The final matches of the LCK Summer 2021 group stage ended with many surprises. In addition to Gen.G Esports’ victory over the top team Nongshim Redforce, Hanwha Life Esports’ win against T1 truly left fans stunned. Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, which diminished their motivation somewhat, HLE’s ability to defeat a more desperate T1 to secure second place can be seen as a miracle for Chovy and his team.
Additionally, another piece of good news for HLE fans is that this team, although unable to secure a spot in the playoffs, has guaranteed a place in the regional qualifiers. In fact, the team even has time to rest, regroup, and boost their morale in anticipation of the teams they will compete against for a ticket to Worlds.
The reason is that at this moment, HLE has accumulated 50 Championship Points thanks to their third-place finish in the LCK Spring 2021. With their current points, before entering the playoffs, they have the third-highest points in the tournament, only behind DK and Gen.G – the first and second-place teams of Spring 2021.
With their elimination from the playoffs, HLE’s points will remain unchanged. The teams behind them include T1 (40), NS (40), DRX (20), LSB, and AF both with 10 points. In the first round of playoffs, NS will face AF and T1 will meet LSB while DRX has also been eliminated (their Championship Points remain unchanged). In any case, at least two names will be eliminated from the playoffs, and their points will remain stagnant as a result.
In the scenario where both T1 and NS advance and both teams appear in the finals, in addition to the two spots for the champion and the team with the highest Championship Points in the region, the remaining team will achieve a maximum of 140 points. At that point, the four teams competing for the remaining two spots in the regional qualifiers will be NS (or T1), Gen.G (or DK), HLE, and DRX. If T1 and NS are eliminated in the semifinals, their respective scores will be 120 (third place) and 90 (fourth place). In that case, the two direct tickets to Worlds will certainly belong to DK and Gen.G, and the four teams competing for the remaining two spots will be T1, NS, HLE, and DRX.
If both NS and T1 are eliminated, HLE will be even more assured of their spot without needing to overly concern themselves with the journey of LSB and AF. If both LSB and AF reach the finals, then one of the two teams will secure a ticket to Worlds as the champion, and the other direct spot will go to DK or Gen.G. Thus, the four teams competing for the remaining two spots in the regional qualifiers will be LSB (or AF), DK (or Gen.G), HLE, and T1 (or NS). On the other hand, if LSB and AF stop at the semifinals, their scores will be 90 (third place) and 60 (fourth place), so alongside the two direct spots from DK and Gen.G, the four teams competing for the remaining two tickets will include LSB, AF, HLE, and one of the two teams T1 or NS which will be determined after the tie-break matches.
Therefore, it can be said that while DK has secured a spot at Worlds regardless of any outcomes, HLE has also secured a spot in the regional qualifiers without needing to pay attention to any results in the playoffs. The journey of Chovy and his teammates is not over yet, and after today’s victory against T1, HLE fans can fully trust that their team can create a miracle.