The Edward Gaming team celebrate their Worlds 2021 semi-final win against Gen. G and will now head into the finals.
© Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Gaming

How Edward Gaming's grand final fight at Worlds 2021 is shaping up

Edward Gaming have battled through some exceptional games to reach the grand finals of Worlds 2021. How can they best DWG KIA in the upcoming clash?
Written by Miri Teixeira
5 min readPublished on
Edward Gaming (EDG) have had an incredible run at the League of Legends World Championships this year, battling through the competition for a place opposite reigning champions DWG KIA in the grand final.
Their initial performance was impressive, advancing as second seed from the group stage, and although their journey through the quarter- and semi-finals was fraught with tension until the final game, they still emerged victorious. The quarter-finals were exceptionally close against Royal Never Give Up, and facing Gen.G in the semi-finals, EDG fought passionately through the maximum five games to come out with a win. It wasn't easy, but EDG refused to back down, and they have shown themselves capable of finding and keeping the upper hand under pressure.

The competition so far

DWG KIA have also had a great experience at Worlds this year, creating some concern for EDG fans ahead of the upcoming final, but the team remains far from infallible at this stage. DWG's performance at last year's competition saw them take home the title, and they appear to be quite comfortable in their chosen playstyle and team dynamic, though perhaps not as unstoppable. Admittedly, it took 10 games in a row for DWG KIA to suffer a single loss, with T1 finally getting the first upset in the semi-finals, exposing some weakness in the team. Their performance so far has set the scene for a uniquely difficult grand final challenge for EDG, who have not appeared in an international League of Legends final in six years since their win at the Mid-Season Invitational in 2015, but a close examination of their rival could see them coming out on top.
Lee 'Scout' Ye-chan of Edward Gaming walks off stage at the Worlds 2021 semi-finals.

Edward Gaming walking into the finals after an impressive run so far

© Lance Skundrich/Riot Games

The two teams have never played against each other before, and so will need to be on top form in order to react to surprise plays and tactics on both sides. DWG KIA bring a 12-2 record to the finals this year, while EDG are on a more rounded 10-6. DWG also, arguably, faced tougher competition in the semi-finals when they went up against T1, as opposed to EDG's lengthy fight against Gen.G. That said, EDG do bring their LPL 2021 win into the arena though, having beaten Worlds 2019 winners FunPlus Phoenix on their way to this year's competition, so this fight is far from over.

Strengths and weaknesses

If EDG play at the level fans became accustomed to during the LPL Summer Season this year, they stand a solid chance of taking DWG KIA down. Unfortunately, their standard at Worlds hasn't been as high yet, although plenty of time remains for the team to pull it out of the bag. If both teams play to their maximum potential, this has the makings of an incredible clash that will no doubt set the standard going forward.
EDG will need to rely on their creativity and flexibility if they are to square up to DWG KIA, who they are relatively unfamiliar with. Playing on how little the two teams know of each other in direct combat, they will need to be bold in their choices of champion. Surprising DWG KIA with opponents they are less likely to expect and have prepared for could prove to be a useful tactic. Picking Jarvan IV for jungle yet again might not cut it this time, for example, despite him being picked for every match in the best-of-five semi-final, as DWG KIA may expect this and force a ban. EDG have proved themselves able to harness the element of surprise before, so need to tap into this skill before the pick/ban stage.

EDG's best chance

The team also need to play to their strengths and show more self-awareness than so far in the competition. EDG are by no means a chaotic team, but their style this time around has had a tendency to seem that way – especially in the semi-finals. Their advantage will come in the form of the bot lane, one of EDG's biggest strengths, as DWG KIA plant their focus elsewhere. EDG will need to exploit this weakness in an otherwise powerful adversary if they want to instigate a rush or catch them off guard.
In regards to the bot lane, Park 'Viper' Do-hyeon knows his strengths lie in an aggressive playstyle, often coming out victorious in fights, but has been struggling lately to stay alive long enough to do any sustained damage. His deaths frustrate play, which will flow much better if he is protected sufficiently to do what he does best. Essentially, the chaos seen between EDG and Gen.G in the semi-finals needs to be the last we see of any sloppy gameplay, with EDG more than capable of pulling their style in tight and giving fans a show like that of the LPL.
If EDG lean in to their focused attack and teamwork abilities, DWA KIA will need to fight hard to keep things level. The two go up against each other after a pair of incredible seasons and a thrilling journey so far through Worlds, meaning this grand final really is all to play for. They each bring an impressive streak of victories in their latest domestic seasons leading up to their title wins, and the Worlds 2021 finals are already looking like a dramatic clash to further the Chinese-Korean League of Legends rivalry.