SKT wins survives Samsung five-game Worlds thriller

ByESPN ESPORTS STAFF

October 30, 2016, 1:30 AM

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Schedule ?

Saturday, October 29 (6 p.m. ET): ESPN Esports Facebook Live pre-game show with Pobelter and Locodoco

Saturday, October 29 (7:30 p.m. ET): SK Telecom T1 vs. Samsung Galaxy (Final) streamed on Riot Games

Saturday, October 29 (starting approx. 8:30 p.m. ET): ESPN Esports Facebook Live analyses between games and after the series with Pobelter and Locodoco

Saturday, October 29 (at conclusion of series): Worlds Post-Show on ESPN3

Finals coverage

Faker's SK Telecom T1 to meet Samsung Galaxy for Worlds title
SK Telecom T1 and Samsung Galaxy will play at a sold-out Staples Center for the 2016 Worlds title. Stats and Info previews the all-South Korean matchup.

Riot's LoL shoutcaster Jatt shares unique behind-the-scenes insight
Josh "Jatt" Leesman, an esports game shoutcaster, details what it's like calling a League of Legends match and explains why he believes South Korea's LoL dominance is comparable to USA Basketball's.

Why LoL's growth is humbling for Crumbz
Analyst Crumbz gives Locodoco and Pobelter his perspective on how large League of Legends has become and makes a prediction about Saturday's championship final.

Bang: 'I'm confident we're not going to lose'
Over the last month, no player in the world has produced stats like Bang. And now, he's ready to take the title.

Esports' Michael Jordan: the global Faker phenomenon
Faker is one of the best people at his job in the world today, and he's looking to take his third League of Legends World Championship this weekend. Where did he come from, and what drives him?

Worlds finals preview: The Samsung dark horse vs. the SKT standard for excellence
SKT's traditional mid and ADC power meets Samsung's core strength in the top lane and jungle. SKT may be favored, but Samsung has proven to be nothing but surprising this Worlds.

The almighty mid lane: SKT's Faker vs. Samsung's Crown
Crown has been absolutely on fire this tournament, but is it enough to defeat the Unkillable Demon King?

Rumble in the jungle: SKT's Bengi/Blank vs. Samsung's Ambition
Veteran jungler Bengi is slowly returning to form, but Ambition's experience leading the charge might just be enough to take down the former king of the jungle.

Dynamic duos: SKT's Bang and Wolf face Samsung's Ruler and Core JJ in bot lane
For Bang, it's an opportunity to come out of Faker's long shadow. For Ruler and Core JJ, it's a chance to launch a new career and re-imagine an existing one.

Top lane showdown: SKT's Duke vs. Samsung's CuVee
Will Samsung Galaxy's CuVee be able to exploit SKT's weak link in the top lane?

News ?

2016 League of Legends Worlds prize pool at $5.07M with fan contributions

LoL Worlds: The gap between South Korea and the rest of the world

Veteran support Yellowstar retires from League of Legends

Flash Wolves re-sign starting roster

Sources: ROX Tigers to disband after Worlds

Crumbz makes the uncommon jump from pro to caster

Who is the Worlds MVP so far? Hint: It's not Faker

Smoothie points to lack of teamwork in loss to Samsung

The sound of silence: Samsung sweep C9 to qualify for semifinals

Riot Games debuts first League streaming sponsor in a year

Podcasts

Who'll win Worlds and what's in store for ELeague Season 2: 10/25/16
Jacob Wolf, Rachel Gu and Darin Kwilinski preview the Samsung Galaxy-SKT T1 finals this Sat and discuss the start of ELeague's new season.

League of Legends Quarterfinals: 10/11/16
Rachel Gu, Jacob Wolf, Christina Kelly and Darin Kwilinski break down The Big House 6, League of Legends group play and share their favorites to reach the quarterfinals

Breaking the streak: upsets in StarCraft II and League of Legends: 10/4/16
Rachel Gu, Christina Kelly and Darin Kwilinski talk about all the crazy upsets that took place in StarCraft II and League of Legends.

