In League of Legends, the 18-year-old Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki became a star overnight. The bot laner from Evil Geniuses had a dream weekend and led his team to victory in the LCS Spring Split 2022 championship, breaking two records and playing incredible series.
What was it about? Over the weekend, the final games in the US League of LoL, the LCS, took place: The championship of the Spring Split 2022 was decided.
Who was playing? There were 3 teams in the running:
- The underdog team “Evil Geniuses” finished only fourth in the regular season, had lost in the first round, and was on the verge of elimination in the loser’s bracket. They needed to win 2 series to become champions. EG played against Team Liquid, where they had lost in the first round of the playoffs against the star-studded team.
- Team Liquid had acquired established names like Bjergsen and Bwipo before the season and had been cruising for a long time, but surprisingly lost to 100 Thieves last weekend and now needed 2 wins to become champions after all.
- The team 100 Thieves, led by the German Abbedagge, only needed to win once. They were waiting in the finals for the winner of the duel between the other two. Mid laner Abbedagge had stood out as a star last weekend, who raged in trash talk.
Jinx, known from Netflix, was set to play a significant role over the weekend:
18-Year-Old Breaks Record for Kills and Pentakills
Who became the hero? There were numerous candidates among the teams for who could become the star of the weekend: Team Liquid featured Bjergsen, the most decorated US player of all time, while 100 Thieves had the German Abbedagge on a hot streak. But it turned out differently.
The 18-year-old bot laner from Evil Geniuses became the star of the weekend:
- Danny amassed a total of 111 kills in the playoffs – more than any LCS player before him. The old record had stood for 9 years (via dotesports).
- Additionally, Danny achieved the most “pentakills” in the season. Before him, no one in the major leagues had more than 3 “fivefold kills.” Danny secured the number 4 on Jinx, and that on a grand stage.
Underdog Wins Finals Weekend with Two 3-0 Games, Becomes Champion
Overall, Danny celebrated an absolute dream weekend: After all, Evil Geniuses won both series clearly with 3-0 and Danny was the anchor point of his team. He posted impressive statistics like 10-1-7 (Jinx), 8-0-4 (Ezreal) or 9-1-6 (Xayah).
Even though Danny stood out over the weekend, LoL is a team game and Evil Geniuses proved to be a strong combination of young and old. It’s not merely “youth is in charge” with the teenagers Jojoyun (17) and Danny (18), but there are also experienced LoL professionals like Vulcan (23) and the South Korean Impact (27) involved:
- Support Vulcan (23) is considered a huge talent in the USA and was previously discussed as a key player for Team Solo Mid before the season
- Inspired (20) is probably the best jungler in North America
- Mid laner Jojoyun (17) was able to hold his own against Bjergsen
- the veteran Impact (27) played his part on the top lane – just like for so many years
Ultimately, the weekend witnessed the rise of a new star in the USA. The remarkable thing is that Danny is indeed a young American. For years, the US League in LoL has been accused of relying on foreigners and neglecting young talents:
