Damwon defeats T1 to win LCK Summer

Defending champion Damwon Kia took home the LCK trophy, beating T1 3-1 in the finals on Saturday evening and winning prize money of 200 million won ($171,800).

Although Damwon was the clear favorite leading up to the finals, strong performances from both teams in their quarterfinals raised expectations for a competitive match.

Damwon clearly dominated the game, however.

Despite T1’s comeback on the third game, Damwon took down the challenger in a convincing 3-1 victory.

Damwon’s summer title brought new records -- coach Kim “kkoma” Jeong-gyun became the first person to have ever won 10 LCK titles and Damwon became second team to win LCK titles in three consecutive seasons.

“My individual record may excite the fans, but I am just happy to achieve Damwon’s three consecutive LCK victories,” coach Kim said in an online press conference after the finals.

Damwon’s Heo “Showmaker” Su was named the Finals MVP for his outstanding performance, notching a quadra kill in the last game.

When asked how it felt to win the finals against the top-ranked mid-laners -- Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon in 2020 summer, Kwak “BDD” Bo-seong in 2021 spring and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in 2021 summer -- Showmaker struck a humble note.

“All of them were amazing players. They are the big names, including myself, when people ask about who is the best mid-laner in LCK. So it was a great honor and playing against them in the highest stage was very meaningful,” Showmaker told The Korea Herald on Saturday.

The winners took the time to thank the fans and shared their plans for the future.

“I am confident that our team, with thorough preparation, can win the World Championship again this year. I will put utmost efforts to achieve this goal,” coach Kim said.

By Lee Si-jin (sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)