RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—12 top Honor of Kings teams from around the world headed to the capital of Saudi Arabia to compete for the Honor of Kings Midseason 2024 x Esports World Cup’s US$3 million prize pool.
China’s KPL Dream Team wiped the competition as they finished the tournament flawlessly, not dropping a single game.
For their efforts, KPL Dream Team took home the US$1 million first prize and a spot in the upcoming 2024 Honor of Kings Championship in Indonesia.
KPL’s farm-laner Xu “YiNuo” Bicheng also bagged US$50,000 as the Tournament MVP for his stellar performance throughout the competition.
In second place, Malaysia’s LGD Gaming went home with US$500,000 and another slot in Indonesia.
A fierce fight to the end
Chosen by fans based on their performance, the Chinese squad of professional King Power League players dominated the battlefield and proved to be the immovable object against the unstoppable force of S2 winners LGD Gaming MY.
In the first game of the grand final, KPL Dream Team took a much more cautious approach in contrast with their usual aggressive style. This proved to be the right approach against LGD Gaming MY, shutting them out of the map strategically.
However, LGD Gaming MY showed why they were champions, holding KPL Dream Team at bay for a heroic 18 minutes, fending them off at the 15-minute mark in a tense base fight, before eventually succumbing.
In the second game, KPL Dream Team contested the map more aggressively compared to the previous game, keeping pressure on LGD Gaming MY, forcing the Malaysian squad to take team fights as a group and denying them farming opportunities. Ultimately, KPL Dream Team’s gold lead proved insurmountable, and LGD Gaming MY conceded at the 13-minute mark.
The last game of the grand final started off better for LGD Gaming MY this time around, but KPL Dream Team quickly recovered and decisively smashed the Malaysian squad in under 13 minutes to close out the series.
Road to the Esports World Cup
On its way to facing LGD Gaming MY in the finals, KPL Dream Team went 5-0 in the group stage before sweeping Myanmar squad Impunity 2-0 in the quarter-finals. It then took down All Gamers Global 3-0.
Runners-up LGD Gaming MY topped its group stage undefeated 5-0, before taking down Brazilian squad Loops Gaming 2-0 and whooping HoK S1 winners Vivo Keyd Stars 3-0 as well.
KPL Dream Team head coach Guo “Gemini” Jia Yi said: “It’s been a magical journey to stand right here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s been a meaningful and interesting experience to compete at the Esports World Cup, and we’re very happy to be able to win the championship.”
Meanwhile, Vivo Keyd Stars and All Gamers Global won US$250,000 each as shared second runners-up, while Loops Gaming, Weibo Gaming MY, Impunity,and Team Secret scored US$140,000 for their 5th to 8th placing.
9th and 10th placed finishers Kagendra and BOOM Esports earned US$120,000 each, while the last two teams, Team Vitality and Team Falcons, went home with US$100,000 each in their pockets.
KIC 2024 is set for October in Indonesia with 16 top teams from around the world—Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Turkiye, Brazil, the Middle East and North Africa, America, Europe, the Pacific, and more—competing for the title and a share of the US$1 million prize pool.
James Yang, senior director of global esports center for Tencent Games, said: “The tournament was a masterclass in Honor of Kings esports competition with the best teams from around the globe showcasing their talent at the biggest esports festival ever.”
Watch this space for the latest on KIC as we get the news.
