In League of Legends, a team already looks like the clear favorite to win the LoL Worlds 2021. DAMWON Gaming seems unstoppable, having won everything in 2020. However, 2021 could be the last year the top players stay together, as China appears to lure with big money.
This is the super team: The team “Damwon Gaming” dominated the Worlds in 2020 after having a lot of talent in 2019 but still had to learn:
- In 2019, the Worlds took place in Europe, the young Koreans struggled with the pressure in front of a large audience and were eliminated in the quarter-finals, even though it was already clear that they were highly talented. They cracked under pressure against G2.
- In 2020, everything came together for DAMWON Gaming, and they won the Worlds convincingly under COVID conditions. The European team G2 had no chance against the Koreans.
The two most important players of DAMWON Gaming are:
- ShowMaker, a 19-year-old mid-laner – he is essentially regarded as Faker 2.0. With an outstanding champion pool, ShowMaker constantly produces highlight clips.
- Canyon, his 20-year-old jungle partner, was so dominant with Graves at the Worlds in 2020 that he was named Finals MVP.
The two are considered absolute top stars in their positions and could form a trio with the also young supporter and anime girl fan BeryL (21) that could dominate League of Legends for years.
The team is complemented by bot laner Ghost (22) and veteran Khan (25) on the top lane, who recently joined the team.
DAMWON loses no games in the playoffs and becomes LCK champion
DAMWON is so dominant in 2021: They couldn’t be more dominant. They finished the regular season in the LCK with a 16-2 record in first place.
In the playoffs, they lost not a single game: They swept Gen G. in the finals 3-0, who had previously eliminated Faker and T1.
No question, DAMWON will be the team to beat in 2021. The American champs, Cloud 9, are already expecting a reality check when they face the Koreans in the Mid-Season Tournament.
DAMWON has a good chance to become the first team since Faker and T1 in 2016 to successfully defend their Worlds title.
That is the danger: There is a risk that the team could break apart after 2021.
After the World Championship title in 2020, DAMWON had to endure significant departures:
- One of the top stars, 21-year-old top laner Nuguri, left the 2020 World Champion and joined the 2019 World Champion FunPlus Phoenix. If rumors are to be believed, the free agent was lured to the LPL with a substantial salary.
- Also, the two top coaches of DAMWON Gaming left the team after 2020 and joined the Koreans T1, apparently also for a lot of money.
DAMWON was able to compensate for the departures in 2021 by bringing in veterans, but it remains uncertain whether they could compensate for the departure of Canyon, ShowMaker, or even both.
The contracts of Canyon and Showmaker both expire at the end of the 2021 season. Many fans fear that other teams could lure them away with big money, breaking the core of the super team.
- Especially in China, it seems that the LPL teams are spending big bucks
- There are also concerns: The long-established T1 could snatch a star player from DAMWON to secure their future.
On Reddit, fans believe that while DAMWON Gaming currently has the best team in the world under contract, they lack the funds to pay them market rates.
One user states: DAMWON paid Nuguri an “LCK rookie salary”, but FunPlus Phoenix gives him “World Champion money.”
As it is when a top team falls apart, a pro recounted after 2020:
LoL pro sadly recounts how one of the best teams in the world fell apart
