In recent days, after the conclusion of the LCK Spring 2022, the League of Legends community has mainly focused on which teams will join T1 at MSI 2022. Notably, the LPL region has captured the attention of fans as it is considered the top rival to Korean LoL at the upcoming MSI. However, doubts have arisen that the LPL may be absent from Busan due to COVID-19, as well as the packed schedule that LPL teams will face to prepare for the Summer Split, Worlds 2022, and especially the Asian Games 2022.
Speaking of the Asian Games 2022, this is a very important event for Esports in general and LoL in particular. This is the first Asian Games where Esports has the opportunity to become a proper medal-contending sport. The gold medal at this Asian Games will allow players who are of age, like Faker, to be immediately exempted from mandatory military service, only having to serve a special military duty and have the chance to continue their careers.
But which roster will participate in the Asian Games 2022 and can bring victory for Korean LoL? Recently, on April 9 (Vietnam time), KeSPA narrowed down the voting list for the Korean LoL team to just 10 players. Among them, 5 players from T1 occupy all 5 positions, with 5 players from other teams including Kiin (Kwangdong Freecs), Canyon (DWG KIA), Chovy and Ruler (Gen.G Esports), and BeryL (DRX).
As mentioned many times, LoL is a game where the seamless coordination between 5 members is extremely important. Remember, during the 2018 Asian Games, the Chinese team was essentially a smaller version of Royal Never Give Up with 4 out of 5 names officially from the “Royal Legion”. The only two “foreign” players in that team were Meiko (EDward Gaming) and Xiye (Team WE). However, Meiko hardly got to play while Xiye was the only midlaner for China at that time.
For the LCK, the selection of rosters like in the 2018 Asian Games or All-Star is that each team can have no more than 2 players. This is quite reasonable as all players are motivated to strive. Currently, players like BeryL, Ruler, and Kiin are nearing the age for military service, and undoubtedly, these players want to compete professionally for as long as possible.
In the Jungle role, Oner, while very talented and having performed well in the recent LCK Spring 2022 finals, still lacks experience in high-pressure situations compared to Canyon. Especially in winning situations, Oner let Peanut steal all Barons and Dragons and nearly allowed Gen.G to capitalize on these buffs to “turn the tide”.
As for the toplaner and ADC positions, Kiin is a name that previously participated in the Korean national team alongside Faker at the 2018 Asian Games. He is currently the only toplaner capable of competing with Zeus for the toplane position in terms of experience.
Meanwhile, alongside Faker and Kiin, Ruler is another name with ample experience competing in major international tournaments. However, with Ruler never having played alongside Keria, this presents a significant headache for KeSPA if they want to apply the formula “1 team can only have 2 selected players.” With Faker’s position being almost guaranteed, and similarly for Keria, how to make it feasible in the ADC position is KeSPA’s issue.
There are also opinions suggesting that narrowing down the list in this way only helps highlight the gap between the T1 roster and the rest of Korean LoL. And even if KeSPA changes the format and selects the entire T1 team to represent Korean LoL, there will be no further disputes.
The final roster for the Asian Games 2022 is expected to be announced soon, before the MSI 2022 begins. And surely, the final list will spark discussions within the League of Legends community until the conclusion of the Asian Games 2022 finals in LoL, confirming the owner of the gold medal.