Just a few hours ago, the results of the group draw for the Play-In Stage of the 2023 World Championship (Worlds) were officially announced. Accordingly, GAM Esports will be in Group A along with LOUD, PSG Talon, and Movistar R7. Meanwhile, the other VCS representative – Team Whales (TW) will be in Group B with CBTC Flying Oyster, Detonation Focus Me, and the winner of the matchup between Golden Guardians (GG) and Team BDS (BDS).
Immediately after the draw results were announced, the League of Legends community had various predictions about the outcomes of the Play-In Stage matches. However, a common point in these opinions is that TW from VCS is becoming the unluckiest team at Worlds 2023. This is due to Riot’s changes to the Worlds 2023 format, leaving TW uncertain of who their opponents are.
“I see TW as the unluckiest team at this year’s Worlds. Having to face a team from a major region is already a huge disadvantage for them. Moreover, Riot’s changes to the format and the match between GG and BDS happening right before the Play-In Stage only complicate things further for them. TW doesn’t even know who their opponents are and has to prepare for both teams,” a player commented.
With Riot’s significant changes to the competition format, only one of the two fourth-seed teams from LEC and LCS will qualify for Worlds 2023. Therefore, they created a match called the Worlds Qualifying Series to determine the last team to make it to the Play-In Stage. This match will take place on October 9, just one day before the Play-In Stage begins.
This puts TW in a very difficult position regarding preparation since they don’t even know who their opponent is. Moreover, the VCS representative has to endure this uncertainty for nearly a month before the GG and BDS match concludes. In contrast, other teams in the Play-In Stage are not facing this “tragic” situation.
Essentially, the changes to the Worlds 2023 format have highlighted the first injustice, and unfortunately, it is the VCS representative – TW that has to bear this burden. Hopefully, the TW team will find a reasonable solution to overcome these difficulties and prepare as best as possible for the upcoming Worlds 2023.