EDward Gaming and DWG.KIA heads into the grand finals with the dream of taking home the Summoner's Cup.
EDward Gaming has managed to put all the odds stacked against them and have come out victorious in the pursuit of their first-ever Worlds title. They put DWG.KIA to the sword in the best-of-five series, going all the way to the last game. This is also EDG's first appearance at a grand final and they have done themselves and the LPL proud by bringing the Summoner's Cup back to China.
Game One
The first game of the grand final series saw both teams with DWG bringing out Yasuo for Kim "Khan" Dong-ha while EDG opted for Zilean on Tian "Meiko" Ye, two champions who have hardly ever featured at Worlds 2021. DWG has been known throughout the entire tournament to bring in obscure picks into the foray and today was no different. However, it was EDG who started the game on the front foot, able to take the first blood and then some, leaving DWG to play catch up. The LCK squad was trying their best to keep up but EDG was on another level today with their execution and movement around the map.
The mid-game didn't feature much action as both teams were content with farming. Both teams would eventually trade blow for blow transitioning into the late game. But EDG always held a lead over DWG, keeping them at arm's length and not giving them any opportunities. It soon took a turn for the worse in the 30-minute mark when EDG interrupted DWG's Baron attempt and made them pay for it by team-wiping them. Flandre was on fire with his Graves, claiming a double kill in that team fight. It was EDG's game to lose by then and they did not let up, taking out DWG's base in quick succession.
The last team fight soon broke out as DWG attempted a hail mary defence play that didn't pan out well in the end. Lee "Scout" Ye-chan ended it with a triple kill to his name, hammering down the final nail in the coffin and taking the first game of the series.
Game Two
The second game of the series saw DWG bring out another niche pick, this time for Heo "ShowMaker" Su playing Malzahar, who has only ever made two other appearances before today. With Lee Sin being banned for the second time in the row, it was now EDG who picked up LeBlanc, Xin Zhao, and Rakan while DWG got Graves in return. The second game started at a much slower pace than the first as both teams didn't look like clashing until the 12th minute with ShowMaker getting the first blood on Scout. Another scuffle soon broke out two minutes later for the rift herald with DWG getting the better exchange with two kills for one. A few more minutes later and another team fight broke out and it was DWG who came out on top once more, killing four and Khan getting a triple kill.
EDG got caught out again in the river and was forced to flee but not without paying a death tax first. Khan has been on form in the second game, getting a double kill after a triple a few minutes earlier. Zhao "Jiejie" Li-Jie did reduce the deficit a little, stealing DWG's Baron but paid with his life for it along with Xuan-jun "Flandre" Li as an additional casualty. As the late game portion wore on, it was EDG who was trying to mount a comeback but it didn't work out as DWG had their number once more, catching them out near the dragon's pit, taking out three while only losing ShowMaker. DWG soon marched down the middle lane and with the numbers advantage, took out the turret as well as the inhibitor.
DWG soon went for their second Baron attempt and Jiejie was close to foiling it once more but lacked the damage to deal the killer blow. EDG soon began to crumble after that as they just couldn't hold back DWG. With their backs against the ropes, EDG went for a desperate play with Flandre backstabbing DWG. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as DWG tore them to shreds with both Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and Khan getting a double kill before ShowMaker rounded up the team wipe and then the base. It was a disappointing game overall for EDG as they ended it with only three kills, all belonging to Park "Viper" Do-hyeon.
Game Three
With the series now essentially a best-of-three, DWG decided to turn up the tempo, bringing yet another niche champion into play with Khan playing Gragas. The third game of the series started very much like the second as it took a while to get going. EDG got the game started with the first blood after 10 minutes but DWG responded in kind two minutes later, trading Flandre and Scout for Khan at the top lane. The LPL squad soon took control over the game, getting two more kills, a rift herald, and the top outer turret to boot. With two drakes to their name, DWG soon added a third while trading one kill for one but it was their fourth drake attempt that truly opened the game up. EDG got caught outside the dragon's pit and even though Viper got the snipe on Canyon first, he soon fell along with three others.
As the game wore on, DWG looked more and more assertive in their gameplay and it showed when they pushed EDG back from the Baron's pit. The team fight was disastrous for EDG, who ended up gifted Jang "Ghost" Yong-jun a double kill on his Aphelios while Canyon also got in on the action with Lee Sin as well as ShowMaker on Varus. A few minutes later, DWG soon found EDG lurking in the jungle and got the jump on them, which resulted in Khan and Ghost getting a double kill apiece. DWG then charged down the mid-lane, ending the game and EDG's misery.
Game Four
By the fourth game, DWG was in the driver's seat, needing just one more win to close out the series. EDG, on the other hand, had other plans as they claimed the first blood at six minutes as compared to the previous games. It wasn't until another six minutes later did DWG finally get on the board with two kills of their own in the bottom lane. For most of the early and mid-game portion, it was pretty even between both teams with EDG holding a slight gold advantage.
It all came to a head for the fifth drake, which got stolen by Jiejie once more. But instead of fighting, both teams opted to retreat instead. Khan's attempt to steal the Baron a couple of minutes later didn't work out in the same way and he ended up giving away his life for it. While the game did lack kills, EDG made up for it with an excellent display of pushing prowess. At the 32nd minute, DWG got caught in the mid-lane and EDG was ready to pounce on their bad positioning. DWG ended up losing three and with that the game as well.
Game Five
As the series now hangs in the balance, the fifth and final game of the series could've gone either way. In typical fashion, the game started slowly with both teams playing it safe. Things didn't pick up until the eighth minute with DWG going for the rift herald and ended up trading it for the first blood to EDG. The LPL's last hope soon doubled their lead, finding yet another kill to quicken the tempo of the game and keep DWG on their toes. Going from the early to the mid-game, the game was still very much even with EDG having the slight advantage on most fronts. By 20 minutes, Flandre on Kennen had two kills to his name while Khan on Graves had two deaths.
The game started to truly come alive after 22 minutes when DWG got jumped by EDG in their jungle and ended up losing four in the process. With the late game approaching, EDG had a tighter grip on the game, getting more kills and more objectives across the map. However, it was DWG who managed to sneak a Baron play from under EDG's noses while still holding their middle outer turret. Sadly, it wasn't enough as EDG managed to make them pay for it by slaying all five just minutes later with Scout and Viper getting double kills. By this point, EDG was methodical in their movements, not giving DWG any chance to carve an opening to a team fight. Instead, it was EDG who took the fight to them and would often come out on top.
DWG tried their best to get back into the game and they even managed to get a kill on Scout in the bottom lane, ending his four-kill streak. However, EDG decided to push the top lane and ended up breaking through and destroying one Nexus turret. They even managed to escape without any casualties. EDG soon broke the rest of the structures in DWG's base before forcing a team fight and soon after, destroying the Nexus.
Elation for EDG; Despair for DWG
With that victory, EDG has created history for themselves and the organisation by winning Worlds 2021. It was a hard-fought series from both sides but in the end, it was the LPL squad who came out on top and managed to overcome the two-game deficit to mount a reverse comeback sweep. Aside from taking home the Summoner's Cup, each player of EDG will get their very own championship ring to go with it.
And with every winner, there has to be a loser and sadly, it was DWG.KIA. After a monstrous start to the tournament without any losses, they seemed to have run out of steam at the end and had no answers for EDG. It was an unfortunate way to go for the LCK top seed as their journey to getting back-to-back world titles is now over.
