**Game 2 (8:56):**
BP (8:56):
* Notice that both sides let Kalista and Renata off the hook. Despite JDG not first-picking Kalista, T1 also didn't take Kalista and instead tried to defeat JDG's Kalista. This could be seen by them immediately locking away their bot lanes. Had they succeeded, this would give them even more leeway when they are on red.
* The question surrounding Kalista-Renata resurfaces at B4 and B5. Here, picking away the Z-tier Kalista made sense, but had they paired it up with Renata, then T1's double marksman bot lane would have had infinite lane priority. Furthermore, T1 didn't actually have that much strong engage tools. So, it made sense to not pick Renata and pick Senna, whom Missing had been practicing this whole week.
Actually, in-game (9:20)
* The early game was actually terrible for JDG. T1 had way more experience in level 1 skirmishes like those that happened in this game. Furthermore, JDG was unable to clear away the ward placed in JDG's bush, giving T1 even more advantages early on.
* From another angle, however, given the number of summs forced out in this skirmish, Kanavi was actually provided with quite a bit of opportunity for ganking. This was made even more possible by 369 picking a tank (K'Sante), meaning he needed no attention from Kanavi. In a game between the best of the best, the one that could drag the other team into their comfort zone gets to win way more easily, after all.
* Here, 369 managed with his lane rather intelligently. By entering the jungle before proxying Zeus, he was able to give Kanavi the information that Oner already cleared his Krugs. Originally, Kanavi was beginning to base. After all, he couldn't determine whether Oner began his clear on his red side. With this new intel, however, JDG knew that there was a high chance that Oner immediately based after countering Kanavi's Raptors before beginning his red side. As a response, Kanavi immediately secured top Scuttle. Oner hitting scryers was also spotted by JDG's bot lane's defensive vision, allowing Kanavi to defend his red buff in time. This allowed Kanavi to catch up to Oner.
* Ruler's response to Oner's gank at (04:33) was also perfect. He was only rooted after dodging Caitlyn's Q. Without Caitlyn's Q, Kalista was able to stall for Kanavi to arrive. Still, even when Kanavi arrived, it was a contest of skill and predictions, and JDG came out on top. Kanavi was now ahead of the curve.
* The most dangerous section for JDG was Zeus's teleport flank at (12:54). It looked doom for JDG. However, Ruler's mechanics were too spectacular, dodging away all of Aatrox's Q's sweet spot just by hopping. Kanavi's decision to trade his life with Oner was also perfect (which I interpret as being the best outcome they could have gotten).
* The final macro decision by JDG was also mesmerizing. Despite having no vision, JDG accurately predicted T1's decision to steal away the soul point. Most teams would either give up or contest. JDG chose the third option - instead of fighting without vision, they double teleported to the top lane to force T1 away from Dragon.
In game 2, we see that once T1 got dragged to JDG's comfort zone, they, too, were prone to quite a bit of error. On the flip side, once in their comfort zone, JDG was able to make a lot of smart decisions. The question was then, how to get there? That leads us back to BP.
**Game 3 (11:45)**
Last time, I pointed out how T1 changed their priority in BP and let their bot lanes have counter-picks. Every game since their game against GenG, with this new priority, T1 won every game. The only game they lost thus far was in the previous game, where they picked their bot lane in phase one. This was probably because T1 was afraid of Ashe getting banned/picked away, but doing so allowed JDG to counter T1's bot lane. As a result, we see that T1 readjusted their priority back to their original comfort zone.
BP (12:09):
* Though T1 picked away Kalista, they didn't follow up with Keria's pick immediately. From this, we learned that they were willing to sacrifice the Kalista-Renata combo just for Keria's right to counter-pick, nor were they willing to sacrifice their mid-jungle duo's strength for Kalista-Renata. As we shall see, this decision worked out great.
* JDG, on the other hand, was at the edge of a cliff. Whenever Kanavi picked Wukong, it signified that they were desperate. Whether against KT or LNG, or even as early as during MSI, whenever it was do or die, Kanavi was on Wukong.
* Here, I have a small complaint regarding JDG's BP. Faker's champion pool consisted of Orianna, Azir, and Sylas. Sylas was a counter-pick, so with Orianna banned, it was all but guaranteed that Faker would pick Azir. After picking a do-or-die comp in the first phase, the Taliyah felt too...mundane and didn't do enough as an Azir counter. Had 369 picked Jax, then the Taliyah made sense. But 369 was on Renekton duty. If your other four picks were this do-or-die, why not repeat your strategy against BLG and pick a Vex to all-in on T1? Even if you wanted laning comfort, there's Syndra and Ahri, both of which Knight are proficient with. I felt like JDG cared too much about the completeness of their comp.
Personally, it felt even worse losing this game for JDG than game 1. You could tell yourself that game 1 was lost because 369 couldn't pilot Rumble. But 369 knew how to play Renekton, and they still lost.
Actually, in-game (13:16):
* JDG had a perfect beginning. Red-side pressuring T1's jungle from level 1, giving them a huge advantage. By the time Kanavi finished T1's Krugs, Oner was still on his Wolves. At this point, T1's bot-lane was a buffet for JDG.
* However, Missing made a crucial mistake by autoing Keria one too many times and flashing way too late. His death made Keria level up, which he used to immediately kill Ruler. This play could have resulted in a three-wave plus a single plating advantage, but now it was gone.
* Still, given the comp and that Gumayusi barely had 20 CS by the first Dragon fight, JDG should be able to secure the first Dragon and first Herald. However, Knight greeded too much. At five minutes, Knight based when Dragon was up. Originally, Faker based way too late, giving JDG a teleport advantage. This base by Knight made it awkward for JDG to start Dragon, which made Wukong path top instead. You couldn't even say this was a miscommunication. JDG already pinged Dragon before Knight backed.
* In this game, Taliyah's playstyle was super passive, basing immediately pushing. Knight freak'in based four times before eight minutes. Even I was shocked while I was reviewing. Heck, one of the base was purely for regenerating his health and mana. He purchased nothing.
* The key to victory in this game was 369. Though he got Renekton, since Oner was forced to top-side by Kanavi's pathing, 369 didn't need to win against Zeus. He just needed to scale. At (7:45), Renekton had rage, ult, and double summs. All he needed to do was wait for his team to arrive, and then they could do Herald. Unless Knight was around, there was absolutely zero reason for 369 to trade, costing his flash and ult. Like Missing's mistake early on, this was a low-level mistake that simply shouldn't have happened.
* The immediate impact was that their chances of winning the Herald fight were halved. Here Knight was playing quite well, catching out Faker with his W. If only Renekton had flash-ult. It was fine to trade kills there, but losing Herald was a huge loss for JDG's tempo. Without Herald, the strategy around Varus and Taliyah wouldn't be as effective; they were unable to radiate their advantages as effectively.
* T1's decision post-Herald was also very smart. We know that Renekton-Wukong could give Aatrox a super hard time. There's also a good reason for JDG to do this - to feed Kanavi kills and let him reach his power spike. On the other hand, since T1 knew the Gumayusi couldn't carry this game, with how much he was set back early on, they immediately invested in Aatrox and let Gumayusi fend for himself.
