Quarterfinals will begin on Friday, October 3 at 2:00AM EST. Before they begin, though, here is a quick breakdown of everything you need to know about this year’s quarterfinals—from match ups and bracket layouts to potential highlights and key players.
In this phase of the tournament, the top teams from groups A and B and C and D will compete against each other. The winner of each group bracket will face off against the runner of up of an adjacent group bracket. In other words, the winner of A will take on second place from B; the winner of B will take on second place from A; first place from C will fight second place from D; and first place from D will fight second place from C.
Confused yet? You shouldn’t be.
Samsung White (group A winner; 6-0) versus Team Solomid (group B runner up; 4-2)
Samsung Blue (group C winner; 5-1) versus Cloud 9 (group D runner up; 4-3)
Star Horn Royal Club (group B winner; 5-1) versus Edward Gaming (group A runner up; 4-3)
Najin White Shield (group D winner; 5-2) versus OMG (group C runner up; 3-3)
With last year’s champion SK Telecom 1 nonexistent this year, Samsung White has emerged as the strongest team so far in this year’s tournament. It has asserted its dominance in every match so far, and it shows no sign of slowing. From its early victory against AHQ E-Sports Club to its brutal 30 minute face-off against Edward Gaming, Samsung White has done a fantastic job managing lanes, producing gold, and ganking enemies. And, most importantly, it has dominated the early game, a phase that has troubled a lot of teams so far this year. White efficiently manages early game tempo and forces opponents to make poor, desperate decisions.
In its first match against AHQ E-Sports Club, White nearly doubled AHQ’s gold per minute (2,342 to 1,334), produced almost twice as much total gold as AHQ (52,737 to 30,039), and killed thirty-four champions. In its second match, White killed thirty-nine champions with an average KDA ratio of 9 to 1. In its first match against Dark Passage, White commanded the field, killing fifteen champions and suffering no losses. During their second match, White nearly doubled Dark Passage’s gold production per minute, killed twenty champions, and suffered only two losses. Edward Gaming has been the only team to slow Samsung White this year—but, after a competitive first loss, they were dominated a second time in roughly thirty-three minutes.
The players of Team Solomid have their work cut out for them. Samsung White is brutal, but it does have weaknesses.
First, Solomid needs to neutralize Imp. Imp is one of the best AD carries in the world, and his presence has been a deciding factor in all of Samsung White’s victories. With more than ten kills per match, he has carried his teammates in kills this year, and he has produced more gold than anyone else on the roster, with about 14,000 gold per game. His favorite champion is Twitch. Imp has picked Twitch twice so far in the tournament, and he has been extremely successful with him both times (20 KDA and 504GPM). If Team Solomid wants to win, they need to ban Twitch and control Imp.
But beating Imp isn’t their only key to victory. They also need to control the early game. Most of White’s victories have been decided during the first few minutes of play. Solomid needs to kill minions and own the jungle; if they can out-produce Samsung White, they may be able to edge them out in the late game.
That said, I think Samsung White has enough guns in their arsenal to defeat Team Solomid. The team is a strong, cohesive unit. And, at this point, they seem unstoppable. Although the prospect of two North American teams making the semifinals excites me, I doubt it will happen this year.
My pick: Samsung White
Samsung Blue has also been a dominant force in the tournament. It edged out OMG in its first match with over twice as many champion kills as OMG (24 to 10), a substantial gold advantage (66,742 to 47,824), and a devastating KDA ratio (8 to 2). Blue later dominated OMG in their second match with eleven champion kills and an incredible 37 to 0 KDA ratio.
Blue bobbled in its first match with Fnatic, however—a fault that ultimately cost them the match. Acorn started strong in the first phase of the game, destroying the top tower, gaining experience, grouping minions, and sending forces into enemy territory. He was unable to follow through though, and he later suffered four deaths with no compensative kills. He learned from his mistakes however and helped Samsung Blue overrun OMG during their second meeting.
