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At the League of Legends World Championship, 24 teams earned their place at one of the biggest events in esports. But even though every roster has the talent to stand out among their peers, there are always teams you’d want to avoid for as long as possible at the tournament.
In the group stage at Worlds, one group is always given the unfortunate label of “Group of Death” by the fans. A collection of top teams considered top contenders for the throne are placed in a single group to fight for two of the eight spots in the exclusive knockout stage of the event.
This year, North American League fans went from excited to stunned as they watched longtime LCS favorite Cloud9 earn the first seed for Worlds for the first time in the organization’s history, just to get placed with legendary LCK powerhouse T1 and the defending champions Edward Gaming. It should shape up to be one of the most competitive groups in the tournament.
Focusing in: T1, EDG, and Cloud9
The most iconic organization in professional League must lean on the veteran leadership of Faker once more as T1’s young squad faces up against the bright lights of international play again. The 26-year-old icon isn’t new to this dance, but for the rest of his teammates, who are all under 21, the event could get pretty nerve-wracking.
The last time they were at an international event, T1 failed to win MSI in front of their home fans in Busan, South Korea. This time, they’ll compete in North America, where the organization last won the Summoner’s Cup in 2016. Gumayusi and Zeus need to steel their emotions as Keria lights the path as the team’s go-button in teamfights.
Fans who haven’t watched much LPL will still remember how exciting Edward Gaming’s run to the Summoner’s Cup was, with every single one of their series against Royal Never Give Up, Gen.G, and DWG KIA going the full five games. Even though the defending champs are coming in as third seed, they have enough starpower to go back-to-back.
As usual, all eyes should and will be on this team’s high-powered mid-AD carry duo, Viper and Scout, who have continued to perform incredible performances night in and night out during the regular season and playoffs.
The former led all LPL marksmen with a 6.2 KDA while also participating in a whopping 77 percent of his team’s total kills, according to Oracle’s Elixir. On the other hand, Scout remained steadfast as a top-three mid laner in the league, staying in the top five among the league’s mid laners for KDA, average damage to champions per minute, and overall team damage share.
For many years, C9 has entered Worlds as NA’s hidden gem and true hopes at the event. Whether through the regional gauntlet or second or third seed, the boys in blue have always pulled off miraculous runs deeper than any first seed could hope for. But now, the revamped champions are coming in with a collection of veteran stars and fiery young talent.
You’ll want to watch whenever the team’s AD carries Berserker takes the stage. He has been an electric new addition to the youth uprising in the LCS, becoming a central piece to C9’s successes. During the 2022 LCS Championship, the 19-year-old led all players with 87 kills, on top of a whopping 36.9 percent of his team’s total kills and just over 30 percent of his team’s total damage, according to Oracle’s Elixir.
The only issue is that Berserker has never touched an international stage before. Even though he is the best AD carry in the LCS, he’ll need to keep his emotions in check as he makes his Worlds debut. Luckily for him, all of his teammates have played on stages like these. From Blaber’s Scuttle woes to Fudge outplaying stars at MSI, they all have experiences to help ease the young stars’ nerves as they try to stun the world once again.
Expectations
The easy answer would be to count out C9 and throw both EDG and T1 in the knockout stage without hesitation.
But if you’re predicting with your heart, we’ve seen C9 make miracle runs before and seen massive collapses. Giants can be felled, and expectations be damned. If Berserker can continue his astronomic trajectory into superstardom, NA’s chosen ones could surprise either Eastern squads with their aggression and confidence.
Neither EDG nor T1 is perfect, and any team can go on a cold streak during Worlds. A couple of big wins could easily push C9 into contention for the knockout stage, and with the hometown fans behind them screaming their name, the momentum will permanently be in their favor.
If you’re predicting with your brain, however, T1 and EDG’s experience and proven firepower will be too much for C9 as they steamroll them with perfect macro play and stellar mechanical skill. It’s called a group of death for a reason, and unfortunately for LCS fans, their top seed has been caught in the crossfire. Even still… EDG and C9 make it out of Group A.
