DRX 2022: How Korea's Last Seed Won Worlds From the Play-In

The Play-In stage of Worlds 2022 was held at the Arena Esports Stadium in Mexico City, a venue with room for about 100 people. One of the teams playing there was DRX, Korea's last qualifier. Five weeks later, DRX was lifting the Summoner's Cup in front of 18,000 fans at Chase Center in San Francisco.

No team had ever won Worlds after starting in the Play-In. DRX did it by beating the defending champions, the LCK champions and the most famous team in the game, all in a row. Here is how the most unlikely title in League history happened.

The last team in

DRX arrived at Worlds 2022 as Korea's fourth and final seed, through the regional qualifier. Its domestic season had been decent rather than dominant, finishing fourth in the spring split at 11-7. Its veteran ADC, Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu, had played for a decade without winning Worlds and was reported to be considering retirement before the tournament.

The roster was Kingen (top), Pyosik (jungle), Zeka (mid), Deft (ADC) and BeryL (support). BeryL, who had won Worlds with DAMWON in 2020, was the veteran voice guiding the team.

In Mexico City, DRX went 5-0 to top its Play-In group. In New York, at the Hulu Theater, it topped a group with Rogue, Top Esports and GAM Esports at 5-2.

Three giants in a row

The quarterfinal against EDward Gaming was the first sign that something special was happening. EDG were the defending world champions, and Deft had played for the club earlier in his career. DRX lost one game by the narrowest margin imaginable, a single auto attack, and still won the series 3-2, with Deft rotating through Draven, Kalista and Ezreal.

The semifinal against Gen.G looked like the end. Gen.G had won all nine of its games against DRX that year and took Game 1 again. DRX won the next three to take the series 3-1.

The final against T1, an all-Korean final on November 5, went the full distance. T1 won Game 1 behind Faker's Azir, and jungler Oner kept T1 in the series with Baron steals in Games 2 and 3. DRX won Game 4 in under 30 minutes, the shortest game of the final, using an Azir, Varus and Renata Glasc combination that T1 had been known for. Game 5 swung both ways, with Gumayusi stealing another Baron for T1, before DRX's teamfighting won the day. DRX won 3-2.

The MVP and the veteran

Top laner Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon, who played Aatrox in the final two games, was named tournament MVP. But the emotional heart of the story was Deft. After the final he said that winning "felt like a dream", and that he would decide on his future during the break.

DRX's winners' share of the prize pool was $489,500, with T1 taking $333,750 as runner-up.

What happened next

The fairy tale ended quickly. Within weeks of the final, DRX announced that its five starters had become free agents. Kingen and Zeka joined Hanwha Life Esports, Pyosik moved to North America with Team Liquid, and Deft signed with DWG KIA. Only BeryL stayed with DRX for the 2023 season, under a new head coach, Micro, with Shine, the interim head coach during Worlds, staying on as an assistant.

Without the champions, DRX struggled. It finished ninth in Spring 2023 at 3-15 and ninth in both splits of 2024. The club, which began life as Incredible Miracle in 2012 and won LCK titles as Longzhu Gaming in Summer 2017 and Kingzone DragonX in Spring 2018, now plays as KIWOOM DRX after a sponsorship deal in March 2026. It finished the 2026 regular season at 7-19.

Why it matters

DRX 2022 is the proof that Worlds is not decided on paper. A fourth seed, a veteran close to retirement and a team that had lost every game to Gen.G that year beat three of the strongest teams in the world in a row. It is also a reminder of how fragile champion rosters can be: the team that won the biggest trophy in League never played together again. For more of the finals that defined the tournament, read our ranking of the greatest Worlds finals.