With DRX’s victory over EDG, the Worlds 2022 Semifinals matches are all set. But it’s the LCK who has completely taken over the tournament this year. Seeing as three of the final four teams hailing from Korea, it’s safe to say the region has once again asserted itself as the strongest in League of Legends. And just as a reference, it’s not only the fact that the LCK is the only region that has ever had 3 out of the 4 teams in the Worlds Semis. It’s the fact that this is the third time they’ve managed to do it.
But the LCK’s comeback also means that the LPL has somewhat receded in the grand scheme of things. Following the LCK’s “collapse”, it was China who managed to climb to the top spot of the international scene, winning three out of the last four League of Legends World Championships. This year’s results are mostly based on the fact that more and more of Korea’s top talent coming back into the scene. Some of the LPL’s best players were Korean exports, and now they’re bringing their knowledge back with them.
While it’s the LCK that’s looking poised to take the crown at this year’s event, China (or quite frankly the rest of the World) has one horse left in the race – JDG. JDG should definitely not be counted out just yet, with their dismantling of Rogue standing as a testament to their strength. In the Worlds 2022 Semifinals, they will be facing off against Faker’s T1, a team that managed to break records this year. Just a day after JDG eliminated Rogue, T1 made a statement themselves with a clean sweep over RNG.
Looking at the JDG vs. T1 matchup, the League of Legends betting odds are currently standing even. The series is as close to a pick ’em’ as we’ve ever seen at Worlds. Both teams have a lot of depth, and both have arguably the best bot-lane duos at the tournament. Faker in particular has taken a bit more of a supportive role than we’ve previously seen him. The series will probably be decided on how cleanly JDG can play it because if there’s one team that’s going to take advantage of even a minimal mistake, it’s T1.
In the second Semifinals, we’ve got Gen.G facing off against DRX. Both teams had true nail-biters in the Quarterfinals, with Gen.G’s series against DWG KIA and DRX’s victory over EDG becoming nothing short of instant classics. Looking at this year’s head to heads, it’s safe to assume that Gen.G should have DRX’s number, with the former coming out as the victors on both of the occasions they played this year. While we can’t count DRX out just yet, the odds are stacked against them heading into the series.
Be as it may, chances are we’re going to see an LCK take the throne. While JDG could throw a wrench into those plans, the stars seem to how aligned in Korea’s favor this year.