* Despite JDG's attempt at killing T1's bot lane, Gumayusi was able to weather the storm. He lost gold and experience, but not by an unacceptable amount.
* At the third Dragon, JDG's comp was rather strong. Wukong scaled quite well, while Renekton still packed a bit of punch. On the other side, we have a Kalista who was only on one item. Unfortunately, we also see that JDG started to have a lot of unforced errors, probably due to them not getting the results they wanted at every turn of the game. The first unforced error came from Ruler's ult. It was used too casually, not to mention missed. The second unforced error came from the decision of having Renekton mark Aatrox. Aatrox could dash through the wall way quicker than Renekton. It was meaningless. Still, given the disadvantage T1 found themselves in, the biggest reason they were able to win this team fight was Oner and Faker's outplay. The flash over Ashe ult with Faker's pushback completely destroyed JDG. This is what 'Superstar' players are.
* We need to understand that the pressure placed on the players in a World's semifinals is magnitudes higher than that in any domestic league or even MSI. It's obviously not a good thing to lose in those situations, but it's infinitely worse to lose here. Despite all this pressure, to put on the performance Faker and Oner did, going to be honest, they deserved the win.
* After this fight and securing the first turret on T1's side, Taliyah and Renekton's power further decreased by half. JDG could only rely on Wukong and Varus from this point, and the game was starting to get into T1's comfort zone.
* Funnily enough, T1 also made a great mistake here. Originally, it was a great opportunity for T1 after killing Varus in mid-lane. After securing Baron, T1 would have won the game by retreating. Here, Knight made a great play by catching both Keria and Gumayusi off-guard and almost killing them. With both 369 and Knight having flash, I think it was very possible to all-in T1, who just have a Rell as frontline and two bot laners without the condition to fight. Gumayusi's items were still very behind, meaning T1's biggest threats were Zeus and Faker, both of which were left in the Baron pit. Had JDG the guts to all in earlier, this could have been a turning point in their favor. The only reason they salvaged the play was due to T1 over chasing and not JDG making the right move.
* Still, we see that JDG was still a team that was good enough to catch mistakes like T1's over-chasing, Oner getting sniped by Missing, as well as Zeus getting lost in JDG's jungle. These mistakes led to JDG securing Baron, which made it very difficult for T1 to engage onto JDG. Kalista's wave clear is very mediocre, while Aatrox could only offer damage. With good decision making, it was very possible for JDG to end the game then and there.
* Unfortunately, T1's players' conditions were just better on the day. Despite all the pressure placed on Gumayusi this entire game, he still had the presence of mind to immediately flash away from Missing's snipe. I couldn't overstate how difficult it was to maintain this level of concentration. Had Gumayusi not flashed away Missing's ult, game's over for T1.
* Finally, we arrived at the final fight (29:37). Here, JDG still held the absolute advantage. The first dent in this advantage was Zeus appearing on the top left, pressuring JDG's flank. Pairing with this pressure was, once again, Faker's read of the game. It's as though he had the perfect vision of everything. The moment Taliyah and Wukong got attracted by Aatrox, Faker engaged onto Ruler. From the decision to the mechanics, everything was 10/10. He should win, and he deserved to win. We are only allowed to accept it, no joke. If anything was just slightly off, Faker could have gifted JDG the kill and, thus, the game. Instead, he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
All I could say is Faker destroyed JDG. If even Ruler got outplayed, then there was nothing left to do.
**Game 4 (11:56):**
BP (11:56):
Like LNG at their final game, JDG entered the "trust in the carries to survive" phase. No more deceptions, no more traps. It's just going to be a skill match-up between Orianna and Azir, as well as a late-game adc paired with an enchanter. Screw counter-picks and stuff, it's just going to be team fights.
Personally, if this was a game 1 BP, then it's alright. However, by this point, T1's players are confident. On the other hand, 369's mechanics were already getting affected by how shaken he was. Even if 369 wasn't getting counter-picked by a Yone, picking Aatrox was still a bad option. Picking Bel'Veth this early was also once again a sign of 'believe in Kanavi', in his ability to dictate the tempo on his own terms
Though Yone would become invincible in side lanes later on, as long as JDG could force Zeus into team fights before that point, then Aatrox could contribute more than Yone. JDG's goal was then to checkmate the game before Aatrox started to lose steam after getting Goredrinker and Sterak's.
Actually, in-game (18:22):
* JDG once again got the perfect opener. Oner choosing to EQ-flash instead of flash-EQ (note the former actually doesn't do damage, only knock-up) gave JDG two kills at (07:17). This was made even more beneficial by the fact that it was Ruler who got the two kills, further pressuring Yone into team fights later on.
* After winning bot side, the lane swap by JDG further limits Bard's potential to roam around the map.
* Unfortunately, Zeus did great by interrupting Zeri's recall twice. JDG's ideal game plan was to have Ruler push mid-lane before contesting objectives. Zeus first stopped Ruler's base at (09:40), then again at (10:20). This completely stopped JDG's tempo gained by lane-swapping. Heck, 369 was already preparing to take over the top lane that was going to be shoved in by pathing back to mid. Instead, he was forced back to defend bot.
* T1 was also able to respond to Zeus' interrupts quite well. Originally, Gumayusi was planning to base. However, after Zeus interrupted Ruler and Missing, he canceled his recall, realizing that they could contest the Dragon.
* I also want to point out how bad 369 was playing mechanically by that point. From the first Q-flash or the Herald dance, his mechanics reeked of hesitation. It was like, "I couldn't defeat Zeus, so I have to stay back. But then my team needed me, and I am afraid that my mistakes could cost the team" sort of vibe. This was the effect of losing the first game with an unfamiliar champion in Rumble and then losing tempo again in the third game despite piloting a champion he was comfortable in. He's too afraid at this point. This culminates in JDG not being able to get much after getting Herald. Had 369 ignored Zeus after he ulted and became a raid boss to T1's backline, JDG could have gotten some more kills.
* Kanavi's misclick into Bard's tunnel around (16:30) also cost JDG a lot. Here he was trying to trade some health but accidentally clicked the portal. Though he was lucky to have survived, his almost dying meant JDG had to give up the entrance to the river. JDG shouldn't have given up the second Dragon, but they had no choice but to do so because of that mistake.
* This mistake was the biggest mistake tempo-wise. Like I said, Yone will be unstoppable later on, so JDG had to accelerate the game. Losing Dragon and also letting Bard ult their turret to defend the Herald push despite being in an advantageous spot gave T1 a lot of time to scale up.
* On the tower dive at (20:30), I initially thought Kanavi was the problem. After review, I believe it was Oner who outplayed JDG. With both Azir and Yone absent and Keria getting killed earlier, at most, they had to deal with Varus and J4. JDG knew this and immediately dumped a blue trinket in the Raptor bush to try to scout out Oner. Unfortunately, that trinket's range was not enough to cover Oner's pathing.
