China’s sole representative, KPL Dream Team, won the Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason at the first edition of the Esports World Cup (EWC), defeating Malaysia’s LGD with a 3-0 clean sweep in the final.
With this victory, KPL Dream Team claimed $1 million from a $3.05 million prize pool and earned 1,000 club points.
The KPL Dream Team’s debut roster features Fly, Pang, Rong, Yinuo, and NoFear. This roster was finalized after an extensive selection process involving fan voting and evaluation by a professional team before they were officially inducted.
KPL Dream Team’s Path to Victory
The KPL Dream Team’s path to the championship was equally impressive.
The star-studded squad took 1st place in Group B defeating all group teams – Weibo Gaming MY, All Gamers Global, Loops, BOOM Esports, and Team Falcons.
They dispatched Myanmar’s Impunity 2-0 in the quarter-finals and swept Hong Kong’s AG Global 3-0 in the semi-finals.
This dominant performance continued into the finals, where they maintained a perfect record without dropping a single game (13-0) throughout the entire tournament.
How Did the Grand Finale Unfold?
Facing the Malaysian team LGD, who also entered the final with a ten-match winning streak (10-0), the KPL Dream Team demonstrated exceptional teamwork and tactical adaptability.
In the first game of the final, despite LGD’s solid defense and resilience, KPL Dream Team’s mid-lane player, Xu ‘Yi Nuo’ Bicheng, turned the tide with an outstanding performance during a critical moment. They secured a crucial team fight victory after an intense 18-minute and 30-second match.
In the following two games, the KPL Dream Team maintained their momentum, quickly taking control and winning within 13 minutes each for a convincing 3-0 victory.
Yinuo was named the Finals MVP and won $50,000 for his exceptional skill and decision-making at key moments. In post-match interviews, he thanked all his teammates and expressed readiness for the next challenge.
What Was the Prize Pool Distribution?
The Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason boasted an impressive $3.05 million prize pool. The distribution was as follows:
- 1st Place: $1,000,000, KPL Dream Team
- 2nd Place: $500,000, LGD Gaming
- 3rd-4th Place: $250,000 each, KEYD STARS and AG Global
- 5th-8th Place: $140,000 each, LOOPS, Impunity, Team Secret, Weibo Gaming
- 9th-10th Place: $120,000 each, BOOM Esports and Kagendra
- 11th-12th Place: $100,000 each, Team Vitality and Team Falcons
Viewership Statistics
The event recorded a peak viewership of 480,189 during the finale Team Honor and Team Kings match, ranking 5th highest so far in EWC after MLBB, LoL, CS2, and PUBG.
It averaged 93,510 viewers with over 2.5 million total viewers across 26 hours of airtime.
Upcoming Events for Honor of Kings
The newly renamed Honor of Kings Championship will host its 2024 edition in Indonesia, with teams battling for $1 million in prize money.
This event concludes the 2024 Honor of Kings Global Invitational Series, which began in March 2024.
For 2024, the tournament’s name has changed from the Honor of Kings International Championship, with a reduced total prize pool compared to last year’s $10 million (~£7.8m). Similar to its last edition, the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship will feature 16 teams.
The event is the fourth in Honor of Kings’ 2024 calendar, which has featured two league splits and a mid-season competition, the latter forming part of the Esports World Cup.
As per the 3 years of partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation, Honor of Kings will feature at the event in 2025 and 2026.
While the tournament has concluded, Honor of Kings enthusiasts can still participate in on-site events at the Riyadh venue until August 25, 2024, when they can complete challenges to win prizes.
For more information, visit the official EWC website. And remember to subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more news!