Esports
The two LCK titans faced off in a thrilling five-game series, but it was DRX who took the trophy home – get up to speed with all the League of Legends action here.
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship has come to a close, but not before delivering on one last explosive series. In San Francisco, California, T1 and DRX played their hearts out and showcased some of the most impressive and high-stakes League of Legends we've seen in years.
This final series was always going to be massively important and very exciting. On the one side, the legendary T1, Korea's second seed, is headed by ‘The Unkillable Demon King’ himself, Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok. On the other, DRX, Korea's fourth seed, was defying the odds since the quarter-finals. While Faker was aiming to achieve his fourth Worlds win, Kim 'Deft' Hyuk-kyu, on DRX’s side, was looking to achieve his first. This was to be Deft's final Worlds, his ‘Last Dance’, and he promised his fans he'd end his long career with a win.
After an incredible opening ceremony, fans were itching to see how the finals were going to play out. Many fans were perhaps expecting a clean sweep from T1. But those who had been following the 2022 League of Legends World Championship knew to never count DRX out.
A clean first game
First Blood was achieved by DRX in game one, but T1 quickly took control of the game. The first step towards that was Lee 'Gumayusi' Min-hyeong’s amazing Dragon steal with Varus' Q Piercing Arrow. This was one of several thrilling moments in an otherwise very slow and calculated game. T1 continued to focus on objectives and managed to grab Baron Nashor just after the 20th minute, before advancing for the Dragon Soul shortly after. With DRX's base in shambles, all T1 had to do was group up and storm the Nexus, which they did as soon as the game hit 30 minutes.
DRX fights back
If we've learned anything from watching DRX's quarter-finals and semi-finals, it's that they never give up. In spite of a pretty one-sided first match, and a difficult early game in Game 2, DRX were unwilling to go down without a fight. They first turned the game in their favour at the 15-minute mark, when Hong 'Pyosik' Chang-hyeon and Hwang 'Kingen' Seong-hoon took down an unsuspecting Faker in the top lane. Although Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je was quick to Teleport in, and Ryu 'Keria' Min-seok was there to assist with his long-ranged Lux ultimate, DRX's bot lane was close by as well.
What was meant to be a quick pick on Faker exploded into a team fight that killed both of T1's solo laners, and got DRX the Rift Herald. DRX eventually turned these well-chosen skirmishes into more kills and objectives, putting coin into Kingen, Kim 'Zeka' Geon-woo, and Deft's pockets. When a fight broke out at Baron Nashor at the 44th minute, DRX's carries were able to outmanoeuvre and out-damage T1's line-up, and get DRX their first win.
T1 proceeds to match point
Game 3 saw both teams drafting tanky frontlines and lots of crowd control. As such, all eyes were on the bot lane, where Deft was bringing out the team-reliant Kalista, and both bottom laners were playing champions with no mobility. Indeed, First Blood was taken by Deft in the bot lane, with assistance from jungler Pyosik. Game 3 was slow and measured, but DRX kept a steady lead up until T1's Mun 'Oner' Hyeon-jun stole Baron Nashor from under Pyosik at the 24th minute mark.
A relatively even game got turned upside down at that point, with T1 ramping up nearly 5000 gold following their Baron kill. And while T1 failed to secure the Dragon Soul at the 30-minute mark, they settled for taking Baron once more, stealing it again from the grasp of DRX. This was the final nail in the coffin for DRX, who couldn't defend their base against T1 and their Baron-imbued minions.
DRX ties the score
In Game 4, T1 drafted a more aggressive team composition, putting Faker on a playmaker and giving Zeus the chance to shine with Fiora. DRX managed to snag some highly contested picks in Aatrox, Azir and Varus. The game started off with First Blood being secured by Keria in the bot lane. With no Flash on Deft, Oner quickly manoeuvred bot side to secure a second kill for the T1 bot side. But, on the opposite side of the map, Kingen and Pyosek scored two kills in the top lane.
DRX continued to stack advantage on top of advantage, grabbing two Dragons, Rift Herald, and turrets in every lane before eventually taking both Dragon Soul and Baron Nashor. A quick and clean game from DRX, mirroring Game 1 from T1, took us to Game 5.
Silver Scrapes
The final game of Worlds 2022 saw DRX drafting crowd control against T1's immobile carries, with Cho 'BeryL' Geon-hee on Bard and Pyosik and Kingen on Hecarim and Aatrox. T1, on the other hand, focused more on raw damage, drafting Viktor and Varus. A proactive play from Oner secured First Blood for T1, but, in the top lane, Kingen styled on Zeus, defeating him in a straight 1v1.
By the ten=minute mark, the teams were dead even in gold, kills, and Dragons. The fight that turned the tides occurred in the mid lane, as Pyosek, Kingen and Zeka descended on the entirety of T1 while they besieged the mid lane turret. DRX snagged four kills before turning their attention to Baron Nashor. But Gumayusi was there, and like before in Game 1, his Piercing Arrow struck true as he stole the Nashor from DRX. The Baron put T1 back ahead of DRX in terms of gold, but it was still anyone's game by the 25th minute.
In Game 5, it was the Elder Dragon that sealed the deal for DRX. Having secured it at the 40-minute mark, DRX were able to storm T1's base with the Aspect of the Dragon at their side. With that victory, DRX claimed the title of World Champions.
DRX had an unbelievable run at Worlds 2022, and have become the first ever team to come from the Play-Ins and take the Summoner's Cup. Their road to victory was perhaps the most challenging of the tournament, again and again the underdog as they were forced to face-off against the top teams from the LCK and LPL. In the end, DRX can boast having defeated the reigning champions EDG, Korea's top seed of Gen G, and finally, the legendary T1 themselves.