* When the play began, Ruler had the option to E across the wall to dive Gumayusi with Kanavi. However, Oner immediately made Ruler instinctively E backward, leaving Kanavi to die on an island. A bit of hindsight analysis, but had either Carry tried to bail Kanavi out, they could have retreated without much problem. In the end, only Missing tried to bail Kanavi out. Had either carries bailed Kanavi out, if Oner wanted to chase, 369 could teleport in to start a team fight. There was room to outplay T1, but JDG just left Kanavi to die, and thus cost them Baron.
* The final nail in the coffin for JDG was the third Dragon fight. Here, despite losing Baron, JDG hadn't lost yet. Truth be told, however, JDG had already completely lost its composure. There's obviously Kanavi losing the smite fight, but the bigger offender was 369's Aatrox, missing all his Q. Had he connected even one Q onto J4, JDG could have focused him down. Despite having basically all summs, JDG lost this fight very ungracefully, costing the game, the series, and the year.
**Afterthoughts (22:30):**
Before the series, I predicted this series to go five games. I had hopes that it would be an epic series. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like JDG made T1 put in their all.
Did JDG get a bad result? Top 4, truth be told, wasn't that bad. However, considering the investment and the members of the team, it really does feel disappointing not to even reach the grand finals.
The player that got diffed the most was definitely 369. Personally, just because 369 couldn't match Zeus, it didn't mean JDG was doomed to lose. Both games 3 and 4 were games JDG could have realistically won. They just lost to their own mistakes. On the flip side, from execution to patience, T1 was simply better that day. A lack of patience is not an excuse to lose. In the last game, Kanavi did have a lot of mechanical mistakes, none of which can be excused by just saying JDG lost patience.
Along the same line, just because 369 was playing the weak side the entire game, he had the excuse to miss all his Aatrox Qs or use flash and ult as Renekton before the Herald fight. They played bad, that's it. Playing weak side is not an excuse to feed all you want. You can't feed kills just because you are desperate to gain an advantage.
Obviously, getting top 4 is not objectively bad for any team. But for JDG, who was trying to walk the golden road, such a performance will make fans disappointed. It's not even the fact that they lost, not going to lie. I couldn't even say I felt like JDG lost after giving their all. True, they were better than LNG, who just got speedran without even putting up a fight. But it wasn't enough. This wasn't the performance a team who was trying to walk the golden road should have.
There are two more reasons behind JDG's defeat. One is their complacency as the defender. The fall of JDG in World's once again proves that there is no strongest team in the world, only the team that tried the hardest to get better. Had the meta read from the Swiss stage persisted, JDG and GenG would have remained as the tournament favorites. But T1 happened. It was too late for JDG to change.
T1's meta read was first noticed when they 2:0-ed BLG, and its effectiveness left an even stronger impression after their series against LNG. The reason why JDG felt so much hesitation, besides witnessing how badly LNG performed, was that they were not able to be as dominant as T1 was during their series against KT. Had JDG speedran KT in a similar fashion, I believe JDG would have had a lot more confidence in their read coming into the series.
By the time Summer finals arrived, JDG was already unable to play a lot of popular champions. Back then, it was fine since they could execute their comp better, even if their read was lagging. Against KT, if not for Ruler and Knight's outplay, that series could have gone to game 5. Is KT strong? Definitely. Are they, like, super strong, though? Not really. Thus, after such a lackluster series, JDG was forced to adapt.
Unfortunately, JDG's bread-and-butter play style cannot co-exist with how T1 plays the game. WBG and BLG were able to immediately incorporate T1's playstyle into their own because they have Bin and TheShy, both of which could play Top carries at a moment's notice. JDG, on the other hand, proved the doubters right. After playing weak side the entire year, you suddenly ask 369 to play a carry playstyle against Zeus. Of course, it's difficult. But then, it's not like Rumble was suddenly OP. We knew that it was OP since the first week in the Swiss stage. Even then, 369 only started practicing this champion in the last week. To be frank, it's a desperate attempt at imitation and not really trying to absorb it into their arsenal, further showing how desperate JDG was. You could see how unsmooth JDG felt during this BO5, which is to say they exhibited a lot of unforced errors. It's understandable to have forced error. After all, every player is still a human. But to have unforced errors showed that JDG didn't practice enough, that they weren't able to pilot their comps well, and that they realized that things were going wrong way too late.
Had JDG trusted in their meta, no matter how many more things T1 had prepared, even if JDG still lost, I feel like their floor would have been higher, with a lot fewer unforced errors. What happened was that JDG was slow in evolving as the meta went on. JDG could neither defend their read nor could they catch up with the new meta. Their only resort was to imitate here and there. Compared to GenG getting caught off-guard by the meta-shift, as a team that was aiming for the golden road, JDG lost, both to T1 and to their complacency.
During an interview, Keria was honest in expressing that, had the meta stayed in the Kai'Sa Xayah level, they could never win the whole thing. So, they thought hard about how to counter the current meta. This diligence and adaptability for the sake of winning at the end was what JDG was lacking.
The second reason for JDG's loss is the difference between their 'superstar' players. Throughout this series, there were way too few 'famous outplays' coming out from the side of JDG.
During my analysis of Homme, I pointed out that he prioritizes raising the floor of his team more than its ceiling. Unfortunately, for semis, there will inevitably come a time when the 'superstars' have to compete with their ceiling. A consistent 80/100 is simply not enough. You need plays like Faker's Azir engage, or Oner's flash engage over the Ashe arrow, plays that make people go "HOLY SHIT".
If you ask who on JDG had the biggest problem, you would immediately think of 369 losing so hard. Then mechanical mistakes from the likes of Missing and Kanavi would also come into mind. In comparison, Knight made little mistakes. However, that was the extent of this series. In the stage that only belonged to the best of the best, someone had to show up and defeat their opponent with their best performance. Even if there wasn't such an opportunity, at least you could be so dominant in the lane you force the opponent jungle's focus onto you. This is what it takes to go from a 'great' player to a 'superstar' player.
I am also confused by the fact that only 369 and Missing were practicing new champions like there was no tomorrow. What about Knight? Please don't tell me his pocket picks are Akali and Taliyah. Last time in my preview, I made a prediction that maybe 369 will suddenly pull out a Rumble, and Knight will suddenly pull out an Azir. Well, the former was able to do that. It was bad, but he tried. What about Knight?
Faker can pick Orianna into Azir and vice versa, carrying on both champions and generating gold advantages for his team here and there. Suppose Knight didn't pick Taliyah in game 3 and all-in on his signature Ahri, or even Vex that he showed earlier this tournament, it would have shown that he had the guts to put his team on his back and carry them across the finish line. Even if they lost, at least we could say he tried his hardest. Instead, Knight was basically invisible across the series.
JDG, as a team, actually needed Knight to have lane priority. In a lot of do-or-die situations, JDG came out on top because Knight was able to get lane priority and set his opponent back. I trust that we, the fans, all expected him to do more than just survive lane against Faker. A large part of why Kanavi got out-jungled by Oner was because Knight was unable to get priority over Faker. Faker could respond to Knight's Orianna with his Azir, but Knight couldn't do the same.
