The Luck of the Draw: H2K vs. ANX

When the stars align for you, you don’t question it. You just accept that the universe both has the power to give life, and take it away. 

Thus was the way of the Quarterfinals draw for Albus NoX Luna and H2K. Drawing each other was the best possible outcome for both teams -- and the way it went down could make you believe that fate somehow played a hand in all of this.

Not only did Albus NoX Luna avoid all three Korean powerhouses that walked away with No. 1 seeds from the Group Stage, but H2K also managed to draw the perceivably weakest No. 2 seed. Both teams were more than happy with the result, and when we caught up with Jankos after H2K's tiebreaker against Edward Gaming, it was exactly what he was hoping for.

“I don’t want to draw SKT or TSM,” Jankos said after claiming the No. 1 spot in Group C. “Those are the two scariest teams right now. I would love to draw Albus NoX, actually -- and I think everyone would agree with me. Even though I respect them, and they played with heart and played amazing on stage, I think they will probably be the weakest team in Quarters.”

If your Pick ‘Ems are anything to go by, then very few people expected H2K to finish 1st in their group. Jankos couldn’t quite believe it himself. All he wanted to do in Week 2 was come out and show the world that H2K were a better team than they were in Week 1. Instead, they ended up beating China’s No. 1 seed EDG not once, but twice. The universe, it would seem, was smiling on Jankos and the rest of H2K.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Jankos with a great laugh -- seriously, he has one of the best laughs out of all the pro players here at Worlds. “For the first time, everything went perfect. We were really calm, we didn’t hesitate, but at the same time we were patient. We first knew we were going to Quarterfinals when we were winning super hard against INTZ. We lived through their early aggression and our champions scaled better, so they couldn’t do anything. When we got Nashor it felt so fucking good.”

Now flash forward two days when all the dust has settled and H2K were preparing for the Quarterfinals group draw. They had three Quarterfinal draw rehearsals throughout the day, common for any show here at Riot. In two of those rehearsals, H2K was matched with ANX. Could lightning strike three times? Odoamne and aMiracle thought not. While they were up on stage they joked about it and said that it couldn’t possibly happen again.

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“I was watching the draw with FORG1VEN and Pr0lly [at the venue]. Odoamne was on stage and the others were back in the hotel,” begins Jankos and a smile splits his face. “So first thing we see is that SKT has Albus NoX and we were all like ‘ahhhhhhh what is happening? Why does the best team in the tournament have the underdogs?’ We cannot say [ANX] are bad or anything like this, they defeated ROX so they are a very good team. But they are definitely the underdog coming into the Quarterfinals, so we were like -- holy shit, SKT has Albus, what the hell?”

Though as the draw was made, Jatt put a finger to his ear and held up a hand for clarification. The draw, in fact, was invalid -- with Albus NoX being unable to play on that side of the bracket with ROX Tigers there as well, because they both were in Group A. At the H2K camp, they held their breath.

“And then they say there is a problem and everyone goes quiet and thinking that it is probably nothing,” Jankos continues. “And then they say that SKT cannot face Albus NoX and everyone is thinking that it must be someone else. They they say H2K will face Albus NoX and oh my God I just started yelling so loud. I was so happy!”

The draw was a gift for both these teams, as it’s the best chance either of them have of making it to Semifinals. They both thoroughly deserve to be here in the Quarterfinals with how they performed in the Group Stage -- taking games off tournament favorites ROX Tigers and Edward Gaming is no small feat. For their efforts, they will now guarantee that the West is represented in the Semifinals.

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Jankos has tried deep dish here in Chicago, and now will continue the hunt for the Holy Grail that is New York pizza. They will be the favorites going into today’s series, though they’re not going to rest on the laurels of their Group Stage performance. ANX may be a ‘wildcard’, but they’ve shown they’re the wildest card ever to be thrown from Twisted Fate’s hand and onto the Worlds stage.

“We need good pick and ban against them,” says Jankos. “It’s crucial we eliminate their best champions -- like Brand support which is iconic for Likkrit, I don’t think we can give that to him. Top lane also has iconic champions. Their jungler and I have played a lot in Solo Queue so I kind of know his style and what to expect from him.”

Jankos dreamed of a Semifinal in which they played against Cloud9 so it would be NA vs. EU, because, in his own words, “it would be so fucking hype.” Though Samsung Galaxy were quick to stifle that dream by blowing up Cloud9 faster than a Galaxy Note 7. Yet should H2K win against ANX they will take on the very same Samsung squad that dismantled Cloud9. It’ll be a tall order, considering the bodies that lie in Samsung’s wake.

Anything can happen, but for now we’ll have to be comforted by the fact that no matter what, a Western team will be there in the Semifinals. As to what Jankos thinks of that? He just laughed.

“It’s very exciting -- hopefully we can have one in the Finals, too!”