The best League of Legends teams from around the world are gathering to compete in the 2016 World Championship. The tournament, which starts on Thursday and concludes on October 29, brings together teams from four continents. The squad that emerges victorious will take home the Summoner’s Cup and a grand prize of $1 million as the champions of season six.
If you haven’t been following the thousands of hours of games that led up to this event, don’t worry. We’ll get you up to speed in just a few minutes.
Logistics
The tournament is divided into two stages. In the group stage, the 16 teams are split into four groups, and each team plays two matches against the others in their group. The top two teams from each group move on to the single-elimination knockout stage, where they must win a best-of-five series to advance further.
Most of the teams come from five major divisions: North America’s NA LCS, Europe’s EU LCS, Korea’s LCK, China’s LPL, and the LMS, which includes teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. There are also two teams from wild card regions, hailing from Russia and Brazil.
Even though non-professionals have moved onto patch 6.19, the matches at Worlds will be played on patch 6.18. Riot designed this patch with Worlds in mind, making a number of nerfs to champions familiar to the pro scene such as Ashe, Ekko, Gnar, Rek’Sai, Shen, Taliyah, and Vladimir.
The games will be returning to American soil for the first time since season three’s World Championship in 2013. San Francisco, Chicago, and New York will respectively host the group stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals, leading up to the championship series at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Favorites to win
Teams from Korea have won the last three years at Worlds, so it comes as no surprise that this year’s top two teams both come from the LCK. Defending champion SK Telecom T1 have taken two of the past three Worlds titles, and they are expected to be the final boss that any other team will have to overcome to claim this year’s crown.
However, another win for the Korean powerhouse is not guaranteed, as SKT T1 faltered after winning this year’s Mid-Season Invitational by losing to KT Rolster in the semifinals to finish third in the LCK summer split. Rox Tigers finished first during the summer’s regular season and beat KT Rolster in the finals to supplant SKT T1 atop the LCK. ROX, previously known as KOO Tigers, were runners-up to SKT T1 at Worlds last year and they will be looking for revenge.
The rivalry between these teams will be portrayed through the star players on each team. ROX top laner Kyungho “Smeb” Song needs to win this tournament to solidify his legacy and surpass SKT’s legendary mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as the best League of Legends player in the world.
Behind the Korean favorites, China’s Edward Gaming has momentum on their side after going undefeated in the LPL summer split and sweeping spring split winners Royal Never Give Up in the playoffs finals. Despite the loss, RNG’s roster is stacked, and they will be a tough challenge for any team at Worlds. Rounding out the top five is NA’s perennial powerhouse Team SoloMid.
North America’s chances
Traditionally, NA LCS teams have struggled at Worlds. Last year, the three NA teams combined to go 0-9 in the second weekend of the group stage, with none making it to the knockout stage. This year, the same three teams – TSM, Counter Logic Gaming, and Cloud9 – will be representing NA. TSM carries the highest expectations, having cruised through the summer split with a 15-1 record. However, don’t count out CLG and Cloud9, as they have both shown potential in past tournaments.
Group stage upsets
If you’re looking for upsets in the group stage, keep an eye on Group A and Group C. ROX Tigers are expected to secure the top spot in Group A, but the second spot is up for grabs. G2 Esports, the favorites in terms of seeding, will be under pressure after their disappointing performance at the Mid-Season Invitational. CLG’s finals appearance at MSI has boosted their confidence, and they will be looking to upset G2 in Group A.
Group C is also ripe for upsets. Edward Gaming is heavily favored to win the group, but the second spot is anyone’s game. H2K finished fourth in the EU LCS, while ahq e-Sports Club failed to regain their former glory after losing in the LMS finals. Brazilian champions INTZ e-Sports round out the group, and they could surprise everyone with their talented jungler Gabriel “Revolta” Henud.
Players to watch
In case you haven’t had a chance to watch games from every region this year, here’s a list of one standout player from each team that you should focus on when watching Worlds.
Top:
– Smeb (ROX Tigers)
– Ziv (ahq e-Sports Club)
– AmazingJ (I May)
Jungle:
– ClearLove (EDward Gaming)
– Trick (G2 Esports)
– Revolta (INTZ e-sports)
– Trashy (Splyce)
Mid:
– Faker (SK Telecom T1)
– Bjergsen (Team SoloMid)
– Maple (Flash Wolves)
AD Carry:
– Sneaky (Cloud9)
– FORG1VEN (H2K)
– aMiracle (Albus NoX Luna)
Support:
– Mata (Royal Never Give Up)
– Aphromoo (Counter Logic Gaming)
– Wraith (Samsung Galaxy)
Now, you’re ready to enjoy the games!