Why each semifinalist can still win Worlds and hoist the Summoner's Cup

October 29, 2021

by Xander Torres

Four teams remain at the League of Legends World Championship and the semifinals are bound to deliver hotly contested matches between the best teams in the world.

The quarterfinals largely ended in one-sided affairs, but as the competition narrows, each team’s individual strengths become more apparent as they push each other to their limits. DWG KIA stand out as favorites as the undefeated world champions, but every team has a shot at hoisting the Summoner’s Cup.

EDward Gaming’s bot lane prowess

Photo credit: Riot Games

EDward Gaming had the toughest route into the semifinals, having to dispatch fellow League Pro League (LPL) representative Royal Never Give Up in a hard-fought 3-2 series win. While a close series with Royal Never Give Up might make EDward Gaming seem like one of the weaker candidates to win Worlds, it more realistically revealed the strength and quality of their opponent compared to the rest of the field. Royal Never Give Up’s focus on mid-game teamfighting -- even drafting Annie for their mid laner, Cryin -- was difficult for EDward Gaming to overcome, but it was the perfect test with teamfighting powerhouse, DWG KIA, on the other side of the bracket.

EDward Gaming continues to rely on the dominance of its bottom lane in Park “Viper” Do-hyeon and Tian “Meiko” Ye. They draft favorable bot lane matchups with a focus on enchanter supports like Lulu, Nami, and Yuumi.

Compared to the rest of the field, EDward Gaming has the strongest bot lane pair remaining in the tournament and hasn’t been afraid to give up small solo lane advantages to ensure Viper’s success. Gen.G’s bot lane of Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk and Kim “Life” Jeong-min is likely to give Viper and Meiko the most trouble of any remaining bot lane, but Gen.G’s poor mid-game side lane control plays too easily into EDward Gaming’s slow and steady scaling style. If EDward Gaming can keep the tempo down and prop their bot lane up, that’s the team’s best bet at hoisting the Summoner’s Cup.

Gen.G's talent ceiling

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Gen.G suffered criticism all year for being a strong early-game team filled to the brim with talent like star mid laner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong, but being completely unable to put it all together when it mattered most. When paired against Cloud9, Gen.G profiled as favorites, but it was hard to discount all the past Group Stage games where they flipped an advantage and fell on their face. Even so, Gen.G dominated Cloud9 in a one-sided 3-0 series and showcased the full potential of its star-studded lineup as jungler Kim “Clid” Tae-min and Bdd carried the squad to victory.

EDward Gaming and Gen.G both stand out as complete underdogs in a potential final versus T1 or DWG KIA, but EDward Gaming has their bot lane and GenG has Bdd.

League of Legends will always be a mid-lane centric game and having a star as defined as Bdd, with a jungler as tactical and decisive as Clid puts Gen.G in a great position to win explosive early games with heavy trading. When you factor in that Ruler has consistently been one of the best AD carries in the world, it’s a triple threat that gives them the tools to match any team mechanically, regardless of the draft. If Gen.G can get over their hiccups, they have the muscle to take down EDward Gaming and either team they meet in the final.

T1’s powerful, yet balanced early game

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It all starts with Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. In a dominant series against Hanwha Life Esports, Faker held his ground against mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who some consider the strongest laning mid laner in the world. Faker has never truly let his team down, but this year in particular marks a significant comeback for the three-time world champion.

As the only constant among a shifting roster, Faker provides the stability and composure necessary for T1 to compete with world class teams. As a stable presence in mid lane, Faker will surely hold down the fort against anyone, regardless if it’s Lee “Scout” Ye-Chan, Bdd, or Heo “ShowMaker” Su.

The more dynamic aspects of T1 have largely centered around top laner Kim “Canna” Chang-dong and AD carry Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeon. With a strong support system, Canna continues to dominate top lane competition at Worlds, leading all top laners with a 7.4 KDA (Kill, Death, Assist) ratio.

Gumayusi, on the other hand, has been more of a silent carry for T1, comfortable with both heavy and light resource allocation. Combined with T1’s immaculate early game -- they’re the only team at worlds with an average game time below 30 minutes -- T1’s strategic diversity in all three lanes puts them in a great position to capture yet another Worlds title.

DWG KIA’s unstoppable teamfighting

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Every team has its strengths, but DWG KIA almost feels inevitable at this point. DWG KIA remains undefeated at Worlds and even their close games feel like games that they were always going to win. DWG KIA stand out as the supreme favorites to repeat as world champions and take yet another title for the League Championship Korea (LCK).

MAD Lions were able to challenge DWG KIA in the early game, as most teams do, but it was never enough, and the series was a decisive 3-0 sweep for the reigning world champions. DWG KIA’s weakness has always been the early game, but it hardly matters when no team -- apart from Royal Never Give Up, who was eliminated by EDward Gaming -- is able to match their mid-game teamfighting.

ShowMaker is the strongest mid laner in the world and the easiest point of power to focus on, but top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha has enjoyed the tournament of his life as one of the best side lane carries at Worlds, emulating the dominance of Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon from last year’s Worlds winning team.

With the bot lane of Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun and Cho “Beryl” Geon-hee enjoying a similar level of dominance thus far, DWG KIA is firing on all cylinders as the tournament comes to a close. As long as DWG KIA can get past the early game, the unit feels like an unstoppable train riding the tracks all the way to yet another Summoner’s Cup.

Lead image photo credit: Riot Games