Best/Worst: Week 2 - ANX, Korea, and heartbreak

Riot·Oct 10, 2016·2 votes·34,090 views

The good news is only half the field stands between your favorite team and the Summoner’s Cup. The bad news is your favorite team is probably out.

In an alternate timeline, your favorite team -- let’s call them TSMCLG2 -- is waking up. It’s Thursday, October 6th. They roll around in bed and check social media. Fans are wishing them luck. Then it hits. It’s all about to start again. They visualize landing a skill shot. A kill. A pentakill. They see the enemy Nexus crumble. Them lifting the Cup.

Then there’s a knock on the door. A one-two. It’s their manager -- says, “Are you almost ready?”

They sit up so fast their hair flops over their face. The manager knocks again. Just once. A louder knock. They get up. They yell, “Yeah. I’m ready.”

But were you -- dear TSMCLG2 fan -- ready for the second week of the World Championship? Has it settled yet that the above is the alternate timeline, and that this current timeline that we’re all tied to has just watched your team be eliminated? If not, you can live through it again here with the VODs. Or you can trust me when I say these were the best and worst moments to conclude the Group Stage:

Best: Likkrit rallies the troops

I’ve never particularly felt like risking my life. I jump when tiny little bugs get too close to me. I don’t know the first thing about swordsmanship. But I’d follow Albus NoX Luna’s Likkrit into the depths of Mount Doom, and there, we’d cast The One Ring into its molten pits -- and along with it the power to control the International Wildcard regions.

ANX defeating the ROX Tigers is arguably the match of the tournament so far and maybe ever. The Russian squad has captured the adoration of many fans and rightfully so. Their underdog story is appealing to anybody who’s ever been looked down on. And their playstyle is unrelenting -- Likkrit spends a significant chunk of the game roaming, and they’re not afraid to fight. They’ve played the likes of Anivia and Brand. And to follow all of that with such a candid interview is a testament to their passion. Fans love ANX because they love the game and the competition. And they’re not afraid to show that to the world.

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Worst: NA Week 2

As in, Na(h), that didn’t happen. As in, NaCl(g). As in, dang, this year’s gotta be the most disappointing thing for TSM fans. This was a team that was super dominant in the regular season. They put in hours and hours of work and built a robust infrastructure of trainers and coaches. But for whatever reason, it didn’t click. Dyrus retiring after Worlds last year was sad for TSM fans for all the right reasons. This year, it’s sad for all the wrong ones.

Best: Korea

What kind of idiot jumps to hasty conclusions about Korea faltering after just one week? Ha…

All three of their representatives finished their groups in first place. They're favored in all of those matches, so a Semifinals featuring three teams from Korea is looking to be not just possible but likely. Let’s put this in perspective: they won almost as much games as all of NA and EU combined. The Western teams managed to close the gap between themselves, at least. The silver lining? H2K swept Week 2 with a 4-0 record, and Cloud9 can count on many TSM and CLG fans to hop on their wagon send them their energy. Also, this gif lives on.

Worst: LMS end game woes

Neither team really ever got blown out -- they pretty much always met their opponent on a level playing field as they entered the mid and late game. But neither ahq e-Sports Club or the Flash Wolves seemed to have enough bite in them to secure victories. It’s tough watching talented teams fail to close out games -- be it a lack of confidence or nerves, it seemed finding the mark with the final arrow was too tall a task for the LMS teams at this Worlds.

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Best: Reddit game thread poems

This Worlds is sweaty, Lee Sin week, feeders are heavy

There’s toxic in this lobby already, Tahm’s spaghetti

You’re nervous for your team but by the Nexus they look calm and ready

To drop comms, but they keep on forgettin’

To ban out Crown, the whole crowd goes so loud

They walk into lane, but the minions won’t come out

They’re poking now, everybody’s pokin’ wow

Baron comes up, it’s time to throw, blaow!

Snap back to reality, oh this game’s insanity

Oh there goes half the field, I’m sad too so don’t be mad at me

Worst: This Tweet about EDG top laner Mouse

This gave me all sorts of feels. Mouse has been getting ragged on pretty hard for some of his performances thus far, but when EDG had their backs against the wall against ahq, he stepped up and provided brilliant ult-after-ult on Poppy to help them claw their way back into the game and subsequently the tournament. The Best of 5 setting from here on out should allow EDG to make proper adjustments between games to give him more assistance. And a Quarterfinal matchup against ROX’s Smeb is the ultimate chance to redeem himself.

