After the LPL, the LCK has taken the spotlight in the international League of Legends community as the playoffs for the Summer 2021 tournament officially kicked off, starting with the match between Nongshim RedForce and Afreeca Freecs.
Although rated as the stronger team, NS had a rather shaky start as AF took the lead in game 1. However, with their players performing at a significantly higher level, Peanut and his teammates quickly regained their spirit and easily defeated their opponents in the next 3 games, completing a comeback with a final victory of 3-1.
With this result, NS officially advances to the semifinals of the playoffs. Moreover, their victory directly determines the outcome of another race, which is the competition for a spot in the Worlds regional qualifiers.
Specifically, AF’s elimination from the playoffs by NS means this team has officially lost hope of securing a ticket to the World Championship, having only accumulated a total of 10 Championship Points after the spring and summer seasons. As of after this match, aside from DWG KIA, who has officially secured a spot at Worlds, the remaining 5 positions in the Championship Points race (the team with the most points that does not win the LCK Summer 2021 will secure the second seed) have been determined, including: Gen.G Esports, Nongshim RedForce, T1, Hanwha Life Esports, and Liiv SANDBOX.
Before the match between NS and AF, both T1 and LSB were at risk of being eliminated from the race for the regional qualifier spots if either of these teams was eliminated in the first round of playoffs while AF advanced further.
However, as we now know, this risk has officially been eliminated with AF’s loss in the recent match. Both T1 and Liiv SANDBOX have alleviated a significant amount of pressure weighing on them ahead of their matchup tomorrow. Because even if they lost this match, they still have a chance to secure a spot at Worlds through the regional qualifiers. And of course, by reaching the semifinals, NS has also determined its fate in the race for the biggest tournament in League of Legends, not to mention that they still have the opportunity to head straight to China by winning the LCK.
