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Dive in to find a recap of the semifinals, a last update on the fantasy league standings and most importantly; an extra hype inducing overview of our Worlds 2022 grand finalists!
First game was very even all the time, but T1 could not beat JDG at their own game. No one can out-teamfight the LPL champions. But let's say it was still very close. A messy Elder Drake fight left T1 weakened before Hope even appeared, and the
But the thing with T1 is their versatility. Can't beat them at teamfighting? Just adapt and put more emphasis on sidelaning. JDG would once again more or less equal the kills, but T1 would generate gold leads through splitpushing. Eventually they could choke out JDG, led by solid performances from Zeus and Gumayusi.
Game 3 saw lots of action around the topside, with 369 coming out on top most of the time. However, he couldn't really carry his team as T1's carries were winning. Especially Faker on his signature
By then there was hope for JDG to bounce back and still put up a good fight, but the last game was a massacre. T1 played a very clean game across the board and ended in 25 minutes. As of then the remaining teams in the tournament were all Korean!
Initially we saw the Gen.G people expected from watching LCK summer. Calculated and consistent. One early drake fight was all they needed to start snowballing their leads, really. DRX was never able to find any form of pick, and by the end of the game GEN had over 10k gold lead. And zero deaths on their carries.
Luckily DRX isn't really a team to roll over and lose. Kingen on
Game 3 was all about Pyosik. The man had the game of his life on
The possibility of Silver Scrapes looked quite high for a while, but Pyosik did it again. Alongside BeryL with an impressive
While they arguably have the richest history of any org, recent years have been a bit rocky for T1. 2020 saw them missing out on Worlds, while 2021 was plagued by constant roster swaps. However, the team eventually settled on a line-up, and after making it to Worlds 2021 through the regional gauntlet, the team ramped up significantly, making semifinals and only falling to DWG Kia in a banger 5-games series.
In 2022 T1 definitively stuck to one lineup. Only toplaner Canna was replaced by prodigee Zeus, but otherwise the roster sticked together. The confidence in the players payed off as T1 went undefeated during spring season and brought home another LCK title. However, since MSI and meta changes, the team seemed to have fallen off a bit, losing summer finals 0-3 to Gen.G. Though they have looked reborn since the start of the tournament, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake as they deservedly made their way up to the finals once again.
There are always people that say Faker is washed, over his prime. But few players are as hard-working as him. And it pays off now. Even after 3 World titles back in S3, S5 and S6, he never stopped trying to improve his game. Years ago he was known for his lane-dominant solo carry performances, but nowadays he has adjusted his playstyle to act as more of a facilitator and playmaker. This leaves lots of room for the younger players to shine.
One of these prospects is Zeus, in his first (full) season at the main roster, he has already become one of the best toplaners in the world. Despite being the youngest member, he was their most consistent player during summer, and he has continued that great form into this tournament. By knocking out the other top 2 toplaner 369, he has even more so left his mark.
Down in the botlane you have Gumayusi and Keria, who struggled a bit in the last few months but are now back in dominant fashion. Guma thrives with
Keria is rightfully considered one of the best, if not THE best support player in the world. Few players can pull off so many champions at such a high level. You name it? He'll play it. Apart from being brilliant on meta supports as
Jungler Oner being the 'weakest' link on this roster says a lot on how good the whole team is. He is especially very mechanically gifted. His
Who needs a midlaner anyway. Even 4v5 T1's teamfighting is pretty clean. Look at Gumayusi especially, insanely agressive positioning, but he gets away with it. Thanks to both his own skill and his team enabling him. Zeus'
Another example of Gumayusi's fearlessness. While most botlaners would play it safe, Guma's positioning is always on a knife's edge, but in the best kind of way. He and Keria are truly masters of the agressive
Obviously no talking about T1 without mentioning Faker. The LoL G.O.A.T. is often synonymous with his legendary
While Faker has a champion ocean, another of his well known picks is his
While this team has been to Worlds before - last time was 2020 - their last LCK title already dates back to 2017 during the LZ days. These days the squad looked rather inconsistent and it's half a miracle the team even made it to Worlds in the first place. In both spring and summer DRX got knocked out in the first round of playoffs, but in regional gauntlet they defied all odds by making the miracle run towards that final Worlds seed. In both series against respectively KT Rolster and Liiv Sandbox they came in as underdogs, but both series also ended 3-2 in DRX' favour.
It's an understatement to say DRX has been the biggest surprise of the tournament. Anyone who watched LCK this year will confirm no one saw their rise to the top coming. Not even Deft himself believed they could make it further than quarterfinals at most, but all odds have been defied. From play-ins, winning their group as underdogs vs the likes of RNG. To leading group C where many didn't even expect them to make it out vs Top Esports and Rogue. And then knocking out EDG, reigning world champions during quarters. And subsequently they sent Gen.G home, the LCK champion against whom they went lost every game during the year. It's safe to say almost the whole world is rooting for this unbelievable underdog story to have a happy ending.
DRX' sololaners are solid, but were not considered elite just yet. Yet. Midlaner Zeka has shown incredible evolution in just a short while. From being a promising rookie, but still inconsistent to putting up great performances against the likes of Scout, Knight, Chovy... and sending them home. The meta is absolutely perfect for him, his
Kingen is the silent force of this team, considered average in the LCK, but definitely valuable to this squad. He's often left on weakside tank duty, but he does fulfill that role with skill. There's a reason why he would get POG awards while playing
Support BeryL brings some more experience and shotcalling to the roster. This former Damwon player has several LCK titles, a world championship and a Worlds finals under his belt. It took a while to regain his form, but the last couple of games he really has found his footing again. And let's not forget BeryL is an innovator, just last year he pulled
Last but not least there is Pyosik in the jungle. It's hard to rate the guy, but let's just say he's an enigma. He has been with DRX for 3 years, ever since making the jump from SoloQ
A drawn out fight, DRX members are quite split up, but everyone still commits to the play. Massive Teleport from Kingen there to cut off GEN's escape path, and Zeka trying to pick off targets. Despite how scrappy it all was, no one on the side of DRX falls.
It looked very bad at the start, but somehow DRX manages to turn those fights in their favour. No one dies, not even Kingen thanks to superb
The Zeka show once again. Leaving
Pyosik and BeryL have also been having a great tournament so far. And while their midlaner often takes the spotlight, their efficiency during plays is remarkable. Truly a jungle-support synergy T1 should fear.
On the other hand we have DRX with the biggest Cinderella story we've seen in recent history. Deft's last dance looks like an anime arc, where the protagonist keeps rising up above all doubters. But even in their wildest dreams they wouldn't have expected to actually make it this far. It's a perfect case of a team suddenly clicking and improving throughout a tournament, despite mediocrity all year long. Players like Pyosik, Kingen, Zeka were all considered mediocre or too inconsistent to be in the conversation. But there's still in the running, and many of those proclaimed super stars have fallen. And finally Deft could fill the only void on his palmares: winning Worlds.
While bookmakers will always consider T1 the better team, DRX have nothing to lose. And the role of underdogs fit them well. The mental fortitude of the squad is insane, so even way stronger teams on paper can fall to them, just ask EDG or GEN.
Whoever comes out on top, it will make for beautiful League of Legends and a new chapter in history.
Whoever you're rooting for, enjoy the grand finals before we move into the off-season. Feel free to drop your predictions and who you're rooting for in the comments!