The League of Legends World Championship brought about plenty of unexpected twists and turns along with a few surprises and letdowns.
As the regular season draws to a close, 2021 times out in dramatic fashion with EDward Gaming claiming the Summoner's Cup and thus, putting the LPL back on the world map. It was an unfortunate run for DWG.KIA as the former winners had arguably the best run of the tournament, going undefeated until the grand finals. They even defeated T1 in the semifinals, which further seals the stamp of approval for DWG to take over the mantle. Unfortunately, it was for nought.
But aside from EDG proving the whole world wrong and winning the tournament, there was also a few surprises and disappointments along the way. Two more of the LPL also didn't make it far with the Mid-Season Invitational 2021 winners Royal Never Give Up losing in the quarterfinals whilst FunPlus Phoenix didn't even make it past the group stage. It was also a dark time for both the LEC and LCS as even with three representatives, both regions still couldn't get far with only one team each reaching the quarterfinals and still not going through.
As it is with every world championship, there is bound to be some drama and entertainment; this had plenty of both.
More to come from Detonation FocusMe
Heading into Worlds 2021, not many could've predicted Detonation FocusMe's ascension into the upper tiers of professional League of Legends. With that said, the team did more than just well; while dropping out in the group stages, that was the team and the LJL's highest finish to date. DFM has set the standard on what Japan is capable of when it comes to competing with the best.
Their first day in the play-stage saw mixed results from the team but it was cruise control from there as they pushed for a double tie-breaker and eventually secured first place and an automatic qualification to the group stage. Sadly, their dream run ended in the group stage as well, having been put together with EDward, Gaming, T1, and 100 Thieves. While they did lose all six of their games, there were moments where DFM showed that they could stand toe-to-toe with the top dogs. If this year's Worlds was any indication, expect DFM to come back swinging next season, possibly making it past the group stages too.
FunPlus Phoenix crashes and burns
On paper, FunPlus Phoenix's group looked to be a shoo-in for them with DWG.KIA posing the only possible threat. Their first day of the group stage didn't go well but they did pick up some momentum heading into the final stretch and it was there when things went downhill. FPX imploded on the final day of games for group A, losing all three games convincingly. The Worlds 2019 winners were a ghost of their former selves, unable to keep up with the tempo that teams like C9 and Rogue were putting them through.
So what went wrong? It all looked easy for FPX, who had a good season heading into Worlds 2021. Two second-place achievements are good enough considering the level of competition in the LPL these days but for a team that just won Worlds the year before. They also brought in Jang "Nuguri" Ha-gwon from DWG to replace Kim "Khan" Dong-ha, who headed to the other side in hopes of bettering their chances for this year. Sadly, it didn't work out for the team and something has to be said about the rest of the roster.
The likes of Tae-Sang "Doinb" Kim and Lin "Lwx" Wei-Xiang weren't up to par. The pair were not at their best and did not perform to the level that many had expected them to. Whether there will be any roster changes remains to be seen but FPX will need to switch something up if they're looking to keep up with the rest of the LPL front runners.
T1's rebuild is almost complete
Even with three world titles to their name, not many were counting on T1 to add another to their collection. With that said, T1 performed admirably and came very close to making it to the grand finals, bringing DWG to all five games in the semifinals. Overall, T1's 2021 season should be seen as a success in the making. This is a team that finished fourth and second in the Spring and Summer Splits, followed by winning the LCK Regional Finals and then a fourth-place finish at Worlds 2021. All things considered, they should be proud of what they've achieved with a relatively young and inexperienced squad on the international stage.
The likes of Kim "Canna" Chang-dong, Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon, and Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong are still fairly green when it comes to experience on the world stage as this was their first appearance at Worlds. It was also only Ryu "Keria" Min-seok's second Worlds with his first being with DRX. And with Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok not being who he once was years ago, T1 adopted a different playstyle and approach to the game and it paid off. According to Gol.gg, T1 holds the record for the shortest game at Worlds against DFM, coming in at 19 minutes and 53 seconds. This was also the game where T1 had the highest team GPM count at 2,314. Oner also showed off in this game with the highest kill count of 11.
Gumayusi also holds the record for being the highest farmer at Worlds 2021 with an average of 10.2 CSM. He was also in the top five of the best farm on three different occasions at Worlds 2021 utilising Ziggs, Miss Fortune, and Lucian to great effect. Judging by how well they performed given the situation they were in, T1 can go into next season with renewed belief that they do have what it takes to go back to Worlds and make it to the grand finals this time.
What is going on with the LEC and LCS?
When it's all said and done, the LEC and the LCS were the true underperformers of Worlds 2021. Both MAD Lions and Cloud9 were the only representatives to make it past the group stage but eventually got knocked out in the quarterfinals without even taking a single game in a best-of-five series. The LEC should still be relatively proud of MAD's accomplishments; a top-four finish at the MSI 2021 followed by a top-eight finish at Worlds 2021 is decent for the young squad. Sadly, the same can't be said for the likes of Fnatic and Rogue. While the former did have to deal with a last-minute roster change, it still wasn't an excuse for their poor performances during the group stages. As for Rogue, they were unfortunate to not make it through during the tie-breakers with C9 having the edge.
Speaking of C9, their last-ditch effort on the last day of matches for Group A can be seen as commendable but their ability to not take a single game off of Gen.G Esports is disappointing at best. While always seen as the underdog of the LCS, C9 did far better than their counterparts, 100 Thieves and Team Liquid. Both teams had decent showings, finishing 3-3 at the end of the group stage but it still wasn't enough to make it through. In the LCS region, it's clear who are the top-performing teams but on the world stage, it all crumbles. Neither region has ever come close to winning Worlds ever since Fnatic's win in the inaugural tournament.
While it's unlikely that we'll ever see a Worlds winner hailing from the LCS or the LEC anytime soon, the best thing we can hope for is to see either one of these regions make it to the grand finals. Even if they were to win or lose, it can still be seen as progress to push ahead in the following season.
Can Hanwha Life Esports keep this going?
Aside from C9, Hanwha Life Esports was the only other team to make it to the knockout stage from the play-in bracket. Having climbed to the final stage of Worlds 2021 is an achievement for HLE. This was the team's highest finish to date in their debut at the world championship. It has been a roller-coaster season for the young squad, who finished third during the LCK Spring Split and followed that up with an eighth-place finish in the Summer. Having made it to Worlds after coming in second at the LCK Regional Finals, HLE had to dig deep and work hard to make it to the group stage.
After finishing second to LNG in the play-in stage, HLE managed to overcome all adversities in Group C to make it to their first-ever quarterfinal knockout stage. Going up against T1 once more, this could've been the perfect revenge for HLE after losing to them in the regional finals earlier. Unfortunately, T1 was on a different level that day and HLE just could not keep up. While Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon was at his absolute best in the mid-lane, the same can't be said for the rest of his team. If HLE is looking to go further next season, something will have to be done about the team's in-game communication as well as positioning and movement during the later stages of the game.
