After more than a month of intense competition, the World Championship (Worlds) 2022 is coming to a close. From the Play-In stage to the conclusion of the second semifinal, viewers have witnessed many stunning performances and surprising results. One of the biggest surprises is that the LPL has been completely wiped out from the Worlds 2022 even before the final match.
LPL teams did not meet the expectations of fans at Worlds 2022, but within each team, not every individual performed below par. Recently, LPL media highlighted 5 names that did not meet the expectations of fans in the region at the highest level international tournament in the LoL scene.
Ming (Royal Never Give Up – RNG)
As one of the most experienced players of RNG, known for his stable performance, Worlds 2022 was truly a disaster for Ming. Especially, the quarterfinal match against T1 was perhaps the most forgettable game of Ming’s career. In game 1, Ming’s Nautilus took 22 minutes to deal his first damage to the opponent. This was also the slowest damage record set by a player in the history of Worlds.
Wayward (TOP Esports – TES)
Wayward’s first Worlds came to a disappointing end. The top laner of TES did not have any standout performances, even against a significantly weaker opponent, GAM Esports (GAM). In fact, Kiaya from GAM had an edge over Wayward, particularly in the return match of the group stage. TES concluded Worlds 2022 only after the group stage, and Wayward is certainly one of the names that must bear the most responsibility.
Knight (TOP Esports – TES)
Before Worlds 2022, TES in general and Knight in particular received almost absolute trust from the LPL community. Knight was even rated as the best mid-laner in the LPL and one of the best on the international stage. However, similar to Wayward and other TES members, Knight had a forgettable Worlds as he could not defeat Zeka and Larssen. Even against Kati, Knight could not completely dominate. TES’s failure at Worlds 2022 was largely due to Knight’s poor performance.
Xiaohu (Royal Never Give Up – RNG)
Another RNG player on the list is Xiaohu. Historically, “Little Tiger” has always been seen as one of the most stable players, a backbone for both RNG and LPL fans. However, this did not happen at Worlds 2022. Xiaohu’s sudden drop in performance caused Wei and GALA to feel lost. Consequently, RNG’s defeat was inevitable.
Hope (JD Gaming – JDG)
In reality, Hope has never been seen as a top-tier AD carry capable of leading JDG to victory at Worlds 2022. However, Hope had a good performance and importantly, he coordinated well with teammates in team fights. But Hope’s weakness was his laning phase, which T1 exploited thoroughly. When Hope fell silent, JDG could only accept a bitter defeat against T1, becoming the last LPL representative to exit Worlds 2022 empty-handed.
All of these players did not perform particularly well at Worlds 2022 and are among the reasons their teams failed. Significant changes will be needed if these names wish to have a chance at glory in the future.