Worlds 2024 is finally here! After months of anticipation and hype, the year’s biggest tournament is hitting Europe for the next weeks.
The tournament will kick off with the play-in stage, as four teams will be earning their way into the Swiss stage. As always, with our predictions, we will be helping you with your LoL Worlds betting and making some sweet cash in this one month and a half full of action! Let’s get right into it!
Image Credit: Riot Games
After defeating SHG in the lower bracket, 100T will now have the second PCS team to face in order to qualify for the Swiss stage. It hasn’t been an easy ride for the LCS team, having lost against R7 in a shocking series. And with PSG looking feisty to clinch that last spot in the top 16, the series will be definitely a close one.
The main matchup from the whole series will likely be on the mid-jungle duos: whoever shows up better on the day will likely take the series. River has looked on form while Junjia was somewhat disappointing in the series against MDK – he will have to deliver a stronger performance to lead the team.
In the top lane, Sniper shouldn’t have many problems dealing with Azhi, who has once again been the clear weak point of the team. If there are chances to counter him, it might become the additional opening 100T needs to take the series. Overall, the LCS team is a little bit favored but it will eventually come down to the early-mid game macro. I don’t see any of the two teams winning with a clean 2-0, so we might get three explosive games to round off the play-ins stage.
Despite taking a game off from PSG, paiN Gaming will likely struggle against Vikings Esports. The main reason being the fact that the VCS region has looked overall stronger and that PNG can have occasional highs in given games.
All matches have looked quite messy which further raises the volatility of all series. On one hand, I feel like VKE should have the upper hand in skirmishes throughout early and mid-game which is something they struggled with against MDK, who is known for that strength. PNG will have to find ways to counter it with better macro if they want a shot at advancing. It will be a close series, though, so expecting a 2-1 score for VKE.
I still think 100T is a strong team and that the loss against R7 was just a combination of multiple factors adding up. The fact that the team made weird calls and an underperforming Sniper allowed the LLA team to get away with a victory. If they are able to step up a little bit, it should be more than enough to take down SHG.
River, in particular, has been exceptional throughout all games and he will be the one leading the charge for the LCS team. Based on how SHG played last time out against GAM, I doubt they will be able to pose a threat unless they are able to get an early lead.
Writer was so shocked by the 100T vs R7 series that he couldn’t make predictions.
Day 1 of play-ins brought some major surprises which will definitely impact the expectations for the second day. With PSG struggling in game 1 against PNG, I’m starting to have more doubts about SHG’s potential going into the series against GAM, which I feel has benefitted from the meta-shift.
Levi is the star player of the VCS team and he will be the core of the series. If he can play the early game well and put GAM into an advantageous position, then I would potentially see GAM getting away with a 2-0 win. If SHG are able to hang in, then it will come down to the overall meta read. We saw some important stuff coming from the other group, such as the return of pick comps with the likes of Jinx and Syndra: we’ll see what these two teams have prepared to see how the meta has been viewed.
100Thieves are expected to take this series considering they will be facing what is likely the tournament’s weakest team. The LCS team has more than enough individual prowess to find early advantages and close out the game quickly. On the other hand, R7’s main goal will be to understand and absorb as much as possible from the series to prepare for the elimination series that will decide their fate at Worlds. A 2-0 score for 100T is the predicted result.
It’s always hard to make clear breakdowns on the first day of action given that we don’t know what teams have prepared and how they will perform on stage. That said, by judging recent form and how the meta is expected to shift towards stronger bot lane duos and proactive junglers, I’m expecting MAD Lions KOI to be favored coming into the series.
On VKE’s side, I want to see how Kati and the bottom lane will fare against the LEC’s side: it will be a good initial indicator for both teams and it will also help us understand what MAD’s potential and chances of going through play-ins is. Expecting this to be around a clear 2-0 series, with MAD potentially finding an early advantage and trying to close the game safely.
Just like we mentioned in our pick’ems, PSG is probably the only team we are likely guaranteed to see going through. Their level of play shown internationally earlier this year, paired with they have a strong lineup should make them a relatively easy match against paiN Gaming. Maple and Junjia are a scary jungle mid duo and even more so now that Maple has announced this will be his last Worlds. I just have question marks regarding the top side: Azhi was the weak link at MSI but I feel like he has improved over the course of Summer. We’ll have to see whether that is enough to put PSG with the big dogs.
