The Worlds 2022 finals may be the peak of League of Legends

League of Legends World Championship celebrated its 11th season in 2022, and the grand finals may represent the absolute zenith of competitive League of Legends. DRX’s stunning upset over the legendary T1 organization has already secured its place among the most memorable best-of-five series in esports history. However, the complete tournament narrative that culminated in that championship match stands as potentially the definitive competitive experience the game will ever produce. Examining twelve years of League evolution while contemplating an unpredictable future raises crucial questions about what makes this tournament the ultimate benchmark for competitive gaming excellence.

DRX was statistically eliminated from championship contention before the tournament even began, with most analysts projecting their elimination in the quarterfinals against reigning world champions EDward Gaming. The consensus positioned DRX as the weakest Korean qualifier, destined to fall against legitimate title contenders like T1, EDG, or Gen.G. They represented another chapter in the KT Rolster legacy – teams brought to the global stage primarily to be defeated by organizations with realistic Summoner’s Cup aspirations. Essentially sacrificial offerings for the elite teams advancing toward the finals stage, temporary obstacles for the eventual victors.

This perspective dominated pre-tournament analysis because it aligned with the established pattern for fourth-seed LCK representatives starting in the Play-In stage. Competent enough to advance from Groups, superior to LEC, LCS, and smaller region competitors, anticipated to reach the Knockout phase, but never possessing the caliber to actually win the championship. This narrative remained unchallenged until the 2022 season completely rewrote competitive expectations.

What DRX achieved was considered statistically impossible because every previous team with similar qualification circumstances failed to navigate the treacherous journey from Play-Ins to the grand finals. The achievement was unprecedented, bordering on inconceivable, demonstrated by the fact that not one person in the global League community accurately predicted the tournament outcome in official Pick ‘Ems predictions. Every individual who maintained perfect prediction records through the semifinals had selected Korean top seed Gen.G as tournament champions.

DRX entered Worlds without a single victory all season against either Gen.G or T1, clearly establishing their position as inferior to their domestic rivals. All available historical data and relevant performance metrics indicated DRX’s inevitable elimination, yet they accomplished what no team had ever done before.

The parallel career trajectories of Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok entering the Worlds 2022 finals represent the most compelling examples in League esports of reality surpassing fictional narratives. As classmates from Mapo High School in Seoul, South Korea, Deft recalls first learning about Faker through school rumors about an exceptionally skilled player within their academic halls. “I genuinely aspired to surpass that student and become the premier player within our school,” Deft explained.

Both individuals departed formal education to pursue professional League of Legends careers, with their initial competitive encounter marking Faker’s professional debut playing LeBlanc – a champion that evolved into an emblem of his unparalleled mastery. Deft reached the World Championship semifinals with Samsung Blue while Faker quickly ascended to become the consensus greatest player in competitive history. During the significant Korean talent migration of 2015, Deft sought opportunities in China’s LPL while Faker remained to dominate with the only organization he’d ever represented. One competitor pursuing transient conditions for competitive greatness across multiple seasons, the other establishing himself as a once-in-a-generation talent virtually synonymous with the game itself.

The championship matchup embodied a classic David versus Goliath narrative with a conclusion that matched the legendary proportions.

League of Legends currently celebrates its 12th year as an internationally recognized esport. This represents a sustainability threshold that few competitive titles ever reach, let alone maintain for continuously expanding viewership. While achieving remarkable success as both a game and competitive ecosystem, it’s reasonable to question whether this decade-old title can maintain its competitive relevance for another twelve years. The practical assessment, considering the surrounding gaming landscape, suggests otherwise. While theoretically possible, any game remaining at the forefront of its competitive category without substantial evolution and reaching the 24-year milestone constitutes an extraordinary accomplishment.

Whether through a substantially updated version developed by Riot Games, or gradual decline into obscurity, contemporary League of Legends likely approaches, or has surpassed, the midpoint in its competitive lifecycle. This isn’t necessarily a negative forecast either. League has emerged as the world’s most popular esport while continuing to demonstrate resilience, but an additional decade might simply exceed the current iteration’s capacity without significant transformation.

This temporal context fundamentally contributes to what makes Worlds 2022 exceptionally significant. It represents the climax of narrative arcs requiring an entire decade to develop – time the game might not possess for similar storytelling. Deft’s transformation from high school student to experienced veteran, foundational figure, and globally recognized superstar, culminating in facing his former classmate in the most-watched live League match ever conducted – only possible through a MOBA that elevated two Mapo High School students to international stardom while simultaneously growing alongside them throughout those years.