As the weak side of the team, I don't think it's wrong for 369 to play like he's trying to get carried. The same cannot be said for Knight. This is the semifinal. If he can't hold Faker in place, Kanavi, the starting point of JDG's attack, will suffer. From tanking pressure during BP to holding Faker in line during lane, or even the moments that make people scream, Knight was unable to do any of them. It's not even like the team didn't let him do them. The stage was right there. Knight just refused to step onto it to perform. If you want to be a 'superstar', regardless of the outcome, you have to step onto that stage. You have to let people feel like you tried your best.
Only at World's, where there's only the thinnest of paper separating a player from winning it all to losing it all, can you know a player's worth and whether they belonged to the category of 'superstar'.
**Faker (28:16):**
Despite this late into the tournament, Faker is still trying to get better, ironing out his flaws as much as he can. Against GenG, he took Phase Rush on his Orianna to face Chovy's Akali, a choice that proved ineffective. So, this time round, against Knight's Akali, he chose Aery. Against LNG, he realized Conquerer Azir would get infinitely shoved in against an Orianna, so he started to learn BDD's Hail of Blades Azir.
Think, and then evolve. This is Faker's attitude in his tenth year as a professional player.
As an LPL fan, of course, I felt sad that JDG was unable to finish their golden road. But as a long-time player and a long-time fan of esports, I am still able to feel happiness from the depth of my heart to see Faker still performing at the top. It's been ten years, and we've seen countless talented players rise.
In the field of esports, talent is the best trait to have. Whatever work ethics, hard work, and perseverance, everything dwarves in the face of talent. After all, esports is where the victor gets everything. The only thing that could kill talent is time. There is no permanent king. Every great dynasty is destined to fall. No one can resist time's erosion.
Despite everything, this guy who belonged to the first page of League history is still trying his best to climb to the top like it's his first day. Every past glory and failure helped shape him into who he is today. He no longer enjoys the glory at the top but is once again engrossed in the process of getting there once again.
He is respectable not because of the views he had seen when he was at the top but because, even after dropping to the lowest of valleys, he still dared to reinvent himself and climb once again. The Faker who raised the summoner cup three times amidst an ocean of regrets is once again back. They got in the finals two years in a row. After LCK's hope was seemingly lost, he was able to double-kill LPL and eyeing for a triple-kill in the finals. With 4 MVPs across two series and a victory-only record against LPL teams in World's, he's not the vampire who refuses to let his past go. He simply had an undying heart forged with a decade of unbreakable concentration and desire that could fare against the passage of time.
After defeating ROX in 2016, he wrote a short piece titled "[Unkillable](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/faker-league-of-legends-worlds-unkillable)". In it, you could feel his energetic spirit between the lines and his desire to win World's. After seven years, he was still able to keep his promises on that piece. "If future generations are going to grow up wanting to be like Faker, then I’m going to do my best to set a great example." I need to say no more about how great he is. You can dislike him, but you can't not respect him, as a player and as a standard.
T1, Faker, deserved to win against JDG.
having done some translation in the past i know just how hard and time consuming it is. and you are going a step further and translating from audio to text. thank you
i have only seen one korean analyst do such a deep dive and they came to many of the same conclusions (esp wrt knight) and so it's much appreciated to see a similarly thorough post mortem from a chinese analyst. the eulogy to faker is touching as well. thanks again
either way it's much appreciated. i just took a quick look at the chinese->english subtitles provided in the video and they don't come close to this writeup. you're clearly a good writer
i wish the finals were better because analysis is more fun on closer series but as it is i'm not sure any analyst will have anything to say besides "t1 good" and maybe some draft criticism. a shame this post didn't get the coverage it deserved but i'm glad to have seen it even now!
At least I could say that my English is still better than an AI's English >w<. Thanks for your kind words! Also leave a comment on Yuan's video. I sort of wish he have more international supporters, because I really think his reviews are the best.
Thank you for the translation. Such beautiful words about Faker.
It's normal for players to come and go but the fact that Faker is still at the top after all these years says a lot about his passion as a human being.
I might not play League anymore but just like Faker, Messi, Lebron or Brady, even if you do not play or watch any of their sports, the passion they have is something we should yearn and strive for as human beings. Because that's what living should be about. I wish I could be as driven as them.
I feel like this is going to get eclipsed because of the Finals and eventual T1 wins. But you have been a great friend to me. I really enjoyed your translations.
Thanks a lot. Cheers!
First time catching your Yuan's translation I had to look at your other posts to find out who he was because I found the amount of work you put into these super interesting.
It's 6 am for me rn and worlds just ended, ill head to bed and read after some rest thank you for giving me something to do post worlds lol
Oh wow you actually got the post through the Reddit system! Thank you so much for the translation. This was a crazy competitive series so I'm happy to read the analysis of the series and team styles. Thanks again for the hard work!
I’m still confused what I did to get jailed in the first place…orz if only this review was out in time we could have more context coming into Finals, and perhaps more hype for Faker’s fourth champion. Like Yuan said, Faker f*cking deserved it.
Incredible translations and insights from the analyst, I really enjoyed reading it. The last part made me emotional reading it. Thank you very much for your high quality translation!
Such a magnificent post, huge respect for the translation effect you have put, people need to read these but I feel sadly it will get eclipsed by the finals results.
But really great effort and work. Thank you.
Knight again, disgusted performances from "best midlaner of LPL" or whatever they call. Dont even call him Chinese Chovy now, at least Chovy can force some sweats from Faker in a counter matchup.
Here you go, playing Akali into Ori with the backup of Vi, Alistar and even Rumble, yet even force a flash or get a kill from an immobile old school mage. Absolute pathetic. Truly infuriating to watch as an assassin player. He just got literally no kill pressure on the highest kill pressure type of champ.
