The GOAT and the Uncrowned King: Worlds 2022 Knockout Stage Finals Bracket Preview

Two Left Standing

In the beginning, there were 24 teams. 16 teams made it to the Group Stage. 8 teams made it to the Knockout Stage. 2 teams made it to the Worlds Finals. The yearly culmination of competitive celebration for League of Legends, it represents the ultimate goal for every LOL player to win.

On the 5th of Nov, following the ‘most ambitious stage build ever’ for the opening ceremony, T1 and DRX will face off for the Summoners Cup.

Both teams have had their respective obstacles to overcome, and both semifinal matches delivered on the expectations.

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Format

As previously mentioned, in the Knockout Stage, the tournament transitions into a single-elimination bracket, in a King-of-the-hill format. Both matches will be played in a Best-of-Five format.

 

T1

T1 have displayed immense mental fortitude and strength this showing of Worlds. After a dominant Group Stage, they would take down LPL representatives Royal Never Give Up (3-0) and JDG (3-1) in the Knockout Stage.

Their organization and face of the franchise, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, are both 3-time Worlds Champions. The last time they lifted the Summoners Cup was in 2016. In 2017, T1 and “Faker” found themselves in the finals but fell in the most heart-breaking of fashions to Samsung White.

Now, they are at the finish line once again. The current T1 roster is one of the strongest iterations the organization has seen over the years. Choi “Zeus” Woo-je is their monster top laner, a prodigy player who received one of the highest POG votes in the LCK in 2022. Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok is one of the strongest duos at Worlds. “Gumayusi” in particular has had a spectacular Worlds, with a 10.7 KDA thus far, and an average kill count of 6.6.

 

DRX

The LCK’s fourth seed have surprised at ever turn throughout their Worlds run. Their performance and wins have slowly but surely turned naysayers into fans. A dominant Group Stage run of their own, in the Knockout Stage, they took down Edward Gaming (3-2) and Gen.G (3-1).

Their organization and mascot Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu, have never won Worlds. If there was ever a story of David and Goliath, the coming finals would surely be it, poetry in the making. Faced with potentially his last year of play, “Deft” has one last shot at winning it all, and who better to stand in his way than the Final Boss of the game.

DRX have had a bumpy 2022 regular season. Finishing 6th in the Summer Playoffs, they would attend the Regional Finals, placing 2nd there and qualifying for Worlds as the 4th and last seed of the LCK.

 

What are the Odds?

Conducting a survey on community platform Reddit and on The Strafe’s own website, T1 has a decided favor coming into the match. On the former, 70% favored T1, citing stronger laners and more carry potential as arguments. On the latter, it would be even more overwhelming at 77% in favor of T1.

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Setting numbers aside, DRX have had doubters and disbelievers their entire Worlds journey. Their story is one of the underdogs, and the percentages will always reflect poorly in that regard. What matters is on the 5th of Nov, which team performs better in the finals of Worlds.

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Worlds Finals will begin on Nov 5th 5pm PT | Nov 6th 12.00am GMT.

 

Image credit: Riot Games League of Legends