Best: H2K saves the European Union

Well, close enough. Including the tiebreaker for first place, H2K finished Friday with a 4-0 record. Even for non-EU fans, it was relieving to see, especially after the thrashing they received last week. And while ANX will likely say the same, H2K drawing them should give fans reason to be optimistic about a Semifinals appearance. This dope Caitlyn play from FORG1VEN sums up their week pretty well.

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Worst: I May Road’s suspension

I found it ironic that this ban for behavior was met with so much vitriol. I don’t know how much crap he got for this in China, but I can’t imagine it was pretty. I’m not condoning poor in-game behavior -- not in the slightest. I just hope people have enough empathy to separate his temper from who he might actually be as a person -- and that, perhaps, things like death threats, which are more common now with League’s growth, are completely and absolutely over the line. That said, let’s all try to be nicer in-game, too.

Best: The six people with a perfect Pick’Em

I will personally give a Little Devil Teemo skin to one of these people if they finish with a perfect bracket -- if only to get on the good side of our new overlord.

Best/Worst: Group Stage is over

Like the first couple rounds of March Madness, Group Stage offers a lot by way of volatility. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room get more invested in a game than the ANX vs. ROX game -- we were watching David slay Goliath. Most people didn’t even know who ANX was before the tournament, but there they were, leaned halfway into the screen. Every felled objective was met with thunder. Everyone teetered on edge until it finally ended. That was everything Worlds is supposed to be -- teams displaying excellence from different corners of the world.

That Group Stage is over means we only have three more weeks of competitive League of Legends this year. That it’s over, though, also means we’re three weeks away from crowning this year’s World Champion. And it’s going to be super exciting to see which team will stand above us all. At least until Thursday, we can wallow in our alternate timelines.

108 Comments

DranorOct 10, 201623 votes

Only true fans know the pain.

KookedaOct 10, 20167 votes

c9 did it c:

Shrek WazowskiOct 10, 20168 votes

Im so happy C9 did it as a tsm fan, it hurt so bad to lose to rng

irunsOct 10, 20168 votes

When my eyes finally dried from TSM's loss, I saw what looked like an NA team making it past the group stage... Help us C9...you are our only hope...

RiotMean Mister KienOct 10, 201610 votes

Fear not, friend. It's cloudy in Chicago right now.

It's also just a tiny bit of the [Samsung] Galaxy, though, so... you know... just focus on the clouds.

Khellendros223Oct 12, 20162 votes

Here's to hoping that much like a Galaxy phone, the Samsung team discovers a way to exceed expectations with a catastrophic meltdown.

Sup KinfolkOct 10, 20163 votes

C9-9 baby! <3 TSM still

Edge GeraldineOct 10, 20169 votes

NaCl(g)...dear god salt is now gaseous and can spread through the air

Sensei ShNallOct 10, 20164 votes

TBH the salt from NA fans that TSM didn't get a tiebreaker after losing 2-0 to RNG was basically spreading through online forums like a gas

LandreinOct 10, 20163 votes

No it wasn't, some people were confused and asked about it and others in the forum answered their questions. Some people are just terrible trolls about everything. Well nurse your wounds over Splyce and G2 going 1/5 somewhere else and prepare for disappointment. Because, when H2k actually has to face a Korean team, they are going to get dropped out of worlds just as fast as the teams were.

KingSnakeThe1stOct 11, 20161 votes

Wow way to assume someone's region you cis-region misogynist

LandreinOct 12, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Wow way to assume someone's region you cis-region misogynist

That word, I don't think it means what you think it means lol. You realize how stupid you look when you attempt to troll people with words while not even using it appropriately. Gender wasn't even mentioned in that post. Looks like someone was just looking for any personal insult to throw cause they couldn't argue that H2K could beat an EU team.

