Kongdoo Monster has joined fellow South Korean team Samsung Galaxy in the IEM Gyeonggi League of Legends finals as it beat Immortals in a 2-1 showdown on Saturday in Gyeonggi, South Korea. Immortals fared better than Team Liquid did against Samsung, as it contended for two games and seemed poised to win the match before the third game started. As a finalist, Kongdoo will win at least $20,000 and stands to win $30,000 more than that if it defeats Samsung for the Gyeonggi crown.
Kongdoo Monster was shaky early in Game 1, and Immortals reacted well to its mistakes, at least before the 28-minute mark. Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett secured several advantages throughout the game, but Seo "SSol" Jin-sol and Kim "GuGer" Do-yeop (on Ezreal and Karma) outmatched Cody Sun and Kim "Olleh" Joo-sung (on Ashe and Bard) during the laning phase. KDM leveraged the lane advantage and Immortals' slow pace, turning the game around on the 29-minute mark as it flanked their opponent's flanking attempt on an isolated Lee "Edge" Ho-seong (on Cassiopeia). The victory swiftly followed at 34 minutes.
Immortals bounced back with a vengeance on Game 2, in what could be described as the Dardoch show. Within 10 minutes of the game's start, the jungler had ganked an overextending bottom lane twice, and once in each solo lane. The team's ability to convert takedowns into objectives (Dragons and turrets) came in handy, and Cody Sun greatly helped on Ezreal with 21,406 damage dealt to champions, a game-high that dwarfed Flame's 16,048 (second-highest mark).
However, the American squad only lasted for so long before Kongdoo Monster attacked its strongest link (Dardoch) and capitalized on three missed Smites on jungle camps early in the game, nullifying his impact throughout Game 3. With Dardoch farming the jungle to recover from the experience deficit he suffered, KDM secured vision and farm leads. KDM's method paid dividends when Immortals became more desperate by the minute, losing seven skirmishes starting at minute 11, until its final stand at the 31:40 mark.
Performance Highlights
The two AD carries had different experiences throughout the series. SSol abused Cody Sun's inability to position correctly and play with confidence on low-mobility picks such as Ashe (Game 1) and Jhin (Game 3), and Immortals' attempt at neutralizing his fleet-footed Ezreal proved fruitless.
Dardoch showcased his prowess in the first two games, guiding his teammates to contention as long as his early-game leveling went smoothly. When he played Hecarim in Game 2, he totaled four ganks in the first ten minutes, ending with a 3/3/13 KDA (for a 88.8 percent kill participation ratio).
Ezreal defined the series, as teams picked the champion on the winning side. His poking ability, repositioning tools and teamfight presence was noticeable as his summoners tallied an overall 19/0/17 KDA over three games (5.33/0/4.66 per game on average).
Up Next
Kongdoo Monster tests its mettle against Samsung Galaxy on Sunday at 12 a.m. ET. The winner will earn the IEM Gyeonggi crown and automatically qualify for the IEM Season XI championship at Katowice in February.