Editorial: Gaming / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Instagram / News / Discord /Telegram / Google News After a series that will remain written in the legends of the competitive world, the last classified to the semifinals of Worlds 2022 ended up being defined from the Hulu Theater, in an incredible confrontation between DRX and EdwardGaming. While the LPL squad came into this round of playoffs as the favorites due to their status as defending champions, the South Korean outfit came in with a better position by leading Group C and completely dominating Play-In, putting them in a privileged situation. That said, EDG still had plenty of cards in hand to fend off the LCK’s fourth seed attack, so there were high expectations for both teams since the matchups for this phase were announced.

All or nothing for the pass to the semifinals

Contrary to what everyone expected, the first match of the series got off to a pretty quiet start as the 2 qualifiers focused on collecting resources, so hostilities didn’t start for 15 minutes. This after EDG managed to get hold of the Herald, so DRX decided to collect this with the first kills of the match. As we got into the mid game, EDG kicked off his familiar harass and hunt opponents, while DRX continued with his lane pressure and dragon capture. But this would not last for long, as the Chinese squad would take control of the game with a series of rotations and the improvement of the Baron, before setting the first record in the 34th minute.

Kingen stealthily opens the top lane inhibitor and destroys Flandre’s Kennen. @EDG_Edward | #Worlds2022 pic.twitter.com/wxKNgYJIWP— LLA (@LLA) October 23, 2022

In contrast, the next game showed us better initiative from both teams, as neither team was slow to take action in the top and bottom lanes. Although EDG fared better in this early part, DRX was always ahead thanks to its effective laning phase and excellent farming, so the game continued with the gold difference in its favor. Unfortunately, this would not be enough to neutralize EDG’s offensive, as despite even going up to 10k gold, the Chinese composition proved to be too much for them. This would be demonstrated after 35 minutes, when in their attempts to capitalize on a victory to the point of leaving the nexus at one blow, DRX ended up falling into a ditch from which they could not get out and ended up delivering another key point. EDG would start Game 3 with big propositions by having first blood and a good start for Zhao “Jiejie” Li-Jie, while DRX continued their trademark style of securing early resources. Once again, EDG would put their opponents in serious trouble due to their defensive approach, but everything changed when they responded with a fight at 35 minutes, which turned the game on its head. DRX would take advantage of this stumble to get the Baron buff, and thanks to his playstyle, the laning pressure paid off as he blasted through EDG’s base with ease. The Chinese team did everything possible to stop the Koreans from advancing, but a new fight that would separate the entire LPL squad was enough to end this and send the series to a fourth game.

4 MURDERS FOR @DRXGlobal
MARCH ON THE NEXUS! #Worlds2022 pic.twitter.com/mtZySFp87A— LLA (@LLA) October 24, 2022

With momentum built, DRX proposed taking a different approach by taking over the jungle, which led to them getting every neutral objective in the early game along with some kills. EDG did not sit idly by and took advantage of any moment to fight back, but DRX’s study of his rivals seemed to take effect with every minute. A key play would come at 28 minutes, when EDG caught most DRX off guard on their jungle side, leaving them slightly ahead for a brief period. However, with little time to lose and a lot still to play for, DRX regained confidence and advanced with everything towards the base of EDG, who could not with all the power that their rivals exerted to send the series to the last instance. To the rhythm of Silver Scrapes, the fifth and final game was one of the tightest and with the best fights by both, with DRX being the one that took the most advantage of these moments to get on top of the scoreboard. Through pushes and ganks, the Korean team gradually increased their lead as they increased their presence on the map, which somewhat conditioned EDG. The final blow would come at minute 36, when in an attempt to prevent DRX from taking the elemental soul, Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon would enter the pit with his Viego and steal the neutral objective. This combined with a quadruple kill from Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo would be enough to tame China’s titan, who could only watch their two-time championship dream shattered in front of them.

STOLEN!
SMITE DIFF FOR PYOSIK @DRXGlobal #Worlds2022 pic.twitter.com/AU04pQd0pS— LLA (@LLA) October 24, 2022

With the last series of quarterfinals resolved, the matchups to find those who will try to win the Summoner’s Cup were also defined, with T1 facing JD Gaming and Gen.G facing DRX. So for now, the League of Legends World Championship will take a 5-day break as the teams move on to Atlanta, where State Farm Arena will witness the next phase of this North American journey. And for you, what was your favorite match of the quarterfinals? Who do you think will reach the final? Tell us in the comments. League of Legends is available for PC and Mac. Follow this link to see more news related to this MOBA. On the other hand, here you will find all our coverage on the world of esports. Stay informed with us, at WTTSpod. Images courtesy of Getty Images and Riot Games.