Worlds 2022 Review: What is the best tournament in the history of the competitive League of Legends?

On November 5, the Worlds 2022 final took place at the Chase Arena in San Francisco. The final match of the World Championship, as expected, put an end to and summed up the entire season.

Remembering the finals of Worlds 2022, we suggest reflecting on the topic of the event itself: what was the World Championship 2022, what was it remembered for and why Worlds 2022 is the best event of the League of Legends competitive season and of the year.

A Cinderella Story of DRX and the Rise of New World Champions

The main hero of the celebration called Worlds 2022 is, of course, DRX. Without their victory, the tournament would not have received so much charm.

The 2022 DRX season began extremely unprepossessing and only the brave could present the triumph of the club at the main event of the year. It rarely happens that the sixth LCK team lifts the Summoner's Cup over their heads. But DRX was like that.

DRX finished the regional league with negative numbers, which did not allow them to be placed on the same level as Gen.G and T1 teams. However, when metaphysics comes into play, the numbers fade into the background.

• DRX went through all the “circles of hell” on the way to the world championship: the team won the Play-In, took first place in the group stage with fights, and the Knockout Stage is a separate subject for conversation:
• In the quarter-finals, DRX defeated 2021 world champions EDward Gaming. We beat with Reverse Sweep, completing a flip from a two-card gap. Beat on Deft's birthday.
• In the semi-finals, DRX was predicted to end soon. It was simply impossible to resist the reigning champions of Korea after a grueling battle with EDG. Impossible for some, but DRX basically didn't care.

The climactic ending was supposed to be the starting point for a new chapter in the T1 story, but instead gave us a completed "Cinderella story" with a happy ending for the protagonist.

Cup for DRX in addition to practical value played a very symbolic role. The storyline of the players contributed to this.

Victory Makers: Deft, Zeka, BeryL

Speaking about DRX in isolation, the same should be said about the players of the championship roster. Here is someone to pay attention to.

Naturally, the first one you want to blow into all the pipes is Deft. Storylines like this only happen once in a career, and we've witnessed an unprecedented event by Deft.

26-year-old Kim Hyuk-kyu has been making his way to the top since 2013, but he could never gain a foothold there. Until 2022, he did not rise above the bar of the semi-finals.

9 years of trying and trying without reward will make anyone doubt, and Deft was no exception. For the South Korean ADC Worlds 2022 was the last tournament of the series in the player's career.

To leave at the peak is the dream of an esportsman. Deft embodied it with interest, giving the audience an unforgettable “Last Dance”, but without teammates such an outcome would have been impossible.

Although DRX played as a unit and the Worlds victory is a team achievement, some personalities stand out. Of course, this is Deft with its unique history, but also Zeka with BeryL.

For 19-year-old Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo Worlds 2022 was the first World Championship in his career. Despite his lack of experience and young age, Zeka has stood up to and surpassed the reigning legends of the competitive League of Legends. I dread to imagine how it feels for the 19 year old rising star to beat Faker in the grand final of the World Championship.

BeryL is the gray cardinal of DRX, not otherwise. The most titled of the five, he contributed to the common cause. Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee became a two-time world champion, something only exceptional players can do in the modern League of Legends.

Tragedy T1

Victory always has two moods. If DRX this year is about euphoria, joy and delight, then T1 is about devastation.

It is very difficult to come up with a more suitable team for the Worlds championship. T1 is the guarantor of high-quality League of Legends and the eternal challenger.

In 2022, they were racing towards their fourth championship and it seemed that they could not be stopped. Here all the cards are in hand: the composition of the extra-class, three-time world champion Bengi on the coach and a huge weight of prestige. All this did not help, but defeats cannot be blamed on the performers or the T1 coaching staff. No, as we discussed above, there are no and could not be problems with this.

T1 this year was destined to play the role of an antagonist with a sad ending. Not at all an evil antagonist, but defeated and crushed. Keria's tears on the fifth map of the decisive bo5 series are proof of that.

The opening ceremony

In addition to a high-end game with a non-trivial storyline, Worlds 2022 is remembered as an example for inheritance. Riot Games once again jumped above their heads, showing a real extravaganza at the opening ceremony of the final match.

Everything was here: Lil Nas X, Pyke and Kai`Sa in augmented reality, shocking and quality. It's no wonder why the League of Legends World Championships are garnering huge viewership numbers, and Worlds 2022 has topped it all.

The biggest tournament in history

Worlds 2022 has become the most popular tournament in League of Legends history. Fully deserved considering the above.

The final bo5 was simultaneously watched by 5,147,699 users. Add to this figure the unimaginable number of League of Legends fans in the Asian region, visitors to LoL betting sites, and we get a colossal number.

The climax at the final was to be expected as the Worlds 2022 averaged 987,437 viewers. Worthy tournament - worthy indicators.