League of Legends World Championships Playoffs Breakdown

We’ve finished up the group stage for the 2018 World Championships, and while some results went as expected, others are a little more surprising to say the least. There are just eight teams left to compete for the grand prize, so let’s take a look at the competitors, and how they got to where they are.

Quarterfinal One – KT Rolster vs Invictus Gaming

The top seed from the Korean region, it would be weird if KT Rolster was somehow unable to make the playoffs. They’ll be taking on Invictus Gaming, a strong competitor from China. Both of these teams managed to go 5-1 during the group stage, though due to other positioning, KT left their group in first seed, while IG left in second seed. Both of these teams have had some dominant performances during the group stage, however IG did show some weakness on the final day of competition which might prove a problem if they can’t get back on pace before their quarterfinal match.

Quarterfinal Two – Royal Never Give Up vs G2 Esports

The tournament favorites of RNG, taking on the European powerhouse of G2. Honestly, there shouldn’t be a world in which RNG can’t find victory in this series. Sure, G2 will always have the ability to surprise their opponents with unconventional picks, however it would take a miracle to overcome the tried and true style of RNG in a best-of-five series with so much at stake. What is a more realistic outcome is that G2 could force RNG to reveal any hidden or special picks in their quest for glory, meaning the other teams might be able to use that knowledge to their advantage. However, never let it be said that G2 cannot find victory under any circumstances, plenty of crazier upsets have happened in the past.

Quarterfinal Three – Afreeca Freecs vs Cloud9

The last hope for the North American region, Cloud9 is once again carrying the dreams and support of NA fans. Luckily, this is a situation they’ve found themselves in before, so the pressure to succeed isn’t something they aren’t used to. Ironically, both AF and C9 were scrim partners during the group stage, so what effect that will have on any surprise picks will be interesting to see. Both teams have shown skill so far, and both have shown areas that could be improved, but this is likely the best chance NA fans have of seeing one of their teams make it to the semi-finals.

Quarterfinal Four – Fnatic vs Edward Gaming

This is the real showdown for Western fans. Despite the outcomes of the previous matches possibly going in their favor, this is where most EU LCS fans will be pinning their hopes for advancement. And why shouldn’t they? Fnatic have shown to be one of the most dominant teams at Worlds 2018, and their win conditions are easily adaptable, meaning they can come at you from a multitude of angles. Fnatic already has a World Championship to their name, but no-one really counts season one, meaning that Fnatic are in the best position to really sweep the world and prove themselves the best team in League of Legends.

All the action is kicking off later today / tomorrow morning, so be sure to catch all the action on the official Twitch channel below.