Did you know that since Season 3, the team that won the first set of the World Final became champions that year? SK Telecom T1 were the first team to join this trend, when they won a 3-0 victory over Royal Club in the 2013 World Cup final. Since then, the team that won Game 1 of their streak became world champions, and this year was no different. EDward Gaming won Game 1, lost Games 2 and 3, then won Games 4 and 5 for their Championship victory this year against DWG KIA.
After the finals ended, I had some free time to relax and unwind. During that time, I had a lot of time to reflect on this year’s world tournament. As a reporter who covers the LCK for a living, I was delighted to see all of the LCK representatives doing well in the tournament. Although the DWG KIA lost in the final, 2021 has been a great year for the LCK.
Welcome to the last volume of Quest’s Musings for the 2021 season. With the 2021 season almost over, I wanted to close the ongoing series for this year with my thoughts on the World Cup finals between DWG KIA and EDG, as well as my thoughts on the Riot Games’ allegedly dishonest media access.
DWG KIA vs. EDG – The Final
When I saw EDG take down Game 1 and take the lead in the series, I was like, “Okay, this series is definitely going to be a banger.” Why? Because DWG KIA looked invincible throughout the tournament. They were the only team to come out undefeated from the group stages and swept their opponents into the semi-finals, when their streak against T1 came the full distance.
However, EDG reversed all of those odds and lifted the Summoner’s Cup. Fans in China were in party mode following the news of EDG’s victory, especially because LPL as a region failed to deliver the expected results in the tournament. Two LPL teams were eliminated in the groups, and the two remaining teams met in the quarter-finals.
I was really surprised at how well DWG KIA performed at their loser’s press conference. At Khan’s request, everyone on DWG KIA criticized Khan jokingly for his loss. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, but more than that, they seemed ready to start over.
Only time will tell how many players will continue for DWG KIA next year, but hopefully the team will not only stick together, but come back stronger for 2022.
Favoritism towards certain media?
For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, Dot Esports’ Jacob Wolf and Korizon’s Ashley Kang have released a statement accusing Riot Games of dishonest media access. According to the statement, Riot Games told media that no on-site media coverage would be allowed this year due to COVID restrictions, but alleges third-party Chinese media organizations gained on-site access.
This news disappointed me on a very personal level. I started working for Inven in September 2019; right before the pandemic shut down the world. Much of my media coverage of the LCK and Worlds has been done either online; the offline coverage that I was able to get had little to no fans on site. I was really hoping that I would finally be able to travel abroad to cover the Worlds this year and made the first preparations for things like vaccinations, visas and all the documents I need to get safely to the event.
The essential ? I’m still very disappointed so I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it, Riot Games.
Editor’s Note: With the worlds now over, ‘Quest’s Musings’ will be on hiatus until 2022. To anyone who has been following my series somewhat actively throughout the year or who has at least read at least one volume of’ Quest’s Musings ‘in 2021, I’ I am sincerely grateful for your time. This is a series that I have started, I can sketch my thoughts on the current state of League of Legends competition, especially the LCK, and I hope to share my thoughts more in the 2022 season!