MonarchOfCoolOct 12, 20161 votes

WutFace

SmileyOwnsYouOct 12, 20161 votes

Logged in to upvote this, made me actually laugh out loud :b

xdeadboltxOct 10, 20168 votes

So not saying that NA region didn't disappoint, but if I was an EU fan I'm worried. H2K got in by the same merit that C9 did, Luck. H2K is lucky that they had the easiest group out of the four (no Korean or NA teams) and C9 is lucky that the Flash Wolves lost to SKT to avoid a tie breaker. I see both H2K and C9 getting pummeled and outed setting up another all Korean final between Rox and Samsung, don't see China or International putting up much of a fight either.

Colombo16Oct 10, 20167 votes

Hang on, let me get this straight: you're saying that if H2k were in a group with an NA team, they wouldn't have gotten out? The korean one is more believable but NA? Tsm, the best team, lost twice to RNG, who's the 2nd seed in china, meanwhile H2k beat EDG twice, and EDG is the 1st seed from china. Also, let's say you put a Korean team in their group instead of INTZ, they would still qualify since they are still better than the other 2 teams, just as a 2nd seed this time. As an EU fan, I'm not really worried, since our region was weak this year, and if a weak EU makes it to semis while a strong NA has a really low shot to make it to semis, then I consider this a good sign. Also, while H2k would get pummeled by SKT, I'm not so sure that they would vs SSG or ROX just because of how strong their lanes are.

SneakosOct 10, 201615 votes

You forgot to mention how EU went 0-4 against NA in worlds this year

MonarchOfCoolOct 12, 20161 votes

He also forgot to mention that C9, probably the worst North American team in the early game, and consistent disappointment (being a C9 fan, this hurts to say), totally clapped (hehe xd) SKT in the early game in Week 2. But SKT is SKT and doesn't take that from any region other than China or their own. Pretty sure NA plays in a way that H2K isn't used to as well.

Flash WardOct 10, 20162 votes

H2K DOMINATED week 2. and beat EDG... TWICE. so your beginning statement holds no truth. did you even watch Worlds??? lol

LandreinOct 10, 20161 votes

Easy to dominate a group with lackluster teams, would H2K have dominated a group with a Korean team? I doubt it.

EetheartOct 11, 20162 votes

Lackluster teams? EDG is arguably the best team in China, and that is no small feat!

LandreinOct 12, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Lackluster teams? EDG is arguably the best team in China, and that is no small feat!

Yeah they seemed so dominant in groups too. O.o Maybe there is a problem with Chinese teams? Though watching the teams, I think, if RNG could of ended up in the same group and EDG, I suspect, RNG and H2K would of been the ones to make it out of that group and not EDG.

TrollFan01Oct 10, 20166 votes

TSM did well all things considered. Won half their games, stomped SSG, and kept even with RNG in the first game.

If this TSM roster sticks together and continues to grow then they can do as good at next year's worlds that they wanted to do this year.

CrayonDragonOct 10, 20165 votes

You do realize SSG only got stomped cause they tried playing TSM's game first time around? Ambition came out and said this in an interview. He said they would not lose again and he kept his word.

Banana Bread XDOct 10, 20166 votes

TSM feelsbadman, C9 made it bois, MakeNaGreatAgain*[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]*

foxy11487Oct 10, 20165 votes

As a C9 fan it sucks to see TSM not make it but i belive in C9

ÇhaosOct 10, 20163 votes

There are no excuses for how TSM played. However, I know that those guys are hurting much worse than we are. I love Team Solomid, and I'll stand by them forever. I know they gave it their best and I'll always be proud of how hard they worked. Let's show our love and support for our region as I know they need it. Support TSM and CLG, they both tried their best.

LandreinOct 10, 20162 votes

When they actually try and stop throwing tournaments because they are smug and arrogant, I'll support them more. See, I don't thing TSM or CLG tried their best. I think they both lost critical games because they assumed their opponents would collapse and didn't take them seriously.

Lord SnowStormOct 10, 20163 votes

I started reading this article super hype and then I realized who ever wrote this spent more time on saying how sad it was that TSM and CLG were eliminated than about the fact that C9 is in the semi finals. The only thing said about them is " Cloud9 can count on many TSM and CLG fans to hop on their wagon send them their energy". WTF are you serious you can tell the author of this article favors TSM and CLG. Also I really like ANX they are a great team and very fun to watch but they aren't the only underdogs. If I went back 2 month ago and started a poll on which NA team would make it to worlds I know that it would be TSM and CLG with the majority but the fact that they were eliminated and C9 is in the quarter finals is way more important than the sob story about TSM and CLG at least it is to me.

