In League of Legends South Korea dominates the LoL Worlds 2021: All teams from Europe and the USA have already been eliminated. The Korean Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong (22) now delivers a harsh judgment about the best player in Europe, the Croatian Luka “Perkz” Perković (23): He says western players are not really interested in the laning phase and are also not good at it.
This is the situation:
- At the LoL Worlds 2021, 3 teams from the USA and 3 teams from Europe participated. 4 were eliminated in the group stage, the other two were torn apart in the quarter-finals without a chance against South Korean teams.
- The Croatian Perkz is considered the best player in Europe, but switched to the USA before the season: Cloud9 was the last hope of a western team to achieve something at the Worlds.
- However, Cloud9 crashed hopelessly in the quarter-finals against Gen G., a South Korean team that is considered rather mundane and boring. They lack the stars of T1 (Faker) or DWG KIA (Showmaker). The midlaner of the South Koreans, Bdd, now delivers a harsh judgment about Perkz.
“Western players are not really interested in the laning phase”
This is what Bdd says about Perkz: In an interview with the Korean site Inven, Bdd is asked what he can say about the match-up against Perkz:
One thing I learned at the LoL Worlds 2021 is: Western midlaners are not really interested in the laning and they are also not very good at it. So things went exactly as I expected.
BDD
How did things go then? In the match-up against Perkz, Bdd played the champions Aatrox (2 kills 2 deaths 4 assists), Syndra (1-1-15), and Zoe (1-3-13). It is noticeable that as a midlaner he primarily gathered assists for his team. The kills were then made, depending on the match, by the jungler, top-laner, or botlaner.
Perkz played in the series Yasuo (5-4-2), Sylas (4-6-0), and Syndra (0-2-5). He could not make any real impact on the match.
Do others see it that way too? Yes, it seems to be a widespread opinion among Koreans that western players are simply not good in the laning phase.
The top-laner of DWG KIA, Khan, stated that western players are not really strong in lane, which is why his midlaner Showmaker could even use the “Predator” rune, which makes the laning phase harder but eases team fights.
Khan says Showmaker was sure he would win his lane against the MAD Lions in the quarter-finals anyway.
On reddit, it is believed that Bdd’s judgment arises because western teams emphasize team play and roaming in the laning phase, thus sacrificing lane dominance.
What is the laning phase? The “laning phase” refers to the first approximately 15 minutes of a LoL game, during which players stay relatively fixed in their positions and try to take down as many minions as possible to collect experience points and gold.
In this phase, discipline and mechanical skills are primarily important – in later phases of the match, tactics, strategy, and team fights become more important.
Korea clearly dominates the LoL Worlds 2021
What has changed? Previously, western teams like G2 were known for playing relatively chaotically and aggressively in the laning phase, thus throwing opponents off balance. In the group stage, the strong and creative team play of the team emerged. Disadvantages from the laning phase could be balanced out by outstanding actions and good nerves.
Teams from China, on the other hand, were seen as strong and aggressive in the laning phase: They sought small advantages to “snowball” them further. The Chinese LoL often seemed like a wild brawl in the laning phase.
Teams from South Korea were considered “too passive” and “too mundane” in their “weak phase”. Their methodical play did not flourish in earlier metas and struggled against the “brawl” tactics from China or the chaotic, creative play of the western top team G2. When their game worked, it was said they “choked their opponents slowly”.
At the current LoL Worlds 2021, however, the Koreans have a superior playstyle. Currently, 3 of the remaining 4 teams are from South Korea.
What could the reasons be? On reddit, there is currently a lament. European fans mention several reasons why the west is currently so weak:
- One says that the good players from Europe are now spread across 2 continents.
- Another says that whoever loses his lane too often in China or Korea is replaced by a younger pro – this pressure is missing in the west.
- A third mentions the “SoloQ” gap: Koreans and Chinese could practice the laning phase against strong opponents in their home soloQ – in the west, that could not be done. The level is too low for that. Western players would have to go to a boot camp in South Korea to find strong training partners.
