If you have been following the League of Legends LPL Summer 2022 tournament, you would have seen the fierce competition for the championship as well as the tickets to the World Championship. After numerous tense best-of-five (Bo5) matchups often reaching game 5, JDG Gaming has officially crowned as the champion and secured the number 1 seed. Following them, Top Esports, Edward Gaming, and Royal Never Give Up secured the remaining 3 spots to the World Championship. This year, what do these 4 teams possess? Let’s explore the introduction from LPL Official penned by Caster LPL Thoại 247.
1. Defending LPL Champion JDG Gaming
This year truly belongs to JDG Gaming. This team was not highly rated in the competition for the LPL Summer championship when weighed against Top Esports or RNG. However, with the dazzling performance of all members, especially the outstanding display of top laner 369, JDG Gaming has left the audience in a state of continuous surprise.
Additionally, both Kanavi and Yagao have performed excellently this summer, while the young AD carry Hope and support Missing also excelled in the bot lane, making JDG’s championship victory well-deserved. This year, JDG will be placed in the same group as G2 Esports, Damwon KIA, and 1 WildCard team, which is considered a fairly stable group for the Chinese representatives. The biggest obstacle for JDG is Damwon KIA, but they are currently not highly rated due to inconsistent performance and an unstable bot lane, along with many roster changes.
One more thing supporting JDG: The strategy (Meta). This year’s meta focuses on junglers and AD carries, so JDG is very pleased as they have one of the best junglers in the world right now: Kanavi. The focus will be directed towards JDG as they have the potential to win the World Championship.
2. Runner-Up LPL Top Esports
In contrast to JDG, Top Esports has not left a significant mark in decisive matches; they often struggle in tense Bo5 matches despite their strength being on par with their opponents. Top Esports’ playstyle relies heavily on emotion, but we must acknowledge that TES boasts many players with outstanding individual skills, notably Knight. Additionally, Wayward’s individual skill is also quite good, along with a certain understanding of the game. The bot lane duo of Top Esports also has remarkable individual skills, yet their playstyle remains somewhat wild.
Essentially, Top Esports is not afraid of any team in the world when comparing individual skills. However, composure is what TES lacks in tense matchups. This year, TES is placed in Group C along with Rogue, GAM Esports, and 1 WildCard team. Essentially, this group is too easy for Top Esports, so the goal of finishing first in the group will surely be aimed for by the Chinese representatives. Top Esports’ strength always lies in the group stage, where Bo1 matches make individual skills significantly impact the game’s outcome. Top Esports is always highly rated but has disappointed in many different seasons, both domestically and internationally.
3. Former World Champion Edward Gaming
Edward Gaming faced some tough times in the LPL Summer 2022 tournament, seemingly falling behind. However, as the tournament progressed, Edward Gaming made a strong comeback, clinching the 3rd ticket to the World Championship.
The main reason for Edward Gaming’s strong resurgence can only be attributed to Viper’s synchronization and Scout’s improved performance. However, members like Junjia and Flandre have not instilled confidence in fans as they have been quite inconsistent, often making mistakes, and lacking decisiveness or unpredictability. Therefore, saying Viper carries the team is not too far-fetched, as he gradually led EDG to the lower bracket finals.
This year, EDG is in the same group as T1, Cloud9, and 1 WildCard team. There are still opportunities for Edward Gaming, but it will be much tougher compared to JDG and TES. EDG’s strength is not on par with these two teams, while they face T1 – a team with extensive international experience and the number 1 seed from North America, Cloud9.
4. Royal Never Give Up
Royal Never Give Up’s performance in the LPL Summer was quite disappointing. They had ample opportunities to progress far in the playoffs but lost that advantage, getting eliminated before even reaching the lower bracket. As a result, they were ousted despite being regarded as a championship contender. Entering the regional qualifiers, they lost the number 3 seed and faced elimination risk if they lost to Lining Esports, but fate smiled upon them.
RNG is indeed very strong except for the top laner who tends to play more conservatively. Therefore, playing in the play-in stage will merely serve as practice; they shouldn’t have too much difficulty dominating this stage as their strength is superior to the rest. Entering the group stage, this team will be placed in Group D, alongside Gen.G with Chovy and Ruler. Clearly, neither CTBC Flying Oyster nor 100 Thieves has enough power to stop Gen.G and RNG, so the chances of RNG advancing are quite bright. The question now is: “Do they have enough strength to aim for the championship?”