Fans have pointed out feasible ways for LCS and LEC teams to make an impact against LCK.
Thus, just after the first 3 days of competition, 2 LEC teams and 1 LCS team have fallen to 2 representatives from LCK as well as Bilibili Gaming (from LPL). Aside from losing by wide margins, Western teams have not shown much against their opponents. The only name to secure a win is G2 Esports. MAD Lions only put up a fight against T1 in the early game while Cloud9 was utterly helpless.
Witnessing the defeats of the 3 representatives from the LoL scene in Europe and North America, fans from these regions could not help but feel disheartened. On the evening of May 12 (Vietnam time), Golden Guardians – the last representative of North American LoL will face JD Gaming. The chances of GG winning are virtually nonexistent as JDG is even stronger than BLG and is considered on par with Gen.G and T1. What fans are hoping for is just that GG will put in their best effort and leave behind some impressive performances.
According to some opinions, based on the 3 matches that have passed, Western teams could definitely cause surprises. The only issue is that G2 played too cautiously compared to their previous selves. With a powerful Gen.G from LCK, playing by the meta and strategy is perceived as futile. Both MAD and C9 have shown that if they play proactively, they can make an impact. However, when they had the advantage, both teams failed to capitalize on it.
One fan suggested a way to at least secure one win against LCK and LPL teams: “They will never defeat LCK/LPL if they only play meta champions. That playstyle is not characteristic of Europe or North America. They can only win if they dare to play boldly, analyze their opponents, and make unique choices while playing proactively. It’s just unfortunate that currently, no team can do this.”
Indeed, in the past, G2 defeated SKT T1 at both MSI and Worlds thanks to unusual picks and a fearless playstyle. Smaller teams have also caused surprises, such as GAM beating TES with a “unique” pick (Karthus by Levi). Playing with strategy, macro, or using meta champions to compete with LCK/LPL will be very challenging as these two regions have demonstrated their understanding of League of Legends.
However, major regions constantly monitor their opponents to grasp their playstyle and tendencies. Therefore, players must also train themselves, as unexpected strategies can only yield a single win. Overall match victories rely on reasonable strategies and player capabilities.