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 advancing to 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 T1 and RNG. The two teams have gotten to know each other inside out over time, but despite the years, we never get tired of this poster!
Identities and dynamics of competitors
For many, T1 it’s before all Faker. The midlaner is the undisputed GOAT of the game and with his structure, he has already won the Worlds 3 times. But his last success is starting to date (2016) and today, the Korean has evolved his game to become more utilitarian than carry. T1 cannot be summed up on its own and players like Zeus (top) or Keria (Supp) are among the best in the world in their position. We could see it during the group phase, the team is very solid collectively and the danger can come from anywhere. If we put aside his only loss against Fnatic, it’s serious. The loss this summer against Gen.G (0-3) in LCK seems to have put the players back in place, who are more determined than ever to shine.
On the other side, RNG is also a regular at Worlds. We no longer count its participation, even if we notice that the team has never managed to win the competition. Even if she has to her credit 3 MSI, this mid-season tournament does not have the same cachet. 4th seed in its league, RNG seems on paper a bit behind. But she’s been gaining momentum since the Play-In and even managed to knock down Gen.G once during the pools. And then a roster where we find players like Xiaohu and GALA, it is necessarily a roster that deserves respect. The collective is well oiled and even if the team likes to play around its botlane, it knows how to adapt according to the situations. But the individualities seem a bit less clutch than those of T1.
The key to the match: Top diff?
For many, the status of the best top laner in the world is played between 369 (JD Gaming) and Zeus (top). The Korean is coming off an excellent year and he continues to impress. In-game, he goes crazy and does not disappoint, despite his young age and his lack of experience. But for the moment, Breathe is no exception. If we peel the statistics, the two top laners are very close. We also notice that their champion pool is a bit similar, with a tendency to play carries like Fiora.
- KDA : 3.46 vs. 3.44 (Breathe advantage)
- CS/M : 8.75 vs. 8.58 (Breath perk)
- Gold/M : 453 against 424 (Zeus advantage)
But there are still two points that lean in favor of the Korean, quite largely. He succeeds in inflicting a lot more damage (691/M against 425/M) and it is a lot more present on kills of his team (56.1% against 45.9%). Breathe will therefore have a lot to do to avoid the top diff. But if he manages to raise his level of play and muzzle Zeus, RNG will be a sure winner.
Our prediction: Faker has a prophecy to fulfill
After having studied the question for a long time and in spite of the recent victory of RNG at MSI, we would tend to give T1 winner with the score of 3-1. The Chinese have a nice roster, but it seems like the LCK style is hampering them right now: 0-1 against DRX then 1-2 against Gen.G. Individuals are pleading for a T1 victory and Faker has a prophecy to fulfill. Teams like JD Gaming or Gen.G could cause problems, but RNG seems a bit too light.