T1 secured a victory against DWG KIA in the LCK Summer 2022 match. This is one of the formidable opponents for Faker and his team throughout many seasons. Although DK is no longer as powerful as during their dominance in the League of Legends scene, they are still contenders for the championship. However, when facing T1, the DK players did not demonstrate that they deserved the title of “championship contender.” The way DK lost was quite disappointing and can be described as a letdown for the audience.
According to many experts, T1’s victory, extending their record to 24 consecutive wins in the LCK, is a noteworthy milestone. But on the other hand, T1’s win against DK was not as thrilling as fans expected. In fact, T1 players did not showcase their best performance in the victory over DK. For instance, some positions like Gumayusi did not stand out. However, more importantly, DK essentially lost to themselves.
Previously, DK also suffered a defeat against Gen.G Esports in a match earlier this week. This was a loss where DK made many mistakes alongside the outstanding performance of Gen.G players. From being the defending champions of LCK 2021, many fans are now concerned about whether DK can compete for a spot in Worlds 2022 in San Francisco, even though they just brought Nuguri back during the mid-season transfer.
Gen.G themselves are not a stable name either. Remember, in the LCK Spring 2022 finals, Gen.G suffered a devastating loss to T1. In fact, it was later revealed that some T1 players were sick right before the match. This shows that even when T1 did not have the best condition, Gen.G could not pull off an upset. Other than achieving a single honorable game win, their losing games demonstrated a complete mismatch.
However, T1, when stepping onto the international stage, has not achieved good results. The only player praised throughout MSI 2022 was Zeus. Faker and Oner were not standout performers in every match. Meanwhile, Gumayusi and Keria had a 2v2 win rate even lower than the Vietnamese representative Saigon Buffalo.
LCK has lost its dominance to LPL since the 2021 season. Although they still have impressive achievements throughout the domestic league and up to the playoffs of international tournaments, the fact is that LCK has gone empty-handed since MSI 2021. The ones defeating them have always been LPL. Even when three LCK teams reached the semifinals of Worlds 2021, the champion was still from LPL.
Besides, LCK has not produced many talents like in the period from 2013 to 2017, but there are still superstars. However, Chovy and Bdd have yet to prove they have what it takes to compete for titles. Meanwhile, ShowMaker has seen his performance decline sharply. All three of these names lost to the “old man” Faker in the recent LCK Spring, based on total MVP points.
In other positions, LCK also lacks players with enough talent, form, and mindset to compare with the likes of MaRin, Mata, or Bang – Wolf, Bengi, Imp, Ambition… from the past. Perhaps, Zeus and Oner are performing well. But they are young and still have much to prove in the future. Nuguri carries the team very well but has communication issues. Canyon is showing signs of “fatigue” after a long time of “carrying” DK.
Whether LCK is lagging behind LPL or not, the answer right now is yes. But soon, at Worlds 2022, it will be an opportunity for Korean League of Legends to reclaim both capital and interest. At that time, it will be the most accurate measure to answer whether T1’s unbeaten streak means LCK is falling behind or not.