4 Takeaways from Quarterfinals

If you blinked, then you might have missed the Quarterfinals' one-sided affairs!

On the Rift, the meta seemed to stabilize even more as teams demonstrated mastery over how they want to play the Worlds meta. While the likes of Maokai and Poppy made appearances, by-and-large it's damage dealing champions that are more valued right now. It's Korean teams who've figured it out the best, and they may be as dominant as ever -- these are your Semifinals matchups:

• Oct. 21 at 6:00 pm ET - ROX Tigers vs. SK Telecom T1
• Oct. 22 at 6:00 pm ET - Samsung Galaxy vs. H2K

Here are the takeaways from the 2016 World Championship Quarterfinals:

1. The 2016 LCK Fall Semifinals World Championship Semifinals will feature three teams from Korea.

Let’s think about that for a second.

Okay, I’m done thinking. The LCK region is really freaking good. They’ve now won the last three World Championships and are the heavy favorite to win it again. In the last two weeks, Korean teams went a combined 18-3. Even when their opponents can stand toe-to-toe in the lane phase (which isn’t often), the Korean teams just move together as a unit better than anyone else -- so the mid to late game decisions generally swing in their favor. They can disengage together to stall out a game when behind, and they can corral their opponents into a tight trap when they’re ahead. The most compelling storyline going forward might be whether or not SK Telecom T1 can be the first team to win back-to-back Summoner’s Cups.

In Korea, there’s a saying: “You must construct additional Pylons!” Alright, that’s actually from Starcraft (what is Starcraft but Korean, though), but imagine how much more scary Korea would be without a supply cap? If they could build another Pylon and bring a few more teams?

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2. There’s always next year.

This one goes out to you, NA fan -- you from the House of Boos (featuring the Crest of Great Expectations). And to you, China, who continue to prove, year after year, that individual talent is not the most important thing in a team game. And to the LMS, for looking very good until it matters -- may the holiday season bring you a solution to your end game woes.

And finally, to all the International Wildcard regions who aspire to stand atop the world’s premier stage for League of Legends. Albus NoX Luna’s accomplishments are a testament to your growth. I am excited to see you return next year -- hopefully with even more fervor.

(Bonus shoutout to pessimistic Cubs fans).

3. There’s also this year.

Europe’s H2K heads into the Semifinals riding a seven game win streak. Honestly, some teams could have taken a hint from them: just don’t draw any matchups against Korean teams. It’s that simple!

H2K’s appearance in the Semifinals is like transferring to a new school. They are the new kid and they were a great baseball player at their old school. But this new school is a renowned baseball powerhouse. And its three best players are ROX, SKT, and SSG. H2K now steps up to the plate for the first time. Everyone is watching.

H2K have dominated en route to the Semifinals. They’ve looked unstoppable the past two weeks, especially in their 3-0 dismantling of Worlds darling ANX. The same ANX who took a game from the ROX Tigers. H2K’s laners look like they can compete against the best in the world. This coming week, Samsung Galaxy will test their ability to secure leads not just in the early game, but in the mid and late game where teams must out-maneuver their opponents.

(Bonus shoutout to optimistic Cubs fans).

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4. Lee Sin is in the meta again.

Let’s talk about why this matters:

• This might not mean much to you, or maybe you even hate it, but let me say that Lee is my favorite champion, and I will throw a Sonic Wave at you (and probably miss) if you have a problem with that!
• Right now, the meta favors a lot of champions who like to poke and disengage -- the likes of Karma and Zyra dominate supports, for example. And with top laners playing heavy damage champions like Jayce, Kennen, and Rumble, engage options are very limited. They are also all very susceptible to being picked off, but their disengage and zone control makes it difficult for enemies to follow up when a champion hard initiates (like Malphite, for example). This makes Lee Sin particularly fun to watch -- he can start fights on these squishy champions thanks to his ability to close gaps (at least someone’s closing gaps). A good Insec initiate from Lee Sin will remove those priority targets from their disengage zones. He can then follow up and escape the fight.
• You’re going to get a lot more Lee Sins in your games, and a lot of them are going to make you scratch your heads. “Don’t try this at home” is more applicable to Lee Sin than maybe any other champion in the game.  

As they say, when the Q lands…