League of Legends World 2017, Group stage has ended, and the Knockout stage is due on October 19th, 2017. It was an interesting run, with some teams that were expected to qualify performing poorly, and others passing the group stage with higher standing than expected. Also, some teams switched up their play and managed to get into the quarter finals despite a less than stellar start.
For example, I would've expected team Edward Gaming, from the LPL, or wildcard ahq e-Sports Club, from LMS, to qualify due to their great record, but both ended up in a tie for 3rd place of group A. They were both outclassed by the expected SKT Telecom T1, from LCK, who only lost one game in this stage, and it was against ahq e-Sports Club. But surprisingly, they were also outmatched by Cloud 9, the third seed from NALCS.
For group B, Fnatic, of EULCS, managed a great feat by qualifying after losing the first four matches and afterwards winning everything and ended up in 2nd place, right after Longzhu Gaming of LCK, that ended up as group leader without suffering a single loss. Immortals, of NALCS, ended up in last place after losing 2nd place tie with Fnatic and 3rd place tie with ultimate underdog, Gigabyte Marines of GPL.
Group C performed most to my expectation, as you can see from my picks pictured above, with Royal Never Give Up, from LPL, taking first place, and Samsung Galaxy following up in 2nd place. The could only be challenged by G2 Esports, the first seed of EULCS, who were expected to perform, but ultimately fail against the might of the LCK and LPL. Unfortunately, 1907 Fenerbahçe Espor ended up in last place without a single win, probably due to the TCL being a relatively weak region with no strong competition and outside influence.
For group D, I would've expected wildcard Flash Wolves to qualify, similar to group A, due to their unconventional style, but that ended up costing them, finishing in last place. Team WE, from LPL, ended up in first place as expected, but surprisingly, Misfits Gaming, the third seed of EULCS finished 2nd, ahead of NALCS's first seed, TSM, after winning the tie-breaker with them.
But overall, as most would've predicted, South Korea's LCK dominate the standing with all three teams passing the group stage. China's LPL managed two get two of the three teams into the knockout stage, with EULCS following suit with two teams passing the group stage, surprisingly. Also, NALCS managed to get one team through, though it was not the one most would've expected. Below you have my picks for the knockout stage.
My voting is relatively conservative, as I expect SKT Telecom T1 to take away the cup for the third time in a row, only challenged by other korean teams and chinese teams. But considering the first match is between two LCK teams, and Samsung Galaxy facing off against the strong Longzhu Gaming, I expect them to be the only ones from that region to remain in the fight.
I also don't expect european of american teams to escape the quarterfinals, as they are all facing off against teams from much stronger regions, namely LCK or LPL. The semifinal between Team WE and Longzhu Gaming could go either way, but I have chosen the latter to pass on to the final. It remains to be seen whether I an right or not, but I'm sure we'll see some interesting games.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my pick or expect a different outcome? Share your picks and expectations below, along with any feedback you might have. It is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for reading, and keep on steemin'!
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