DragonX and Invictus Gaming will play on day two of the Mid-Season Cup. These teams were once considered the best in the world and are now facing difficulties. It’s hard to believe it considering the good numbers the teams pulled up in spring.
DragonX is yet to prove they can take a tough opponent
- Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon
- Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon
- Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon
- Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu
- Ryu “Keria” Min-seok
DragonX intended to create a roster Deft so he could comfortably carry the team to victory. With the addition of former Griffin head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho, the plans changed. cvMax built a young roster with inexperienced players. Suddenly, Deft found himself as the oldest member on the squad and the leader. DragonX had good moments throughout the season and finished on a decent third place.
Is the young talent paying off?
While cvMax seemed to have a clear vision for his roster, it is yet to perform to its full potential as its coach had hoped. DragonX has two weak points in the top lane and the jungle.
DragonX top laner Doran can go from the best player in the league to a total embarrassment when he’s off his game. In the playoffs, T1’s Kim “Canna” Chang-dong destroyed Doran in the one-versus-one. In his first game in the Mid-Season Cup, Doran is going against arguably the best top laner in the world.
Pyosik is still too green. The rookie jungler is talented, but he still falls back into the rookie habits that can make or break the newcomers in the LCK. These two points affect DragonX, because no matter how well the rest of the map is going, Pyosik and Doran can drag their team down.
Invictus Gaming is having ups and downs
- Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok
- Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning
- Song “Rookie” Eui-jin
- Ding “Puff” Wang
- Su “Southwind” Zhi-Lin
In the spring, Invictus Gaming hit the highest highs and the lowest lows. After finishing the regular season in the first place, the team collapsed in the playoffs. No one expected IG to fail so miserably against Top Esports, and then again against FunPlus Phoenix.
IG, just like DragonX, has a problem in the jungle. Ning is not performing, and substitute Lu “Leyan” Jue is rumored to be in the middle of a transfer process. In the final series against FPX, Ning lacked any type of synergy with his teammates. The jungler was often out of position, trying to make things happen and too frequently failing.
One mistake is enough to throw IG off balance, and it seems unlikely that the team managed to fix that on time for the tournament.
Rookie and TheShy are not enough
Rookie and TheShy are still two of the most dominant players in the world, but that wasn’t enough to push IG through in the LPL playoffs. Because the team is lacking pressure in the jungle, the solo laners can’t perform up to their full potential. When IG found any success in the LPL this season, it was because of Rookie and TheShy.
The bottom lane is not the same since Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo left the team. Puff and Southwind are good, but not brilliant. They’re reliable, but not a hyper carry duo.
In 2019, Ning was underperforming and it was JackeyLove who took over the team and took IG to the World Championship. Puff cannot pull off the same feat for his teammates. The responsibility of carrying the team is so big that not even Rookie and TheShy can seem to do it.
The Mid-Season Cup is coming at the worst time possible for IG. According to several rumors, the team is in the market for a new jungler.
Invictus Gaming has the advantage over DragonX
IG and DragonX are heading to the tournament with far from optimal junglers. In that sense, both teams are on even ground. The problems for DragonX start when you start going role by role. In the top lane, Doran can’t do anything against TheShy. Even on his worst day, TheShy is twice as good as Doran. In the mid lane, Chovy must hold his ground against Rookie who will be out for blood. In the bottom lane, things are looking up for DragonX. Deft is a hyper carry, but he may still be missing the opportunity to really shine.
IG has a significant advantage, and the numbers favor the former World Champion with 1.72 over DragonX’s 2.00. There is little doubt that IG will take this victory on May 29.
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