Blue also halted LMQ’s day one momentum and played a major part in eliminating them from the tournament. Deft executed a staggering sixteen kills during their first match, and LMQ never recovered from the loss.
As strong as they are, though, I think they will have a tough match Saturday against Cloud 9. The sleeper team from North America has been a black horse in the tournament so far. And, unlike LMQ, they refuse to lose momentum, especially after losses. Although Cloud 9 has been slow to start in several matches this year, its late game play has been incredible. If Samsung Blue wants to beat Cloud 9, its must continue to manage lanes and minimize losses. They cannot be caught off-guard, especially in the late game. Although Cloud 9’s statistics are not impressive, they are one of the most cohesive and compelling teams in the tournament this year.
Even though Samsung Blue has an edge over Cloud 9, I really want Cloud 9 to win. They are the Cinderella team of this year’s World Championship, and I really want to see them continue their journey. Hopefully Cloud 9 can continue to step up their early game, catch Samsung Blue off-guard, and execute some big early kills. An early experience advantage will be crucial for the team from this point forward. Call it wishful thinking, but I’m picking Cloud 9 to win this match.
My pick: Cloud 9
Star Horn Royal Club is one of the most brutal and concise teams in the tournament this year. They kill champions, and they are really good at it. Against Taipei Assassins, they executed fifteen champions in their first match and fourteen champions in their second match. They also killed fifteen in their first match against Team Solomid with a KDA ratio of 18 to 1. And in their matches against SK Gaming, they executed twenty-six kills and fourteen kills with KDAs of 6 to 1 and 11 to 1, respectively.
They are stoppable, though. During their second match against Team Solomid, they were unable to form an effective defense, and they suffered twenty-one losses with an average KDA of 5 to 3. Although most of the team was relatively successful, Zero was unable to gain enough experience to become effective and Cola died seven times.
If Edward Gaming wants to defeat Star Horn Royal Club, they need to defeat Uzi. Uzi is, next to Imp, the best AD carry in the tournament. With over half of Star Horn Royal’s total kills this year, he is a killing machine. And, with an experience advantage, he is one of the most challenging opponents in the tournament. If Ed Gaming can defeat him in the early game, they can destroy Star Horn Royal’s chances of controlling the late game. Control Uzi; control the game. That said, Uzi has surrounded himself with some incredible support. Zero is one of the steadiest supports in the tournament this year, and Ed Gaming has to get through him to get to Uzi.
As much as I enjoyed watching Ed Gaming in the group phase, I do not think they can overcome Star Horn Royal Club. Uzi has built a strong team this year. It is a solid, cohesive unit with an incredibly powerful player at its nucleus. If Edward Gaming wins this round, I will be greatly surprised.
My pick: Star Horn Royal Club
Although Najin White shield has always been a strong team, this season has been a rollercoaster for them. They were only favored twice in the group phase and lost two important matches. After winning four decisive, early victories against Kabum, Alliance, and Cloud 9, they later lost back-to-back matches against Alliance and Cloud 9. They later clutched the first place position in D bracket with a tie breaker against Cloud 9.
This is going to be a close match, I think. Both Najin White Shield and OMG have had ups and downs in this tournament. The winning team needs to bring its best game on October 6. White Shield needs to neutralize DaDa777. He has been a weak link for OMG this season. If they can control him, they can cripple the team as a whole.
White Shield also needs to contain Gogoing. He is a great top laner, and he is the most influential player on the team. If White Shield can beat him, then they can beat OMG.
I am proud of OMG for making it this far, but I do not see them going any further. That said, I do not see Najin White Shield continuing past semifinals. Both teams are extremely talented, but I do not think either of them have enough momentum to win the tournament. That said, I pick Najin White Shield for this round.
My pick: Najin White Shield
Again, the League of Legends World Championship continues on Friday, October 3 at 2:00AM EST.
What do you think? Are my picks right? Am I wrong? Discuss it in the comment section below.
Until then, stay tuned to MMOGames.com for more news on both League of Legends and the 2014 World Championships.
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