Worlds ’22 Quarterfinals are over, and oh boy, we might witness one of the best cinderella stories of all time.
Despite all the odds against them, DRX managed the incredible feat of beating the current World Champions EDward Gaming, reverse sweeping them in the best series at Worlds so far. Gen.G is on a trajectory to win Worlds without facing any foreign opponent in a bo5 series, and JDG is the sole non Korean team in the semifinals.
Rogue, EU’s last hope vanquished
After finishing second in Group C, Rogue was the only western team to make it out of the Worlds Group Stage. Unfortunately, they ended up against the first seed from Group B JD Gaming, who dominated their own group alongside DK. While fans hoped for a miracle to happen, it was a hard reality check for EU and the western regions as a whole.
Despite getting their comfort drafts and the best picks possible, JDG completely annihilated Rogue as predicted, quickly beating them with a 3-0. The LEC first seed was able to keep up with JDG in the early game, but once the first ten minutes went past, the Chinese team took control of the game. What was disappointing to see was the lack of evolution made by Rogue at the tournament: they were great with their own playstyle, but other teams eventually figured out their strengths and countered them accordingly. RGE didn’t do much in return and found themselves at a disadvantage coming into this series.
As for JDG, they were in control for most of the series and played at the level they were expected to. The bot lane of Hope and Missing maybe underperformed a little bit during the laning phase, but it’s fine, especially considering how the team is not that great in the early game. Aside from that, great teamfighting as usual and the team with some of the best macro at Worlds.
Now that they are the only LPL team left like EDG was last year, will they manage in defying the odds?
Faker’s fourth Worlds title incoming?
T1 vs RNG, one of the most long-standing rivalries, ended in a one-sided way this time around. T1 destroyed RNG 3-0 during the quarterfinals, taking revenge from when they lost 3-2 at the Mid-Season Invitational. Faker and his team have had a stellar performance and rightfully earned their ticket to the semifinals, but some question how much RNG was hindered by covid and whether they were able to prepare and show their full potential on stage.
Regardless, T1 is looking really strong, having found their bot lane of Gumayusi and Keria in great shape, something that felt was missing during Summer. Not only that, but Zeus is arguably the best top laner at Worlds this year so far: T1 has one of the most all-rounded rosters of recent history and they have serious chances of going for the title right now. Ever since their last World Championship in 2016, Faker and T1 have had ups and downs… six years later, could this be the time we see Faker raise the trophy for the fourth time in his career and become the undisputed GOAT of League of Legends?
Our T1 vs RNG predictions couldn’t get any “wronger”, as I anticipated a close series going back and forth, and we got everything but that..
Korean domestic battle and Gen.G going for an LCK only Worlds run
After the first two quarterfinals where both finished 3-0, everyone was hoping to see more action in the Korean domestic battle between Gen.G Esports and DWG Kia… and, my god, what series they delivered. Starting right away, we had Canyon playing Kayn in the jungle and showcasing why he is the best jungler in the world. With this champion, we also achieved the highest number of champions played at a Worlds tournament, totaling a number of 108 unique characters (picked or banned).
That being said, Gen.G was the better team in the first two games, partially thanks to better easier and better drafts to execute. While the series was on its way to another 3-0, ShowMaker pulled an incredible game on Swain, bringing the score to 2-1 and then 2-2 with a great performance by DK who kept Gen.G under control.
In the decisive last game, Canyon pulled out his Kayn again but Chovy and Ruler finally made the step up they needed to take home the victory. The bot lane gap was a little too much for DK and they couldn’t make it up elsewhere on the map. Nevertheless, DK had a great showing at Worlds, one of the few teams to beat JDG this year and almost took down the LCK first seed. Unfortunately for them, they were the only LCK seed to not make it into the semifinals…
Our GENG/DK predictons were spot on, except for the final score going to silver scrapes instead of 3-1. I would call that a W.
So close, yet so far..
DRX are the real Dark Horse of this year’s Worlds
While we thought the Gen.G vs DK series was going to be the best banger between the quarterfinals, DRX vs EDG turned out to be the real highlight reel. The reigning world champions should’ve had an easy run against the Korean fourth seed and that was the impression after winning Game 1 and especially Game 2 where Deft failed to make the backdoor happen for his team and EDG turned the game in their favor.
Here’s everyone losing their minds about it:
When everyone thought EDG would take the series home 3-0, DRX came back to life, taking game 3 in strong fashion. In such a high stake game, Deft pulled out his Draven, a champion he only played twice in his career until that point.
Game 4 DRX found themselves with a much better draft and EDG were destroyed by the picking potential of Camille, Sejuani and Ashe. The Chinese team had the immobile Varus as the ADC and he could never dish out his damage as he would’ve wanted, as DRX took EDG to Silver Scrapes and it became mid laner Zeka’s show.
The Korean mid has been underrated for the majority of the season, but the guy is one of the best Akali, Azir and Sylas players of this season. He beat Scout in the 1v1 and proceeded to solo kill him another few times in the series. In the game-deciding teamfight around the Ocean Soul, Pyosik made the crucial steal and Zeka cleaned out the enemy team, picking his first-ever Quadra kill at Worlds and taking down the reigning world Champions.
Winning is tough yo..
DRX managed to reverse sweep EDG and become the second-ever team to achieve this feat in Worlds history. From almost missing the LCK Playoffs to Worlds play-ins to a spot at Worlds semifinals, it has been a rollercoaster of a season for Deft and his team. While facing Gen.G will be tough, a victory against them might be the best-ever cinderella story in League’s history…
Watch our Esports News section for the semifinals match analysis and predictions tomorrow.
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