Among the teams that competed on the first day of the 2021 World Championship play-in stage, LNG Esports had the most successful start with 2 victories, notably a convincing win against Hanwha Life Esports. With these 2 wins, while the other opponents fell significantly behind in skill (RED Canids, Infinity Esports), LNG has essentially secured a strong position, if not a guaranteed spot, in this year’s World Championship group stage.
In an interview after the first day of competition, Icon – the mid laner for LNG, expressed absolute confidence in the performance of “The Unicorns”. When commenting on the mid laners from the LCK, Icon showed that he did not hold them in high regard: “Overall, I feel that the LPL mid lane is stronger compared to the LCK, based on my experiences climbing ranks, and in all my practice sessions, as well as due to the fact that I’ve faced many mid laners from other regions.”
Through his insights, Icon shows confidence when facing formidable rivals from South Korea, although currently, the World Championship title belongs to the Koreans. The LNG player also expressed more apprehension when up against teams from his own region. Perhaps besides skill, another reason for Icon’s hesitation is that apart from himself, Doinb, Scout, and Cryin are all extremely talented players with broad champion pools who can turn the tide of a match with just a few remarkable plays.
However, in the 2021 World Championship this year, the Korean mid laners cannot be underestimated as they have seasoned players like Faker, ShowMaker with his unique playstyle and diverse champion pool, Chovy who can carry Hanwha Life Esports when in top form, and Bdd who is consistently rated highly among the current mid laners.
With his recent statement, Icon has essentially thrown down the gauntlet to the mid laners of the LCK. The upcoming matches for LNG, should they advance to the group stage, will be incredibly interesting and special. As Icon shared, if LNG and T1 face off, fans will witness a battle between two players born in 1996, but with career paths in League of Legends that are worlds apart.