The second all-LCK showdown in the knockout stage of Worlds 2021 showcases the best of the region with DWG.KIA and T1 hoping to book their ticket to the grand finals.
In an exciting series that will be one to remember, DWG.KIA moves forward to the grand finals of Worlds 2021 after defeating T1 in a thrilling 3-2 series. The match has been hyped up over the past few days with many looking at it as the old guard versus the new. T1 have been the LCK's poster team for many years but the pendulum has slowly started to shift towards DWG's favour.
With T1 coming into the tournament with a relatively young and inexperienced squad, they are led by the legendary Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok who will be looking to use his wealth of experience to carry his team over the line. DWG, on the other hand, have been the team to beat in the tournament, remaining undefeated thus far.
Game One
The first game of the series between both LCK teams saw another champion making its debut at Worlds for the first time this year, Maokai. After showing just how powerful Yuumi can be, DWG decided to set the trend once more and this time with the twisted treant. However, it was T1 who started the game on the front foot with the team being well-known for their early game aggression. But whenever T1 would get a kill, one would be traded back to DWG, which shows just how well they can respond.
As we progressed onto the mid-game, it was clear that T1 was slowly losing grip on the game. Although they weren't very far behind, it was DWG with the drakes advantage as well as having greater pushing power. All in all, it was DWG who were playing smart and calculative, keeping T1 guessing for the majority of the game. But as it wore on, DWG were able to keep picking T1 off without any casualties.
The likes of Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun put on a show of flawless execution in game one, showing just how well the combination of Lee Sin and Jhin works against T1. DWG were precise and methodical with their push, able to take out T1's bottom and middle structures without any blowback. Before you knew it, DWG was already pushing into T1's last lane of structures and even though they were doing their best to fight back, it just wasn't enough to stop DWG steamrolling all over them.
Game Two
The first game showed just how dominant DWG can be when they are playing to perfection. As for the second game, it was T1's time to bounce back with Faker leading the charge. Being the most experienced player on the team, it was up to him to lead by example and he did so brilliantly. After a slow start to the game, both teams began to grow more into it with T1 slowly peeling ahead of DWG. With the gold and experience lead kept to a minimum, T1 did all they could to extend the advantage, being able to keep DWG at bay for most parts of the game.
What they lacked in game one, T1 certainly made up for it in game two, not allowing themselves to over-exert when it came to pushing and knowing when to back out and not get caught out. This put DWG in a precarious position as they tried to keep up to T1 but to no avail. With Khan constantly trying to find the perfect opening, it left T1 with plenty of room to work with. After getting a full five-man wipe while contesting the drake, DWG had their backs against the ropes.
This forced the team into a hail mary play for the Baron, knowing that securing that would buy them some time. But T1 had other ideas. It all started with Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon on his Lee Sin, snatching the Baron from under DWG's noses and with it, the flood gates opened and it ended horribly for DWG. Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong also secured himself a triple kill, capping off an excellent display from T1 as a whole.
Game Three
With the series now tied one apiece, both teams came into game three looking to extend their advantage. The momentum was clearly with T1, who showed their versatility in the draft once more by keeping Jhin from the second game and giving Faker his Ryze once more. DWG also brought back the Lucian and Maokai from game one, hoping it'll make an impact. An interesting fact to point is that Lee Sin was banned for game three seeing as how important he was to both teams in the first two games.
DWG started game three well this time, being able to read T1's movements during the early game proceedings. However, T1 kept their composure and was able to claw themselves back into the game through sheer resilience. The mid-game was fairly even between both teams in terms of levels and gold with T1 having a slight lead. As the game transitioned into the late game, DWG was slowly falling apart as they looked disjointed in team fights while both Gumayusi and Faker were running the show, putting on a clinic against DWG.
The game overall was one to forget for DWG, who didn't look like they were at full strength. With T1 now at match point, nobody would've seen this coming. Having already lost the first game in such a fashion, T1 has come back to show that they are more than capable of moving on to the grand finals.
Game Four
As game four is a do-or-die for DWG, they had to turn up the tempo and that is exactly what they did. The LCK champions stuck with the same LeBlanc and John combo for Heo "ShowMaker" Su and Ghost, hoping to bring the game to match point. T1, on the other hand, decided to put Faker on Ryze for the third time in the series. It was DWG who started the fourth game on the front foot once more, claiming the first blood and even though they traded one kill back to T1, DWG never looked back from the early game.
With their backs against the wall, ShowMaker put the team on his back, proving once more that he is quite possibly the best mid-laner in the game at the moment. As T1 knew they needed one more win to go through, DWG made it their mission to put T1's star mid-laner to the sword, constantly aiming him down to ensure ShowMaker gets a good start to the game and it very clearly showed. His LeBlanc play was flawless from start to finish as he ended T1's misery with 11 kills to his name while keeping the former kings to a single kill the whole game.
Game Five
At the start of the series, nobody could've predicted T1 to take DWG to all five games, and yet here we are. By this point, game five can go either way as both teams have been equal to each other, being able to trade blow for blow. It was a tight and intense game with both teams not looking to slip up and kept the fighting to a minimum. T1 held a slight lead during the early game, managing to keep up in terms of farm. However, it was DWG who kept up with the objectives, being able to claim the drakes without much contention.
But try as they might, T1 just couldn't keep DWG at bay for long as the LCK top seed meant business from the mid-game onwards. From here on out, it was a flawless performance from the DWG side as they overcame an early game deficit to slowly but surely climb their way back into the game. The first real team fight broke out in the 30th minute during both teams' Baron attempt and DWG got the upper hand, being able to slay Oner first before picking off the rest of the fleeing T1 squad one by one. From then on, it was DWG's game to lose and lose they did not as another team fight broke out five minutes later and once again, DWG came out on top and wiped out all five of T1 once more to close out the game.
For all the T1 and Faker fans around the world, their tournament journey ends here. While T1 have been DWG's biggest headache at Worlds 2021 to date, the team should be proud of their performance, showing just how much they've grown for such a young squad. As for DWG, they now move on to the grand finals where they will await the winners of the next semifinal series.
Gen.G Esports vs EDward Gaming
Heading into tomorrow's clash, Gen.G Esports will have the chance on making it an all-LCK grand final. That is of course if they can overcome EDward Gaming. The LCK victors have had a decent start to the tournament so far but will have their cut out for them once more. After their enthralling best-of-five against Royal Never Give Up, Gen.G will be looking to make EDG work twice as hard if they want to get past them.
