Faker Deft… The 2022 World Championship that shone with the dignity of eSports veteran login Lee Joo-hyun

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The 2022 League of Legends World Championship (Roll Cup) ended on the 6th with the final match between DRX and T1. The winning team was DRX, who succeeded in the ‘Miracle Run’. The Korean league LCK (Korean League of Legends Champions) has regained the Summoner’s Cup in two years since 2020. In the 12 world championships held so far, they have won 7 championships, more than half of them, proving their status as a ‘League Hwangbu’ again.

The LCK is ranked as the best league in name and reality, rising to the top for five consecutive years from 2013 to 2017 in the World Championship, which started in 2011. However, in 2018 and 2019, for two consecutive years, the championship was lost to the Chinese league LPL, and its status was shaken. Damwon Kia regained the championship cup in 2020, but immediately gave it back in 2021. Specifically, in 2021, a total of three LCK teams, T1, Gen.G eSports, and Damwon, reached the semi-finals, but it allowed LPL team Edward Gaming (EDG) to win, which made it even more painful.

However, this year’s Worlds was different. From the group stage, LCK teams came top in 3 out of 4 groups and were evaluated as ‘one step forward’. Damwon, the only team in second place, also had a close match with LPL team JDG Gaming (JDG) to determine the positions. In the quarterfinals that followed, T1 and DRX defeated LPL teams RNG (Royal Never Give Up) and EDG, respectively, and three LCK teams advanced to the quarterfinals this year as well as last year. After that, T1 took down the last LPL team, JDG, in the semi-finals, and the last civil war between LCK teams ended.

In the process for the LCK to reclaim the Hwangbu League, veterans like Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) and Deft (Kim Hyuk-kyu) performed brilliantly.

Faker and Deft were born in 1996 and are 26 years old. He is also a high school classmate who went to Mapo High School together. It is the same year as 2013 when he made his professional debut. These are veterans who have been pro gamers for 10 years this year. Both players contributed to the team’s victory with excellent skills and leadership and reached the final side by side. In particular, Deft won the world championship and set a record as the oldest winner.

As a veteran, Faker’s team particularly shined in the second set of the finals against RNG. At the beginning of the game, RNG was constantly allowed to gank from the top lane, and the kill score was 4-0, and the global gold gap widened to 3000 gold. Akali Faker put the brakes on the RNG that was trying to speed up the match. Mid, jungle and RNG minions teamed up to continuously attack the mid lane, but Faker killed either by dropping or countering the attack. In the end, Kumayushi (Lee Min-hyung), a long-distance dealer, bought time to grow, and T1 was able to reverse by winning the elder dragon’s team fight. T1, who gained momentum by winning the second set, advanced to the semi-finals with a set score of 3 to 1.

Deft also saved the team from a crisis. In the 2nd set of the quarter final against Gen.G, Beryl (Cho Joon-hee) failed in the bottom area in the early stages. As a result, the DRX bot duo, who had to win the landing game, found themselves in a difficult position. However, Deft did not break down and narrowed the gap with the opponent. In the end, he got a kill at a critical moment and contributed to the team’s victory by playing a no-death game with 5 kills and 0 deaths. Afterwards, DRX, who gained momentum and won consecutive sets, defeated Gen.G with a set score of 3 to 1.

Both players demonstrated their skills through consistent self-control, proving ‘veteran dignity’ throughout Worlds. In particular, Faker drew attention for his mature image of taking care of his teammates first after losing the final. Deft has also played the role of mental support that holds the mindset of his colleagues in the process of continuing the Miracle Run. Unfortunately, Faker and Deft’s contracts with their respective teams, T1 and DRX, will expire this year. Attention is focused on the selection of both players in the upcoming Stove League.

Reporter Lee Joo-hyun 2JuHyun@hankyung.com