The CBLOL team will have to hang as long as possible and learn as much as they can from this match to have a chance to get through play-ins. The 2-0 score is the predicted result of this series as well.
Waiting for the opponent to be confirmed
Day 3 saw the winners’ bracket teams go up against each other. While the result between LOUD and PSG Talon was kind of expected, with the latter taking the win over the CBLOL representative, Team Whales has been surprising once again, beating CTBC Flying Oyster with yet another reverse sweep.
The VCS #2 seed definitely looks great, having a good ability to make comebacks from losing positions, something that we saw across all three games. They might not be the cleanest early on, but if they can get the lead, they will then push it in the following stages of the game.
After losing the first game of the series, TW made a major comeback, winning in a slow but convincing fashion in both Game 2 and Game 3. They had strong composure and slowly made BDS bleed out advantages on the map, progressively chipping away the enemies by capturing neutral objectives. While they didn’t feel so much stronger than BDS, they showed up more on the day and deserved the win.
In the other match, PSG Talon proved they are looking like the favorites to go through. We predicted the match to be closer but PSG just dominated from start to finish, never giving LOUD a chance. Junjia has been a key member in playing around his lane at the right times and Wako has been stepping up compared to his previous performances. They will now wait the Group B’s #2 seed in the qualification match. But before that, let’s take a look at the matches for Day 4.
If Team Whales is already in the qualification match, GAM are on the verge of being eliminated at Worlds. After losing to LOUD in the upper bracket, their opponent will now be LLA’s Movistar R7. Luckily for them, this should be an easier matchup, as they are the favorites going into the match.
The main difference maker for me is definitely the jungle. While GAM Levi is no longer the young boy with unrivaled mechanics, he now has a lot of experience and the ability to punish Oddie, who has been R7’s weakest link based on what we have seen so far. The latter was struggling in the series against PSG Talon, and never in the right position to make plays on the map. That will likely be the case again, unless the rest of the team somehow carries super hard.
With that in mind, we think that GAM’s Worlds hopes will still be alive after this series. For R7, instead, this might be the end of the journey once again, following their short run at MSI.
Prediction: GAM 2 – 0 R7
Team BDS have now gotten into a tricky situation after unexpectedly losing to Team Whales. Not only do they have to go through the losers’ bracket, but they will have to face CFO in the next match if they win against DFM, and then PSG in the qualification match. I think that with this turn of events, most peoples’ Pick’Ems in play-ins are not going to fully correct.
But before all those scenarios unfold, BDS will first have to go against DFM, who didn’t really show up in the series opener. They got dominated CFO, and they never looked into a position to win the game. Their meta read also doesn’t feel like it’s optimal so we’ll have to see whether they have managed to fix a few things going into the series. BDS definitely have the upper hand and if they can enable Adam, this should be a pretty easy matchup for them to win. DFM, unfortunately, will probably have to end their journey at Worlds.
Prediction: BDS 2 – 0 DFM
There was a major upset on Day 2 of play-ins at Worlds 2023: #2 seed from the VCS Team Whales ended up reverse sweeping BDS in their Bo3 series, advancing to the next phase where they will face CTBC Flying Oyster.
After losing the first game of the series, TW made a major comeback, winning in a slow but convincing fashion in both Game 2 and Game 3. They had strong composure and slowly made BDS bleed out advantages on the map, progressively chipping away the enemies by capturing neutral objectives. While they didn’t feel so much stronger than BDS, they definitely showed up more on the day and deserved the win.
For BDS, on the other hand, things will get trickier. They will now face DetonatioN FocusMe in a decisive game: the loser will be eliminated from the tournament. Luckily for them, they will have one day of preparation to reset and fix some of the things that went wrong in the series against TW. In particular, BDS will likely have to work on their mid-game teamfighting and overall draft: they weren’t bad but the impression was that they were in a worse position.
Speaking of DFM, the Japanese team was dominated by CFO in an extremely one-sided series. Not only were the drafts were lacking and not meta-adherent, but the team overall didn’t look good. Considering they will face BDS on Friday, DFM’s chances of going through are slim. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the matches for Day 3.
This is probably going to be the most exciting match we’re going to see on the play-in stage. CBLOL representative LOUD, who come from a dominant win over GAM, will go against favorites PSG Talon.
