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Here's how T1 took down DWG KIA in the LCK 2022 Summer Playoffs
T1 are through to the Grand Final of the LCK 2022 Summer Playoffs after a lengthy battle against DWG KIA. Here's how it all went down.
T1 continued their reign over the League of Legends Champions Korea 2022 season after a gruelling battle with DWG KIA. Victory in the semi-finals of the LCK 2022 Summer Playoffs means that they're now guaranteed a spot at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, whether they win or lose against Gen.G in the Grand Final. A win would be preferable, of course, since it would give them the top seed, but no matter what happens, we'll be seeing them on the international stage later this year.
The team may have made it this far, but their battle against DWG KIA was far from easy. Pushing all the way to the final game in the best of five, T1 proved that they cannot only strike fast in the opening rounds and earn a commanding lead, but also come back after a string of losses to secure a victory overall. Let's take a look back at how the weekend went down.
A strong start
T1 lost only three matches during the Summer Regular Season and none of those were to DK. As such, the team were likely feeling confident heading into their first game against DK – after all, why worry about a team that you haven't lost to all year?
And indeed, T1 continued to stay on top of DK. In fact, there was simply no stopping T1, who took an early lead and never let go. DK managed to pick up a few kills here and there in team fights and ganks – and they had control over most of the drakes – but it just wasn't enough to stop T1 from utterly destroying them and strolling into the base to finish things up at exactly the 25-minute mark.
Game 2 was much the same story, although T1 were starting to appear just a little bit cocky. A couple of over-extensions from some of the squad led to entirely avoidable deaths and the game remained fairly even for quite some time. It was only when T1 picked up the first Baron of the game – largely uncontested too, which was a mistake on DK's side – that the game started to open up.
Indeed, mere minutes later, T1 decided to commit to steamrolling the mid-lane and ended up taking the whole game in 25 minutes and 30 seconds – a little slower than their last win, but still an incredible feat.
The difficult final win
Now 2-0 up, T1 had to secure just one more win to progress to the Grand Final. But DK stepped up to the plate when it mattered and started to play the game they felt more comfortable in. Avoiding fights and instead focusing on objectives and minions, DK quietly built up a gold lead without needing to engage in too many team fights. Then, when they got their first Baron of the series, they played it slowly and defensively, instead of trying to burst into T1's base. T1 were unable to adjust to DK's playstyle and after a gruelling 38 minutes, lost their first game of the year to DWG KIA.
Still reeling from the loss, T1 would go on to lose a second game. This time, DK were more than willing to scrap and ended up finishing the game with 18 kills compared to just 6 from T1. It wasn't a complete walk – T1 held out for 32 minutes – but it put the squad into a much more perilous position than they had been just two games ago.
Sweet victory
For the final game, T1 decided to meet DK on their terms and play a much, much slower game. The first tower of the game fell to DK at 19 minutes and 50 seconds and by that point there hadn't been a single kill. First Blood didn't come until after 25 minutes when DK finally decided to try a gank – and immediately lost two members to an incredible defence from T1.
T1 kept up the slow pace, waiting to steal a Baron before they decided to really push down any of the lanes. But from there, they were near-unstoppable. Instead of pushing one lane, T1 decided instead to systematically take down all the turrets they could, leaving DK overwhelmed in their own base, while T1 backed off to pick up more objectives.
One final team fight in the Dragon Pit at 42 minutes was all they needed to seal the deal, picking up an Ace on DK and finishing off their base assault for the victory.
Now, T1 face off against Gen.G for the top seed at Worlds 2022. Both teams are guaranteed a place at the international competition, but T1 will want to prove that they're still as powerful as they were in the Spring Season and win both seasons outright this year.
