Gen.G vs KT Rolster

The second phase of the LCK has begun and teams are again facing each other in the fight for the playoff spots. LCK is one of the toughest leagues in the competitive landscape and the following match will tell you why.

The reason why we have picked this particular LCK match? It is due to the fact that it is between two Korean teams, Gen.G and KT Rolster who once were the league champions, but are now struggling to make a name for themselves in 2019. So, it will be an exciting practice to see which side will come out on top.

(LCK 2019 Spring Season, Best of 3 series, March 8, 2019, 12:00 PM CET)

Gen.G

The team that was once world champion under the name of Samsung Galaxy, tried to repeat the feats of 2017 last season in 2018 without any success. To surprise everyone, they presented a mediocre campaign during the regular phase, obtaining the classification to the world championship in the regional finals, where they were eliminated early in the campaign. Being one of the first Korean teams to be eliminated in the group stage of the most prestigious competition, the side finished dead last in the group with just five defeats and one win from the six games played.

Changes made

The organization acknowledged that a rework was necessary for the year 2019, thus taking Kang ” Haru ” Min-seung, Jo ” CoreJJ ” Yong-in, Kang ” Ambition ” Chan-yong and Lee ” Crown ” Min-ho out from the team. From the victorious lineup remained only the top laner Cuvee and the shooter of the team, Ruler.

To try to find success, Gen.G brought a lot of new faces to the team: world champion Peanut, who has received several proposals from top teams across the globe. Ultimately, he decided to give the Korean scene another chance, where he has a lot of pressure on his shoulder since he is the highest paid Jungler in the LCK. The biggest doubt for this team is the consistency of the main names since the duo’s entry into the Samsung colors. Ruler has always proved a good and consistent player, while the Cuvee top has problems in maintaining high-level performance from one series to another. Realistically speaking, Peanut, for his part, has never been able to find the brilliance he had during the seasons of 2015 and 2016.

Struggling Gen.G

On paper, the side looks a recipe for success, even if this team was not opted to finish first. They were predicted to be in the top 3 or in the top 5. However, at the midpoint of the season, the team is in shambles. The side sits at seventh place with just three wins and nine defeats.

Ruler has failed to find his form while Peanut just keeps making failed gank attempts which were easily outplayed by the opponents of Gen.G. This team failed to win in its first three games. The first victory came at the price of Jin Air Wings who to date have not won a single game in the league. Their second win was against the upcoming opponents, KT, which was a close fought victory, which could have easily gone the other way.

KT Rolster

The KT side kept the same lineup for two consecutive years which includes Smeb, Score, Pawn, Deft, and Mata. In the first year, together they did not win a title and in 2018 it seemed that the story would repeat itself and it would be the end of the line-up of the stars. But the team came around in the second stage and stopped all those who doubted; KT Rolster lifted the title of the LCK.

Nobody expected anything less than the title of world champion for them. However, they fell before the future world champions of Invictus Gaming in the quarterfinals. That was enough to separate the team and bring an end to one of the most successful teams of 2018.

KT 2.0

In the transfer window, one of the most reliable players, Ucal was quickly replaced with the King-Zone star, Bdd. In addition to hiring Snowflower replaced Mata. The loss of Deft was the hardest for the team since they did not get someone with the same incredible statistics in the position. Now, Gango and Zenit will have the arduous task of replenishing the responsibility of the shirt left by the Korean champion. The top laner and the jungler remain in the team and that was thought to be a good sign. When in his prime, Smeb was able to carry games, able to take on 1 vs 2 setups with ease. With the exceptional quality of Bdd in the top lane, it was predicted that 2018 can finally be the year of KT.

Light at the end of the tunnel

The team has shocked the world since the KT side currently sits at 9th spot in the league. Out of the 10 games played they have lost eight and won two. The side is currently sitting on a four-game losing streak. It isn’t hard to find a single fault in the team since they haven’t done a single thing right. Their execution has been quite poor and the lack of chemistry is not even a shadow of the team that lifted the title in Spring. They might have to play the relegation matchup against Jin Air in the season. However, in their next game against Gen.G, we believe that the side might just get a close victory. We know that they are on a losing streak, but keep in mind that they are up against Gen,G who is not high flyer themselves. We believe in the quality of Smeb to bring an end to the side’s losing streak.

Final Verdict

KT Rolster 2-1 Gen.G

Odds on bookmakers

Bookmakers	KT Rolster Odds		Gen.G Odds
	European	American	European	American
GG.bet	1.67	-149.25	2.10	+110.00
x-bet.co	1.65	-153.85	2.15	+115.00
Betway	1.65	-153.85	2.10	+110.00