With the semifinals done and dusted, JD Gaming and TOP Esports have returned to the Grand Finals. Both teams came into their matches as favorites but had little trouble taking down their opponents. This match is a rematch of Spring’s Grand Finals, were JDG emerged victoriously. With both teams already seeded into World’s main stage, all that is left is to find out who will enter as the first seed. This will be the first time either of these orgs makes it to the World’s stage.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
After winning the Mid-Season Cup, TOP came into summer looking even better then they did in spring. With Knight and JackeyLove putting on a show, TOP looked unstoppable. And in fact, they were, as they remained undefeated until Week 7. The final weeks, however, brought concern to some fans. TOP got clean swept by IG and fell again to RNG. Regardless of these hiccups, TOP managed to secure first place in the round robin.
Coming into playoffs, TOP were on the same bracket as FPX, V5, and Suning. After watching V5 take down FPX, they saw Suning dispatch V5 without breaking a sweat. While many viewed this as a chance of Suning and TOP being a competitive match, TOP vs Suning was nothing short of an obliteration. With outstanding performances from all of their players, TOP booked their ticket to the Grand Finals, and more importantly, Worlds.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Despite winning in spring, JDG didn’t look as impressive in the MSC. And neither did they look impressive at the beginning of the split, struggling with Suning and falling to both TOP and RNG. However, as the split went on, JDG started to return to form and started to look like the team that won spring. With every passing week, JDG looked stronger and stronger, as fans were once again ready to hype them up. With Kanavi still in his spring form, he had Loken alongside him, who had the split of his career.
Coming into playoffs, many were expecting them to face Invictus Gaming, who was going to deal with LGD or Team WE. However, when LGD upset IG and make it look easy, fans and critics alike started to have concerns with JDG. However, with Kanavi reminding everyone why he was the All-Pro jungler of the split, JDG only dropped one game against the veteran squad of LDG, confirming their spot at Worlds, and answering TOP’s call for a rematch.
The Grand Finals couldn’t be between two better teams. With players on both teams covering the All-Pro teams, the match could go either way. While Knight has looked more impressive then Yagao for the Summer Split, Kanavi has outperformed every jungler by a mile, including Karsa. The key matchup will be the battle of the bot lanes, more specifically the carries.
While JackeyLove ended up on the first All-Pro team, Loken looked phenomenal all split long and seems to be at the highest point of his career, so far. The only question left to ask is who will show up when it matters the most?
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