Damwon Gaming – The Tragedy of Bad Luck
To be fair, Damwon Gaming was the team that performed the brightest among the three LCK teams that were eliminated; they always played fairly, unafraid to clash with anyone, whether it was FunPlus Phoenix or Top Esports. With their superior individual skills in the solo lanes, Damwon Gaming was not afraid to go toe-to-toe with any team. However, their playstyle, which differed from the typical LCK team, made it difficult for them to face Chinese teams.
Remember that the skill-based and team fight-oriented gameplay has been mastered by LPL teams to a level that could be described as “pure fire”. They not only excel at fighting but also know how to force their opponents to follow their playstyle, and it’s unfortunate that Damwon Gaming fell victim to that “bloodlust”. Both losses to FPX and TES for DWG followed the same script: they led in the mid game, were lured into a team fight by their opponents, and lost the game.
Perhaps the young players of Damwon Gaming are still too “green” in such specific situations, hopefully, time will help this team mature because they truly are a very promising collective.
T1 – Still the Same Old Story
Despite a series of changes in personnel and coaching staff, every time T1 (previously known as SKT T1) enters international tournaments, we witness the same potentially outdated playstyle of theirs: Control. They still seek a safe laning phase, steadily increasing their strength, and only want to engage in fights when they feel stronger than their opponents. This theory was valid back in 2015-2016 when Faker was at his peak, but unfortunately, it’s now 2020.
The only new strategy that T1 brought to this tournament is ironically Yasuo – Gragas, a bot lane combo that any LCK team could probably play due to its prevalence in the summer of 2019. Meanwhile, they did not choose strong or even overpowered champions like Wukong, despite having many opportunities to do so. This indirectly led to their elimination after a painful loss to Top Esports due to their opponent’s excellent ability to turn the game around.
Being inflexible in the ban/pick phase and their playstyle are the weaknesses that have caused T1 to fail recently; they might have used their reputation to overpower other LCK teams, but that no longer holds true when competing in international tournaments.
DragonX – Deft, When Will You Stop Choking?
DragonX is perhaps the complete opposite of T1, as they have a much more diverse ban/pick strategy, but they also have inherent psychological weaknesses, unlike Faker’s steadiness regardless of winning or losing. And then the DRX players showed us their true nature on the recent match day; they are creative, but at crucial moments, they make inexplicable mistakes.
And the embodiment of all these weaknesses in DragonX is the name Deft; he is the team’s main AD carry, well-supported by his teammates, but just a few wrong steps can cost the team dearly. Many thought the tie-break match was already secured for DRX when they saw Deft get a Triple Kill early in the game, but this player has a weak mentality; at crucial moments, he makes a catastrophic mistake that ruins everything.
If Damwon Gaming can still refine their skills over time, and T1 can balance with hard training, what can remedy Deft’s psychological weaknesses when he has played for so long but still becomes a “choker” whenever his team needs him the most?