DAMWON Gaming vs Hanwha Life Esports is our eighth LCK match of the week—and for good reason! This matchup takes place on March 15, and while it might not seem as wild as some of the most anticipated series of 2019, it carries huge playoffs implications that will keep you glued to your screen! DAMWON Gaming have seen better days. Their week 7 matches exposed their early game shortcomings, and their synergy isn’t nearly as refined as it used to be. Granted, they still have solid macro and teamfighting in the late game, but getting to that point is a constant struggle for DAMWON.
Hanwha Life Esports have always been in that good-but-not-great category. This team knows how to work together in invades, teamfights, and skirmishes, but it has clear limitations in terms of individual talent. And while Hanwha somewhat make up for it with a good grasp of macro, it remains to be seen whether they can get far with this team-focused approach.
DAMWON vs Hanwha Life – LCK Match Breakdown
Top Lane Matchup
Our DAMWON vs Hanwha Life LCK match breakdown starts with the top lane. DAMWON have two top laners on their side. The first one—Nuguri—is a potent carry threat and a confident splitpusher with a 2.7 KDA and 9.6 CS per minute to his name. However, Nuguri tends to make the entire game revolve around him, so DAMWON Gaming used his substitute in their latest matches. With a 3.9 KDA and 8.6 CS per minute, Flame is a battle-hardened veteran that has the mechanics to play carry champions as well as the game sense to recognize when he has to take a step back and let his teammates take over the game.
Technically, Hanwha Life Esports also have two top laners on their roster, but they’ve pretty much settled on using Thal as their starter. Sporting a 3.7 KDA and 8.6 CS per minute, Thal joined the team as a rejected SK Telecom T1 player, but he’s found a way to shine in the new environment. Granted, his mechanics might not be as sharp as those of Flame or Nuguri, but he makes up for it with solid teamfighting and strong synergy with his teammates.
VERDICT: DWG Nuguri and Flame secure a slight lead in the top lane.
Jungle Matchup
DAMWON Gaming use different junglers depending on which top laner they choose to field. With a 4.4 KDA and 5.3 CS per minute, Punch has great synergy with Nuguri, and his early playmaking is a great way of setting his allies up for success. Meanwhile, Canyon (3.6 KDA and 5.1 CS per minute) is a much more self-centered player that works well with Flame and seeks to turn himself into a potent carry threat.
Hanwha Life Esports only have one jungler to oppose them. Holding a 3.0 KDA and 4.5 CS per minute, BonO is an aggressive player that’s always looking to set up a daring dive or a confident invade. However, he often opts for high-risk, high-reward plays and drags his teammates into losing skirmishes, so Punch and Canyon should be able to outmaneuver him around the map.
VERDICT: DWG Punch and Canyon claim the jungle as their own.
Mid Lane Matchup
A slightly different DAMWON vs Hanwha Life narrative takes place in the mid lane. With a 4.5 KDA and 8.9 CS per minute, ShowMaker is the clear-cut ace of DAMWON Gaming. His champion pool is as wide as an ocean, and his level of play is on a level where he can seamlessly take over teamfights and pull off spectacular outplays.
Hanwha Life Esports have two mid laners on their side. Sporting a 3.0 KDA and 8.5 CS per minute, Lava is a well-rounded carry player that’s recently been making strides in the mid lane. Still, he’s not quite top-tier yet, so he will struggle to keep up with ShowMaker in the laning phase. The same applies to Tempt (5.3 KDA and 8.6 CS per minute), whose mage-focused champion pool makes him a walking target for ShowMaker’s aggression.
VERDICT: DWG ShowMaker conquers the mid lane.
Bot Lane Matchup
The bot lane has always been DAMWON Gaming’s weakness. With a 6.2 KDA and 10.1 CS per minute, Nuclear is a decent teamfighting marksman, but he doesn’t bring much else to the table. Meanwhile, both Hoit (4.4 KDA) and BeryL (3.1 KDA) have similar tank-focused champion pools and defensive playstyles that revolve around protecting their AD carry.
Hanwha Life’s bot lane is more versatile in comparison. Holding a 4.5 KDA and 10.2 CS per minute, Sangyoon is a well-rounded carry that can even make picks like Ashe or Kalista look like teamfighting monsters. He’s paired up with Key (3.3 KDA), a solid support that puts a strong emphasis on roaming and initiating fights for his teammates.
VERDICT: HLE Sangyoon and Key win the bot lane standoff.
DAMWON vs Hanwha Life – LCK Match Prediction
Each of DAMWON Gaming’s individual leads isn’t strong enough to win the game, but they grow into a sizeable advantage when you put them together. Combine that with the fact that the early game is supposed to be DAMWON’s weakest point, and we struggle to see how Hanwha Life Esports can challenge them. Our prediction is a 2-1 victory for DAMWON Gaming!
You can bet on DAMWON Gaming winning the DAMWON vs Hanwha Life match with a 2-1 score for odds of 3.00 at Betway.