Things are not good for EU and NA
Worlds: LPL, LCK Dominate First Round Robin
The first round robin of the Worlds groups has been all about the LPL and LCK teams. DAMWON KIA , Royal Never Give Up and EDward Gaming stand at 3-0, while all LEC and LCS teams start their Worlds run with a 0-3 or 1-2 record.
After the play-in phase, the Worlds main event kicked off with a clash of champions - DAMWON KIA and FunPlus Phoenix. Over a period of three days, the top 16 teams teams played a total of 24 games in the first round robin of the tournament. The result was a return to power for the LPL and LCK representatives, who seem a class above their western rivals.
Group A: DAMWON Are Back with a Vengeance
We weren't expecting surprises from a group with 2020 Worlds champions DAMWON KIA and LPL second seed (and 2019 champions) FunPlus Phoenix, and we didn't get any. DAMWON is at 3-0 and deserved all three of these wins. The only game where things sort of looked equal was their clash against Rogue, where they got a phenomenal start but failed to snowball - and they still won in the end. FunPlus, meanwhile, looked lost against DAMWON and started badly against Cloud9, but managed to turn the last game around with great picks and map movement. Rogue, despite sent there with few hopes, had their moments and Hans Sama proved his mettle as a top-tier AD Carry, but only managed to secure a single win against Cloud9 - and it was not an easy victory. Meanwhile, the LCS representatives played with their fans' hearts, having a good chance to win two of their first three games only to lose them all.
Group B: GG, EDG
Despite Faker's many fans, we can't run from the truth: so far, EDward Gaming have been the king of the hill in this group. The LPL champions had were impressive throughout the games against T1 and 100 Thieves. We saw them stumble against Detonation FocusMe, but when we expected a KaBuM-level fiasco they turned it around to remain 3-0. T1, meanwhile, showed us a good game throughout the tournament but had to bow against the LPL champions. Still, they are now at 2-1 and would not count them out for the first place. Things look more bleak for the other two teams. 100 Thieves looked very strong against DFM, but were outclassed against the favorites. Detonation, meanwhile, came with high hopes after the play-in but for now look like the runt of the litter. They had some moments against 100 Thieves and EDward Gaming, but they are the team we expect to see in last place.
Group C: RNG Is Unstoppable
The third group saw another LPL team go undefeated, as Royal Never Give Up's aggression and teamfighting dominated the group. Their win against PSG Talon was not easy, but will be so much sweeter - and they showed up strong against Hanwha Life Esports and Fnatic. PSG Talon, meanwhile, can kick themselves for their loss, but two other wins put them in second place and with good chance to represent the PCS in the quarterfinals. Hanwha, on the other hand, remains a mystery. Deft is on point, and while Chovy is yet to truly impress, they are a contender - but in two out of three games, they failed to capitalize. Finally, Fnatic has left us shaking our heads. More than just missing Upset, their first two games were very sloppy and chaotic, despite some good moments early on. Their bout against PSG looked better, but they still flopped in the end. They might recover - but we wouldn't bet on it.
Group D: Nothing is Certain
More than any other group, D showed that everyone is vulnerable - and not just because there are no 3-0 teams here. Still, so far Gen.G is our pick for the strongest team, having great games against LNG Esports and Team Liquid (with one big exception). They lost to MAD Lions, but the game was quite close. After dominating the play-ins, LNG was great against TL and out-executed MAD Lions in teamfights, but we are not as sure in their form as we are for Gen.G. Behind them, TL and the Lions are at 1-2 and while they will fight for a playoff spot, it will not be easy. The LEC champions will kick themselves for their poor performance against TL in their opening game, which may yet cost them dearly, Liquid, meanwhile, looked great against their European rivals, but they did not impress against the Eastern teams. While every team in this group is dangerous, if we had to pick a weakest link it would be TL.
Read More:
- LoL Worlds 2021 Schedule and Scores
- Where is Upset at Worlds 2021? Fnatic Struggles amidst Drama
- NA & EU Struggle on Worlds 2021 Group Stage Day 3
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