Royal Never Give Up vs T1

A historic Best of 5, one that echoes so much of the great LCK vs. LPL clashes of yore. Unlike those bygone days, however, today's status quo is nowhere near as "chiseled" and discernible. There were three Korean teams in the Top 4 at last year's Worlds. That along speaks volumes. And, well, so does the fact that Edward Gaming -- the Chinese behemoths -- eventually reigned supreme.

No one cares about how many teams a region got through to semis; the only thing that really matters is who ultimately gets to hoist the trophy and get showered in confetti and attention. Everything else pales in comparison and is nowhere near as important.

The LPL dynasty, therefore, seems to be in full effect. Their teams are defending both international trophies, with Royal Never Give Up winning last year's Mid-Season Invitational. The fact that they missed out on Worlds and somehow still managed to find a way to get to Busan, South Korea mere months afterwards -- in spite of facing some truly grim odds -- is a testament to their staggering talent and ability to prepare (and execute) at the highest of levels.

T1, however, seems to be a cut above. The thing is though, there's really not a gap between them, but rather a most fascinating stylistic difference, a philosophy, if you will, that has resulted in noticeably distinct and disparate playstyles, one of which just so happens to be a bit more viable at this point in time.

T1 are the best early game team in the world, and it's not even close. The leads which they can accrue and generate are unlike anything we've ever seen. And they do so not only through timely rotations and stellar objective set-ups but through individual prowess as well. They steamroll through their opponents and they make it look like it's the easiest thing in the world. You divert your gaze for two or three minutes and then once you refocus you're attention they're somehow up two, three, or even four thousand gold ahead. And, much like any other top-tier team, they don't need much (or long) to snowball these leads into dominant, lopsided wins.

They struggled mightily throughout the Group Stage as they were the only team in Busan that basically had a bad read on what was viable and how the game was best supposed to be played (and team comps drafted). Once they made the correct changes, once they acclimated and assimilated, it was like they immediately leapfrogged all of their opponents -- Royal Never Give Up included. The T1 we just witnessed shared very few similarities with the T1 from last week or the week before it. This, without a shadow of a doubt, was the absolute best team in the world.

Royal Never Give Up are by no means bad or incapable or out of sync, but they *do*, in a way, have more flaws (a by-product of their inherent style of play), and that also holds true for their early game as well. Now, in all fairness, we *are* grasping at straws here in an attempt to justify our assumptions and pick a side (which, frankly, is proving to be a much bigger challenge than anyone could have anticipated), but these are facts, and there's a very real chance that they'll end up playing a vital part in the way in which the series develops and, by proxy, the final outcome.

The last time these two teams faced off, we witnessed an incredible close early game that, eventually, went T1's way. Royal Never Give Up made all the right moves to neutralize and combat T1's laning prowess and *still* they ended up losing. Bin was exploited yet again, Oner did Oner things, and eventually, as the game progressed, T1's confidence grew and so did their gold lead.

It was still an incredible close affair, but T1 never lost control. They always made the right moves at the right time, they were always a bit faster on the map, more confident, more commanding in their play. And, well, they've only further grown and evolved since that point which is the biggest reason as to why they're being deemed as the favorite opposite the defending champions.

Still, it was an astonishingly close game, one that was decided by the most minute details. Moreover, both teams surely learned from it, which means we may well end up witnessing a different outcome this time around. We don't think that'll happen, but RNG should not be underestimated whatsoever. They're incredible at their own unique playstyle and if they are given even the slightest wiggle room they *will* snowball out of control and teamfight their way to victory. Xiaohu and Ming can seemingly do no wrong and much of the same goes for GALA as well who, while not as consistent, has an uncanny ability to make the game-winning play at just the right moment. He is, without a doubt, one of the very best AD carries in the history of the game and is only now starting to get his due.

With all of that being said, we couldn't possibly bet against T1 at this point in time, despite the fact that RNG really *do* have all the right tools to come out ahead. The LCK champions are simply more well-rounded, and while the difference between them might not be particularly discernible, it *does* exist.