Group C for MSI 2021 is probably the hardest group for a minor region to get out off. With both Cloud9 and DAMWON Gaming Kia, it’s going to be rough. Despite this, DetonatioN FocusMe is a team that should not be underestimated. DFM only lost four games all season, including the playoffs. There is a reason this team is historically so strong out of the LJL. Here is the case for DFM.
Evi:
To say Evi is a beast is an understatement. Evi absolutely dominated the LJL. Take for instance his region leading DPM of 505. The second highest? 402. This isn’t even to mention that he leads the role in GD@10, XPD@10 and CSD@10. Evi is also a veteran to DFM. This is his fourth year with the team and still despite this is a beast. There are very few players around the world that can compete on his level for as long as he has. Evi is 25, destroying kids and shows no sign of stopping. Top Lane could be where the games are decided.
Steal:
Like Evi, Steal has been with DFM for four years. And like Evi again, it’s for good reason. Steal is still a top-tier JG player in the LJL. Some stats that stick out for him is his insanely high KDA of seven. This is mostly due to the fact that in the entire LJL Spring Split, he died 20 times. Nothing else more needs to be said. Sure, some of this may be due to a more conservative style at points, but it’s still impressive. Across the board, Steal is at least in the top half of every static and tends to be in the Top 3.
Despite all of this praise, there is some concern with Steal and DFM. This is mostly due to the Dragon and Baron rate. Both of these are about 50%. For a team that only lost four games, this seems quite low. DFM tend to win through just out macroing their opponents and are willing to give objectives. This is proven by their lowest average game time in the LJL of 30.8 minutes. Sure, this may work against Sengoku or Burning Core, but it won’t work against Perkz or Showmaker.
And to be honest, it’s not fair to put objective control entirely on the Jungle, but it’s too big to ignore. Steal is still a very competent player and should be fun to watch during MSI.
Aria:
Speaking of Perkz and Showmaker, meet their equivalent in the LJL, Aria. Aria is honestly an amazing player and fans should hope to see him perform at MSI. Remember how steal died 20 times? Well, Aria died 12 times. His DPM? Highest in Mid Lane. Laning Stats? Best in the role. Anything and everything Aria is good at. There is nothing more to say besides Aria is a legend in the making and he is only 20 years old.
Yutapon:
There is something about DFM and how it stays loyal to their players. Yutapon puts Evi and Steal to shame. He joined DFM back in April of 2013. That is eight years ago. Sure, he role swapped to Top Lane a few times in there, but he has stayed with DFM since. Regardless of if DFM bombs out at MSI or does great, this is something that is just awesome to see. The players and team seem like a family and that has some value.
Of all the players thus far, Yutapon seems like the weakest in the role. He is by no means bad and actually leads in some stats like KDA or EGPM, but falls behind in others like DPM or XPD@10. But comparing him to Zven or Ghost is not even a competition. Even WhiteLotus from Infinity might be better.
It’s hard to hate Yutapon, but Bot Lane seems like the biggest gap between the LJL and the other regions. Fans should expect the other Group C teams to attack them.
Kazu:
Now to be fair to Yutapon Bot Lane is a two-person affair. Kazu is not that great either. Two stats that are often under-appreciated for Supports are WPM and WCPM. These two warding stats help show the value of Supports that is hard to define on paper. Kazu for both of these is on the lower end. His KP? Right in the middle. Kazu seems like peak average material. Now for domestic play, Kazu is fine, but like Yutapon when stacked against international players, it’s a tough sell. Kazu is just another reason for Group C teams to attack Bot Lane.
Expectations:
There is a world where DFM takes a game off C9 or DK. But is that world likely? No. If Mid or Top can generate a big lead while Bot Lane doesn’t int, DFM could come through. They also need to work on not allowing these teams to stack drakes and giving them a late-game win condition. DK will not make the same macro errors as domestic teams. Between Infinity and DFM taking a game off one of the big boys, DFM should have the better chance.
Infinity though is a much more enticing matchup. DFM should take at least 1 of the games. Honestly, they can maybe win them both depending on Aria and Evi.
DFM will be exciting to watch and it’s great to see the LJL putting out a solid team. The region has historically been one of the worst and it would be fun to see them excel.
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