The two teams have both good chances of winning so it will highly depend on who is able to perform better on the day. Based on what we saw so far, LOUD have mainly relied on its bot lane and especially ADC Route to find the leads and carry the game in the teamfights. PSG Talon, on the other hand, have a more balanced roster, with jungle and support looking to enable their mid laner Maple. Top laner Azhi also showed the ability to play damage-oriented champions like Rumble and Kennen, giving them more flexibility in the draft phase.
A key point of the series will be the bot lane matchup between Wako and Route: we saw that, despite the win, PSG’s bot lane struggled in the laning phase, showing several blunders that could potentially mess up the games. If LOUD wants to win, they need to make sure Wako gets punished and that Route can snowball. In the case that this doesn’t happen, then PSG Talon should have the upper hand in the series.
Prediction: LOUD 1 – 2 PSG Talon
Having two #2 seeds clashing in the winners’ bracket was probably not what fans expected to see. Yet this is what is going to happen in the series between TW and CFO tomorrow. At first sight, it looks like CFO are the stronger team: their meta read was quite on point with what we predicted, but that’s also because DFM gave away a lot of the power picks.
Team Whales, on the other hand, proved they are stronger than we thought and the lack of international experience doesn’t seem to affect them much, completely proving us wrong on the Power Rankings. They showcased a decent meta read and the willingness to play comfort picks when needed: Gloryy’s Syndra made BDS suffer in today’s Game 2.
That being said, I feel like CFO are better at pushing the leads and if they find ways to get an advantage, they will run away with it. If TW are somehow able to win a game, it would be a good boost of confidence for the next match.
Prediction: TW 1 – 2 CFO
Worlds officially kicked off today and we got a first taste of the teams participating. Even though they were two series won 2-0, we still got some important info on the teams’ form and the overall Worlds meta, which is quite in line with what we mentioned in our analysis.
While we nailed the prediction on PSG Talon dominating Movistar R7, LOUD showed up big time and quickly swept GAM Esports, showing that the CBLOL representative has potential and is a potential candidate to advance to the next stage. But before we find out whether they are the real deal, we have to check out the play-in group B as they will be playing tomorrow, October 11.
DetonatioN FocusMe and CTBC Flying Oyster will face off in the opener of Day 2 of Worlds play-ins. Even though both teams are not among the favorites to advance to the Swiss stage, this will be an important test for both of them to understand whether they have some chance of at least fighting for those spots,
Considering we rated CFO higher in our Power Rankings due to their recent performances that were close to PSG Talon’s level, this should be slightly in favor of the PCS team. That being said, DFM have a lot going on for them, especially if veteran Yutapon can fire up now that he’s returned to his traditional role.
The question mark is the top laner apaMEN: his behavior in the series will directly impact DFM’s chances of battling with CFO. I don’t expect the series to be fully one-sided, so let’s hope we can get a full Bo3 for the show.
Prediction: DFM 1- 2 CFO
BDS is the only team in which we have a clear idea of how they are playing, after what they did to Golden Guardians in the Worlds Qualifying Series. Great drafts and a consistent playstyle that revolves around strong macro play and objectives.
Just like PSG Talon today, we should expect BDS to quickly sweep Team Whales, especially considering the poor performances from GAM Esports in the series against LOUD. With TW being the second seed, for BDS this match should only be a formality.
What I want to see from BDS, however, is how their drafts might evolve on stage. They are great when things are within their expectations, so we have to see whether the team can adjust in case something out-of-the-box happens. Their ability to adapt themselves to different situations will make a difference once as they continue to move on at Worlds 2023, hoping that they can make at least the top 16.
Prediction: Team BDS 2 – 0 Team Whales
With the change to the play-in format, teams will directly face each other in a double-elimination bracket and Bo3 matches. The upper bracket winner of one group will face the lower bracket winner of the other group in Bo5 series, and the two winners will go through to the Swiss stage.
Considering we mentioned PSG Talon as the favorite of Group B, this should be an easy prediction.
The PCS team will likely find a major breakthrough with its jungle-mid duo of Junjia and Maple, who have been key to the team’s entire functioning this season. Even though R7’s mid laner Mireu can match Maple individually, I doubt they can deliver the same level of performance when considered in the 2v2.
The only way for R7 to win this matchup is if they somehow find an opening through the bot lane and allow Ceo to get into a position to take over the game. With Kai’Sa and other hypercarries being meta, the Argentinian ADC might be able to shine.
Aside from that, though, PSG should still prevail. It would be a big confidence boost if R7 somehow manages to get a game, but it’s not a likely scenario.
