Worlds Wrapped - Groups Day 7
It's been a rough couple of days for Western League fans with their teams crumbling in week 2, but Rogue stepped up to the plate and qualified for the quarter-finals. They were joined by DRX, after TOP lost in shocking fashion to GAM and were eliminated from the tournament.
RGE and DRX Advance
Many people were underestimating DRX heading into the tournament, and believed they would miss out on quarters in favour of TOP and RGE. However, they were by far the most consistent team in Group C and helped rejuvinate the LCK's scoreline from week 1.
They started off the day at 2-1 and in second place, but finished topping the group after dominating Rogue in a tie-breaker. They even proved they have some tricks up their sleeves by locking in Ashe/Heimerdinger bot and completely oppressing Rogue with it, so who knows what surprises they have in store for quarters?
Meanwhile, Rogue were coming into the day as the heavy favourites after going 3-0 in week 1. However, they were very fortunate to even advance to the quarters after going 1-3 on the day, qualifying without tie-breakers due to TOP losing to GAM. Given TOP's form ramping up over the course of the tournament, many expected Rogue to lose in a tie-breaker against them.
The community responded very harshly to Rogue, criticising their performance and emphasising how they only qualified thanks to GAM's victory over TOP.
Though their play definitely slumped compared to week 1, it's easy to forget the main reason they qualified was thanks to their exceptional week 1 record, dispatching the entire group in a confident fashion. Hopefully they can recreate this magic in quarters as the last hope of the West.
Spicy Picks, Everywhere
Today saw the spiciest picks of the tournament so far. As previously mentioned, DRX drafted an Ashe/Heimerdinger bot lane which crushed Rogue's bot lane with their long range CC and poke. The duo was so oppressive it even drew bans in future matches.
Rogue responded with an equally spicy Nasus support, which has seen some success in solo queue; you have an AoE poke with your W, and have a point-and-click slow with your E. However, the pick failed to have any impact on the game and was another reason why Rogue received so much criticism.
Not to be outdone, TOP's Mark locked in a Blizcrank support alongside Jackeylove's infamous Draven, and had phenomenal aim with his hooks. With the likes of Karthus jungle, Rumble top and Ahri mid also being locked in, this was a really exciting day for drafts and further proof of how diverse this World's meta is.
Highlight Play
In the most exciting game of the tournament by far, GAM managed to defend their base against TOP Esports and denied them a chance of making it to Quarters. This was a base defence decided by inches, and without it, TOP may still be in the tournament now:
After years of being denied the chance to play at international tournaments for years due to COVID, this was a huge moment for the VCS. Their victory proved why they have been so missed over the last few years, and why they continue to make waves at Worlds.
Rogue, Europe and the West are extremely grateful for this outplay.
Groups will wrap up with the conclusion of Group D, as GEN.G, RNG, 100T and CFO fight for the last two spots in the quarter-finals; who will be joining DRX and Rogue?