Has a Single Bug Changed the Outcome of Worlds?

GAM's match against TOP Esports was easily the most intense game of Worlds so far, with both teams going back and forth exchanging blows. Off the back of an incredibly close base defence, GAM saved their Nexus and were able to win, knocking TOP out of the tournament.

This was a shocking outcome for the LPL representatives, especially as they went onto demolish Rogue and DRX and seemed to be ramping up. However, what if a bug was the reason why TOP were unable to destroy the Nexus?

The Bug

As soon as Karthus respawned, he channeled his ultimate to deal a huge amount of damage to TOP. As shared by bug catcher extraordinaire Vandiril, Lucian's Maw never procced to shield the magic damage incoming from Karthus's ult.

This is what should have happened:

If Lucian had been able to get off one or two more auto attacks onto the Nexus, it would have been destroyed and TOP would have won. Even though Lucian was ulted away by the Sett, he may have had the time to get back into range of the Nexus. Even though Sett was chasing the Lucian, Sett's full tank build means it's unlikely he had the damage to finish Lucian off.

Should the game have been replayed?

It's impossible to say whether Lucian could have destroyed the Nexus if he had more health after Maw nullified the Karthus ult. But in such a tense and close scenario, it's clear this bug had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

Unfortunately for TOP, no player noticed the bug during the game. FNC's coach YamatoCannon clarified that action can't be taken unless it's the players themselves that report bugs during the game:

It also took a day or two for the bug to be shared on social media, meaning the group had already been concluded and TOP had been eliminated.

The 'What Ifs'?

When thinking about a situation like this, it's very easy to fall into thinking about the 'what ifs':

• Even if the bug didn't occur, would JackeyLove clutch the moment and destroy the Nexus?
• Would TOP have won the rest of the games and looked so good if the bug didn't take place, as they would have had a lot more pressure against RGE and DRX?
• Would RGE – who secured their quarter-final spot with TOP's defeat to GAM – still have made it to quarters given their shaky performance in week 2?
• What would the outcome of tie-breakers have been if DRX, RGE and TOP finished at 4-2?
• How far could TOP have gone if they were still in the tournament?

Despite the devastating nature of this bug for the TOP Esports players, staff and fans, it would not have been feasible for the games to be replayed. The outcome of this game had huge consequences for the entire group, meaning the rest of the group's games would have had to be replayed too to protect competitive integrity.

Unfortunately, finding the time to replay these games would not have been possible with the quarter-finals starting in just a few days. All of the teams' mindsets would also be very different, and the competitive integrity of the tournament would be compromised further.

Lastly, if the games were replayed, the winners would be at a huge disadvantage heading into quarters as they'd have much less practice time against their opponent.

Summary

It was devastating for the TOP Esports players, staff and fans for them to leave the tournament, and the revelation of this bug has only added salt to the wound.

Even if TOP's elimination still stands, hopefully this scenario inspires discussions between Riot and the esports community about the impact of bugs. Not only should the number of bugs be minimised, but swifter action must be taken if bugs do occur and ultimately affect the outcome of the game.