As rumored earlier, in the next match of DWG KIA against Afreeca Freecs, ADC Ghost was benched after a prolonged dip in performance, and the reigning LCK champions rolled out a surprisingly unfamiliar lineup, featuring:
– Top: Khan.
– Jungle: Malrang.
– Mid: Canyon.
– ADC: ShowMaker.
– Support: BeryL.
Despite changing three starting positions and facing a high-performing AF, DK still secured victory on a day when both Canyon and substitute player Malrang performed excellently, coupled with AF’s sudden decline in form.
Starting in the ADC position, ShowMaker appeared quite out of place in his first match in the bot lane, missing numerous farm opportunities while DK’s bot lane fell into a state of alarm as AF relentlessly pressured.
Seemingly aware of DK’s vulnerabilities, AF mobilized a large force to intervene in the bot lane during the laning phase in both games. Although this left ShowMaker at a disadvantage early on, DK managed to implement timely countermeasures.
And as all attention focused on the bot lane, leaving the top lane as “a story for two,” the monster named Khan had the chance to awaken. DK’s top laner made many crucial plays in both games, helping the team entirely overcome the disadvantage in the ADC position.
It’s also worth mentioning that in this match, Afreeca displayed a rather weak performance compared to their previous two games, especially in the mid lane. With DK’s bot lane constantly pressured, forcing Canyon to frequently roam, Fly was unable to capitalize on the opportunities to gain resource advantages.
The contributions of AF’s mid laner in skirmishes were also quite limited, due to a slow power spike and facing a DK that excelled in team fights.
In his first match as ADC, ShowMaker’s impact wasn’t particularly notable, but what intrigued fans was that he no longer had to bear the pressure of “carrying the team”; instead, he had a relatively relaxed game as his teammates performed their roles excellently.