This one teamfight could’ve changed the outcome of Dplus KIA vs. KT at LoL Worlds 2023

Former League of Legends world champions Dplus KIA were denied a chance to claim a second Summoner’s Cup this past weekend when they were heartbreakingly eliminated from Worlds 2023 by fellow Korean leaguemates KT Rolster.

But League fans have their eye on one teamfight in particular that maybe could’ve reshaped the outcome of the series had it not been for one unfortunate misplay by Dplus ADC Deft. Thirty-seven minutes into the second game of KT and Dplus’ Swiss stage series on Oct. 29, a crucial teamfight swung in the favor of KT Rolster, although it possibly could’ve turned out differently if Deft landed his Aphelios ultimate, Moonlight Vigil. 

In the fight, Deft can be seen in Dplus’ backline, and although it’s not initially picked up by any of the casters, it’s noticeable that his Moonlight Vigil passes straight through an allied Jarvan IV instead of through the enemy team. The ability does no damage and goes straight to the wayside, leaving Dplus KIA without one of its biggest DPS cooldowns for the battle. Shortly after this devastating miss, Dplus’ next-best damage dealer, ShowMaker, attempted a solo flank but was caught out of position and quickly blown up.

Deft was left without much protection and was eventually caught out by a Dredge Line (Q) from an enemy Nautilus that sealed the fight. 

Deft was wildly ahead at this point in the game, and if he hit his ult here, it likely would’ve decimated KT’s backline. Players on the League subreddit theorized that Deft fell victim to mini-map targeting—the system that’s in place for abilities like Shen’s Stand United and Ezreal’s Trueshot Barrage—but Aphelios’ ultimate does not benefit from that feature. In this scenario, Deft simply whiffed. 

At this point in the game, both teams were tied in dragons and towers, but Dplus had a 3,000 gold lead. If they had won this fight, they likely would’ve been able to push down the mid lane and eventually claim KT’s Nexus thanks to their late-game advantage. But instead, they were forced to take part in one more teamfight, which resulted in another loss that sealed the game. 

While it’s a rigorous stretch to say that this misplay alone was what caused Dplus KIA to get bounced from Worlds, it certainly is interesting to debate what could have happened had Deft landed this ability and a decider game between the two teams was forced. Regardless, KT advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament, while Dplus were eliminated prior to the bracket stage of Worlds for the first time in franchise history. 

KT Rolster will return to the Worlds stage on Sunday, Nov. 4, for a quarterfinal match against JD Gaming.