Kingzone DragonX certainly looked like they were the best team in the world with an impressive 3-1 victory over the Afreeca Freecs in the 2018 LCK Spring Split Grand Finals. Kingzone lost the first game of the series following an unusual draft, but they went back to what worked for them all year in the next three games. Afreeca simply didn’t have enough bans to deal with all the pressure that Kingzone was able to create, despite a solid strategy coming into the final.
This was Kingzone’s title to lose
With all due respect to Afreeca, it would have been seen as a monumental failure had Kingzone not failed to come through in the end. This team was hyped as the best in the world for the last few months, and they lived up to expectations with a very impressive performance.
The first game saw Kingzone go outside of their comfort zone in the pick and ban. The team drafted Zoe, Skarner, and Kai’Sa and struggled to create kill pressure onto Afreeca. The Freecs were able to control the game and eventually closed it out despite some hairy moments.
Pray’s Kai’Sa
Kingzone quickly abandoned the Zoe and Skarner following the loss and both BDD and Peanut went back to more standard picks. However, PraY was able to have some success on Kai’Sa and quickly jumped at the chance to get back on the new champion. It proved to be the best decision of the match as he carried over the next three games, outplaying Kramer no matter which champion Kramer jumped on. His performance on Kai’Sa led to him being named the MVP of the Grand Final.
Some questioned why Afreeca didn’t ban Kai’Sa before Game 4, but the Freecs were between a rock and a hard place. If they banned Kai’Sa, that would have allowed KZ to first pick Sion, Swain, or Olaf, and they would have had a major problem dealing with any of those champions too. The Kai’Sa proved to be too strong, yet it feels like a Kingzone victory was inevitable once PraY showed his mastery of the carry.
What’s Next
With the victory, Kingzone DragonX will head to Europe as the Korean representatives for the Mid-Season Invitational. The team will be heavy favorites to take home the title at MSI, and continue Korea’s dominance over the world.