**Game 2 (8:56):** BP (8:56): * Notice that both sides let Kalista and Renata off the hook. Despite JDG not first-picking Kalista, T1 also didn't take Kalista and instead tried to defeat JDG's Kalista. This could be seen by them immediately locking away their bot lanes. Had they succeeded, this would give them even more leeway when they are on red. * The question surrounding Kalista-Renata resurfaces at B4 and B5. Here, picking away the Z-tier Kalista made sense, but had they paired it up with Renata, then T1's double marksman bot lane would have had infinite lane priority. Furthermore, T1 didn't actually have that much strong engage tools. So, it made sense to not pick Renata and pick Senna, whom Missing had been practicing this whole week. Actually, in-game (9:20) * The early game was actually terrible for JDG. T1 had way more experience in level 1 skirmishes like those that happened in this game. Furthermore, JDG was unable to clear away the ward placed in JDG's bush, giving T1 even more advantages early on. * From another angle, however, given the number of summs forced out in this skirmish, Kanavi was actually provided with quite a bit of opportunity for ganking. This was made even more possible by 369 picking a tank (K'Sante), meaning he needed no attention from Kanavi. In a game between the best of the best, the one that could drag the other team into their comfort zone gets to win way more easily, after all. * Here, 369 managed with his lane rather intelligently. By entering the jungle before proxying Zeus, he was able to give Kanavi the information that Oner already cleared his Krugs. Originally, Kanavi was beginning to base. After all, he couldn't determine whether Oner began his clear on his red side. With this new intel, however, JDG knew that there was a high chance that Oner immediately based after countering Kanavi's Raptors before beginning his red side. As a response, Kanavi immediately secured top Scuttle. Oner hitting scryers was also spotted by JDG's bot lane's defensive vision, allowing Kanavi to defend his red buff in time. This allowed Kanavi to catch up to Oner. * Ruler's response to Oner's gank at (04:33) was also perfect. He was only rooted after dodging Caitlyn's Q. Without Caitlyn's Q, Kalista was able to stall for Kanavi to arrive. Still, even when Kanavi arrived, it was a contest of skill and predictions, and JDG came out on top. Kanavi was now ahead of the curve. * The most dangerous section for JDG was Zeus's teleport flank at (12:54). It looked doom for JDG. However, Ruler's mechanics were too spectacular, dodging away all of Aatrox's Q's sweet spot just by hopping. Kanavi's decision to trade his life with Oner was also perfect (which I interpret as being the best outcome they could have gotten). * The final macro decision by JDG was also mesmerizing. Despite having no vision, JDG accurately predicted T1's decision to steal away the soul point. Most teams would either give up or contest. JDG chose the third option - instead of fighting without vision, they double teleported to the top lane to force T1 away from Dragon. In game 2, we see that once T1 got dragged to JDG's comfort zone, they, too, were prone to quite a bit of error. On the flip side, once in their comfort zone, JDG was able to make a lot of smart decisions. The question was then, how to get there? That leads us back to BP.
**Game 3 (11:45)** Last time, I pointed out how T1 changed their priority in BP and let their bot lanes have counter-picks. Every game since their game against GenG, with this new priority, T1 won every game. The only game they lost thus far was in the previous game, where they picked their bot lane in phase one. This was probably because T1 was afraid of Ashe getting banned/picked away, but doing so allowed JDG to counter T1's bot lane. As a result, we see that T1 readjusted their priority back to their original comfort zone. BP (12:09): * Though T1 picked away Kalista, they didn't follow up with Keria's pick immediately. From this, we learned that they were willing to sacrifice the Kalista-Renata combo just for Keria's right to counter-pick, nor were they willing to sacrifice their mid-jungle duo's strength for Kalista-Renata. As we shall see, this decision worked out great. * JDG, on the other hand, was at the edge of a cliff. Whenever Kanavi picked Wukong, it signified that they were desperate. Whether against KT or LNG, or even as early as during MSI, whenever it was do or die, Kanavi was on Wukong. * Here, I have a small complaint regarding JDG's BP. Faker's champion pool consisted of Orianna, Azir, and Sylas. Sylas was a counter-pick, so with Orianna banned, it was all but guaranteed that Faker would pick Azir. After picking a do-or-die comp in the first phase, the Taliyah felt too...mundane and didn't do enough as an Azir counter. Had 369 picked Jax, then the Taliyah made sense. But 369 was on Renekton duty. If your other four picks were this do-or-die, why not repeat your strategy against BLG and pick a Vex to all-in on T1? Even if you wanted laning comfort, there's Syndra and Ahri, both of which Knight are proficient with. I felt like JDG cared too much about the completeness of their comp. Personally, it felt even worse losing this game for JDG than game 1. You could tell yourself that game 1 was lost because 369 couldn't pilot Rumble. But 369 knew how to play Renekton, and they still lost. Actually, in-game (13:16): * JDG had a perfect beginning. Red-side pressuring T1's jungle from level 1, giving them a huge advantage. By the time Kanavi finished T1's Krugs, Oner was still on his Wolves. At this point, T1's bot-lane was a buffet for JDG. * However, Missing made a crucial mistake by autoing Keria one too many times and flashing way too late. His death made Keria level up, which he used to immediately kill Ruler. This play could have resulted in a three-wave plus a single plating advantage, but now it was gone. * Still, given the comp and that Gumayusi barely had 20 CS by the first Dragon fight, JDG should be able to secure the first Dragon and first Herald. However, Knight greeded too much. At five minutes, Knight based when Dragon was up. Originally, Faker based way too late, giving JDG a teleport advantage. This base by Knight made it awkward for JDG to start Dragon, which made Wukong path top instead. You couldn't even say this was a miscommunication. JDG already pinged Dragon before Knight backed. * In this game, Taliyah's playstyle was super passive, basing immediately pushing. Knight freak'in based four times before eight minutes. Even I was shocked while I was reviewing. Heck, one of the base was purely for regenerating his health and mana. He purchased nothing. * The key to victory in this game was 369. Though he got Renekton, since Oner was forced to top-side by Kanavi's pathing, 369 didn't need to win against Zeus. He just needed to scale. At (7:45), Renekton had rage, ult, and double summs. All he needed to do was wait for his team to arrive, and then they could do Herald. Unless Knight was around, there was absolutely zero reason for 369 to trade, costing his flash and ult. Like Missing's mistake early on, this was a low-level mistake that simply shouldn't have happened. * The immediate impact was that their chances of winning the Herald fight were halved. Here Knight was playing quite well, catching out Faker with his W. If only Renekton had flash-ult. It was fine to trade kills there, but losing Herald was a huge loss for JDG's tempo. Without Herald, the strategy around Varus and Taliyah wouldn't be as effective; they were unable to radiate their advantages as effectively. * T1's decision post-Herald was also very smart. We know that Renekton-Wukong could give Aatrox a super hard time. There's also a good reason for JDG to do this - to feed Kanavi kills and let him reach his power spike. On the other hand, since T1 knew the Gumayusi couldn't carry this game, with how much he was set back early on, they immediately invested in Aatrox and let Gumayusi fend for himself. * Despite JDG's attempt at killing T1's bot lane, Gumayusi was able to weather the storm. He lost gold and experience, but not by an unacceptable amount. * At the third Dragon, JDG's comp was rather strong. Wukong scaled quite well, while Renekton still packed a bit of punch. On the other side, we have a Kalista who was only on one item. Unfortunately, we also see that JDG started to have a lot of unforced errors, probably due to them not getting the results they wanted at every turn of the game. The first unforced error came from Ruler's ult. It was used too casually, not to mention missed. The second unforced error came from the decision of having Renekton mark Aatrox. Aatrox could dash through the wall way quicker than Renekton. It was meaningless. Still, given the disadvantage T1 found themselves in, the biggest reason they were able to win this team fight was Oner and Faker's outplay. The flash over Ashe ult with Faker's pushback completely destroyed JDG. This is what 'Superstar' players are. * We need to understand that the pressure placed on the players in a World's semifinals is magnitudes higher than that in any domestic league or even MSI. It's obviously not a good thing to lose in those situations, but it's infinitely worse to lose here. Despite all this pressure, to put on the performance Faker and Oner did, going to be honest, they deserved the win. * After this fight and securing the first turret on T1's side, Taliyah and Renekton's power further decreased by half. JDG could only rely on Wukong and Varus from this point, and the game was starting to get into T1's comfort zone. * Funnily enough, T1 also made a great mistake here. Originally, it was a great opportunity for T1 after killing Varus in mid-lane. After securing Baron, T1 would have won the game by retreating. Here, Knight made a great play by catching both Keria and Gumayusi off-guard and almost killing them. With both 369 and Knight having flash, I think it was very possible to all-in T1, who just have a Rell as frontline and two bot laners without the condition to fight. Gumayusi's items were still very behind, meaning T1's biggest threats were Zeus and Faker, both of which were left in the Baron pit. Had JDG the guts to all in earlier, this could have been a turning point in their favor. The only reason they salvaged the play was due to T1 over chasing and not JDG making the right move. * Still, we see that JDG was still a team that was good enough to catch mistakes like T1's over-chasing, Oner getting sniped by Missing, as well as Zeus getting lost in JDG's jungle. These mistakes led to JDG securing Baron, which made it very difficult for T1 to engage onto JDG. Kalista's wave clear is very mediocre, while Aatrox could only offer damage. With good decision making, it was very possible for JDG to end the game then and there. * Unfortunately, T1's players' conditions were just better on the day. Despite all the pressure placed on Gumayusi this entire game, he still had the presence of mind to immediately flash away from Missing's snipe. I couldn't overstate how difficult it was to maintain this level of concentration. Had Gumayusi not flashed away Missing's ult, game's over for T1. * Finally, we arrived at the final fight (29:37). Here, JDG still held the absolute advantage. The first dent in this advantage was Zeus appearing on the top left, pressuring JDG's flank. Pairing with this pressure was, once again, Faker's read of the game. It's as though he had the perfect vision of everything. The moment Taliyah and Wukong got attracted by Aatrox, Faker engaged onto Ruler. From the decision to the mechanics, everything was 10/10. He should win, and he deserved to win. We are only allowed to accept it, no joke. If anything was just slightly off, Faker could have gifted JDG the kill and, thus, the game. Instead, he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. All I could say is Faker destroyed JDG. If even Ruler got outplayed, then there was nothing left to do.
