WCS Finals 2022: Team Flash secure grand finals spot, RRQ knock out Buriram United

The League of Legends: Wild Rift Champions Southeast Asia (WCS) Finals 2022 has resumed, with the remaining four teams — Vietnam's Team Flash, Taiwan's Flash Wolves, the Philippines' Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ), and Thailand's Buriram United (BRU) — going head-to-head on Friday (6 May) in the upper bracket finals and the lower bracket semifinals.

While all four teams qualified for Wild Rift Icons, the most prestigious international competition for Wild Rift, they continued to compete for the championship title and the only direct group stage spot.

Team Flash defeated Flash Wolves 3-1 in the upper bracket finals to become the first team to secure a spot at the WCS Grand Finals.

Meanwhile, RRQ keep their lower bracket run alive by sweeping BRU, 3-0, at the lower bracket semifinals and moving on to the lower bracket finals.

Here’s how the matches played out.

Team Flash take first grand finals spot

Team Flash started the upper bracket finals strong, keeping Flash Wolves away from the team objectives and wiping them out in an early Ace.

The Vietnamese team kept a comfortable lead, pulling back Chiu "Bruce" Chih-Chun's Ahri pick.

However, Team Flash's attempt to bait their opponents in the top lane backfired as Flash Wolves’s Chan "Cookie" Yun-Shang absolutely destroyed all of the Vietnamese summoners in a midgame Ace.

Flash Wolves were able to make a comeback, taking the Baron and closing the gold gap.

The Taiwanese squad pushed their advantage further, stealing the Elder Drake from the Vietnamese and cleaning up the river, allowing them to push mid and take the first game in 19 minutes with a 15-10 kill lead.

Cookie was named the Player of the Game, with an 80% kill participation rate on Jax.

The second game started in a similar manner as game one, with Team Flash having a slight lead in kills but objectives falling into the hands of Flash Wolves.

However, the Vietnamese team’s scaling draft became a problem for their Taiwanese opponents.

Flash Wolves once again found a way back into the game after turning the tables in another fight at the Dragon pit. The lead then kept bouncing back and forth from both teams until the midgame.

That changed when Team Flash’s scaling champions started outlasting Flash Wolves in skirmishes. And in the fight for the Elder Drake, it was the Vietnamese that found the advantage and four kills, letting them take the Dragon.

With buffs from both the Baron and Elder Drake, Team Flash destroyed Flash Wolves' base to tie up the series after 20 minutes of action. Nguyễn "Zysu" Phat took the Player of the Game honours with a 94% kill participation rate.

Team Flash kept their lead in the laning phase of game three. However, Zysu was able to sustain an early gold lead that made the difference in the fight for the first Rift Herald, allowing his team to take four kills.

The Vietnamese team barely gave their opponents any room to breathe, with Flash Wolves dropping like flies in teamfights.

But the Taiwanese struck back when Team Flash came knocking at their door, taking three kills to extend the game.

Bruce tried to execute a split push in vain, as Team Flash were able to secure the Baron and finally finish the game in 17 minutes with a 26-6 kill lead.

Zysu once again shone as his team took a commanding 2-1 series lead, taking Player of the Game with a 69% kill participation rate on Olaf.

In an explosive fourth game, both teams gave their all, notching 30 kills between the two of them in just 13 minutes.

Phạm "Coyote" Bình however, shredded Flash Wolves with his unconventional mid Lucian pick. Coyote carried his team throughout, getting two quadra kills in the same game and dealing 40,000 damage.

Despite Flash Wolves' best efforts to stay in the series, Coyote’s damage was through the roof as he led Team Flash in finishing the series in 17 minutes with a 22-18 kill lead.

Coyote was the uncontested Player of the Game with a 68% kill participation rate on Lucian, 2,354 damage per minute, and the highest DPM in the entire WCS.

RRQ sweep BRU to advance to lower bracket finals

RRQ started the lower bracket semifinals by drafting for high damage, which let them get off to a great start by routing BRU with an early ace at the 5-minute mark.

The Filipino team also managed to counter Soragit "Whatthejes" Buranathanasin’s signature Final Chapter flank on Yuumi and bully BRU in the side lanes. The Thai team kept finding ways to keep up, stealing map objectives whenever they can.

RRQ continued to demolish BRU’s turrets, who could not stand against their damage output.

And after finishing off the Thai team in a second ace, RRQ took their first win of the series after 20 minutes with a 19-7 kill lead. Sean "Helios" Palisoc took Player of the Game on Fiora with a 79% kill participation rate.

In game two, RRQ placed priority on Nasus for Eric "Exosen" Gubatan in the drafting phase. This was key in RRQ’s success as Exosen soaked up so much damage from BRU and slowed them down.

RRQ then kept separating their opponents and picking them off in teamfights. Despite BRU focusing their energy on Charles "Chaazz" Esguerra, Helios and the rest of RRQ followed through with the damage.

In a last-ditch attempt to win the game, the Thai team tried to take the Baron. But Keith "DevilJ" Gonzales on Renekton with Hullbreaker equipped sneaked into the bottom lane, giving RRQ the backdoor win after 16 minutes and with an 18-6 kill lead.

Helios took the Player of the Game award with an 89% kill participation rate on his Ahri.

RRQ allowed BRU to take comfort picks in a swift third game.

Despite this, RRQ still found ways to take the upper hand with Chaazz outplaying the Thais at every turn.

RRQ aced BRU multiple times in teamfights, running away with a 23-8 kill lead to secure the series sweep in just 14 minutes.

Chaazz was named Player of the Game with a 91% kill participation rate on Irelia.

With the day's results, RRQ will be facing Flash Wolves on Saturday (7 May) at the lower bracket finals, where the winner will earn the right to face Team Flash in the grand finals on Sunday (8 May).

Meanwhile, Buriram United Esports bow out of the competition in fourth place and with US$20,000 in consolation.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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