T1 On a Rampage
The fan favorite going into the Worlds 2024 Finals is easily T1. League’s winningest team of all time has made their third consecutive Worlds Finals appearance and is looking to go back-to-back. Even when they look to be slumping coming into the tournament, they’ve proven time and time again that you cannot underestimate T1 at Worlds.
Every single player on the roster has been performing at or near their best. T1 has only lost two individual games so far, giving them the highest win rate at the event. Looking at the stats adds more credence to T1’s play. They own four of the top eight KDA’s at Worlds and have players at or near the top of most role metrics.
T1 passes the eye test as well. They look calm, composed, and decisive in their games. Seeing them turn game one against Gen.G around with the clutch Baron call is an indicator that they know exactly what they need to do to win close games. And breaking their 10 match losing streak to Gen.G when it mattered most was the icing on the cake. If T1 could finally conquer the team they could never beat, who’s left to stop them?
Image Credit Riot Games (Colin Young-Wolff)
BiliBili’s Return to Form
The LPL’s first seed was expected to make waves at Worlds 2024. However, they got off to a slow start. After dropping to the 2-2 match in Swiss, BLG was nearly eliminated by G2 Esports entirely. Still, there were bright spots on BLG that just needed a bit more time to shine.
Since then, BLG has gotten a taste of comfort. They’ve run through the topside of the bracket gaining confidence on their way. First, they soundly beat the LCK Summer Champions Hanwha Life Esports. Then they swept the defending Worlds Finalsist Weibo Gaming, solidifying their place in the biggest game that League has to offer.
This Bilibili Gaming squad has a chance to do something that has never been done before: win Worlds with an all-Chinese lineup. This is a huge deal for fans of the LPL, and this narrative couldn’t have come at a better time. After all, it was T1 that demolished every LPL team at Worlds last year to claim their unlikely fifth Summoners’ Cup.
Who will be the Difference Makers?
When looking down the rosters, a couple players have stood out on both teams. BLG’s midlaner Zhuo “knight” Ding has been playing one of the best tournaments of his career. He should be favored in the matchup against Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. T1’s Support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok is heavily favored over a struggling Luo “On” Wen-Jun, so watch for his dominance on the map. The rest of the roles could really swing either way depending on draft and individual performance.
The Worlds 2024 Finals begins on Saturday, November 2 at 9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT.
