OGN Champions Spring Final recap
Two unexpected contenders fought valiantly through underdog match-ups and against expectations. No one in the beginning of The Champions Spring 2014 would name either squad as a finalist given the fierce competition of SK Telecom T1 K, Samsung Ozone and CJ Entus Blaze. Regardless, Blue and Shield definitely threw us in a flurry of action and level of play worthy of a final.
Game one
The first game began with no surprises whatsoever - Yasuo was immediately taken away from dade and a valuable champion trade took place, Kassadin got Blue and left Nami for Shield. While Najin had the early game edge with a Lee Sin jungle on Watch, it was Zefa and Save who misplayed for the majority of the game, giving valuable kills to the opposition.
The best play was the game-changer itself. As Blue were taking a second mid turret, Najin overwhelmed them after a teleport from Save. After the battle the teams were tied on kills and Watch's men calmly took an uncontested Baron Nashor. Thinking that they had a substantial advantage, Shield did not expect a perfect flank from dade's gang which quickly turned into a massacre and decided game one for Blue, including an impressive Quadra kill on dade's Kassadin who finished 9-3-4.
Game two
We did not wait for long before action broke out in clash number two. Ggoong fell victim to Heart and Deft, while Save and Watch avenged their fallen mid laner with two mirror kills and a top lane turret. Soon after, Shield's LeBlanc was too much for dade's Twisted Fate to handle, diving the cardmaster again and again, snatching valuable kills, gold and experience.
From that point on, every engagement went in Najin's favour, who in turn wasted no time in demolishing their opponent. Save's 6-2-6, Watch's 3-0-10, Ggoong's 6-2-7 and especially Zefa's 2-0-10 KDA's tell the story of the game quite well. Confidently equalizing the score, White Shield drew a sigh of relief as both contenders quickly went into the next round.
Game three
Picks and bans offered more of the same with the only addition of Kassadin who was removed from the game by Najin. As the events went on, Blue slowly, but surely took the lead and never let go. Despite their best efforts, the persistence of GorillA's Solar Flares kept them at bay and did not allow a final push to manifest. The support player, however, eventually lead to downfall of his teammates after an ill-fated Zenith Blade lead to his immediate death, thus opening a hole in Najin's defense.
Not wasting a second, Samsung Blue marched in and retook the lead in the overall score once again, putting themselves at match point in taking the title of The Champions Spring 2014. It is worth mentioning that Spirit played an incredibly impressive Kha'Zix which was a constant thorn in their opponents' eyes, creating opportunities and generally extending Blue's lead as the game went on.
Game four
Backs against the wall, Najin White Shield threw everything at the enemy in order to knock them off balance. For a good amount of time near mid-game it seemed it worked. Ryze's powerspike was severely delayed after the defensive purchase of Spectre's Cowl. In addition to that, a couple of successful ganks on bot lane saw Deft use Kog'Maw's passive more than we're used to seeing. The nail on the coffin was the inability of Shield to capitalize on their early and mid-game leads.
Once the Baron dance went off, dade stepped up, caught Najin out of position at ramp near mid lane and completely decimated 4/5ths of the enemy line-up using Ryze's ultimate, thus driving them back and securing valuable position on the map. In addition, Irelia and Kog'Maw hit their divine late-game status and laid waste to the opposition and snatching the Spring title for the Samsung organisation once more.
Most valuable player: Bae 'dade' Uh-Jin (KDA Ratio: 6,95 in four games)
The amazing performances of dade with Ozone during Champions Spring 2013 and Blue during Champions Spring 2014 (both winning the title) coined his new nickname - The King of Spring. The mid laner was a dominant force in all four games, alleviating pressure and making sure to dish out as much damage once his powerspike was hit. Becoming the sixth player to win an OGN title for the second time (behind the line-up of SK Telecom T1 K), dade cemented the position of Samsung as the second best League of Legends organisation behind SK Telecom.
With the epic conclusion of The Champions Spring 2014, Samsung Blue and SK Telecom T1 K are tied for first place with 450 circuit points. Trailing just a mere 75 points behind are Imp's Samsung Galaxy Ozone, with Najin White Shield taking third place with 325 points. Outside the top three, but still keeping their Worlds dreams alive are the KT Bullets (190), CJ Entus Blaze (175) and Najin Black Sword (120).
Prior to the final distribution of World's spots there are still points to go. The fate of the aforementioned teams will be decided in the upcoming editions of The Champions Summer 2014 and NLB Summer 2014, where the Korean League of Legends elite will make their final push in order to proudly represent the region at the Season 2014 League of Legends World Championships.
Check out more pictures from the even at onGamers' Facebook page.