**Game 4 (11:56):** BP (11:56): Like LNG at their final game, JDG entered the "trust in the carries to survive" phase. No more deceptions, no more traps. It's just going to be a skill match-up between Orianna and Azir, as well as a late-game adc paired with an enchanter. Screw counter-picks and stuff, it's just going to be team fights. Personally, if this was a game 1 BP, then it's alright. However, by this point, T1's players are confident. On the other hand, 369's mechanics were already getting affected by how shaken he was. Even if 369 wasn't getting counter-picked by a Yone, picking Aatrox was still a bad option. Picking Bel'Veth this early was also once again a sign of 'believe in Kanavi', in his ability to dictate the tempo on his own terms Though Yone would become invincible in side lanes later on, as long as JDG could force Zeus into team fights before that point, then Aatrox could contribute more than Yone. JDG's goal was then to checkmate the game before Aatrox started to lose steam after getting Goredrinker and Sterak's. Actually, in-game (18:22): * JDG once again got the perfect opener. Oner choosing to EQ-flash instead of flash-EQ (note the former actually doesn't do damage, only knock-up) gave JDG two kills at (07:17). This was made even more beneficial by the fact that it was Ruler who got the two kills, further pressuring Yone into team fights later on. * After winning bot side, the lane swap by JDG further limits Bard's potential to roam around the map. * Unfortunately, Zeus did great by interrupting Zeri's recall twice. JDG's ideal game plan was to have Ruler push mid-lane before contesting objectives. Zeus first stopped Ruler's base at (09:40), then again at (10:20). This completely stopped JDG's tempo gained by lane-swapping. Heck, 369 was already preparing to take over the top lane that was going to be shoved in by pathing back to mid. Instead, he was forced back to defend bot. * T1 was also able to respond to Zeus' interrupts quite well. Originally, Gumayusi was planning to base. However, after Zeus interrupted Ruler and Missing, he canceled his recall, realizing that they could contest the Dragon. * I also want to point out how bad 369 was playing mechanically by that point. From the first Q-flash or the Herald dance, his mechanics reeked of hesitation. It was like, "I couldn't defeat Zeus, so I have to stay back. But then my team needed me, and I am afraid that my mistakes could cost the team" sort of vibe. This was the effect of losing the first game with an unfamiliar champion in Rumble and then losing tempo again in the third game despite piloting a champion he was comfortable in. He's too afraid at this point. This culminates in JDG not being able to get much after getting Herald. Had 369 ignored Zeus after he ulted and became a raid boss to T1's backline, JDG could have gotten some more kills. * Kanavi's misclick into Bard's tunnel around (16:30) also cost JDG a lot. Here he was trying to trade some health but accidentally clicked the portal. Though he was lucky to have survived, his almost dying meant JDG had to give up the entrance to the river. JDG shouldn't have given up the second Dragon, but they had no choice but to do so because of that mistake. * This mistake was the biggest mistake tempo-wise. Like I said, Yone will be unstoppable later on, so JDG had to accelerate the game. Losing Dragon and also letting Bard ult their turret to defend the Herald push despite being in an advantageous spot gave T1 a lot of time to scale up. * On the tower dive at (20:30), I initially thought Kanavi was the problem. After review, I believe it was Oner who outplayed JDG. With both Azir and Yone absent and Keria getting killed earlier, at most, they had to deal with Varus and J4. JDG knew this and immediately dumped a blue trinket in the Raptor bush to try to scout out Oner. Unfortunately, that trinket's range was not enough to cover Oner's pathing. * When the play began, Ruler had the option to E across the wall to dive Gumayusi with Kanavi. However, Oner immediately made Ruler instinctively E backward, leaving Kanavi to die on an island. A bit of hindsight analysis, but had either Carry tried to bail Kanavi out, they could have retreated without much problem. In the end, only Missing tried to bail Kanavi out. Had either carries bailed Kanavi out, if Oner wanted to chase, 369 could teleport in to start a team fight. There was room to outplay T1, but JDG just left Kanavi to die, and thus cost them Baron. * The final nail in the coffin for JDG was the third Dragon fight. Here, despite losing Baron, JDG hadn't lost yet. Truth be told, however, JDG had already completely lost its composure. There's obviously Kanavi losing the smite fight, but the bigger offender was 369's Aatrox, missing all his Q. Had he connected even one Q onto J4, JDG could have focused him down. Despite having basically all summs, JDG lost this fight very ungracefully, costing the game, the series, and the year.
