After a hard-fought LCK split, FOX will now face DK in the summer playoffs as they hope for a Worlds qualification. Will they make the upset? Let’s see the odds in our match preview.
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DK vs FOX – LCK Summer Playoffs Preview
DK and FOX faced off just a few weeks ago prior to the end of the LCK Summer split, with DK getting a 2-1 win over FOX. Despite the victory, however, DK struggled a lot more than everyone expected, even winning a game that was supposed to be lost given the game state.
After taking Game 1, FOX picked up an Infernal Dragon Soul with a fully-itemized Corki and Zeri in Game 2. Despite that, the team wasn’t able to close out the game and allowed DK to make an incredible turnaround. If something similar were to happen again in the playoffs series, then fans must get ready for a rollercoaster of a series. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what we can expect when the two teams will clash.
Series Breakdown
DK was for the majority of the regular split the third force of the LCK, the only one that could consistently fight closely with Gen.G and HLE. This was possible mainly because of ADC Aiming and a solid top side of the map with Kingen stepping up several times. Showmaker and Lucid had occasional exploits that allowed DK to consolidate their #3 spot. Considering the small amount of prep time between the end of the split and playoffs, I expect DK to perform similarly to the previous weeks, with Aiming to be the core of the team once again.
On the other hand, FOX have always been the late-game team: they don’t usually get early leads but are able to close the gap and make things happen during key skirmishes around objectives. Their macro is decent and what is potentially stopping them from getting closer to the top teams of the league has been the individual peak potential. Aside from Clozer, who was able to solo kill the top LCK mid laners like Chovy and Faker, the rest of the team doesn’t stand out as much.
While DK is favored, the key for FOX is yet again the late-game drafting: if they are able to choose strong scaling champions and play a waiting game, there is a serious chance they can take away games (as long as they don’t mess it up like last time out). To win the series, though, it’s just going to take a little bit more than some draft gap. Even if they were to lose, though, they will get another chance at the Regional Finals.
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