Before the match between Cloud9 and Fnatic, it was the European representatives who had little faith, especially after their performance against GAM Esports, even though that was a win for FNC. In that match against the representatives of VCS, if it weren’t for GAM’s players somewhat “self-destructing”, combined with Humanoid having an outstanding day, FNC could very well have been the team to face the “bitter fruit”. However, in the end, it was Cloud9 that had to exit the tournament after an entertaining BO3 series against FNC.
Thus, after the defeat of C9, and with Golden Guardians unable to participate and Team Liquid eliminated by GAM, LCS now has only one representative left, which is also the champion of the recent Summer Split – NRG. One comfort for LCS is that NRG currently holds a record of 2 wins – 1 loss. This means that if they lose one more match, they still have a chance to advance. However, the reality remains clear: apart from the smaller regions and wildcards, LCS is the only major region left with just one representative, matching the small region of VCS.
On the day C9 lost to FNC, LCS also set a very forgettable “record”: all 5 players from the first team of LCS Summer All-Stars have been eliminated from Worlds 2023. This is also the only major region with this undesirable “achievement”. Accordingly, the 5 players voted into the Summer All-Star team of LCS include: Licorice (GG), Blaber (C9), Jojopyun (EG), Berserker (C9), and Huhi (GG).
Witnessing their home region’s dismal performance, some Western viewers expressed bitter remarks: “Maybe we should join VCS now; they might still allow a merger?”.
Of course, in name, NRG is still competing. But they currently hold a record of 2-1, while their upcoming opponents could be names like FNC, Weibo Gaming, GAM/Dplus KIA, KT Rolster/LNG Esports, T1/Bilibili Gaming. And perhaps, except for GAM, any of these teams could dominate the North American representatives. However, if GAM can overcome DK to face NRG, it might be NRG that has to be fearful.
If NRG is also eliminated, then LCS will have its second consecutive Worlds season completely absent from the quarterfinals. This is a scenario that no North American League of Legends fan wishes for, but if they cannot save themselves, early elimination is inevitable, especially when all teams clearly show determination for the ticket to advance.