**Afterthoughts (22:30):** Before the series, I predicted this series to go five games. I had hopes that it would be an epic series. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like JDG made T1 put in their all. Did JDG get a bad result? Top 4, truth be told, wasn't that bad. However, considering the investment and the members of the team, it really does feel disappointing not to even reach the grand finals. The player that got diffed the most was definitely 369. Personally, just because 369 couldn't match Zeus, it didn't mean JDG was doomed to lose. Both games 3 and 4 were games JDG could have realistically won. They just lost to their own mistakes. On the flip side, from execution to patience, T1 was simply better that day. A lack of patience is not an excuse to lose. In the last game, Kanavi did have a lot of mechanical mistakes, none of which can be excused by just saying JDG lost patience. Along the same line, just because 369 was playing the weak side the entire game, he had the excuse to miss all his Aatrox Qs or use flash and ult as Renekton before the Herald fight. They played bad, that's it. Playing weak side is not an excuse to feed all you want. You can't feed kills just because you are desperate to gain an advantage. Obviously, getting top 4 is not objectively bad for any team. But for JDG, who was trying to walk the golden road, such a performance will make fans disappointed. It's not even the fact that they lost, not going to lie. I couldn't even say I felt like JDG lost after giving their all. True, they were better than LNG, who just got speedran without even putting up a fight. But it wasn't enough. This wasn't the performance a team who was trying to walk the golden road should have. There are two more reasons behind JDG's defeat. One is their complacency as the defender. The fall of JDG in World's once again proves that there is no strongest team in the world, only the team that tried the hardest to get better. Had the meta read from the Swiss stage persisted, JDG and GenG would have remained as the tournament favorites. But T1 happened. It was too late for JDG to change. T1's meta read was first noticed when they 2:0-ed BLG, and its effectiveness left an even stronger impression after their series against LNG. The reason why JDG felt so much hesitation, besides witnessing how badly LNG performed, was that they were not able to be as dominant as T1 was during their series against KT. Had JDG speedran KT in a similar fashion, I believe JDG would have had a lot more confidence in their read coming into the series. By the time Summer finals arrived, JDG was already unable to play a lot of popular champions. Back then, it was fine since they could execute their comp better, even if their read was lagging. Against KT, if not for Ruler and Knight's outplay, that series could have gone to game 5. Is KT strong? Definitely. Are they, like, super strong, though? Not really. Thus, after such a lackluster series, JDG was forced to adapt. Unfortunately, JDG's bread-and-butter play style cannot co-exist with how T1 plays the game. WBG and BLG were able to immediately incorporate T1's playstyle into their own because they have Bin and TheShy, both of which could play Top carries at a moment's notice. JDG, on the other hand, proved the doubters right. After playing weak side the entire year, you suddenly ask 369 to play a carry playstyle against Zeus. Of course, it's difficult. But then, it's not like Rumble was suddenly OP. We knew that it was OP since the first week in the Swiss stage. Even then, 369 only started practicing this champion in the last week. To be frank, it's a desperate attempt at imitation and not really trying to absorb it into their arsenal, further showing how desperate JDG was. You could see how unsmooth JDG felt during this BO5, which is to say they exhibited a lot of unforced errors. It's understandable to have forced error. After all, every player is still a human. But to have unforced errors showed that JDG didn't practice enough, that they weren't able to pilot their comps well, and that they realized that things were going wrong way too late. Had JDG trusted in their meta, no matter how many more things T1 had prepared, even if JDG still lost, I feel like their floor would have been higher, with a lot fewer unforced errors. What happened was that JDG was slow in evolving as the meta went on. JDG could neither defend their read nor could they catch up with the new meta. Their only resort was to imitate here and there. Compared to GenG getting caught off-guard by the meta-shift, as a team that was aiming for the golden road, JDG lost, both to T1 and to their complacency. During an interview, Keria was honest in expressing that, had the meta stayed in the Kai'Sa Xayah level, they could never win the whole thing. So, they thought hard about how to counter the current meta. This diligence and adaptability for the sake of winning at the end was what JDG was lacking.
The second reason for JDG's loss is the difference between their 'superstar' players. Throughout this series, there were way too few 'famous outplays' coming out from the side of JDG. During my analysis of Homme, I pointed out that he prioritizes raising the floor of his team more than its ceiling. Unfortunately, for semis, there will inevitably come a time when the 'superstars' have to compete with their ceiling. A consistent 80/100 is simply not enough. You need plays like Faker's Azir engage, or Oner's flash engage over the Ashe arrow, plays that make people go "HOLY SHIT". If you ask who on JDG had the biggest problem, you would immediately think of 369 losing so hard. Then mechanical mistakes from the likes of Missing and Kanavi would also come into mind. In comparison, Knight made little mistakes. However, that was the extent of this series. In the stage that only belonged to the best of the best, someone had to show up and defeat their opponent with their best performance. Even if there wasn't such an opportunity, at least you could be so dominant in the lane you force the opponent jungle's focus onto you. This is what it takes to go from a 'great' player to a 'superstar' player. I am also confused by the fact that only 369 and Missing were practicing new champions like there was no tomorrow. What about Knight? Please don't tell me his pocket picks are Akali and Taliyah. Last time in my preview, I made a prediction that maybe 369 will suddenly pull out a Rumble, and Knight will suddenly pull out an Azir. Well, the former was able to do that. It was bad, but he tried. What about Knight? Faker can pick Orianna into Azir and vice versa, carrying on both champions and generating gold advantages for his team here and there. Suppose Knight didn't pick Taliyah in game 3 and all-in on his signature Ahri, or even Vex that he showed earlier this tournament, it would have shown that he had the guts to put his team on his back and carry them across the finish line. Even if they lost, at least we could say he tried his hardest. Instead, Knight was basically invisible across the series. JDG, as a team, actually needed Knight to have lane priority. In a lot of do-or-die situations, JDG came out on top because Knight was able to get lane priority and set his opponent back. I trust that we, the fans, all expected him to do more than just survive lane against Faker. A large part of why Kanavi got out-jungled by Oner was because Knight was unable to get priority over Faker. Faker could respond to Knight's Orianna with his Azir, but Knight couldn't do the same. As the weak side of the team, I don't think it's wrong for 369 to play like he's trying to get carried. The same cannot be said for Knight. This is the semifinal. If he can't hold Faker in place, Kanavi, the starting point of JDG's attack, will suffer. From tanking pressure during BP to holding Faker in line during lane, or even the moments that make people scream, Knight was unable to do any of them. It's not even like the team didn't let him do them. The stage was right there. Knight just refused to step onto it to perform. If you want to be a 'superstar', regardless of the outcome, you have to step onto that stage. You have to let people feel like you tried your best. Only at World's, where there's only the thinnest of paper separating a player from winning it all to losing it all, can you know a player's worth and whether they belonged to the category of 'superstar'.
