The 2022 League of Legends World Championship is right around the corner, with the play-in stage scheduled to start on Sept. 29 at 3pm CT.
In this phase, 12 teams have been drawn into two groups of six. They will be competing against each other to determine the top four teams that will qualify for the Worlds main event group stage.
With a mix of teams from minor regions and some from the major ones, this year’s play-in stage is set for explosive action. If you’re wondering how the two groups are shaping up and which teams will likely make it through, here is everything you need to know about the teams in the play-in stage.
Group A
- Beyond Gaming – PCS No. 2
- Chiefs Esports Club – OCE No. 1
- DetonatioN FocusMe – LJL No. 1
- Evil Geniuses – LCS No. 3
- Fnatic – LEC No. 3
- LOUD – CBLOL No. 1
Out of the two play-in groups, Group A is definitely the trickier and more evenly matched group. For the two Western teams, they were lucky to avoid RNG and DRX, who are arguably the strongest teams in the play-in stage. This should have given Fnatic and EG better chances of advancing, but both squads have recently faced major issues that might impact their run at Worlds.
On one hand, EG ADC Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki will not be starting at Worlds, with the academy player Muhammed Hasan “Kaori” Şentürk playing in his stead as he did at the end of the LCS Summer Split playoffs. While the latter had a decent showing in August, losing a star player like Danny might impact EG’s overall performance. EG CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson said that the organization will continue to support Danny during his break and the team “look forward to welcoming him back when he’s ready.”
Fnatic, on the other hand, are dealing with an even more critical situation. The bot lane duo of Elias “Upset” Lipp and Zdravets “Hylissang” Iliev Galabov tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 23. Luckily, both of them are feeling fine, but they likely won’t be able to play in Fnatic’s first matches of play-ins. In addition to that, Upset revealed on Nick “LS” De Cesare’s stream that Fnatic hadn’t scrimmed any teams yet up to that point, raising doubts about their preparation coming into Worlds. The team will likely field substitute ADC player Louis “BEAN” Schmitz, who stepped up last year at Worlds.
On Sept. 26, Riot allowed Fnatic to make an addition to its roster, with support player Rúben “Rhuckz” Barbosa stepping in as the seventh player. Rhuckz has been playing on Fnatic’s ERL team, Fnatic TQ, this season and will get the opportunity to play at the biggest tournament of the year. But there will be uncertainty regarding Fnatic’s overall potential due to this plethora of pre-tournament issues.
With the current situation of the two favorites in Group A, the four remaining teams from the minor regions will have to try their best to capitalize on the opportunity. DetonatioN FocusMe are still the No. 1 team from Japan, but their last international tournament at the Mid-Season Invitational was quite disappointing, having only won one game. Beyond Gaming had a strong playoff run and they will be a team to watch out for in this group. Their best-of-one performance in the summer wasn’t great, but they have shown better consistency in best-of-fives. As long as they get into the top four of the group, BYG can perhaps look for a major upset.
Oceania’s Chiefs Esports Club and Brazil’s LOUD are also underdog teams, but they might struggle with such tight competition. They might win some games, but it’s unlikely to see them advance to the group stage.
The teams from Group A that will most likely advance should be between Fnatic and EG or both. If one of them doesn’t make it out, then BYG might be the second team to advance instead.
Group B
- DRX – LCK No. 4
- Istanbul Wildcats – TCL No. 1
- Isurus – LLA No. 1
- MAD Lions – LEC No. 4
- Royal Never Give Up – LPL No. 4
- Saigon Buffalo – VCS No. 2
Fans always talk about the “group of death” for the Worlds main event, but this time, there will be a group of death in the play-ins as well. Not only does it include the current MSI champions Royal Never Give Up, but it also has the Korean team DRX and the LEC representative MAD Lions. Add in the Vietnamese region with Saigon Buffalo and we’re guaranteed one of the spiciest play-in groups in Worlds history.
On paper, RNG should be head and shoulders above everyone else. While they are the fourth seed from the LPL, what they showcased during the summer playoffs and regional finals was much more than what most play-in teams bring to the table. They are expected to finish first in this group, and in the worst-case scenario, RNG should advance as the second-place team.
Below RNG, it should be a three-way fight between DRX, Saigon Buffalo, and MAD Lions. The Korean team is the favorite due to their recent results and the presence of two strong players like Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu and Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo. MAD Lions had a strong summer regular split and finished second. That being said, they fell off a cliff in the LEC playoffs and were eliminated without winning a series. As for Saigon Buffalo, they already proved their worth at MSI, finishing in the top six: the team can deliver and must not be underestimated.
Unfortunately for Istanbul Wildcats and Isurus, this group of death will be fatal for them. While they did qualify for Worlds, the Turkish and Latin American representatives still have a long way to go. Having said that, it should be a valuable learning experience for them.
For Group B, the predictions are straightforward. RNG and DRX are almost guaranteed to advance, it will just be a matter of who wins the group. The chances that any other team makes it out are going to be slim, unless the third-place team, which is likely going to be SGB or MAD, can beat the second-place team from Group A.
