While the gaming community was still busy “mourning” Rogue, after the draw from their compatriot “cursed” Jankos placed the third seed of the EU region into a death trap with the presence of DWG KIA and FunPlus Phoenix in Group A of the Worlds 2021 Group Stage, a different team from North America was visibly pleased with this outcome. That team is Team Liquid – the second seed from the North American region, but only placed in Pool 3 in the draw list.
Immediately after the draw results were announced, TL posted clips capturing the scenes of the team members celebrating and cheering as if they had just won the championship, at the moment Jankos drew the name Rogue for the last spot in Group A (not counting the Play-in results).
To be honest, Team Liquid has no “grudge” against Rogue at all; in fact, the camaraderie between the LEC and LCS regions is not to be doubted. It’s just that sometimes one person’s sorrow is another’s joy. TL is celebrating simply because RGE has “sacrificed” for the greater good, making way for the North American representative in the death group.
Jankos’s draw means that TL will dodge DK and FPX, and at this stage, for most teams participating in Worlds, avoiding these two giants is enough to bring tears of joy, not just for TL players.
It should also be emphasized that Rogue’s placement in Group A has brought more than one ray of hope for Team Liquid, as they had previously “dodged” Group B where 100 Thieves were placed along with EDG (T1 drew after RGE). This means they could only fall into one of the two groups C or D – much more manageable groups.
Ultimately, TL secured a spot in the “ideal” group for them, which is Group D, alongside MAD Lions and Gen.G Esports. In fact, after the Play-in round concluded, they also ensured they avoided two tough opponents, Hanwha Life Esports and Cloud9. The fourth team in Group D could only be LNG Esports or a team from the Wild Card region. And theoretically, TL has a chance to advance from the group stage, as both MAD and GEN did not perform well in the last Worlds.
But it must be emphasized that this is only theoretical. TL has met the necessary condition, which is a not too harsh group, while the sufficient condition to advance from the group stage is that they must perform exceptionally well. Because even if MAD or GEN are rated lower than the opponents in Groups A and B, these two teams are certainly not pushovers, and the tradition of “throwing games” by North American representatives has become legendary.