StarCraft and Worlds draw: 9/13/16
Jacob Wolf and Rachel Gu welcome Esports associate editor Christina "PeanutSC" Kelly to the show to discuss StarCraft II, the League of Legends World Championship group draw and more.

Semifinals coverage

The strategy and stats of 2016 Worlds picks and bans
Who has the most unique champion wins? Which champion has done the best in the jungle? Who will get banned? Learn all of this and more.

The 2016 League of Legends Worlds semifinals in pictures
Follow the two days of action at the League of Legends World Championship semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

Faker, Miss Fortune and an unforgettable Friday night at Worlds
With SKT T1 shaken from an unprecedented Miss Fortune curveball by the ROX Tigers, Faker and his South Korean squad rebounded and gave us a semi that was as good as any final we've ever seen.

Saturday, October 22: Samsung Galaxy sweeps aside H2k 3-0

Worlds: Faker didn't feel much pressure against ROX Tigers
Faker, the stoic two-time World Champion and the Michael Jordan of esports, addresses the meta and his mental state against ROX.

Worlds: Bang willing to expand champion pool
For Bang, being a top AD Carry at Worlds meant stepping outside of his comfort zone with a champion he hadn't played in two years.

Friday, October 21: SK Telecom T1 wins thrilling semifinal 5-game series against ROX Tigers

Previews

H2k's Forg1ven menaces Samsung Galaxy's Ruler in ADC semis matchup

Support shenanigans: H2k's Vander vs. Samsung Galaxy's Core JJ at Worlds semis

Top lane showdown: H2k's Odoamne vs. Samsung Galaxy's CuVee at Worlds semis

Rumble in the jungle: H2k's Jankos vs. Samsung Galaxy's Ambition at Worlds semis

Meet me in the middle: H2k's Ryu vs. Samsung Galaxy's Crown in Worlds semis

The last Western hope vs. a resurgent former champion
Will European H2k's fiery players defeat South Korean Samsung Galaxy's teamwork in the Worlds semifinals?

Rising up: The story of Samsung Galaxy vs. H2k
Each team has overcome big problems to get to the semifinals, from rebuilding a roster to dealing with inconsistent performance. Fionn breaks down the stories and players to watch.

Match point: The rivalry of SKT and ROX Tigers
For SKT, a loss means risking its dynasty. For ROX, it means the end of an era, the final blow to a team that was always short of winning.

The intrigue and drama of Worlds' four possible final matchups
SKT vs. H2k. SSG vs. SKT. H2k vs. ROX. ROX vs. SSG. Which presents the most fascinating story? Fionn breaks it down.

H2k's redemption of Europe at Worlds: a two-part battle
After a 1-2 showing in week one of the League of Legends World Championship, many fans and analysts dismissed H2k along with the rest of Europe's representatives. Then H2k proved them wrong.

Worlds quarterfinal preview: H2K vs. Albus Nox Luna
Can Albus Nox Luna's Cinderella story go the distance? Or will H2K rise to the occasion and put the Wild Card in its place?

Worlds quarterfinal preview: ROX Tigers vs. EDward Gaming
Two titans of their respective domestic scenes, South Korea's ROX Tigers and China's EDward Gaming, will meet in the quarterfinals on Oct. 15. EDG's weakness in the top lane may spell trouble.

Worlds quarterfinal preview: SK Telecom T1 vs. Royal Never Give Up
The rivalries run deep between SKT and Royal Never Give Up. But now that Uzi has Mata, can China topple the dynasty from South Korea?

Worlds quarterfinal preview: Samsung Galaxy vs. Cloud9
The first seed from the group of death vs. the team that doesn't believe it should be there. It seems like a straightforward win. ... Right?