Meanie40Oct 10, 20162 votes

Worst: The knockout draw.

C'mon, how can the clear top 4 teams all be on one side of the bracket.

RIP the finals at Staples.

Dust MarloweOct 10, 20164 votes

I know, this seems to happen almost every year. It seems like the 2 best teams end up playing in the Semis and the Finals is just a foregon conclusion. Was really hoping for at least the possibility of a Rox VS SKT Final, but looks like the 2 best teams will play in the Semis again.

Meanie40Oct 11, 20162 votes

I was really hoping for a ROX/SKT final as well, as I'll be going.

But I'll take 3 live games of whatever's served I guess.

Hentai Fuels MeOct 10, 20162 votes

Let's just skip to the finals. It's going to be a Korean team anyway that will win.

AlexanderMagnusIOct 10, 20161 votes

Watch a Chinese or wildcard region win.

Hentai Fuels MeOct 11, 20163 votes

Nah

GumaSushiOct 11, 20162 votes

maybe wildcard... i don't think chinese team will even make semi

korean dogOct 11, 20162 votes

You honestly have no idea what you are talking about. You keep saying LPL disappoints year after year when judging from The past 4 years lpl is indisputably the second best region. If you really want to talk about overrated and bad region just look at NA every single year the teams from NA gets destroyed in the worlds stage. China was the last team in the worlds stage ton beat a Korean team in a BO5(OMG 3-0 Najin) and The only major tournament SKT lost in was at MSI was to EDG. Talk to me when a western team can match that kind of pedigree. China has never failed to get out of groups and made the final twice. EU was stuck in groups 2014 and NA 2015. Honestly looking at factual evidence western teams are just not very good.

And you calling LPL fans cocky? Lol NA fans before worlds is talking about how TSM is gonna win the whole thing. If anyone that talks big with a small boat it's the western fanbase. The Chinese fans have always been respecting towards other countries and even the players and coaches were humble before the tournament. While you got idiots like H2Ks Odo talking shit about how EDG was easy game.

QuartzGolemOct 11, 20161 votes

Lets be real here, the true overrated region is the LMS.

AlexanderMagnusIOct 11, 20161 votes

Let's be real here, Europe will win n world's this year. G2 vs TSM finals, calling it now.

QuartzGolemOct 12, 20162 votes

Due to the sheer amount of retarded posts I've seen over time on the esports boards, I honestly can't tell if you're being sarcastic of if you're just an ignorant fool.

I'd probably give it a 70-30.

GumaSushiOct 15, 20161 votes

yes, LPL is second best region, but don't u remembe last year??? everyone expected them to win worlds but they performed horribly, it was just dissapointing, comparing to 2013 and 2014 when they made finals. YES lpl teams are second best, but I think there is huge gap between lpl teams and lck teams still. NA isn't overated, everyone knows they are bad. I actually thought RNG will win against SSG easily, since SSG was never a good team since 2015, It was suprising that they are performing really good and in other side, it was dissapointing how EDG didn't get 1st seed where there is no lck team in that group, and how RNG barely made it to quarter I am just salty rn because i put RNG and EDG in 1st seed for picks lol

ChymaerusOct 10, 20162 votes

I find it funny how fast people completely forget what actually happened in professional matches and focus exclusively on a statistic. Every Korean team made it out of groups in first place but every Korean team besides SKT showed major recurring holes in their gameplay which lost them games. This year from Korea looked nothing like years past and they are not by any stretch of the imagination, miles ahead of the other regions. In fact I think they actually looked very beatable this year, but for whatever reason the THEME of this years worlds has been wild inconsistency across virtually every other region.

While their in-game play (again, barring SKT) wasn't exactly stellar, I think this year exposed the mismatch in support staff between KR and the other regions more than anything. They came into games with very intelligent drafts planned out, and clear win conditions carefully crafted and targeted at their specific opponents in week 2. The same thing cannot be said for the other region's teams.

GDHSROct 11, 20162 votes

SSG just needed some time to adjust to the international stage (week 1). 2 23 minute games in week 2 with a 3-0 record says means dominance I think. I DO agree that ROX didn't perform as well as we thought they would though.