Prediction: PSG Talon 2 – 0 Movistar R7
Compared to the other matchup, this is definitely more exciting and harder to predict.
What we need to see from these two teams is how aggressive and proactive they can be in the meta. While it’s fine to play a scaling game, being able to consistently find advantages is a great way to understand how a team plays.
Each team has its own strength: LOUD plays through its mid and ADC while GAM Esports usually plays for its mid laner with the help of its aggressive jungler Levi. With that in mind, the momentum will swing into one or the other depending on who gets an advantage in the mid-lane.
And when it comes to finding advantages, the VCS should be slightly better so they should be favored in this match. Definitely expect close matches and a potential game from LOUD’s side, but in the end, GAM should go through.
Prediction: LOUD 1 – 2 GAM Esports
The major takeaway from this Day 1 of Worlds is that the teams have made some decent preparations around the new meta, but every team has taken their own twist and adapted it to the player’s strengths, which is quite positive. Out of all the teams, the DFM draft was the one I was the least positive about and that might be something to take into consideration in future games: if they can’t adapt, they might really fall in the standings.
Aside from them, we saw top picks like Hecarim, Miss Fortune, Aatrox and Sejuani being prevalent in drafts. The bot lane featured a decent variety of champions, with Kalista, Kai’Sa, MF, Tristana, Aphelios, as well as Seraphine APC: we will likely continue this trend as teams get accustomed to the best meta picks.
Going back to the teams, we saw the two European representatives going 2-0 on Day 1. Fnatic’s wins were convincing and considering all the stuff they had to through these days, their performance was nothing but convincing. Rhuckz had a major showing at Worlds and will pass the baton to Hylissang with the highest KDA of 22.0 so far at the tournament.
As for MAD Lions, the team fought hard to get those two wins. Isurus was a pleasant surprise and lost the match mainly due to mechanics rather than strategy, while Istanbul Wildcats have shown great pick potential and overall early game presence. The TCL team, however, still has a lot to improve in the mid-game compared to other teams.
LOUD went 1-1 on the first day, losing to Beyond Gaming and winning against DFM in the second game. The Brazilian team is a must-watch from Group A: the chances of them getting in the top 4 are quite high if they keep performing like on Day 1. BYG will also be in contention for the top of Group A: their playstyle reminds is quite similar to LPL teams and have shown the ability to play the meta well. Their match against FNC will likely determine who get to advance directly to the main event.
In the last match of Day 1, DRX made a big upset and won against the LPL seed RNG. The LCK team was able to put together an exquisite performance, with well-executed teamfights thanks also to a better draft. RNG played with an unorthodox draft compared to the usual, which put them on the backfoot immediately from the start. While they were able to play according to their drafts, they couldn’t win against the teamfight comp of DRX, losing their opener of Worlds.
Lastly, Evil Geniuses also lost to Fnatic. Their game was more one-sided than it should’ve been since the draft came out pretty badly. Inspired gave up on his bot lane to help snowball the Renekton, but the Caitlyn-Lux bot lane duo failed to create an advantage on their own. With the ADC behind, the game was doomed for the team and they will have to come back on Day 2.
Evil Geniuses’ second game of Day 2 will be against the PCS team Beyond Gaming. Based on the Day 1 analysis, BYG should come into the series as favored. BYG can play both around top or bot which gives them a great advantage in champ select.
The North American team must fix their issues regarding their drafts: if they can’t fix them, BYG might end up destroying EG as FNC did on Day 1. Below you can find some of the best odds for the series. Depending on whether BYG will play around top or not, you can swap First Herald for EG.
After the match vs RNG, DRX will have another important test against the dark horse Saigon Buffalo. The Vietnamese team can pull some weird picks out of the box, which might throw DRX off as they have a more traditional drafting style.
With that being said, if DRX continues drafting teamfight compositions and playing around their bot lane, they shouldn’t have many problems beating SGB. Nevertheless, expect the match to be much closer, as DRX will take their time to get to all their carries on item spikes.
MAD Lions will have the chance to continue their win streak and basically lock their top 4 spot if they can beat RNG. It will be tough for the LEC team, though, after how they played yesterday. While they did take two wins, the mid-late game transition wasn’t that convincing, and facing a team like RNG might be problematic.
MAD might be able to find early leads, but RNG is quite good when it comes to teamfights. For RNG, it will be crucial for them to draft something that allows them to teamfight while also relying on Breathe’s dueling abilities. Avoid drafting Leblanc on Xiaohu like on Day 1 would likely be better, and have him play a control mage. Having said that, you can find the best odds for this series here:
Starting off, the first featured match will be the western battle between Fnatic and Evil Geniuses. The game will be crucial for both teams, especially after what went down for both.
