January 31, 2025

Byte Class Technology

Byte Class Technology & Sports Update

SKT kkOma made a mistake at Worlds 2016 that impacted bengi

SKT kkOma made a mistake at Worlds 2016 that impacted bengi

Fb reminded me of a memory recently.

“SKT bounce back again 1-2 to get a 3-2 acquire about ROX to protected their spot in the Finals as soon as again.”

“The most unbelievable, optimum typical of League of Legends was played currently. Bengi carried his workforce on his shoulders as The Jungle. Smartest, most excellent jungler ever. When he has his S game on, his video game management is unparalleled,” I experienced composed four decades back.

Screenshot by Amanda Tan/One Esports

Obviously, I was an SKT enthusiast. I supported them from 2015 to 2017 in a exclusive way — I viewed each individual solitary one of their game titles and analyzed them on my weblog.

Even if you’re not an SKT lover, I’m absolutely sure you have viewed several spotlight plays from equally SK Telecom T1 and ROX Tigers from this match, as it is a single of the very best collection at any time in LoL esports history.


SK Telecom T1 mentor kkOma was less than a lot of strain in the course of Worlds 2016 collection against ROX Tigers

2016 was supposed to be the year for the ROX Tigers. They had been coming in incredibly hot soon after finishing initially in LCK Spring and Summertime typical seasons, and successful the Summer season championship. Tune “Smeb” Kyung-ho, Kim “PraY” Jong-in, Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, and Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyun experienced designed an intense playstyle in-match, and youthful camaraderie offscreen.

The appears of screaming fan ladies adopted them close to. As teammates and as friends, they appreciated to sing, joke, and snicker, and have been normally bursting with electrical power. At ROX, these gamers had been in their prime.

On the other side of the phase, SKT were being defending Entire world champions. Immediately after a strong 2015 with leading laner Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan, they chose Lee “Duke” Ho-seong to fill major sneakers. In the jungle, Bae “bengi” Seong-woong gradually handed his baton around to a a lot more have oriented jungler, Kang “Blank” Sunshine-gu, who began about him two thirds of the time.

With two big roster modifications, SKT were being vying for their third championship and make background by getting the to start with staff to gain back again-to-back again titles.

Screenshot by Amanda Tan/1 Esports

Luckily the Worlds 2016 meta was fun for viewers way too. It was a handle mid meta, with Syndra, Viktor, Ryze and Cassiopeia as leading picks. Immediately after banning Nidalee, the major tier jungler at that time, groups performed Olaf, Lee Sin, Elise, and Rek’Sai. This intended that mid-jungle synergy identified substantially of the early video game.

Zyra was prime tier that patch. She did so much destruction that she could be played as an AP assist by hurrying Liandry’s Torment as a very first item. Paired with Jhin, they experienced substantial burst harm, group handle, and lane dominance.

In the course of the semifinals, ROX Tigers ended up one game down. Established to make their existence felt in the sequence, they stunned every person in match two — and I mean all people — by last finding Skip Fortune.

“Oh! That’s… an instalock Skip Fortune,” shoucaster David “Phreak” Turley reported. “This is an instalock Miss Fortune… I really do not know.”



You can inform from the audio that all 3 casters have been making an attempt to determine out why ROX experienced picked Overlook Fortune when Ashe was previously locked in.

Turns out, ROX figured out an ingenious way to counter Zyra — by slowing her with Make It Rain and making use of her crops towards her with Double Up. MF’s innate large motion velocity also can help with dodging talent shots. In addition, the second Ashe hits an Enchanted Crystal Arrow onto a squishy target, all MF wants to do is push R for a unpleasant combo.

Recreation two was also the game the place PraY’s career highlight took place. 32-minutes in, he shot a flawlessly placed cross-map Enchanted Crystal Arrow to halt Duke’s Ekko from teleporting back to protect his foundation.

ROX drafted the exact same Ashe and Pass up Fortune bot lane in sport three towards Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan’s Zyra help. Winning a second activity in a row, ROX remaining SKT trailing 1-2 in the collection.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99bJQfp0bY

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=HfP13zQB4SA


Game 4 decided if SKT would continue to be in the series, or bow out of Worlds. Due to the fact it was an absolutely crucial recreation, head coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun subbed out Blank for bengi, the “right hand of God”.

In the course of the draft phase, KkOma also forgot to ban Nidalee.

Reworked that year and buffed on patch 6.15, Nidalee was not just S-tier. She was Peanut’s signature champion and SKT designed guaranteed to ban her in the to start with 3 game titles of the sequence.

On major of that, bengi was hardly ever known to be a have jungler. He was a facilitator. On Elise, Rek’Sai, Jarvan, and Gragas, he performed for his laners and manipulated the jungle to support them.

Prior to this, bengi experienced under no circumstances played a professional sport on Nidalee.

In the one match to ascertain SKT’s destiny, in the most important match of his lifestyle on the Worlds phase, he had to.

With the bodyweight of the planet on his shoulders, bengi played Nidalee — and he did it his way.

Four minutes in, we see two trinket wards in ROX’s jungle. Bengi had entire information and facts on in which Peanut’s Olaf was and what he was executing. Initial the Gromp, then the Wolves. As bengi waited in the fog of war, shoutcaster Mitch “Krepo” Voorspoels analyzed, “He’s not likely for a participate in on mid lane, he’s going to hold out for Peanut, he’s heading to obstacle him on the Wolves.”


https://www.youtube.com/observe?v=D2Sg3Xmpylk


What did bengi do? He played for mid lane.

He labored with God, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, for a properly executed first blood. Environment the pace from the early recreation, bengi didn’t ability crystal clear his jungle or counter-jungle on Nidalee. Rather, he employed her very clear timings to get vision pros, making it possible for him to assert stress on his lanes. And so with the rest of SKT, the series was evened out at 2-2.

In the previous determining game, both groups have been neck and neck. Even though ROX managed to protected the to start with Baron, SKT claimed 4 lives in return which gave them a tempo benefit and a 2,000 gold direct.

The Tigers weren’t accomplished however. They observed an possibility to gank Faker in the leading lane, and jointly, four of them took it. With immaculate dodging, Ghost, and a clutch Shockwave, Faker escaped the 1v4 as the Madison Square Backyard crowd roared loudly in the history.


https://www.youtube.com/observe?v=_JDyWmg5M7k


When the future Baron spawned, SKT put their duo and top laner mid lane to continue to keep a thrust going. Out of ROX’s eyesight, bengi’s Lee Sin and Faker’s Orianna sneakily rushed the Baron. Blended with the Elder Dragon buff, SKT went on to get the sequence, qualify for the finals, and earn the 2016 Entire world Championship.

kkOma mirrored on this series last yr in The Longshot, echoing the sentiment of numerous LoL admirers, “It’s one particular of the greatest ideal-of-five matches at any time. I will not fail to remember this match until eventually I die.”

Read A lot more: This is why I cried just after listening to the Worlds 2020 orchestral theme tune