If any competitive title possesses potential to reach that milestone, it’s League of Legends. However, the cautious observer’s expectation suggests that whatever form Summoner’s Rift assumes twelve years forward, it will be fundamentally transformed. And regardless of League’s remaining competitive lifespan, in this iteration or another, it’s extraordinarily improbable that we’ll witness a narrative twist as extensively developed as DRX’s miraculous tournament journey and Deft’s ultimate confrontation with the Unkillable Demon King.

When legendary competitive titles like Starcraft, Counter-Strike 1.6, and similar games conclude their competitive eras, specific moments become permanent components of that game’s competitive heritage. While some defining moments involve breathtaking mechanical execution or advanced strategic knowledge achieving maximum effectiveness, the instances permanently embedded in competitive consciousness are the human emotional experiences surrounding the competition. The euphoria of achievement and the devastating pain of failure existing simultaneously.

The T1 versus DRX championship series contains numerous in-game highlights worthy of hall of fame recognition, from Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong’s seemingly impossible Baron steal to Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon’s series-deciding positioning behind the Dragon pit wall for forty seconds. The competitive pendulum swung through tension-filled objective conflicts and unsuccessful backdoor attempts, culminating in the Unkillable Demon King’s defeat by the unlikely hero. This represents what will endure when League of Legends eventually concludes its tenure at competitive gaming’s center stage. A narrative of success against overwhelming odds for DRX, and the devastating disappointment for T1 who stood merely one game from championship glory.

The profound commitment elite competitors dedicate to League of Legends becomes visibly apparent during these championship moments. On one side, the improbable champions, triumphant dragon slayers who, despite their designation, confronted the most formidable opponent in the game’s competitive history and emerged victorious. Across DRX’s portion of the competitive stage, we witness the unrestrained celebration and exhilaration of victory. Teammates immediately converge to embrace each other as the Chase Center audience generates an overwhelming wall of sound. This represents Deft’s ten-year competitive journey finally achieving fulfillment, Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee’s second world championship, and the pinnacle accomplishment within League of Legends featuring breakthrough performances from emerging talents like Kingen, Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo, and Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon. These moments represent the ultimate competitive heights players aspire to achieve, and DRX’s championship celebration in that instant carries the emotional significance that only genuine validation before approximately five million viewers can produce.

Facing them, the T1 lineup confronts the single most painful defeat competitive gaming can deliver – the devastating awareness that they stood merely one game from championship success. The previous instance League enthusiasts witnessed Faker lose a championship finals series, the iconic photograph of him, head buried in hands, weeping at his competition station, remains memorialized. This time, reflecting six years of personal development since that experience, Faker’s initial captured reaction involves looking left and right, assessing his younger teammates’ emotional states. In this moment, the Unkillable Demon King’s countenance doesn’t reflect defeat. It demonstrates concern for his teammates for whom this loss represents unfamiliar emotional territory.

The emotional transition occurs when Faker observes support player Ryu “Keria” Min-seok collapsed backward in his chair, hands pressed against his eyes in distress – causing his composed expression to fracture as Faker exhales deeply and covers his face. Six years have elapsed and Faker no longer represents the flawless champion experiencing his solitary grand finals defeat; he’s evolved into T1’s experienced leader and organizational pillar. His immediate response doesn’t involve personal mourning, but rather assessing how his teammates have processed the defeat. The most visible emotional response manifests in Keria, who emotionally embraces his former teammates Deft and Pyosik before sinking into his chair weeping.

These contrasting experiences – the incredible achievements and the devastating setbacks – intertwine to demonstrate everything at stake within elite competition. An entire decade of competitive development contributed to establishing the narratives that defined the Worlds 2022 finals – time League of Legends might not possess to replicate similar storytelling. However, even if League has progressed beyond its competitive midpoint, Worlds 2022 represents an extraordinary narrative of success against overwhelming odds that will remain among the foundational pillars of League’s competitive mythology when it eventually concludes its esports chapter.

The competitive ecosystem will be characterized by its human emotional experiences of distress and euphoria when it finally concludes, and Worlds 2022 presented the stories of those moments more effectively than any previous tournament.

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