With less than a week until the first round of the League of Legends World Championship 2021 officially kicks off, let’s create an objective prediction about the chances of each team advancing from their respective groups.
But first, let’s take a look at Groups A and B of the Play-In stage, where teams like HLE and LNG are considered the strongest candidates to advance, thanks to their superior roster quality compared to the average level of competition.
In Group B, this is truly a very unpredictable group where opportunities are evenly distributed among all teams. North America has not been rated highly at the Worlds for a long time. However, with international competition experience and the presence of Perks, it is not difficult to place our full trust in Cloud9’s chances of advancing. On the other hand, based on a relatively impressive performance at Worlds 2020, Beyond Gaming may be considered the team with a slight edge to follow Cloud9. So, if HLE, LNG, Cloud9, and Beyond Gaming advance, what scenarios could unfold in the group stage? Let’s keep an eye on it.
Group A: FunPlus Phoenix – DWG KIA
With the participation of the two most recent World Champions, FPX (2019) and DWG KIA (2020), this is seen as a group with a strong connection and somewhat “cursed” for any team unfortunate enough to end up here. Both FPX and DWG KIA are considered top contenders for the ticket to advance, regardless of which team joins from the Play-In. The first victim named in Group A is Rogue, the representative from LEC. Next, based on our predictions above, Cloud9 is the next name that will join based on the rules of the Group Stage (In simpler terms, teams from the same league cannot be in the same group).
While we cannot predict anything with certainty, as Worlds always brings many surprises, if the current dominating performance continues, it will be hard for any team in Group A or even globally to stop these two giants from advancing. The main concern is how the standings of these two teams will look at the end of the group stage, as it would be very beneficial for DWG or FPX to finish at the top of the group.
Group B: T1 – EDG
In Group B, with the participation of EDG, 100 Thieves, T1, and as predicted, Beyond Gaming, this is considered a relatively manageable group for T1 fans. Clearly, the most formidable opponent for T1 in this group is none other than EDG (the reigning LPL Summer champion) with their high-quality roster spread across all three lanes. Unlike previous years, when EDG often performed inconsistently, this year at Worlds, EDG’s position has changed as Scout has matured and stabilized significantly, and Viper is proving himself to be a talented and promising AD carry.
On the other hand, T1 no longer holds the sole position it once did, and Faker is also affected by age. T1’s roster has many young talents but lacks international experience. These factors lead to the encounter between EDG and T1 leaning somewhat towards the representative from LPL. However, becoming the runner-up in the LCK Summer shows that the strength of the T1 team can be extremely fearsome if executed smoothly. In other words, even if they may not be rated as highly as EDG, T1 will still be regarded as a formidable opponent for the ticket to advance.
Group C: HLE – RNG
There’s a high probability that HLE will enter this group if they advance through the Play-In. If this scenario happens, Group C will become extremely unpredictable as the chances are evenly distributed among the four teams involved. Compared to Groups A and B, where two extremely dominant teams make it easy for viewers to predict who will advance, Group C suddenly becomes a huge question mark, as each team has its own strengths and distinct playstyles. Choosing two teams to advance is truly difficult, but looking at the performances of all four teams in their domestic leagues, many would agree that RNG and HLE are likely to advance as both are showing a fresher face despite still having some shortcomings. However, with the status of the two representatives from the LPL and LCK, the skill level and individual skills of the players will still be highly regarded.
At the very least, PSG Talon will be a very troublesome obstacle and should be taken seriously as this team had a highly successful MSI, notably featuring mid-laner Maple. Speaking of which, Fnatic becomes even more troublesome, especially in the group stage. When a Bo1 format is chosen, European teams are extremely familiar with it. This is also a disadvantage for most teams from the LCK and LPL as they do not regularly compete in this format in their domestic leagues.
Group D: MAD Lions and LNG
If LNG advances through the play-in, it is certain that this team will be in Group D. This is the only group, as of the draw, that has not seen the appearance of a team from the LPL. Speaking of this group and LNG’s current form, Tarzan continues to show his immense impact on the team. Particularly, Tarzan’s peak performance, along with improvements in communication with teammates, has helped LNG present a terrifying face in the regional qualifiers, achieving a series of highly convincing victories. Although there are still challenges ahead, the hope for LNG and Tarzan to achieve miracles is based on solid ground.
As for MAD Lions, the LEC champions are proving to be the only hope and pride of Europe at this time. Speaking of MAD Lions, they had a MSI that exceeded expectations, along with the remarkable progress of the team members. Humanoid is a bright spot, as the player born in 2000 shows his superior level compared to other mid-laners in the LEC. Many believe that the Madrid Lions can achieve much more than what they are currently showing. However, for now, finishing the Group Stage in first place will be their top goal.
Regarding Gen.G Esports, their relatively poor performance in the last Worlds may be the reason why experts do not rate the second seed of the LCK highly. GEN’s gameplay relies heavily on Ruler, while their top lane is quite weak. Bdd himself is not a player with much experience to shine confidently on the international stage. So, if we had to point out the name with the “risk” of disappointing the most, GEN has a fairly high chance of doing so.