To this day, many League of Legends (LoL) fans around the world still cannot believe DRX crowned champions at the 2022 World Championship (Worlds). They entered the tournament as a wildcard from LCK after defeating Liiv SANDBOX in the regional qualifier. In South Korea, the community usually only pays attention to the three most powerful Esports organizations: T1, Gen.G, and DWG KIA. However, DRX’s journey at the 2022 Worlds resembles a fairy tale.
DRX was crowned champions to the astonishment of the global community – source: League of Legends.
Play-In Stage
In the Play-In Stage, DRX achieved a perfect record with a score of 5-0. Specifically, Zeka and Deft won the hearts of fans, demonstrating the crucial role of team play. Zeka showcased top-tier individual skills, while Deft showed great determination at this year’s Worlds event.
However, the Top Lane and Jungle positions of DRX did not give fans much reassurance during the Play-In Stage. Both Kingen, Pyosik, and Juhan played inconsistently, placing heavy burdens on the remaining three players. Nevertheless, the Korean LoL community was very proud of DRX when they defeated the fourth seed from LPL, RNG.
Group Stage
When DRX entered the Group Stage, the “Blue Dragon” fans hoped they would pass through easily. In Group C, the strength of the teams was quite close, so DRX could still dream of a ticket to the Knock-out Stage in second place. In this group, Top Esports was rated the strongest with many players possessing high individual skills and strategic thinking. However, DRX excellently passed the Group Stage as the first seed from Group C.
During this stage, DRX achieved a remarkable victory over Top Esports in the first round when JackeyLove made continuous mistakes. Although they lost to RGE, a 2-1 result was still acceptable for DRX in the first round. In the second round, the Korean representatives excellently defeated both GAM and RGE to secure a ticket to the next round.
After that, they continued to win against RGE in the Tie-breaker to claim the first seed from Group C. The most interesting thing in this group was that Top Esports lost to GAM and was officially sent home by Nasus from Trymbi. For DRX, they began to stabilize their lineup during the Group Stage as Kingen and Pyosik regained their form.
Quarterfinals
Securing the top spot in the group, fate drew DRX to face Edward Gaming in the Quarterfinals. Edward Gaming did not have a stable performance at this year’s tournament, so the Korean community hoped DRX would advance. After five extremely tense matches, DRX successfully came from behind to win with a score of 3-2. The quarterfinals clearly demonstrated the focus and “nothing to lose” spirit of the entire DRX team.
Semi-finals
Entering the semi-final match, DRX faced the reigning LCK Summer 2022 champions Gen.G. Throughout 2022, DRX had not won a single game against the number one seed from Korea. Therefore, the entire global LoL community felt that DRX’s journey would end here. The achievement of reaching the semifinals was already a satisfactory result for Deft and his teammates.
However, everything unfolded completely contrary to fan predictions. On a beautiful day, Pyosik kept Peanut playing in a passive state. He caused Gen.G’s jungler to make continuous mistakes and mismovements. Meanwhile, Chovy – the player most anticipated at the 2022 Worlds – also performed poorly and showed weak composure in this Bo5 matchup. He faded away against Zeka, outclassed by DRX’s mid-laner in every aspect and begrudgingly succumbed with a score of 1-3.
DRX officially entered the final match to the astonishment of the global LoL community. This was truly a stellar performance from Zeka and Pyosik, as these two players showcased superior play compared to their counterparts from Gen.G. Nevertheless, DRX’s opponent in the final was very strong at Worlds 2022.
Finals
Before the final match, everyone thought T1 would easily win against DRX. The score would be 3-0 or 3-1 for Faker and his younger teammates. After the first game, those thoughts were further reinforced as the two teams clearly had a skill gap. However, DRX displayed a completely different face from game 2 onward.
The strength of DRX was maximum concentration, daring to think and act. Furthermore, they were powerful in attacking the opponent and selecting targets accurately. In addition, Top Laner Kingen had a spectacular match, overshadowing Zeus – the most anticipated player from T1. With the champion Aatrox, Kingen shone brightly from the laning phase to team fights, dealing significant damage and creating immense pressure on the opposing team.
Zeka asserted his confidence despite being on the big stage for the first time, handling situations very strongly and decisively. Meanwhile, Beryl, DRX’s information machine, read the team fights accurately to the last detail, helping his teammates boost their confidence in decisive moments of the match. In the end, DRX defeated T1 with a score of 3-2, concluding their “miraculous journey” just like the name of Bard’s ultimate ability in game 5.
DRX’s journey at Worlds 2022 felt like a dream, as they progressed step by step almost unconsciously. The “Blue Dragon” improved with every match, playing each game as if it would be their last at Worlds 2022. When they stepped onto the highest throne, the entire audience around the world congratulated DRX, even including T1 fans. Indeed, the 2022 Worlds was incredibly thrilling, and the championship of the fourth seed from LCK added even more brilliance to this year’s Esports festival.
Thoi 247