Three reasons why SKT will and won’t win the League of Legends World Championship

Three reasons they won’t win

1. Underperformance at MSI

Funny how I’m calling a semi-final loss “underachieving.” Yet in this new iteration of SKT’s first taste of international play during the year, SKT just couldn’t get it done.

They played well in groups with a 7-3 record and finished second place behind Invictus. Yet SKT lost in the semi-finals to G2.

Going out in the semis isn’t where you would expect a team with such a powerhouse roster to finish. You probably figure this is a team that would be top two or bust.  While more than capable of a boom, they could bust at Worlds and finish third, or fourth for a disappointing season.

2. G2

in 2019 SKT may not have been bested by Korea, however, there is a team that can beat SKT. That team is G2.

At MSI G2 took both games in the group stage and the semifinal series also went to G2 3-2. While the matches were close, it just seems like based on head to head results G2 has SKT’s number in 2019.

Should the two meet again you bet a lot will be on the line. Other tournament favorites like FunPlus Phoenix and Invictus might not help matters either, as they may be able to outgun this stacked lineup.

3. Slow start shows up again

The final reason I think SKT might not win is if they don’t show up to play and start slow. During the LCK 2019 Summer Spilt, they started off slow. Through three weeks of the split, SKT sat at 1-5, before turning on the jets and finishing 11-7.

During the season they had plenty of time to improve and find the right form to win it all, but what if a slow start occurs at Worlds? It might seem a while back since it happened back in June, but who knows a slump may occur again in-between the downtime of finishing LCK in September and the start of worlds in October. Without a full season of practice to right the ship, I think if another slump like that occurs SKT could be doomed.

Overall I would consider SKT a favorite in this tournament. With no shortage of talent and a legacy to uphold this team isn’t going down without a fight.