The LCK Champion Overlooks GAM When Discussing the Strongest Team of the Play-In Stage of Worlds 2024
At the Play-In stage of Worlds 2024, it can be said that GAM Esports delivered the most outstanding performance. Levi ranked in the top 4 for the highest creep/minute stats among junglers in the history of Worlds, while Kiaya had the best KDA ratio. In fact, GAM was the only team to achieve 2 perfect victories, losing no games at all. However, for the reigning LCK Summer 2024 champion – Zeka, GAM is not the best team of the Play-In stage. The mid-laner of Hanwha Life Esports pointed out that PSG Talon is the team that played the best.
Accordingly, Zeka stated: “I think the best team in the Play-In stage is PSG. Playing many games is also an advantage. I watched all the matches in the qualifiers and I think PSG is the best team. We will face them in our first match (of the Swiss stage), so we have to be very careful.”
The Swiss Stage of Worlds 2024 Will Hold Many Surprises
With the matches in the Swiss stage of Worlds 2024 being BO1 until the final deciding matches, surprises can definitely happen. Remember, it was in these BO1 matches that GAM sent two representatives from two Major regions home: Top Esports (2022) and Team Liquid (2023). However, HLE is on another level, as the LCK representative plays extremely disciplined and the chances for PSG to cause an upset are very low. Even if PSG players focus, they might not be able to outplay HLE.
Moreover, in reality, PSG went through the Play-In stage of Worlds 2024 with many lingering issues, the biggest being that they often let the early game, or even the entire first game, slip into the hands of their opponents. For HLE, such mistakes are more than enough for them to punish their rivals. Therefore, Zeka’s comments can be seen as mere humility, and HLE is likely to smoothly advance through the Swiss stage to secure their spot in the Round of 16 of Worlds 2024.