Less than 24 hours remain until the LCK returns to broadcast. For myself this week, it felt like I was playing Majora’s Mask; I was counting down the days until not only going back to see my fellow peers at the media room, but to also see the fans at LoL Park at full capacity again. It’s the first time since COVID has started, so I can’t wait for the arena to be filled with the cheers from the audience.
Day 1 of the 2022 LCK Spring split kicks off with two matches: DRX vs Liiv SANDBOX and T1 vs Kwangdong Freecs. Here’s the preview of the first two matches of the 2022 LCK season.
Game 1: DRX vs LSB
Following their abysmal performance last Summer, DRX has really spent money on bringing in proven talent onto their team. DRX balanced out their roster quite well, with veteran bot lane ‘Deft-BeryL’ balancing out their younger top side, ‘Kingen-Pyosik-Zeka’.
On the flip side, LSB focused their roster around young, rookie prospects. With promising names such as Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon, who has shown moderate success during his time on T1, and Kim “Croco” Dong-beom, who received much praise from the LCK insiders, LSB’s 2022 roster definitely shows talent. One other notable member of this roster is Kim “Dove” Jae-yeon, as he role-swapped from mid to top.
During the 2022 LCK Media Day last week, DRX’s head coach, Coach ‘KIM’, stated that “Deft & BeryL will be able to carry the team once they’re in the mid-late game.” DRX’s bot lane is definitely their biggest win condition, and whether LSB’s rookie bot lane will be able to shut them down remains to be seen.
LSB’s biggest win condition will undoubtedly rely on their mid-jungle duo; in their ability to gain leads in the early-mid game and ultimately shut down DRX’s scaling in the bot lane. Individually, Clozer and Croco have definitely shown that they have talent; have they built enough synergy to perform well on stage, especially with the live audience back at the LCK Arena?
Game 2: T1 vs KDF
With the exception of their top lane, T1 continues to field the same roster from 2021. Following the departure of Kim “Canna” Chang-dong, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je fills his shoes as the team’s newest starting top laner. On the other hand, Kwangdong Freecs [previously known as Afreeca Freecs] went through multiple roster changes. With the exception of their franchise star, top laner Kim “Kiin” Ki-in, they’ve replaced every member in other roles.
While KDF’s roster is no pushover, T1 heads into this match with an edge in their team synergy. With the exception of Zeus, T1’s roster basically came together in the Summer of 2021; even with such a young roster, they made it all the way to Worlds semifinals last year. However, on an individual level, KDF’s roster is no pushover. Will KDF be able kick off their season with a victory and finally show promise of shedding the nickname, ‘Gatekeepers of the LCK’? Or will T1 start their season strong and continue on their dominance from last year?
