This past weekend, the League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals were played out in New York. And, how could it be otherwise, Korea dominated everything and everyone.
After the last Western representative, Rogue, was eliminated from the tournament on Thursday, the elite of the LCK and LPL met afterwards: Royal Never Give Up against T1, DAMWON KIA against GEN G as well as EDward Gaming and DRX. The tournament kicked off with record world champion T1 and reigning MSI champion RNG – and what an opener it was!
The comeback of the year?
Basically, the three matches between T1 and RNG can be divided into three categories: Tactical banter, the supposed comeback of the year and a classic pub brawl.
So while game one was brimming with strategic moves where neither team wanted to give up an inch of the rift to the other and T1 won in the end with an almost clinical approach, for most spectators it was probably round two that left a lasting impression.
REVENGE COMPLETE.@T1LoL take down RNG 3-0 & advance to the Semifinals of Worlds! Congratulations T1!Worlds2022 – T1WIN – LCKWIN pic.twitter.com/JNZCwt1Dk7
– LCK (@LCK) October 21, 2022
Here RNG had the upper hand for a long time and hardly gave T1 any room to breathe. The record world champion, however, knew how to take advantage of the few chances the players around superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-heyok had, for example in the 30th minute when the Koreans managed to slay the Baron. The final turning point, however, was to come a little later and in the battle for the Elder Drake.
Although Royal Never Give Up entered the battle with a clear gold advantage and the Drake Soul behind them, T1 managed to win the skirmish. While Faker jumped into RNG’s backline to cause trouble, Mun “Oner” Hyeon-juns Viego as well as Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong on Xayah were able to close the bag.
In the aftermath, it looked like RNG had lost the will to win but tried to come back in game three. A real pub brawl developed, which T1 managed to win in the end, but had to let down some feathers on the way to victory.
The other results of the weekend:
- GEN G vs. DAMWON KIA – 3:2
- DRX v EDward Gaming – 3:2
This means T1 and LPL champion JDG will meet in the first semi-final, while GEN G will take on DRX in the second match. These take place next weekend on Saturday as well as Sunday.
