Turns out FunPlus > OnePlus!!! After a disappointing Group Stage for FPX and an incredible comeback for FNC, this series easily could've been a Fnatic stomp, but the Chinese first seed showed up on the day and meet their regional partner in the Semis!
The 2018 World Champions, Invictus Gaming, are silencing the dissenters after a near 3-0 sweep against the Korean second seed, Griffin, in the Quarterfinals in Madrid.
Whatever the reasons are for Team Liquid and NA's overall failure to make it out of groups, it is unacceptable. No matter what the problem was. But this isn't just a Liquid problem, this is an NA problem, and it needs to change.
Let's check in on champion presence and make some predictions for the Knockout Stage. Bans! This has been the most diverse Worlds so far, but Knockouts always change though. Who will they focus on?
It's no secret that Pantheon is a problem. He has been banned in all but one single Play-In Stage game, and was, of course, immediately first picked and won the game. But this has been problematic before, and it needs to be fixed.
At international events, there are always exciting narratives. There are also always stories writers want to write, but can't. Here are the stories we never told - the stories we wanted to tell, but couldn't.
I've complained about it countless times, how does one choose a single MVP out of all the best players in the World? It's easy! Just choose Faker! Read why Faker deserves the title this time and who was on his heels.
The Worlds 2019 Group Stage has finally come to a close, and with it, NA's time at Worlds. The bracket has been set, and the teams will go on to prepare for their respective Bo5s in hopes of claiming the title. There is one final Group Stage MVP to be awarded, and today it goes to ShowMaker!
The last match of Groups spelled either the death of NA or the death of the previous World Champions. And the reaper just happened to show up on North American soil, as IG dominated in the final match, and sends TL back home.
The last day of Group Stage launches DWG into the first seed for Group D, where they join SKT and GRF who finished first in their respective groups earlier on the week. All three teams finished 5-1! Is this another year of LCK Worlds victory.
Starting the day in a three way tie with TL and IG at 2-1, DWG won their first two games and become the first to advance out of Group D. Sitting at 4-1, they only have AHQ left, and defeating them will guarantee first seed.
Coming out of the first Round Robin, AHQ sat at 0-3 and needed to go 3-0 on elimination day to qualify to the Worlds 2019 Knockout Stage. Invictus Gaming shut out that possibility in just the first game, read about it here:
Ahhh the beloved Group of Death. So much story in this group. The winningest Worlds team in history, the most storied LPL team, and the season one Worlds winners, and the LCS Cowboys! Who could possibly get MVP here?
With SKT qualifying right out of the gate, FNC and RNG were going to have to fight for the last spot! And after an exciting game, the home crowd favorites, FNC, take the win and advance to Madrid!
After a near hour of game-play (and a lot of Infinity Edges), Clutch's Nexus fell. While it was an incredibly difficult road they needed to travel to make it to Madrid, it would've been a beautiful one if they did. Alas, they join their fellow NA reps, Cloud9, on the trip back to LA instead.
SKT came in to the second Round Robin with a 3-0 record, needing only to beat either RNG or FNC to secure a place in the Knockout Stage. As fate would have it, they beat RNG in their first game!
Tarzan: The King of the Jungle. He was first on some people's player tier list, he wasn't even on others'. But for us - for today - he is MVP. Why Tarzan over the rest of GRF? Check it out:
Group A still has a bunch of games left to play, but already the qualifiers have been separated from the eliminated. GRF started off the day with a win over C9, and G2 followed them up, both qualifying for the Knockouts!
What started with a hopeful rebound for Cloud9 ended rather quickly as they lost their first game to Griffin, requiring G2 to go 0-3 AND lose in their tiebreaker for C9 to make it through.
The third official Group of Death is over. Why Group of Death, you ask? Simply because of all the INTeresting play! Splyc and FPX make it out at the end, with Vizicsacsi earning MVP!
