The Missed Opportunity that Cost Dplus KIA at Worlds 2023
Former League of Legends world champions Dplus KIA were denied a chance to claim a second Summoner’s Cup this past weekend when they were heartbreakingly eliminated from Worlds 2023 by fellow Korean leaguemates KT Rolster. The loss can be attributed to a crucial teamfight that swung in favor of KT Rolster, partly due to a misplay by Dplus ADC Deft.
In the second game of the series on Oct. 29, Deft missed landing his Aphelios ultimate, Moonlight Vigil, which could have potentially changed the outcome of the series. The ability passed straight through an allied Jarvan IV instead of hitting the enemy team, dealing no damage and leaving Dplus KIA without one of its biggest DPS cooldowns. Shortly after this miss, Dplus’ next-best damage dealer, ShowMaker, was caught out of position and quickly eliminated.
Deft was eventually caught out by an enemy Nautilus and the fight was sealed. Had Deft landed his ult, it would have likely decimated KT’s backline and given Dplus KIA the advantage. Instead, they were forced into another teamfight, resulting in a loss that sealed the game for KT Rolster.
An Unfortunate Whiff
Deft’s miss can be attributed to mini-map targeting, a feature that doesn’t apply to Aphelios’ ultimate. Players on the League subreddit theorized that Deft fell victim to this targeting system, but in reality, he simply missed his mark.
A Missed Opportunity
At this point in the game, both teams were tied in dragons and towers, but Dplus had a 3,000 gold lead. If they had won this fight, they likely would have been able to push down the mid lane and eventually claim KT’s Nexus. However, they were forced into another teamfight, resulting in another loss and elimination from Worlds.
While it’s not solely Deft’s miss that caused Dplus KIA’s elimination, it’s interesting to speculate on what could have happened if the ability landed and a decider game was forced. Regardless, KT Rolster advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament, while Dplus KIA were eliminated prior to the bracket stage for the first time in franchise history.
KT Rolster will have their quarterfinal match against JD Gaming on Sunday, Nov. 4.
League of Legends, Dplus KIA, Worlds 2023, KT Rolster, teamfight, ADC Deft, miss, Aphelios ultimate, Moonlight Vigil, mini-map targeting, decider game, quarterfinal match, JD Gaming