With only two losses in Worlds this season, Damwon beat G2 in the semifinals, qualifying for the finals to face Suning.
Damwon has appeared on the world stage as a nearly unbeatable titan. But Damwon only recently started their reign of terror.
[Related: The Final Hurdle for Suning]
History of Damwon
In 2017, Damwon signed MiraGe Gaming’s roster, marking the start of Damwon Gaming’s League of Legends competitive team.
This roster consisted of Lee “Parang” Sang-won, Kim “Crush” Jun-seo, Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee, Kim “TRY” Yeoung-hoon, and Ryu “Hoit” Ho-seong. BeryL is the only member still part of Damwon, but switched from his original AD Carry role to the support role when more members joined.
The team originally played mediocrely. In their first season, they placed 9-12th for every tournament. It was not until they made some roster changes that they experienced success.
Heo “Showmaker” Su and Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon joined later in 2017, now two of Damwon’s most reputable members. Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu joined in 2018 and Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun joined in February of 2020.
In 2019, Damwon played well, but their performance is incomparable to their recent form. Placing third in the LCK Summer 2019 Playoffs, they manage to qualify for Worlds. They were eliminated by G2 in the Quarter-Finals, leaving a taste of bitter defeat.
In LCK 2020 Spring, DWG lost during pinnacle moments against DRX. They placed fourth, beaten by T1, Gen.G, and DRX. It was at this point they gained momentum.
In LCK 2020 Summer, Damwon achieved first place by a large margin. Initially trading off first with DRX, they eventually destroyed DRX in the finals.
In Worlds, they struck terror in Group B. When faced off against DRX during the knockout stages, Damwon swept DRX, cementing their position as the strongest LCK team this season.
The Current Roster
The team’s main roster as of now consists of BeryL, Ghost, Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, Showmaker and Nuguri.
These five have made for an incredibly consistent team, growing and overcoming barriers. During the LCK Summer, they grabbed the title of the strongest team. Almost as if on steroids, Damwon has grown rapidly stronger this past season.
Canyon’s jungle has proved formidable. His playstyle is very aggressive, with picks like Nidalee, Lee Sin, and Hecarim. His smart and committed engages help spearhead many of Damwon’s team plays.
Topside of the map, Nuguri has made a name of himself globally. His flanks and knowledge of his own limitations have earned great respect and trust from his team, poking holes in the enemy’s defenses.
BeryL is the oldest standing member of Damwon. His plays are the glue that keeps the members of Damwon together, engaging and dying for his carries whenever necessary. BeryL’s plays are often overlooked by the carries but do not disregard him as his tanky support picks serve as the backbone of Damwon Gaming’s team composition.
As Damwon’s AD Carry, Ghost plays quite passively in the early stages of the game. Often pushed in early, this allows for plays elsewhere in the map to occur, and for BeryL to roam and help. Ghost plays with the objective of scaling into the mid to late game, in order to provide extra damage wherever necessary.
Last but not least, Showmaker plays mid. His Twisted Fate strikes fear into the enemy team, as his ultimates on Twisted Fate are unrivaled. He earns his reputation not by throwing out amazing damage in every game, but through his map awareness. Showmaker knows where to be, when to be.
With the macro finesse of Showmaker and the aggressive playstyle of Canyon, the enemy teams are often left on the defensive. Nuguri flourishes in breaking such defenses and BeryL helps secure almost every play. With Ghost scales, and the team has nearly no weakness.
Head Coach
A large part of their success comes from the incredible leadership of their head coach, Lee “Zefa” Jae-min. Now the head coach of DWG, Zefa previously coached for Afreeca Freecs and SK T1. Both teams, under his command, experienced great success during key moments.
Zefa’s leadership and guidance under pressure are unprecedented. His ability to push players and focus their mental is often looked past when regarding team performance, with the limelight typically on the players.
Thanks to Zefa’s guidance, DWG has been climbing the competitive ladder. Overcoming the strongest LCK teams, the players of DWG have been working towards functioning better as a unit. The players have been told of their weaknesses, and progress towards betterment.
The Final Hurdle: Suning
Now having reached the final stage of Worlds, Damwon’s only obstacle is Suning. Suning defeated Top Esports, destroying the statistical predictions, and look towards the Worlds Championship Trophy. The game will air this Saturday, so be sure to tune in.
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