Quarterfinals Standings

Quarterfinals news

H2k decisively sweeps Albus NoX Luna in quarterfinals

ROX Tigers cheerfully devour EDward Gaming to advance to Worlds semifinals

SKT T1's Bang and Bengi confident heading into semis

South Korea sends two teams to Worlds semis

Bracket confirmed for League of Legends World Championship

Group Standings

Q = Qualified for quarterfinals

Features ?

Worlds and Group Stage previews

Why North America won't fail in Week 2 of Worlds

The down and dirty Worlds week 2 groups preview

The five states of EUlogy: Europe after Week 1 of Worlds

The group of death: Rock, paper, scissors, Splyce

League of Legends World Championship power rankings

Interviews

Zero to hero: The transformation of the world's greatest top laner
When Smeb first started League of Legends, he was denounced as the worst top laner in South Korea. Now, he's become one of the best competitors in history. This is his story.

Crown: 'I'd like to meet SK Telecom T1 in the finals'
"It's definitely a low possibility [for us to win Worlds] for sure. But it's not zero."

SwordArt: 'LMS is still a really strong region'
It was a disappointing run at Worlds for the LMS region's final hope. But SwordArt is still determined to prove Taiwan's worth.

Faker: 'I don't think the remaining teams' mid laners are extreme, top-tier players'
The boy wonder in the mid lane is back. But how does the field of competition look? Not very impressive, according to Faker.

Meteos: 'TSM probably deserves to be here more than we do'
The gap is closing, they say. South Korea isn't as dominant, they say. But history repeats itself and Cloud9 is the last North American team standing. Do they have what it takes to win?

Ambition: 'I think Samsung Galaxy is the strongest team I've been on'
A year ago, most people assumed that Ambition would retire. But he managed to finally qualify for the World Championship spot that eluded him - and he's making sure he's playing to stay.

Uzi to Forgiven: 'I want to meet you at the final'
After barely getting out of the Worlds group stage to the quarterfinals, Royal Never Give Up's ace Uzi has his eyes set on a finals matchup with H2k Gaming's Forgiven.

Kira: 'It's a pretty cool thing to be here and have more wins than the [entire continent] of Europe'
Not only is Albus Nox Luna living the Cinderella story at the League of Legends World Championships, it's building an entirely new legacy for the Wild Card region.

Flash Wolves' Karsa: 'The jungler I really want to play against is probably Bengi'
The Flash Wolves took a surprising victory off of South Korean favorites SK Telecom T1. Here's what the jungler, Hung "Karsa" Hau-Hsuan, had to say after the win.

Darshan: 'If any team wants to leave Aurelion Sol up against us, it's a pretty big mistake'
Counter Logic Gaming returns to form against its biggest obstacle, the ROX Tigers. For Darshan, this is just the beginning.

Scout: '[Faker's] my role model'
Scout has always stood in the shadow of the mid lane titans on SKT. This time, he's making a name for himself.

Westdoor: 'The wildcard teams are really great, actually'
Westdoor and ahq are doing better than many in the community speculated they would before Worlds. The mid laner gives ESPN his thoughts after their win against INTZ.

Core JJ: '[TSM] beat us once, and I want that revenge'
Samsung Galaxy's Core JJ was swapped in on Saturday to replace Wraith in the support role. ESPN caught up to the former Dignitas player after Samsung's win over Royal Never Give Up.

Criticism inspires Blank in Worlds debut
Despite getting knocked for inconsistency during the regular season, SK Telecom T1's jungler Blank stepped it up when he got the call on the world's biggest stage.

Peanut: 'The TSM chants ... actually make me really envious'
After his Baron steal helped swing the tide in the ROX Tigers' direction in a tough match against G2 Esports, the jungler gives his thoughts on Western fans, Lee Sin and nemesis SK Telecom T1.

Likkrit: I can be the best support in the world
After wildcard Albus Nox Luna dispatched Counter Logic Gaming without much trouble on Saturday, Kirill "Likkrit" Malofeev's confidence is riding sky-high.

