Pawn, who was sad because of his lowly appearance in the 2015 summer games, said that although he followed EDG to advance to the S5 quarterfinals, it was only because of good luck in the draw, and the overall strength was not good. He said that although everyone is working hard and advancing to the top 8 is not a bad result, this regret is unavoidable. So, as soon as the S5 Global Finals ended, Pawn thought about going back to South Korea. However, he chose to stay in China again at that time, which stemmed from the support of Chinese fans.
"It was good at the beginning, but late in the season I wasn't in what I thought I was. Anyone who gets homesick when they're tired is not, too. But the Chinese fans in the 2015 season really gave me a lot of support and love, so I decided to stay in China for another year. Although I am a foreign aid in China, China has also given me the same support as when I was active in Korea. ”
Pawn also played at EDG in the 2016 season, and although the spring tournament also advanced to the final, it lost to RNG. The BP did not go well, and could not start the game smoothly, plus during the summer of 2015, Pawn took a long vacation due to a back injury. At that time, EDG persuaded him to take a vacation, so Pawn returned to South Korea to rest for a month before returning to the team. Although the S6 Global Finals EDG advanced to the quarterfinals, he did not play in the competition but was played by Scout, and finally EDG stopped in the quarterfinals for two consecutive years.
Once again, Pawn is faced with a choice. A choice had to be made between staying in China or returning to South Korea, and in the end Pawn chose South Korea. EDG also respected his choice after asking for his opinion, making public news of Pawn's return to Korea. He then chose KT Rolster.
"Since I decided to go back to Korea, I have talked a lot with my friends around me and discussed a lot with the players close to me about what to do. I wanted to win the World Championship again, so I wanted to go to a strong team, so I chose KT. The other players who joined the KT team seem to have the same idea, especially since I really want to win the LCK championship."
Like Pawn, the players who chose KT were Smeb and Deft, Mata, and Score. Asked what he thought of his other teammates who would be on the same team in the 2017 season, Pawn said that if he joined them, he could win the LCK title. Not long ago, because of KT's internal seminar, the embarrassment between them has also been reduced a lot.
"Although he has not lived with Smeb brother in the same team, he has played against EDG and I think he is really a very strong player. In the face of Smeb, as long as the tower falls, it is difficult to save it. He's the strongest player in the world that I'm certified, so it's great to be able to play together. The same goes for Brother Score, I think he and Peanut Jr. are the best players in Korea, and they also showed a strong face in the summer finals. Deft had no words to say, and at EDG he often communicated tactics with other people, and I did the same. Brother Mata is still the world's top assistant, although his physical strength has decreased a little, but his mind is still the strongest. Now that we have practiced together once, we have worked better than expected, and we should be able to adapt quickly."
However, in addition to KT, the strength of other teams has also been strengthened, and the 2017 season can be said to be the strongest season in Korean history. Among them, Pawn said that SKT is a formidable opponent. He said that even in the face of Faker, he has the confidence not to fall behind, because LOL is a team game, and the other team members will all be active to face them and will perform well. He also said Longzhu and Afreeca were also teams with threatening strengths for the 2017 season.
Pawn, who returned to South Korea, said his goal was the championship. Therefore, Pawn wants to win all the championships in the LCK, MSI, and global finals, which is the realization of being the world's strongest single in the 2017 season. He said that the back injury that had been torturing him while in China now had no effect on the practice, and finally Pawn ended the interview by greeting the Chinese fans and KT fans who supported her during the 2 years.
After 2 years of my career as a player in China, thanks to the Chinese fans who have always supported me, I have persevered through an uneventful life. Thanks to the blessings of Chinese fans, I can't forget these 2 years of life. Although I am now returning to Korea to resume my career as a player, I will continue to ask everyone in the future, and I hope that KT fans will support me a lot. Also, I want to bring the championship back to Brother Score (laughs)."
