The second semifinal match of the World Championship (CKTG) has officially concluded with a score of 3-1 in favor of DRX. The fourth seed from LCK will face the League of Legends (LoL) team T1 in the finals to determine the champion. Before the 2022 World Championship took place, Gen.G’s mid laner was highly regarded, but he ended up disappointing the fans greatly. Meanwhile, Zeka has emerged as a phenomenon in this year’s tournament, playing a significant role in leading DRX to the finals.
When mentioning Chovy, the League of Legends community is familiar with the image of a player with perfect lane control, boasting overwhelming CS stats and carrying the team strongly in the late game. With these qualities, the young talent from Gen.G was expected to lift the prestigious championship trophy. However, the global LoL community was quite disappointed with Chovy’s performance in this tournament.
Before the semifinal match, Chovy had impressive personal stats. However, these stats only reflect a small part as his teammates sacrificed a lot for him. Both Peanut and Doran frequently used supportive champions, diligently roaming to control the map and help Chovy shine.
When facing DRX, Chovy encountered many difficulties and was nearly invisible in the semifinal match. First, top laner Doran and jungler Peanut both underperformed, causing Chovy to lose the map control support he previously had. Not only that, he also made several personal mistakes that put Gen.G in a disadvantageous position. Ultimately, the mentality of Gen.G’s mid laner was severely affected. He lost his inherent confidence, performed poorly against Zeka, and had to bid farewell to the tournament at the semifinal stage.
In contrast to Chovy, Zeka is having a “dream” season. DRX arrived at the World Championship with a wildcard ticket, receiving little attention from the global media. When mentioning the LCK region, most of the community only remembers the three strongest teams: Gen.G, T1, and Damwon KIA. Therefore, in the eyes of Korean LoL fans, the “fourth seed” holds little significance; they just need to play their best to complete their mission.
This may be one reason why DRX has been playing so well at the 2022 World Championship. They play with a “nothing to lose” spirit, defeating strong teams one after another to reach the finals against T1. This year, two players, Deft and Zeka, have been mentioned a lot. Among them, Zeka has become the phenomenon of the tournament as he continues to perform outstandingly, even overshadowing Chovy in the second semifinal.
Zeka possesses a comprehensive playstyle, creating surprises while supporting his teammates when necessary. Therefore, even though this player does not have the flashy stats like Chovy, his impact on the game is greater than his opponent. In this World Championship, the 2002-born player has also risen with the champion Sylas, boasting a KDA of 7.5 and holding a 100% win rate with the Unchained.
In the quarterfinals, Zeka’s Sylas sent Edward Gaming packing after five tense games. He gave Viper no chance in skirmishes, resulting in a Quadra Kill to finish off the fourth quarterfinal match. That moment was ranked by Riot Games as one of the top plays in the quarterfinals.
Even in the semifinals, Zeka dominated the matchup between the two mid laners. After an ineffective first game, this player utilized Ahri to overpower Chovy’s Sylas, leading in CS and participating in skirmishes with precision. In game 3, Zeka’s Akali led the overall item count on the map, far surpassing his opponent. From there, this player easily annihilated Gen.G’s lineup to bring victory to the entire team.
Moving into game 4, Zeka decided to use Galio to face Ryze in Chovy’s hands. Although he had a champion focused on roaming to support teammates, DRX’s mid laner still outperformed Chovy in CS. This caused Gen.G’s young talent to gradually fall into a state of psychological instability, continuously making mistakes in critical skirmishes. With an unstable performance across many positions, the Gen.G members had to conclude their journey in this tournament.
After overshadowing Chovy in the semifinal, DRX’s young talent has asserted himself as one of the top mid laners of the tournament. In the finals, Zeka will face the League of Legends legend Faker. This will be an exciting clash between two generations: a veteran player and a young talent making his mark. Who will come out on top? The answer will be revealed in the upcoming finals!