The most decorated organization in League of Legends is rebuilding after a disappointing 2018 season.
After their first year ever without a trophy, SK Telecom T1 revealed five new players joining for the 2019 season, including some star names at key positions.
In the top lane, the team have signed Kim ‘Khan’ Don-ha, formerly of Kingzone DragonX, and Kim ‘Crazy’ Jae-hee, formerly of BBQ Olivers.
In the jungle, former Gen.G player Kang ‘Haru’ Min-seung joins, while Kim ‘Clid’ Tae-min returns to Korea after making his name with JD Gaming in the LPL.
Finally, the team confirmed the addition of former Jin Air AD Carry Park ‘Teddy’ Jin-seong, which had been reported by former pro player and NA LCS coach Choi ‘Locodoco’ Yoon-seop.
The team confirmed on November 19 that they would be overhauling their squad for the coming season, parting ways with seven players from the 2018 roster.
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They subsequently confirmed that super-star mid-laner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok had re-signed with the organization, as had support player Lee ‘Effort’ Sang-ho and AD Carry Han ‘Leo’ Gyeo-re.
SK Telecom also announced that they are still to add players at mid-lane and support. While the former will inevitably be a back-up behind Faker, there have been rumors linking SKT to 2014 World Championship MVP Cho ‘Mata’ Se-hyeong as a potential starter at support.
After one of the organization’s most underwhelming seasons in 2018, fans were desperate to see more talent added alongside Faker for the coming season, and SKT have certainly delivered so far.
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Though he comes off a slightly less impressive season, Khan established himself in 2017 as a legitimate carry force even among the elite of the top lane. Meanwhile, Teddy was one of the top-performing AD Carries in the LCK in 2018, the sole win condition for an otherwise struggling Jin Air.
Along with new Jungle talent, the additions on paper give SK Telecom threats in all three lanes and the means to support them properly. Even in the early days of the off-season, SKT are shaping up to reclaim their position as both a domestic and international favorite.