ROX Open Squad New Season New Lineup Facing the 2017 LCK
As Kang Hyun-chung said last month, ROX Tigers finally unveiled a new squad for the 2017 season, which includes players from CJ and Afreeca, teams that Kang Hyun-chung oversaw in the past. ROX announced today (22nd) through the official SNS that the new ROX lineup is composed of former CJ Shangdan Shy and former Afreeca Zhongdan Lindarang, Sainghwan Nakano, Zhongdan Mickey, AD Sangyoon, and former ESC Ever Auxiliary Key.
This time ROX signed players who had been under the supervision and command of Kang Hyun-joong, and Shangdan Shy had been active together from the AZUBU period to CJ and Kang Hyun-jong's supervision, during which time he was the top single in South Korea.
Lindarang, Seonghwan, Mickey and Sangyoon were all players led by Kang Hyun-jong during the Afreeca era. They reached the playoffs in the first season of Afreeca's founding group, and the combination was remarkable.
The former ESC Ever Auxiliary Key is best known as Bard. Emerging from the Korean secondary league, he joined ROX and will re-challenge LCK under The leadership of Kang Hyun-jong.
ROX Tigers competed in the LCK Spring Games under the name GE Tigers in 2015 and advanced to three LCK finals over a two-year period and won the championship once. He also won 1 runner-up and 1 final 4 record on the stage of the global finals, but after S6, all ROX players were transferred, foreshadowing the rebuilding of the team.
Faker: Never thought about what happened after retirement
The 2016 E-sports Player Literacy Education Conference was held today (22nd) at the Najin Electronics World 14 Science Museum.
LCK explained that Lee Hyun Woo used his own experience to give a speech on his road after retiring from the army. The contestants also asked questions about curious aspects such as personal live broadcasts and love, and Lee Hyun Woo's commentary also made sincere answers and conveyed realistic suggestions.
During this time, Lee Hyun Woo suddenly asked Faker, the strongest player in LOL, "What do you want to do after you retire", and Faker replied: "I have never thought about this question."
Hearing the answer, Li explained: "It seems to mean working hard every day, it looks handsome", and told each player to enrich themselves every day.
Shy: It's one last chance and I want to retire honorably at LCK
"I came back with my original intention, I think this is the last chance, I want to retire honorably."
For Shey, what does the 2016 season mean? Because of the hand injury, Shy was relegated from starting to the bench for the first time since his debut as a professional player, and the team that had been in the team for a long time was also relegated to the secondary league. After saying goodbye to the troubled CJ team, the depressive ordeal continues.
But Shy didn't give up. Not because of money but because of the value of honor, self-esteem, etc., Shy burned the will to return to the player's career again. With many offers from overseas and other teams, he was secretly determined to restore his honor in the 2017 season. With the 2017 season not finally unknown, his choice was ROX Tigers.
ROX Tigers announced the 2017 season lineup at the official SNS on the 21st. With Shy as the center, Lindarang, Mickey, Seonghwan, Sangyoon and other Kang Hyun-chung supervised the disciples during the CJ and AFS periods and the key of ESC Ever to join ROX.
Experts believe that Shy is still A-level in terms of experience and fame, including strength, especially from the perspective of being a member of the team coaching team in addition to serving as a central player in the team, and many teams, including South Korea, have issued invitations to him.
Asked why he chose ROX Tigers, Shy confided his thoughtfulness: "I came back with the mood for the first time, and I think this is the last chance. Although ROX Tigers played well in the 2016 season and felt a burden in their hearts, I think it was also good among the options available. Because I started with Jiang Xianzhong, I felt that I could return with my original intention. Brother Hyun Jong-jong said that it was disgraceful to go overseas like this now, saying that I needed to restore my honor, which made me determined to stay. I wanted to retire honorably at LCK, and although I was worried about whether I wanted to be a coach, I chose to continue to be a player. ”
Since Shy has the reputation of a coach candidate and is proficient in team games, when asked about the team members' practice, he said: "Now from the practice of the team members, everyone is playing well, there is no inconvenience to take care of each other, so I feel very grateful", explaining the team practice atmosphere and the new team's adaptation.
Finally, he expressed his awareness of the future: "Although I am no longer CJ's Shy, please, I will try."