As a Korean and an LCK/SKT fan, we laughed at the "expert's guides" for groups (putting SKT 2nd in the groups). Best of 1's and Best of 5's are totally different games, and I think it's gonna be very tough to beat a Korean team, especially SKT (who never lost a Best-of-5 in Spring and got barely dropped to KT after winning the first 2 in the summer).

GumaSushiOct 11, 20161 votes

idk what u are talking about.... other kr teams except skt had lost from other region team last year, also in 2014 and 2013..... They didn't win everysingle game.... Also in 2013, skt didn't even have perfect score. 2015 world was ONLY year SKT had almost perfect score, so saying their results from this year is different from past is WRONG. Obvioulsy u didn't watch past worlds. Every results are similar from last year except 1 loss in SKT from FW, not much difference! 1loss doesn't mean they are no longer dominant team. And besides if Chinese team beats kr team, maybe we can say they are catching up, but if wildcard team and NA team beats kr team (1 game), it was probably because they didn't expected good performance from unknown wildcard team, and probably 1 lucky win from NA. 1 game doesn't determine if the team is worse or better. ONLY perfect results 3 years in a row from KR region in world event was the ALL STAR, not world championship

ChymaerusOct 11, 20161 votes

Looks like you replied to the wrong thread? At least 4 times? Who were you responding to?

GumaSushiOct 15, 20161 votes

actually u, idk y i couldn't reply to ur comment

ChymaerusOct 16, 20161 votes

Well none of what you said has anything to do with my comments. I never said past teams never dropped a game or played perfectly. You invented your own argument. I said that "every Korean team besides SKT showed major recurring holes in their gameplay which lost them games". That comment I made was echoed by both many pros as well as coaches and analysts later on who agreed that the games were much closer this year. I've watched every worlds since 2013 and have many of the matches saved on my hard drive.

Your comments make it sound like you either haven't watched past worlds or are so blinded by regional bias that you're not actually paying attention to whats going on in the games themselves. I got a good laugh out of the notion that any non LPL team winning was solely because they weren't taken seriously by the KR teams and that LPL wins would prove a closing gap between those regions. LPL as a region still looks extremely shaky and definitely not in the conversation for top regions. Much of how groups and quarters turned out this year was largely due to luck of the draw in terms of group composition. That is reflected in how one sided quarters ended up being with both LPL teams being a total blowout. KR teams are definitely ramping up as the tournament goes on though.

GumaSushiOct 17, 20161 votes

"Every Korean team made it out of groups in first place but every Korean team besides SKT showed major recurring holes in their gameplay which lost them games. " weren't u talking about this year KR teams besides SKT?? Not all LCK teams performed well except 2015 and 2016. So KR team lacking in someway is not suprising at all.

"In fact I think they actually looked very beatable this year" Y do u think KR teams are suddenly beatable this year?? Only SKT performed well in 2013, only SSW and SSB made semi final in 2014, and 2015 was only year that 3 KR teams made semifinals. AND 2016, this year, 3 KR teams made semi final. DID KR teams really became worse?? or "beatable"? while they are dominating the worlds??

"This year from Korea looked nothing like years past" I don't get ur point, having drive doesn't mean u r right, the results tell us that KR teams are performing better and better as year goes on, not only 1 KR team is dominating anymore, all 3 teams made out semifianl and u r saying they got worse??

ChymaerusOct 17, 20161 votes

I think you're missing the main point of my post. The main point I made back when groups had just come to a close was that just because KR had 3 out of 3 teams making it out of groups didn't mean they were "dominating" because many of those matches were very close. This was both because they clearly weren't playing to their full potential but also because other regions were playing stronger than they have in the past. ROX nearly didn't make it out of groups. They lost to both CLG and ANX. SKT had a very close game with C9 in their second match, and SSG got obliterated in their first match against TSM (I had my doubts about their strength at the time because the strength of that group overall was a little hard to read honestly).

Obviously with Quarters done now the KR teams actually are dominating again as they have found their form though so...not a lot to say about that anymore I guess, they're clearly far ahead.

GumaSushiOct 18, 20161 votes

I see what u meant now. I totally agree with u that Skt in 2013, SSW in 2014, and Skt in 2015 showed perfect games, unlike this year. What I was trying to say was that I think all 3 KR teams making semi showed improvement as a KR league, not only improvement of individual teams like Skt or Rox.