Welcome to our Worlds 2021 final match ratings. It’s time for the big one: China’s Edward Gaming vs. South Korea’s DWG KIA for the League of Legends World Championship title. I, your designated guinea pig and critic, am here to watch all of the world championship games in case you can’t. I will be here to dish out star ratings for every game and let you know if I recommend the slew of fights that day at Worlds.
My rating scale is from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) stars. Here’s what each star rating means in layman’s terms:
* = Boring. Utterly skippable and something no one will remember by tomorrow.
** = Watchable. Possibly recommended based on your rooting interests.
*** = Good. Something I’d recommend checking out, even if you’re not a fan of either team.
**** = Must-watch. A game or series that you need to watch if you have any interest in League of Legends.
***** = An all-time classic. This perfect rating is only achievable if a game or match is at the highest level of entertainment, gameplay and will go down in the lexicon as a moment no League of Legends fan will ever forget.
After nearly a week of waiting and a flashy Worlds 2021 opening ceremony, it’s finally time to answer the biggest questions of the League of Legends season. Will DWG KIA become the second team to win back-to-back Summoner’s Cups? Will Edward Gaming win their first-ever championship? We’ve made our Worlds 2021 final picks and broken down how EDG and DK stack up statistically, but now the talk is over. Let’s see how a Worlds that featured two bangers in the semifinals finishes.
Burn It All Down ft. @ThisIsPVRIS & Denzel Curry #Worlds2021 pic.twitter.com/A9ja1an9LO
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) November 6, 2021
Edward Gaming vs. DWG KIA, Game 1
**** stars
I’m gonna be straight up with you, readers: A majority of Worlds finals are garbage. They’re bad. We’ve had a lot of one-sided stomps, with many of them feeling as if the losing team didn’t bring their best.
On a positive note, this series already is closer than a few of the previous iterations.
After a tense early-game with both teams jabbing at one another, the underdog EDG utilized their Zilean and Jarvan IV combination to win teamfights and open up neutral objectives.
DWG’s poke with LeBlanc and Ziggs couldn’t do enough against the insta-revive from the Zilean. Along with an awkward Yasuo selection for DK’s Kim “Khan” Dong-ha in the top lane that never really did anything outside of an early Rift Herald skirmish, the reigning world champions had no answers to EDG in the opener.
Edward Gaming vs. DWG KIA, Game 2
*** stars
Five years ago, Samsung Galaxy’s Malzahar toppled a dynasty when the lockdown mage stumped SK Telecom T1 three games in a row.
Well, Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun was head coach of that SKT T1 team and seemingly learned his lesson, deploying the purple demon in a must-win Game 2 against EDG.
What began as another close affair turned into a 22-3 kill blowout behind several picks and dragon control. DWG adapted to their opening loss with better teamfighting options and banning Zhao “Jiejie” Li-Jie’s Jarvan IV to negate EDG’s usual go button.
The best-of-five for the world title has turned into a best-of-three.
Edward Gaming vs. DWG KIA, Game 3
**** ¼ stars
Alright, so this is the DWG KIA we were expecting to see.
It wasn’t that EDG played poorly, but just that DWG KIA had answers for everything the Chinese champions could throw at them.
Although EDG held a gold advantage and knocked down the outer ring of turrets before DK could even get one, the reigning Worlds champions did a strong job of stacking dragons to give themselves a win condition to force teamfights EDG couldn’t ignore.
And as it was in Game 2, without Javan IV, EDG can’t keep up with DWG KIA in the five-on-five brawls. They now sit one game away from their tournament ending and watching as DK cement their international dynasty.
Edward Gaming vs. DWG KIA, Game 4
**** ¼ stars
Take what I said about Game 3, flip it to EDG and you have what happened. EDG controlled the neutral objectives, stacked into Mountain Soul and kept up the pressure to not let DWG KIA back into the game.
Neither of these teams are playing poorly. This is a well-fought series between two elite teams. Jiejie, an international rookie, is playing more like a 10-year veteran than a teenager at his first major tournament. DWG KIA jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu hasn’t had his best series and will need a bounce back final game if DK want to repeat.
What a final.
It’s time for “Silver Scrapes” and for someone to become an icon in the closer to win the Summoner’s Cup.
Edward Gaming vs. DWG KIA, Game 5
***** stars
What a game. What a final. Just go watch the final game. It is much better appreciated watching it than reading about it.
The best final the world championship has ever had.
Published: Nov 6, 2021 08:40 am