SK Gaming demolished Origen, knocking them out of playoffs in the final week of the 2020 LEC Summer Split regular season.
In what was a win-or-die match for Origen, SK Gaming took over Summoner’s Rift and proved yet again to LEC fans that the old guard is dead.
SK FAM, WE ARE IN PLAYOFFS!
THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!
TEAM, YOU ROCK! NEXT STOP WORLDS!#SKWIN #LEC pic.twitter.com/MwvIcBkqtR
— SK Gaming (@SKGaming) August 8, 2020
After a pretty even early to mid-game, in which neither League of Legends team had a clear advantage over the other, SK stepped up at around the 20-minute mark, winning a crucial fight near the top lane and obliterating Origen.
The game was filled with strong performances from the entirety of the SK roster, particularly from Trick’s Sett and ZaZee’s Azir. Trick was voted KIA Player of the Game, with 53.2 percent of the votes.
Origen, on the other hand, reach their end after a catastrophic split. After dropping so many games and losing against Schalke last week, the hopes for a miracle that would allow Origen to return to their former glory as a decent playoffs contender seemed dull. Issues in drafting, adapting to the meta, and concerns such as Xerxe’s pathing all contributed to the team’s underwhelming performance this split and the expected outcome this week.
Origen acquired Jactroll earlier this split. Destiny will compete for the starting support position on “equal terms” with Jactroll and function as a sixth member of the team, according to Origen. The decision to acquire Jactroll halfway through the regular season aligns with the team’s goal to make it to Worlds. Origen were fifth in the standings with a 4-5 record after struggling to contend with the top dogs in the league. Jactroll was Vitality’s starting support player during the 2020 LEC Spring Split. But after finishing the regular season in last place, he was replaced by Pierre “Steeelback” Medjaldi.
During his team’s struggles, the 22-year-old hasn’t looked great, but that could also be said for a few of his other teammates as well. A more veteran European presence could be what Origen has been looking for, though.
Jactroll was Vitality’s starting support during the 2020 LEC Spring Split, where his team stumbled to a last-place finish during the regular season. The veteran support also only played 10 games during the split. He was swapped out for Steeelback in eight games but no improvements were seen.
Eventually, Vitality opted to start 18-year-old Labrov from BIG Clan, alongside a handful of younger rookies to complete the lineup.