On one hand, EG will have to play with the substitute ADC Kaori, stepping in to take Danny’s starting spot. The first already subbed in during the LCS Summer playoffs and despite playing at a reasonable level, he doesn’t seem to have unlocked his full potential yet.
On the other hand, Fnatic have lost both of their bot lane players Upset and Hylissang, as the two tested positive for Covid-19 prior to flying to NA. Upset recovered and will play on day one, while Hyli will join the team hopefully in Match number 3.
@FNCUpset: “Last game in eu soloq with a Nunu, Teemo and Janna and 2 of them had smite. I am gonna miss it”
The two roster changes for FNC, however, won’t change the way the team functions. The team will likely still play around its bot lane since Wunder has notoriously more success on weakside. FNC might benefit from the meta shift for the mid-jungle duo, as Razork is quite comfortable playing carry-style.
On EG’s side, similarly, the team will still hover around the mid and bot lane. Kaori will likely have adapted to how the team played in playoffs, but the crucial part will be on Inspired. The polish jungler was known for playing carry back in the Rogue days, and just like Razork, he might be incentivized to make it work again.
Overall, I’m expecting Evil Geniuses to take this series. I think that Fnatic’s latest issues, paired with the low amount of practice, don’t make them an attractive team to bet on LoL Worlds. Not only that, but the EU team is also not that great in Bo1, while EG have proved to be better at it. Unless major twists again, the home heroes will be the ones striking first at this year’s Worlds 2022. If you want the odds for this series, you can find the best ones here, offered by Midnite:
- Winner: EG
- First Blood: Fnatic
- Race to 5 kills: EG
- Map Duration: over 31.5
- Total kills: over 24.5
- First tower: EG
Right after the Fnatic vs EG match, there will be a game between two minor regions: PCS representative Beyond Gaming will face the Brazilian team LOUD in their first debut match at Worlds.
LOUD was able to win the CBLOL playoffs with one of the most experienced rosters from the region. Top laner Robo has already been at Worlds and the same goes for their mid laner Tinowns, who performed brilliantly in the latest split.
The bot lane of Brance and Ceos is quite an interesting pairing, as they proved they can play various types of bot lanes with decent success. As for BYG, the team has returned to Worlds after the scandal that blew up last year about their mid laner Maoan. With a full roster of domestic talents, they are looking to redeem themselves.
BYG also play with a bot-centric style, but compared to most teams that focus the lane with junglers, it’s the mid laner Minji usually making the roams. He has the highest KP% at 78.4, which is much higher than usual.
The thing with BYG is that they have a 100% win rate if they are ahead at 15 minutes, but overall they had a negative gold and exp differential across playoffs. This suggests that they are strong at playing the mid to late game. Not only that, but if they can get an early lead, it will be almost impossible to recover.
Out of the two, I’m favoring BYG in this one. Their mid-jungle duo is underestimated for me, as HuSha was considered a must-watch jungler last year. This year, it will be no different, and I’m expecting LOUD to struggle as their macro might not be at the same level.
- Winner: BYG
- First Blood: LOUD
- Race to 10 kills: BYG
- First dragon: LOUD
- First tower: BYG
- Map Duration: over 32.5
Day 1 of Worlds play-ins will close with the most exciting match of the whole stage. The LPL team RNG will go up against the LCK representative DRX in what might already decide who is the number one team of Group B.
Based on the most recent performances, RNG should be favored. They have the better players on every single role, with mid and ADC being the two where the gap is close.
Jungle might be the position where the gap is the biggest, considering how Pyosik performed during playoffs. It is still unsure on who will be the starting jungler for DRX, as Juhan was much more consistent.
Nevertheless, RNG’s Wei should be ahead of both of them. In addition, the Chinese team is quite a lot more proactive compared to DRX, who will likely suffer in the early stages of the game. If the Korean team is able to hold off RNG until the late game, then there might be a chance for them to win. Otherwise, RNG will just run over DRX. Below you can find the most interesting (and likely) odds for the series:
- Winner: RNG
- First Blood: RNG
- First Dragon: DRX
- Map Duration: over 33.5
- Total kills: over 24.5
- First Tower: RNG
Read Also: LoL Worlds Power Rankings
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