EDG's PawN: 'I'm really confused on what's going to happen in the standings of the group'
A disappointing and shocking loss to wildcard INTZ saw EDG steel themselves for a victory over ahq e-sports. Still, mid laner PawN can't predict the group.

H2k FORG1VEN: 'We're both basically the same players, [Uzi and I]'
H2k's Konstantinos-Napoleon "FORG1VEN" Tzortziou has had a tough year, but he still think he's got what it takes to compete with the best AD Carries in the world.

Faker: Bjergsen deserves title of 'North American Faker'
After leading a rout of Cloud 9 in SK Telecom T1's Worlds debut, Lee "Faker" Sang-heyok says they can get better and is impressed with TSM's ace Bjergsen.

Royal Never Give Up's Uzi picks TSM to win their group
Despite rocketing to a dominating 2-0 in group play, Royal Never Give Up's AD carry Uzi isn't picking his own team to top the group at Worlds.

Avoidless: 'Give us a little hope'
The scrappy underdog I May came back to beat the Flash Wolves on Friday, but I May's jungler Fan "Avoidless" Jun Wei understands the reality of their situation.

Samsung Galaxy's Ruler: 'We should have had an easier win'
Samsung Galaxy decisively won its first Worlds game since its last appearance in 2014, but ADC Ruler thinks they have work to do if they want another championship.

Yang on beating EDG: 'I had the same feeling as when I won CBLoL'
INTZ was always considered one of the best Wild Card teams and it proved just that in its opening match at the League of Legends World Championships.

Smeb: 'TSM is far above [the other western teams]'
Smeb gives his thoughts on the best western teams at Worlds and his biggest rival competing for the Summoner's Cup.

Stixxay: 'European teams weren't as strong as people thought they were'
After North America's Counter Logic Gaming upset European champions G2 Esports, ESPN caught up with CLG's AD carry Stixxay.

Worlds group draw: First impressions
The road to the League of Legends World Championship starts with a game of chance: the group draw. Here's our take on who "won" and "lost," based on the opponents they'll face in the group stage.

Cpt Jack: Bjergsen is the 'Faker' of North America
Legendary AD carries Cpt Jack and WeiXiao sit down with ESPN to offer their thoughts on the scene's best players and potential winners at Worlds.

History of Worlds

NA's history at the League of Legends World Championship
Although North America is the home of Riot itself, the region hasn't had teams in the top four at Worlds since 2011. Read on for the roller coaster ride that is NA at Worlds.

LCK's history at the League of Legends World Championship
South Korea is currently the unstoppable powerhouse of League of Legends, but it wasn't always smooth sailing.

LPL's history at the League of Legends World Championship
The region has been so close, yet so far away on two occasions, yet South Korea has stood in the way each time. Read on about China's journey in the League of Legends World Championship.

LMS's history at the League of Legends World Championship
From bottom of the barrel to playoff contenders - Taiwan's history in League of Legends is short, but explosive.

IWC's history at the League of Legends World Championship
At a distance from the glitz of League's major scenes like Europe and China, the International Wildcard regions have been doggedly trying to prove their worth at Worlds since season three.

Top 5s

Top 5 supports at Worlds
Supports are not often in the spotlight, but these steadfast players deserve a closer look for their stellar abilities in a 2v2 lane-focused meta.

Top 5 AD carries at Worlds
Fionn thinks one AD carry rules them all, but the talent across Europe, North America, China and South Korea is undeniable. Who will reign supreme in bot lane?

Top 5 mid laners at Worlds
Erzberger takes a look at the best mid lane talents heading into the League of Legends World Championships. Spoiler: It's Faker's world and we're all just living in it.

The five best top laners at the World Championships
The top lane talent at this year's World Championship is stacked. Here are the top five names to watch out for.

Top 5 junglers at the World Championships
The jungle talent this year is an unpredictable toss-up, with five of the most bombastic and dynamic players ready to take the rift.