After nearly a month of nail-biting thriller action, the final and most important game of the LoL Worlds schedule has arrived. The League of Legends Worlds Grand Final will take place this weekend, with two LCK teams, DRX vs. T1, competing for the game’s highest honor. Here’s how the teams have fared thus far and how they appear to be heading into their most important game of the year.
T1 powerhouse aiming for a record fourth title
T1 has won all eight games against DRX in the LCK’s spring and summer splits. Of course, Gen.G marched confidently into the semi-finals, buoyed by that same record, and we all know how that ended. DRX are currently on a roll, so that record doesn’t mean much.
T1 are the LoL Worlds favorites and have looked like an ambitious, revitalized unit, a far cry from the team that folded to Gen.G a few months ago in the LCK final. At Worlds, they have a 12-2 overall record.
When comparing their Worlds performance metrics to their LCK stats, they’ve increased their team-wide KD ratio from 1.19 to 1.66, the highest in the tournament. Their early game strategy has also shifted, with their rate of drawing first blood dropping from 47% in the LCK to 30.8% at the Worlds.
Top of the charts
This team has been in a league of its own this tournament, dominating almost every metric. They’ve averaged the most kills per game of any team thus far, an incredible 18.2, and their death rate per game is only 10.8, ranking third in the tournament.
T1 has the highest tower destruction rate (8.8) as well as the lowest concession rate (2.8). They aren’t aggressive starters, as evidenced by their 30% first blood rate, but the fact that they still have such a high kill rate speaks volumes about their mid- and late-game play.
Furthermore, they have averaged a creep score of 31.7 per minute and dealt 2562 damage to champions per minute, which is by far the highest among teams. Their gold collection per minute is currently at 1993, which is the highest in the tournament, and they have also averaged 308 gold differential per minute.
All eyes are on Faker
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, the undisputed League of Legends GOAT, will compete in his fifth Worlds final, the most by any player in history. As of 2022, his time with T1 is the longest any player has ever spent with a single organization.
Since the start of the tournament, the celebrated mid laner has broken a slew of records:
- He is now the only player in LoL Worlds 2022 to have completed 100 games.
- When he slayed Sylas during T1’s group stage game against Cloud9, he increased his total kills at Worlds to 353, breaking Uzi’s previous record.
- Faker has a KDA ratio of 3.5 after averaging 3.5 kills, 2.8 deaths, and 6.5 assists per game.
- His creep score is currently 7.6, and he is farming gold at a rate of 399 gold per minute.
Big things are expected of him in this Grand Final, and a win for T1, which appears likely, will cement him at the top of the game’s greatest.
Guma is also having a successful tournament
While we’re on the subject of legends, let’s shine a light on T1 bot laner Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong, whose accomplishments haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve in light of the hype surrounding Faker:
- Guma currently has the highest total kills per game (6.6), the second lowest death rate (1.2), and the highest gold collection rate (514 units per minute).
- He’s been a part of 71.6% of his team’s kills and 21.6% of their total damage to champions.
- Guma also has the highest creep score in the tournament, a perfect 10, and has dealt 298 damage to champions per minute.
DRX is looking for a record-breaking first title
DRX has outdone themselves, exceeding expectations at every turn. This is the first time in Worlds history that a team had to qualify through the play-ins has made it to the finals, and if they win, they will have broken an even more impressive record. They have a chance to win their first Worlds title.
The fourth seeds in LCK have made a statement. Their performance has successfully restored Korea’s position as the world’s best, as they were able to defeat LPL favorites Top Esports, Royal Never Give Up, and Edward Gaming during their campaign. At every turn, DRX has defied the LoL Worlds betting odds, charging ahead in games where they were never really given a chance.
They defeated last year’s champions EDG 3-2 in the quarterfinals before defeating title favorites Gen.G 3-1 in the semis. Despite being considered underdogs in both games, their teamwork and refusal to give up in difficult situations has served them well.
How their statistics appear
DRX’s KDA ratio is 1.43, trailing only T1’s 1.66, with an average of 13.1 kills and 9.1 deaths per game.
They’ve been collecting 1860 gold per minute, with a 171 gold differential per minute.
Their tower kill rate is also high, at 7.8, placing them just behind T1, and they lose 4.3 games per game.
DRX has also demonstrated a strong preference for neutral objectives, averaging 2.56 dragons, 1.25 heralds, and 1 Baron Nashor per game.
The team’s average creep score is 33.2, which is tied for first place with Gen.G, and they have dealt 2114 damage to champions per minute.
Once again, DRX are the underdogs heading into this game, but that speaks more to T1’s invincible force than to DRX’s ability. And they’ve already demonstrated that this title has no meaning for them.
Zeka’s Show
This is Zeka’s world, and we’re just passing through. We can’t say much about Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo that hasn’t already been said by his teammates, experts, media, and fans… But first, let’s take a look at his stats.
After inflicting carnage on the playing, the red-hot mid laner brought DRX charging into the tournament.
To summarize, he averaged 7.4 kills, 0.8 deaths, and 4.8 assists per game, as well as a KDA of 15.3 and a creep score of 10.8 per minute.
This on top of farming gold at a rate of 525 per minute. In the main event, his kill rate is 4.3, his death rate is 1.4, and his KDA is 6.
His creep score is now 9.5, and he collects 442 gold per minute while dealing 467 damage.
Considering the level of League of Legends Worlds teams DRX encountered at the play-ins were far from the world-class ones at the main event, these are still superior stats. He has consistently shown up and delivered for his team, and he has been instrumental in getting them this far.
One of the highlights of Zeka’s tournament was his triple kill against Gen.G in the third game of the semi-final, where he managed to shut down Ruler, Peanut, and Chovy.
Whoever wins, the battle will undoubtedly be epic. Check out our list of the best bookmaker for LoL Worlds. This ensures you get the best odds on your bets and gives you various betting options for each match.
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