DWG.KIA and EDward Gaming will play their final best-of-five series in just a few hours in the grand finals of Worlds 2021.
It has been settled - DWG.KIA will go head-to-head against EDward Gaming in a best-of-five series to determine who lifts the coveted Summoner's Cup to go along with the newly-added championship rings. This comes after both teams managed to get the reverse sweep against their respective opponents, T1 and Gen.G Esports. Both series came down to the wire with DWG managing to come out on top against T1 while EDG had to dig deep to send Gen.G home.
EDG will have more motivation coming into the last best-of-five series as this is their first grand final appearance on the international stage. As for DWG, they will be hoping to make it back-to-back world titles, being only the second LCK team to ever achieve such a feat. This will also be the first time both teams will be facing off against one another so there is an air of mystery surrounding both teams as to how they will approach the series.
DWG.KIA vs EDward Gaming - Match Preview
For a team that has been around since 2014, this will be EDG's first-ever appearance in the grand finals of Worlds. Since their inception, they've been to five straight world championships but have never made it past the quarterfinals, except for 2017 where they got knocked out in the group stages. In that timeframe, they also got knocked out twice by the LEC's Fnatic, once by the now-disbanded ROX Tigers of the LCK, and Royal Club, now Royal Never Give Up's academy team of the LPL.
EDG has also never fared well against LCK teams, whether it be in the group or knockout stage. They are currently 1-1 when it comes to facing LCK teams in a best-of-five series. While their performances against RNG and Gen.G were amazing, they did go to all five games both times. It will be a different ballgame altogether when they go up against DWG, who has been unstoppable so far in the tournament.
Currently undefeated, DWG has not put a foot wrong this entire tournament. They have shown time and time again why they have been the tournament favourites from day one, taking out top contenders like FunPlus Phoenix, MAD Lions, and even T1 to make it to the grand finals. While they did drop two matches against the former three-time champions, DWG never looked like they were going to lose the series and rightfully so.
With T1 being the only team in the LCK as well as the rest of the world to win back-to-back world titles, DWG will be looking to accomplish the same feat, thus usurping T1 as the most dominant force in the LCK. The fact that they already sent home T1 just a few days ago sends a strong message to the masses that DWG means business.
Who to focus on?
Looking at both rosters on paper, it's hard to determine who has the upper hand leading up to the grand final series. DWG has been on a superb run of late with the team looking like a well-oiled machine that just won't stop dominating. Four of the five DWG members have been down this road before with Khan being the only member without a world championship to his name.
With that said, DWG does have a wealth of experience at their disposal with the likes of ShowMaker leading the charge. BeryL and Canyon have also been a consistent pair and to have someone like Ghost in the ADC role means that DWG is already a force to be reckoned with.
But of course, that doesn't mean that EDG should be counted out. Their roster is stacked with talent in each position. The likes of Scout and Jiejie have been the team's outstanding performers so far at Worlds 2021, proving that they have what it takes to run with the big boys. Both Flandre and Viper have also proven to be shrewd signings for the squad as they offer some much-needed balance within the team.
What to expect
As we get ready for the last and final match of Worlds 2021, do expect a degree of fireworks from both teams. DWG has already pulled out two niche champions that rarely ever feature in Worlds: Yuumi and Maokai. It wouldn't be all that surprising to see DWG pull out another pocket strategy that utilises an underplayed champion, which will give EDG a headache in terms of who to ban.
With both of their semifinal matches heading to all five games, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the grand finals go the distance as well. BeryL should be one of the players to look out for as he has been DWG's most versatile player, utilising 10 different champions during Worlds so far. Rakan has been his most played champion having won all three games he's played. Canyon's Lee Sin is another possible threat that EDG will want to neutralise as DWG have won all five games whenever it makes an appearance.
Scout for EDG will pose a huge threat for DWG due to his versatility, playing 11 different champions and excelling particularly well on Ryze, who he has used for six games with a 50 per cent win rate. They should also be looking out for Jiejie Jarvan IV, a champion he is familiar with having played eight games. Flandre's Graves is also another one to look out for as this should make for some interesting drafts.
The grand finals will be taking place in a few hours with both teams set to lock horns to see who will take home the Summoner's Cup. The odds are stacked against EDG as many are calling for DWG to take the series. And seeing how strong the LCK top seed has been, it's hard to not see them lift the world title once again. Of course, EDG is heading into the finals as the underdogs, which in itself poses a threat as everyone loves an underdog story.