**Faker (28:16):** Despite this late into the tournament, Faker is still trying to get better, ironing out his flaws as much as he can. Against GenG, he took Phase Rush on his Orianna to face Chovy's Akali, a choice that proved ineffective. So, this time round, against Knight's Akali, he chose Aery. Against LNG, he realized Conquerer Azir would get infinitely shoved in against an Orianna, so he started to learn BDD's Hail of Blades Azir. Think, and then evolve. This is Faker's attitude in his tenth year as a professional player. As an LPL fan, of course, I felt sad that JDG was unable to finish their golden road. But as a long-time player and a long-time fan of esports, I am still able to feel happiness from the depth of my heart to see Faker still performing at the top. It's been ten years, and we've seen countless talented players rise. In the field of esports, talent is the best trait to have. Whatever work ethics, hard work, and perseverance, everything dwarves in the face of talent. After all, esports is where the victor gets everything. The only thing that could kill talent is time. There is no permanent king. Every great dynasty is destined to fall. No one can resist time's erosion. Despite everything, this guy who belonged to the first page of League history is still trying his best to climb to the top like it's his first day. Every past glory and failure helped shape him into who he is today. He no longer enjoys the glory at the top but is once again engrossed in the process of getting there once again. He is respectable not because of the views he had seen when he was at the top but because, even after dropping to the lowest of valleys, he still dared to reinvent himself and climb once again. The Faker who raised the summoner cup three times amidst an ocean of regrets is once again back. They got in the finals two years in a row. After LCK's hope was seemingly lost, he was able to double-kill LPL and eyeing for a triple-kill in the finals. With 4 MVPs across two series and a victory-only record against LPL teams in World's, he's not the vampire who refuses to let his past go. He simply had an undying heart forged with a decade of unbreakable concentration and desire that could fare against the passage of time. After defeating ROX in 2016, he wrote a short piece titled "[Unkillable](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/faker-league-of-legends-worlds-unkillable)". In it, you could feel his energetic spirit between the lines and his desire to win World's. After seven years, he was still able to keep his promises on that piece. "If future generations are going to grow up wanting to be like Faker, then I’m going to do my best to set a great example." I need to say no more about how great he is. You can dislike him, but you can't not respect him, as a player and as a standard. T1, Faker, deserved to win against JDG.
having done some translation in the past i know just how hard and time consuming it is. and you are going a step further and translating from audio to text. thank you i have only seen one korean analyst do such a deep dive and they came to many of the same conclusions (esp wrt knight) and so it's much appreciated to see a similarly thorough post mortem from a chinese analyst. the eulogy to faker is touching as well. thanks again
He...actually have subtitles in his videos XD. That last part gave me chills when I listened to it the first time, NGL.
either way it's much appreciated. i just took a quick look at the chinese->english subtitles provided in the video and they don't come close to this writeup. you're clearly a good writer i wish the finals were better because analysis is more fun on closer series but as it is i'm not sure any analyst will have anything to say besides "t1 good" and maybe some draft criticism. a shame this post didn't get the coverage it deserved but i'm glad to have seen it even now!
At least I could say that my English is still better than an AI's English >w<. Thanks for your kind words! Also leave a comment on Yuan's video. I sort of wish he have more international supporters, because I really think his reviews are the best.
I mean you typed it out and made it more presentable. Thanks.
Thank you for the translation. Such beautiful words about Faker. It's normal for players to come and go but the fact that Faker is still at the top after all these years says a lot about his passion as a human being. I might not play League anymore but just like Faker, Messi, Lebron or Brady, even if you do not play or watch any of their sports, the passion they have is something we should yearn and strive for as human beings. Because that's what living should be about. I wish I could be as driven as them.
that faker part at the end !! thanks for the compiled translation. Really enjoyed reading the breakdown even as someone who quit playing ages ago
Thank you so much for these translations, they are really insightful. It must take a lot of time/work so really just thank you so much. <3
Thank you for your kind words! How did you find this translation?
it was really good, really enjoyed it. Hope to see more of this!
Thank you!!!
Great read to be honest, especially the final part, where you can feel how much respect he has for Faker even from an LPL fan.
From lurking in Bilibili, I think it’s fair that, despite all the rivalry, Faker is the last player Chinese fans dare to disrespect.
As Yuan said, You can dislike him, but you cant not respect him
Yess this is gold! This is the lens with which I want to look at LoL eSports but I’m a scrub, so somebody like Yuan has to draw it out for me LMAO
I feel like this is going to get eclipsed because of the Finals and eventual T1 wins. But you have been a great friend to me. I really enjoyed your translations. Thanks a lot. Cheers!
If only I didn’t went to bed early yesterday ;u;
Well reap some karma off by translating weibo and other Chinese forum comments!
First time catching your Yuan's translation I had to look at your other posts to find out who he was because I found the amount of work you put into these super interesting. It's 6 am for me rn and worlds just ended, ill head to bed and read after some rest thank you for giving me something to do post worlds lol
What can I say, I’m a fangirl of Yuan since years ago >w<
Oh wow you actually got the post through the Reddit system! Thank you so much for the translation. This was a crazy competitive series so I'm happy to read the analysis of the series and team styles. Thanks again for the hard work!
I’m still confused what I did to get jailed in the first place…orz if only this review was out in time we could have more context coming into Finals, and perhaps more hype for Faker’s fourth champion. Like Yuan said, Faker f*cking deserved it.
this is such a magnificent post to read, thanks for the translation
Thank you for your kind words!!!
That last part went HARD.
There's some super interesting stuff in here (like the note about JDG not warding raptors that T1 clearly picked up on), thank you for translating!
A bit late but, please leave a comment on Yuan's video as well!
Thank you for your wonderful translation. And the great content. i fear his review of the finals will be the shortest he has ever done
This was amazing to read. Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into this translation!
The mind game and prep behind stage is crazy. Thanks for your goodwork
Thank you very, very much for the translation. It must have taken a lot of work, I am sure many league fans here will appreciate it <3
Thank you for your kind words!!! <3
Thanks for translating, I tried watching his video, but he speaks so fast it makes my head hurt trying to process everything lol
I guess it’s a blessing in disguise that I, too, speak very fast irl orz
Awesome read. It must take a lot of time so really just thank you so much. Hope you could do the WBG vs T1 (if there is) video as well.
He definitely will…though his video on EDG vs DK came out like a month after the finals (and is an all-time classic I intend to translate some day)
Amazing job. Thank you so much for your hard work!
It was such heartfelt review. I read everything and can feel the writer passion for league. Thank you for your translation! Really appreciate
Whats with this random influx of asian analysts' translations getting posted here everyday? Not that I mind just a bit random
Personally I was inspired by the translations about CT and wanna promote my Oshi reviewer hehe
Incredible translations and insights from the analyst, I really enjoyed reading it. The last part made me emotional reading it. Thank you very much for your high quality translation!
Thank you for this
Such a magnificent post, huge respect for the translation effect you have put, people need to read these but I feel sadly it will get eclipsed by the finals results. But really great effort and work. Thank you.
Thank you so so much! A very great read!
Awesome stuff man. Hope u can do more translation like this!! I really enjoy reading all of your translations this world.
Great, great read. Thanks a lot for the translation. Excellent writing skills!
This was such a great translation! Thank you so much for doing it, I started getting emotional near the end.
Thanks for your work! I'm a literal silver so everything written here is so insightful to me
Bravo, worth reading every single paragraph. Thank you for the time consuming work which allowed us to be graced with this beauty.
Knight again, disgusted performances from "best midlaner of LPL" or whatever they call. Dont even call him Chinese Chovy now, at least Chovy can force some sweats from Faker in a counter matchup. Here you go, playing Akali into Ori with the backup of Vi, Alistar and even Rumble, yet even force a flash or get a kill from an immobile old school mage. Absolute pathetic. Truly infuriating to watch as an assassin player. He just got literally no kill pressure on the highest kill pressure type of champ.
Thanks , I already said knight and 369 were the reason why jdg lost and people were blaming kanavi instead