Na has placed higher than Korea Since MSI 2018 In international events. No Korean team made it to the top 4 at worlds 2018 while Cloud 9 did. Skt was eliminated in semifinals at MSI 2019 while NA made it to the finals. Should NA be seeded higher than Korea at 2019 worlds? Where do you think EU and China should be seeded? If riot keeps putting Korea as top seed that feels unfair to the regions that keep beating them.
The thing I'm kinda confused is the Play-In stage; will Korea's, China's and the LMS' #3 seeds be in the Best of 5 in the Play-In or what?
Last year at MSI China won(RNG) beating Korea(KZD) but yet, Korea's #3 seed wasn't in the Play-In stage but instead, it was China's #3 seed alongside NA and EU's #3 seed.
And one can't say ' Korea was in the MSI Finals' because in 2017 EU's G2 was in the MSI Finals and yet, their region was still placed in the Best of 5 at Worlds 2017.
So pretty much once you're able to get to the Playoff stage of MSI you should just not give a s$it if you're from Eu/NA/LPL/LMS or what? You've already gotten a #1 seed but you're #3 seed is fucked even if you're a final 4 at MSI earlier in the year, even if you made it to the Finals of MSI.
So....
What do you mean by seeded?
If you mean that Na should be seeded higher than korea at group stage then seeding doesn't matter
World Seeding is based on MSI, the top 4 teams, aka all who made it to Semi's are number 1 seeds of their group.
Korea is still going to get the respect and a higher seed.
2018 MSI NA (Team Liquid) didn't get into the knockout. Korea (Kingzone) made it to MSI finals.
2018 World's Cloud 9 swept Afreeca in Quarters before being swept themselves in Semis. Meanwhile KT was the only team to take games off IG in knockouts forcing 5 games in quarters. The only Korean team not in KO stage was in the lowly 13-16 rank while two NA teams were in 9th-12th.
2019 MSI NA (Team Liquid) managed to get into Finals before being swept in RECORD LOW TIME. Meanwhile Korea (SKT) again forced 5 games against the eventual champions.
When you look at total context, Korea is still showing up as better performers overall in the past year and a half.
NA, EU, and Korea are all in the same boat.
Their #1 gets a #1 seed
Their #2 gets a #2 seed
Their #3 goes to the play in stage
China gets the past performance bye into the main event group stage for their #3.
Taiwan is the odd man out for the 4 #1 seeds by virtue of not qualifying top 4 at this year's MSI.
The reality is there is just a slight advantage to the one region that gets the past performance bonus. And given that three of the four 3 seeds to come out of play ins made it out of groups (only Taiwan #3 did not) and given Korea #3 who had the bye into groups didn't make it out of groups, it might actually be an advantage to do play ins and get some games under your belt.
And I think there is a disadvantage for the region that doesn't get a #1.
But I don't think either are much to fret over.
