After three dominant games, the LCK’s DWG KIA have flexed their muscles yet again by taking down Europe’s MAD Lions 3-0 to qualify for the League of Legends 2021 World Championship semifinals today.
Before the tournament, most fans and analysts said that DK were the best team in the world. A couple of weeks later, the defending champs have proven this fact with a resounding undefeated streak that has now reached nine games. Their firepower is unmatched and their decision-making and macro skills are beyond compare at the moment.
MAD Lions, on the other hand, were hyped up as one of the strongest Western representatives at Worlds. They did struggle a bit through the group stage of the event, but squeaked into the knockout stage after a final, thrilling tiebreaker match vs. LNG Esports. Today, however, they were simply outmatched for a majority of the series.
DK’s entire roster did work in this clash against MAD, but one individual who needs praising is the team’s superstar jungler Canyon. The 20-year-old phenom was given Lee Sin three times, and even though his mid laner has the name, Canyon was the true “showmaker.” His brilliant positioning, pinpoint aggression, and fearlessness led to 14 kills, 31 assists, and only four deaths.
Veteran top laner Khan also had himself a stellar performance during the second game of the day, the closest game of the three. DK had to mount a big comeback against a surging MAD roster, and he found multiple huge Kennen ultimates to shift the game into his team’s favor.
For MAD Lions, this result marks the end of their journey at Worlds 2021. It has still been an impressive year for the young pride of Europe, with the team winning back-to-back LEC trophies, getting to the top four at MSI 2021, and pulling off a top-eight finish at Worlds. There’s still so much room to grow and plenty to improve on as they look towards 2022.
Next week, fans will witness a clash between two Korean giants in the semifinals when DK collide with Faker and a T1 roster starving for yet another Summoner’s Cup. Catch this exhilarating series when they take the stage on Sunday, Oct. 31.
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