Only three weeks remain of the regular 2021 LCK Summer Split and it’s currently Nongshim RedForce who is surprisingly leading in the standings.Â
With 13 games played so far this split, NS RedForce is sitting at 10 wins total ahead of the best teams in South Korea. With one game down to Gen.G in second place, NS RedForce is looking at a surprising run this split that could potentially lead to a spot at the 2021 World Championship. This comes through very solid team play and a general understanding of the meta.
This is only the second LCK split for the organization, who debuted in spring with a decent sixth-place finish. As a new organization in the LCK franchise, no one had big expectations for NS RedForce going into the season but that might be changing now. With veteran jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho leading the charge, the team has proven itself as a great mix of young talent that is eager to improve. Peanut is known as a great talent and has finally seemed to find a new home where he can strive.Â
The fact that NS RedForce is now sitting at the top of the standings came a bit out of nowhere. For a long time, Gen.G was the team at the top but that has changed. With Gen.G on a two-series losing streak, NS RedForce has not missed a beat. The team is currently sitting on a five-series winning streak, with victories over the likes of DWG KIA and T1 amongst those.Â
The young squad still has five series left to play so the team can’t dip too much in form if a top finish is the goal. For now, it’s looking like NS RedForce can secure victories through coordinated and consistent play. The team doesn’t have one big star player but is instead showing how to play as a unit. In fact, NS RedForce is the team with the second-most kills in the league, with all players contributing to that stat. NS RedForce also has the second-highest KDA, only beaten by Gen.G.Â
By looking at the way NS RedForce plays, it might not seem like a top team. This is mainly because NS RedForce isn’t the team to blow out the opponent in 20 minutes, but will instead play safely and spend some extra minutes to get the victory. This playstyle is also what DWG KIA has been able to do previously as well as the old T1 play style.Â
The next challenge for NS RedForce will be Liiv SANDBOX, which seems like a team that could potentially challenge the LCK leaders.Â
Friday night victory????#NONGSHIM #NSTOGETHER #LCK pic.twitter.com/ozkoLePQ2h
— NS RedForce Global (@NS_RedForce) July 23, 2021
Nongshim RedForce is a fairly new organization that entered the LCK for the 2021 season. The organization was one of the new ones to get a franchise spot in the league and so far it seems much deserved. The team consists of fairly young players that might be the new star of tomorrow. Assisted by veteran jungler Peanut, NS RedForce currently seem to have what it needs to make an LCK surprise run.Â
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