After the conclusion of the 2021 LCK Summer Split, the Korean League of Legends scene selected 3 representatives for the 2021 World Championship, namely DWG KIA, Gen.G Esports, and T1. Along with that, 3 other teams will compete for the final spot in the Regional Qualifiers, including Liiv SANDBOX, Nongshim RedForce, and Hanwha Life Esports.
Among them, HLE, despite being considered the weakest team due to their poor performance in the LCK group stage, surprisingly crushed both LSB and NS to become the final representative from the LCK to participate in the biggest tournament of the year for League of Legends.
For LSB and NS, they can only blame themselves for not being in their best form. Despite consistently being at the top of the group stage (NS even led for many consecutive weeks), both teams were eliminated early in the Playoffs, and when facing a highly motivated HLE, LSB and NS displayed many shortcomings and a lack of experience, leading to their ultimate defeat and missing out on a spot at the Worlds.
In light of the current results from the Regional Qualifiers, the international fan community is reveling in the outcome. Partly because Chovy and Deft – beloved players among fans, have received well-deserved rewards after their efforts, albeit late, but full of resilience.
The other part is due to the two most “hated” names in the LCK: Croco and Gori, who both have to watch the Worlds from home. Both young players share a common trait of having been involved in controversies regarding their “attitude” towards their seniors and a lack of respect for opponents, specifically Faker.
Recently, Croco mocked Faker as “fake crying, using crocodile tears to win the audience’s sympathy” in a vlog segment by LSB. Meanwhile, Gori had repeatedly provoked Faker after his team, Nongshim RedForce, defeated T1 in both group stage matches, and Gori himself had a few solo kills against the Demon King.
After those two matches, Gori publicly gave the middle finger to T1 and flashed the SKT logo every time he took down Faker. This behavior drew a lot of criticism for his unsportsmanlike attitude towards his opponent and senior, although the player explained that he did it out of momentary excitement and did not intentionally target Faker.
Currently, both Croco and Gori have been eliminated, while Faker will continue his journey with the Regional Qualifier finals to determine seed rankings, along with his “quest” at the Worlds – a tournament where “Croco will not have the opportunity to shed tears on its stage.” Many opinions suggest that this is a deserved outcome for both Croco and Gori, given the “overconfidence” attitude of these young players.