After the summer playoffs, LCK is moving on to the Regional Finals to determine the last two Worlds 2022 representatives of the region. Out of the four competitors, two teams will qualify for the tournament and follow Gen.G and T1 to North America. Let’s take a look at what might happen.
It was a disappointing ending for DWG KIA, Liiv SANDBOX, kt Rolster and DRX. Although they were able to make it to the playoffs, the difference between them and T1 and Gen.G was too big to achieve something. They will have to make their way to Worlds 2022 through the LCK Regional Qualifier.
LCK Regional Finals
There will be three best-of-fives before the two representatives are determined. First, DWG KIA and Liiv SANDBOX will face each other as the teams with higher championship points. The loser will move on to round 2, the winner will make it to Worlds 2022 as Korea’s third seed. kt Rolster and DRX will fight to get to round 2 and play against the loser of the first match to compete for the fourth ticket to the Worlds.
Thursday, September 1
DWG KIA (1.85) vs Liiv SANDBOX (1.85) - 10:00 CEST
Friday, September 2
kt Rolster (1.40) vs DRX (2.70) - 10:00 CEST
Saturday, September 3
DK/LSB loser vs KT/DRX winner - 10:00 CEST
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| Also Read | Gen.G is the new king of the LCK |
DWG KIA vs Liiv SANDBOX
The third ticket to the Worlds 2022 from South Korea will be awarded to the winner of this match. DWG KIA will face this season’s surprise Liiv SANDBOX, and it will be a tough challenge for both teams to get to the Worlds by defeating their opponent.
With the addition of Nuguri in the summer, we were expecting DWG KIA to challenge Gen.G and T1, but for the most part of the year, they looked closer to the bottom of the league rather than the top. Although they were able to take T1 to five matches just like they did against GEN in spring, DWG KIA’s performance wasn’t enough for the fans.
In contrast, Liiv SANDBOX has written one of the best stories we have seen in esports recently. Before the playoffs, most LCK fans and followers considered LSB as a better candidate than DWG KIA in terms of making something impossible happen, like eliminating T1 and Gen.G. Their performance against Gen.G was amazing, despite a 3-1 defeat.
My expectations for this series is a five game long marathon. DWG KIA we saw in the playoffs with Burdol was definitely a different team than the regular season DK. If they couldn’t show us such a good performance, I would consider Liiv SANDBOX a clear favourite with 3-0 or 3-1. However, this series could go either way now. I am still leaning toward Liiv SANDBOX though. Prince is a monster and he could take this team to Worlds 2022 main event directly.
kt Rolster vs DRX
For some, this match could be even more interesting. After seeing how DRX fell in the summer season and how kt Rolster was surprising every single one of us, most of us thought that KT deserves a Worlds 2022 slot. Their journey will begin against DRX.
While KT has been disappointing their fans for a long time, they took advantage of the disastrous results from playoff competitors: Kwangdong Freecs and NS RedForce. KT even managed to finish better than DRX, one of the best teams from the spring season. Although they were not as good as Liiv SANDBOX, KT’s story is the awakening of a sleeping giant.
Meanwhile, DRX has shown one of the poorest performances in the LCK, especially in the second half of the summer season. With the exception of the experienced ADC Deft, DRX’s performance dropped in every single lane, and they didn’t even deserve to make it to the playoffs at some point. The wins they gathered in the first half of the season helped them make it to the playoffs where they were eliminated early.
kt Rolster will probably win this match, considering DRX has shown zero signs of improvement against Liiv SANDBOX. They are in a pit that they can’t get themselves out of, and it’s sad to see one of the best Korean rosters in such a position. Although it’s questionable if KT can defeat LSB or DK in the next round, it is for sure that they deserve that chance more than DRX.
