Photo: LoL Esports
To Worlds of League of Legends, competitors come with their own goals. For Western teams (European and North American), it is generally a question of integrating the top 8 by reaching the quarter-finals. For their part, the Asian teams are much more ambitious and are still aiming for the title… It must be said that since season 3, no world has escaped the Korea (LCK) and at the China (LPL).
The quarter-finals promise to be exciting and we can’t wait to see who will manage to slip into the last four to get closer to the Summoner’s Cup. Today, it is time to dissect the keys to the match between EDG and XRD. Before the competition, we would surely have given the advantage to the Chinese. But now things have changed a bit…
Team identities and dynamics
Is it really necessary to present EDG (EDward Gaming)? This historic structure of the LPL has already won everything: there are countless Chinese championship titles, it won the first MSI (2015) and won the Worlds last year. We can hardly do better and even if this season EDG is “only” the 3rd Chinese seed, its pedigree remains very impressive… especially since between its title of world champion and today, the roster has not moved an inch! Flandre, Jiejie, Scout, Viper and Meiko are still loyal to the post. EDG is however not invincible and it lost, as often, against T1 during chickens. The Korean style could therefore hinder the team when it comes to facing XRD.
Note, however, that XRD and T1 don’t have much to see. The 4th seed of the LCK seemed on paper a little weak. To see the Worlds, the team also fought in the Regional Qualifier by winning his two matches on the narrow score of 3-2. But that fighting spirit could carry players far in the competition, which could incidentally be Deft’s last. DRX is gradually gaining momentum and after flying over the Play-In, the players have reclaimed the top spot in Group C. All was not perfect, but this team will be difficult to move. It does not lack imagination with a very large champion pool. In Bo5, he is an opponent to be respected.
The key to the match: who will be the king of the jungle?
Last year, EDG succeeded in building an impregnable fortress. More measured in aggression than the other Chinese teams, it was above all more solid and was not afraid to face the Koreans and their famous macrogame. The team had a balance as perfect as it was oppressive. While the players haven’t changed and have lived together even more, one would assume this year it’s the same song. But we can see it since the beginning of the Worlds: EDG is no longer as dominating and serene as before. The training has not become average, far from it, but it can be surprised.
DRX notably has a double X-factor in the jungle. After disappearing from the radar for a year, pyosik is back to an interesting level. Sometimes too aggressive, he stands out for his desire to always play forward, which can catch his opponents off guard. We are still waiting for a big international performance from him, and it could well happen this year. His vis-a-vis, Jiejie, seems a bit less inspired. He might find it hard to keep up with the madness of the Main Kindred. And when we talked about double X factor, we were referring to Juhan, the other jungler of the team. He has already made three appearances in the competition and he could well take a dip to unblock the situation during the Bo5. He has a very different style from Pyosik and this strategic asset could give EDG headaches.
Our prediction: we want to try the big DRX odds…
We readily admit it and our affection for pyosik can make us a bit subjective. But despite that, we still want to put a small coin on XRD, which has been steadily gaining momentum since the end of the Summer Split. The players seem inhabited by an iron determination and the flexibility of the players could be a major asset in a Bo5 format. Nevertheless EDG remains EDG… We predict a close score of 3-2 for the Koreansbut the Chinese really won’t be far away.
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Europe will therefore only have one representative in the top 8 of the Worlds this year. It’s better than our rivals in North America, but it’s still a lackluster record that doesn’t give reason to celebrate… Historically, the LEC has done worse, but it’s still a very average result.