Two Korean teams faced off in the semifinals of the League of Legends Worlds 2022. The coach of DWG Kia has trained T1 and their superstar Faker for years. After the match, the two meet and create a particularly touching moment.
What a match it was! In the semifinals, the two teams T1 and DWG Kia faced each other. They know each other well, as both play in the Korean LCK and previously met in the Worlds 2020 – also in the semifinals.
- On one side was arguably the most famous LoL player in the world: Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. He has been portrayed by Riot Games itself as a god.
- On the other side, his longtime coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun. He coached T1 from 2012 to 2019 and won the Worlds with the team and Faker in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
In an exciting best-of-5, where all 5 players had to be fielded, the teams fought for advancement. In the end, DWG Kia won, leaving T1 and especially Faker, who wanted to prove himself again after 4 years without a world champion title, with long faces.
What was the special moment? Following the close match between the two teams, Faker and kkOma met in a hallway. The coach approached Faker, walked with him for a bit and encouraged him.
This action is celebrated by many fans in Korea, China, and here in the West. The thread on Reddit is currently ranked number 1 with over 2,700 upvotes, and many see this image as the most beautiful moment of the Worlds 2021.
On Reddit and the platform Weibo, kkOma is celebrated as the best LoL coach in the world, not only because he has won 4 world titles but also because he treats the players well personally.
Both teams gave it their all and offered a colorful array of champions
How did the semifinals go? The first match between T1 and DWG Kia was a clear case. Almost from the beginning, DWG dominated, also due to a great support Maokai, who was played for the first time this year. T1 had little room for a possible comeback. DWG dominated with a lot of poke and burst damage and took match 1.
In the second game, T1 completely turned the game around. They assembled a composition with Canna on the top lane at its center. He played Yasuo for the first time this year, leading to a victory for T1.
Match 3 also went to T1. Faker delivered a strong performance on Ryze, and at minute 28, T1 secured an important Baron, which ultimately brought them victory. Another highlight was support Zilean, with which Keria achieved an impressive statistic of 1/0/15.
The fourth round was almost a copy of match 1. DWG Kia dominated from the start and left T1 with no chances.
The final match was a bit closer, but the advantages were clearly with DWG. A Baron fail from T1 and the Elder Dragon from Canyon paved the way for DWG Kia’s entry into the finals.
Who do you think will be the second team in the finals? And will DWG manage to win the second title in a row? Feel free to write it in the comments.
Europe and North America played no significant role at this year’s Worlds. An US coach provides the explanation:
LoL: All Western teams are out – US coach explains why Worlds are completely unfair
Note: The title image is from 2018.
