Two underdogs will clash in the KeSPA Cup 2020 semifinals for the last spot in the grand final.
After fighting through the group stage, KT Rolster will meet NS RedForce in a best-of-five for the first time, and it looks to be a close one. Both teams have been a pleasant surprise throughout the tournament, each making upsets against teams that looked better on paper. Now it’s time to find out which underdog is best and who will make the miracle run to the grand final.
KT played the group stage in group B, where it managed to make it out as the first seed with a great 4-0 record. Even though KT is playing with a very young squad, they have managed to find chemistry with each other through great individual and macro play. So far, it looks like KT’s plan of investing in young talent for the 2021 season is working out, despite skepticism from fans.
One of the biggest surprises on the KT squad is the two young junglers, Kim “GIDEON” Min-seong and Lee “Bonnie” Gwang-su, who have played two matches each so far. Both players have shown great proactiveness in the jungle and been able to make an impact on their lanes. For the match against NS RedForce, they will go up against one of the best South Korea has ever produced.
The jungler from NS RedForce is none other than former T1 and LGD Gaming Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, who is back in Korea to lead his new squad. After losing the first game to the world champions from DAMWON, Peanut and the rest of NS RedForce have been on fire. They have won three games in a row and are in very good shape going into the match against KT Rolster.
NS RedForce looks to be playing through great macro play and teamwork, even though the squad is brand new and consists of some inexperienced players. In many ways, NS RedForce and KT remind viewers of each other.
Even though KT had the cleanest run in the group stage, NS RedForce still seemed a bit stronger. The match will likely be close between the two, but NS RedForce seems to be more on the same page and seems to have more reliable carries. Peanut has been popping off after joining the team and could very well take over in the best-of-five.
This semifinal seems like the closest of the two and could very well be the first five-game series since the 2020 World Championship.
KT Rolster and NS RedForce KeSPA Cup 2020 lineups:
KT Rolster lineup:
- Top – Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon / Cho “Castle” Hyeon-seong
- Jungle – Lee “Bonnie” Gwang-su / Kim “GIDEON” Min-seong
- Mid – Son “Ucal” Woo-hyeon / Lee “Vicla” Dae-gwang
- Bot – Lee “HyBriD” Woo-jin / Oh “Noah” Hyeon-taek
- Support – Park “Rebel” Geun-woo / Jang “Zzus” Joon-soo
NS RedForce lineup:
- Top – Lee “Rich” Jae-won
- Jungle – Han “Peanut” Wang-ho / Lee “Juhan” Ju-han
- Mid – Park “Bay” Jun-byeong
- Bot – Seo “deokdam” Dae-gil / Hwang “Wayne” Seo-hyeon
- Support – Kim “Kellin” Hyeong-gyu
NS RedForce favored making the final over KT Rolster
The new squad from NS RedForce will enter the semifinals as the favorites according to bookmakers. The talented lineup has taken fans by storm during the KeSPA Cup and a spot in the final would exceed all expectations. It seems that NS RedForce has a good grasp of the meta with impressive macro play despite being a very new team.
A win for NS RedForce will therefore only give odds 1.57 while a win for KT Rolster will give a slightly higher odds of 2.25. The match could still go both ways, but because this is best-of-five, bookmakers have to look at the recent performance where NS RedForce has been most impressive.
The match between KT Rolster and NS Redforce kicks off on December 27.
