Recently, the group stage draw results for the ASIAD Hangzhou League of Legends event have officially been announced. Accordingly, Vietnam is considered to be in one of the “easiest” groups, as opponents like Palestine and Japan are unlikely to match the superstars from VCS. Furthermore, with such a group scenario, Taiwan becomes Vietnam’s biggest rival unless something unexpected occurs. In fact, the audience in LoL Vietnam even contemplates a silver medal.
However, contrary to the joy of the Vietnamese LoL community, international audiences in Asia seem dissatisfied with the draw results. The reason stems from the fact that South Korea is in Group A, and when entering the group stage, they are highly likely to face China right in the semifinals. Specifically, South Korea’s opponents in the group stage are Hong Kong and Kazakhstan – both significantly weaker than the Land of the Morning Calm. Moving into the quarterfinals, South Korea’s next opponent will be Saudi Arabia – a rival that hardly has any famous LoL players. In the adjacent matchup, both Thailand and Macau are not contenders for the LPL. Therefore, it is almost certain that South Korea and China will clash in the semifinals, and only one team will advance to the ASIAD League of Legends finals.
On many forums, LoL fans in Asia and internationally are truly frustrated with the draw results. One opinion bluntly states: “The draw for the MSI and Worlds group stage is even fairer, as even the worst scriptwriters for tournaments cannot create a scenario where teams like China or South Korea face each other before the finals.” Moreover, someone concludes: “So this result means that, unless a miracle occurs, the ASIAD League of Legends finals will definitely be a flop, right?”
Clearly, the prospect of China and South Korea facing each other before the finals is something no one desires. However, this will also be the toughest challenge for both teams, as the winning team is almost certain to secure the gold medal.