In the first quarter-final match of the 2022 World Championship (Worlds), the last representative of League of Legends Europe – Rogue (RGE) suffered a defeat with a score of 0-3. Although it was known that their opponent – JD Gaming (JDG) was a very strong name, the performance in the match was what truly caught attention. The level between the two teams was indeed too disparate, and the quarter-final felt like a rehearsal for JDG for their upcoming journey at the Worlds 2022.
Of course, JDG’s victory was something everyone could predict even before the match began. However, based on their previous performances against DRX and TOP Esports (TES) in the Group Stage, many LEC fans still hoped RGE would pull off some surprises. But watching how RGE was obliterated by JDG, it was clear that the skill gap between LEC and LPL was too vast, even though both regions are considered Major regions in the LoL scene.
Recently, ADC Rekkles also shared his insights and explanations regarding this gap between the two regions. The former Fnatic star stated: “There are many reasons that create this gap. They (LCK and LPL) are all at the highest level of performance… We always have the feeling that whatever champions they play in the match, it will be the best choice”.
Additionally, Rekkles used the term “overconfidence error” to refer to the mistakes often made by Western players. Rekkles commented: “Western players make this mistake more than LPL or LCK. When you make an overconfidence error, it means you have misjudged or mishandled a situation. Not to mention, you know, there are other small factors, like skill, teamwork, bans and picks… Each of those little things creates a huge gap”.
In fact, it can be observed that LCK and LPL players always play cautiously. Of course, in matches, there will be some experimental or bold situations, but LPL and LCK players handle variables better. Therefore, their mistakes are minimized. Meanwhile, Western players often do not have many options to handle variables in matches.
Another season of Worlds where Western LoL teams have to exit the competition early. Currently, G2 Esports is no longer as powerful as before, and Fnatic or Cloud9 have not shown much improvement. Perhaps, the day when Western LoL can compete fairly and have a chance to break the dominance of LPL and LCK is still far in the future.