On Oct 5, the play-in stages of the 2022 LoL World championship came to an end. In the end, there were only four teams that made it into the group stages; DRX, RNG, Evil Geniuses, and Fnatic. The two first place teams of each group were DRX and Fnatic; DRX went undefeated in the play-in stages, while Fnatic only dropped a single game against CBLoL’s LOUD in the round robin. Evil Geniuses faced off against MAD Lions in the classic NA vs EU rival matchup, where EG swept MAD 3-0 to not only move on to groups, but to become the first LCS team to beat an LEC team in a Bo5. RNG took down LJL’s DetonatioN FocusMe 3-1 and were the last team to move on in the tournament.

The gameplay is and will always be what the fans will primarily focus on, but the banter, memes, and the wholesome moments are an integral part of the sport that serve as the cherry on top of the cake. From the moments that were unknowingly caught on camera, the jersey exchanges between teams, the friendly[?] online banter, and the wholesome moments, we at Inven Global compiled some of those moments from Worlds 2022 play-ins.

Play-ins would be a whole lot different without Evi moments

Jerseys aren't the only things being exchanged at Worlds

LCK Twitter - Wholesome moments

The on-site camera caught LCK's Jeesun Park dancing before her interview with DRX

The "Gap"

NA vs EU - The banter

EG clean swept MAD Lions 3-0. It also marked the first time that an LCS team beat an LEC team in a Bo5 [video source: Today on Twitch Youtube]

Vulcan's banter game: 11/10