GOING INTO PLAY-IN STAGE
Worlds is now less than two days away, and I’m more excited than if you were to tell me Yorick finally got a second skin (which may never happen). The Play-in Stage reminds me a lot of March Madness. Are we going to get any crazy upsets this year, or will the expected teams run the table?
1. I am 100% confident a Korean team won’t be the best team participating in the Play-in stage. They won’t even get a participation trophy. Quote that and take it to the bank. Jokes aside, I’m excited to see how competitive the Play-in will be. The major regions are favored to advance, but so was KT Rolster. Sometimes you just lose three straight matches that would qualify you for Worlds. I'm not sad...
2. Odd year means Fnatic is going to make it to the Semifinals. At least. In 2011, they were the World Champions. 2013 and 2015 saw them reach the Semifinals. If my math checks out, then this bodes really well for them. It’s time to get on the FNC hype train. You’re either Kennen or Kenn-out.
3. Cloud9 had the Diamond 2 meme in 2015, and in 2016 they had “top die.” This year? Nothing! Is the meme dream actually dead? Or is it a sign they’re to be taken a little more seriously now? Maybe the Play-in will give us some ammo. After the group draw, Jensen [jokingly] tweeted, “just watched the play-in draw and I still have no idea who the fuck im playing against.” There’s no way that’ll be memed.
4. Team WE dazzled during MSI’s Group Stage which peaked with xiye solo killing Faker a couple times with his Lucian mid. And Lucian is still in meta. Perhaps slaying god came with some bad juju, though, as WE fell out of the LPL Playoffs and into the Regional Qualifier. Maybe they celebrated too early by releasing hit song, “WE Are the Champions.”
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6. The new Worlds format gives us two different group stages, and I freaking love group stages. Because each individual game matters, tension is through the roof, and we may see some crazy things happen. That said, I do think teams from the former major regions will advance. What'll be interesting is if they can all leave group play as the 1st seed. Imagine a world in which we get C9 vs. FNC in a Best of 5 to qualify for the main Group Stage. Give me drama. Give me salt.
7. Team oNe Esports is a rookie team that climbed over massive Brazilian favorites RED Canids and paiN gaming to get to Worlds. Most people have written Brazil off as a result, but I’m excited to see them evolve throughout the tournament into Team Won or Team Two or even Team Three. Brazilians always rally behind their representative, so this is Team oNe’s chance to capture the CBLoL fans’ hearts.
8. Lyon Gaming has been the Lyon King of their region — they’ve won almost every single event in their region dating back to 2013. Unfortunately, they’re in the toughest group. WE is probably the strongest overall team at the Play-in, and Gambit is probably the strongest team from a minor region. LYN have the death flags of Mufasa all over them, but perhaps they can still play the part of Simba.
9. Back in 2012, Moscow5 was the coolest team on the scene. They were innovative, aggressive, and sometimes just straight up disrespectful. The squad became Gambit Esports, but haven’t captured the same type of success until now. Diamondprox and Edward are joined by former ANX players PvPStejos and Kira. Gambit isn’t just another team. They carry the X gene. They are my pick for this year's bracket buster.
10. This is the first Worlds where we’ll see the 10 ban system. Theoretically, this should mean the more obscure picks will see the light of day. And those “cheese” picks have the potential to generate upsets. However, I think what will actually happen is the disparity in infrastructure — especially at a coaching level — will be even more clear now. But that’s less interesting, so I hope I’m wrong. Bring it on, Jungle Ezreal…
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