SKT Advances to Finals Against GE Tigers
After a close victory over CJ Entus in game 4 of the semifinals, SKT secured their spot in the finals. SKT was considered the favorite to win due to their performance in the tank meta.
Changes in Banning Strategies
SKT decided to field TOM as their jungler and Eazyhoon in the middle lane, which led to changes in the banning strategies for both teams. SKT had to ban Leblanc to protect Eazyhoon, and TOM’s presence took away the Rek’Sai threat from SKT’s side.
Leblanc and Rek’Sai were banned because of the players’ performance on those champions. GE Tigers banned Lulu, Gragas, and Ziggs, while SKT banned Leblanc, Kalista, and Rek’Sai.
Ziggs bans are becoming more common due to the champion’s power in controlling zones. Lulu, on the other hand, is a unique champion for SKT and they have found success with the Lulu-Sivir combination. GE Tigers picked Urgot, a safe and strong champion, as their first pick.
Knowing that Rek’Sai and Gragas were banned, SKT picked Sivir and Sejuani to counter GE’s team composition. Smeb’s Irelia pick was questionable, as it didn’t synergize well with the team and could easily be countered by SKT’s picks.
Eazyhoon’s Cassiopeia pick was a strong choice, as it countered GE’s Azir pick and gave SKT the advantage in teamfights. Wolf picked Thresh, who provided good peel for the team and had the potential to make clutch plays with hooks.
SKT’s picks allowed them to play around GE’s zone control composition effectively and expose their weaknesses. SKT ultimately won the series and advanced to the finals.
Screenshots courtesy of ongamenet, lolesports, and Riot Games.
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