DAMWON Gaming crowned Worlds 2020 champions

DAMWON Gaming, the first South Korean team to reach the League of Legends World Championship Finals in three years, defeated China’s Suning, 3-1, to become this year’s champions in Shanghai.

DAMWON Gaming made good on its promise to restore glory to the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). While the LCK has won five world championships, it had not won in the last couple of years. It was the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) that was creating a new legacy, with Chinese teams winning the championship for the past two years. Dominant throughout the tournament, DAMWON Gaming finally had to fight hard. Ironically, it took the ultimate underdogs, Suning, to test them. Suning, which knocked out higher-ranked teams to make it to the Finals. The score does not reflect how close each game was except for the final one. In fact, the contrast in styles between the precise, disciplined, and stronger DAMWON Gaming team and the flashy, unpredictable, and fearless Suning squad made for very long and thrilling battles throughout the best-of-five series.

Giants vs giant killers

DAMWON Gaming was the heavy favorite going into this Finals matchup. In fact, many fans and pundits were predicting they would win via a 3-0 blowout.

As Suning’s SwordArt said at the Worlds 2020 Finals Media Day on Oct. 29, however, they were already used to proving people wrong.

“In the quarterfinals, everyone thought JDG would beat us. In the semifinals, everyone thought TES would beat us. Now that we’re in the Finals, we will once again show everyone the true strength of Suning,” he said.

Suning certainly gave the heavy favorites a run for their money. After dropping a long, hard-fought first game, they bounced back with a crazy Game 2 that had many jaw-dropping moments, including the first ever Pentakill in Finals history courtesy of Bin. Adding to the madness was that Bin used a Fiora. And that no one was expecting to see Rengar vs Evelynn in the Finals.

The LCK strikes back

While Suning’s unorthodox choices and skill in winning chaotic skirmishes caught DAMWON Gaming off guard in Game 2, they refused to be rattled. Instead, they controlled Game 3 from the start. It was the same story, however. Just when it looked like DAMWON Gaming had built an insurmountable advantage, Suning would refuse to die, and would win skirmishes again to turn things around. DAMWON Gaming, however, stayed calm and pulled off the win to take a 2-1 lead.

And while Suning still fought hard until the end, it was clear from the start of Game 4 that they would be dominated in the fashion everyone had been expecting. Throughout the Finals, they always seemed to be one step ahead of Suning, and it was only Suning’s fighting spirit, fearlessness, and sheer talent that allowed them to go toe-to-toe with DAMWON Gaming.

Finally, the drought has ended, and an LCK team has hoisted the Summoner’s Cup. And Canyon won as the OPPO MVP of the Finals.

Will DAMWON Gaming now forge their own legacy?