Breaking down Group A

In a group with two clear favorites, it’s hard to imaging AHQ e-Sports Club and Dark Passage making it through the first series of games. Both Edward Gaming and Samsung Galaxy White boast some of the best position players in League of Legends, as well as tremendous teamwork and game sense. No one gives the GPL or International Wildcard teams much of a chance. With that knowledge, will AHQ or Dark Passage manage to use that massive chip on their respective shoulders to raise some eyebrows in Group A? We shall see.

Teams

Edward Gaming

Top: Koo1 Jungle: Clearlove Mid: U ADC: NaMei Support: Fzzf Despite having formed just this year, Edward Gaming has quietly and decisively dominated the LPL, taking the top position in both Spring and Summer splits of China’s 2014 season. As such, they were the only team from the region to auto-qualify for the World Championship 2014 tournament. When they’re playing at their best, EDG look unstoppable. With the veteran leadership of jungler Clearlove and support Fzzf forming the backbone of the team, they’ve become known for their calculated aggression during the 2014 season, knocking down opponents one by one as they make their way to dominance. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they’ve also got one of the best AD carries in the world: NaMei. That said, they’ve definitely had their inconsistent moments. When at their worst, they look indecisive and lack aggression, giving up objectives freely. They’ll have to focus on control of the map if they hope to make it out of what could be a surprising group.

Samsung Galaxy White

Top: Looper Jungle: DanDy Mid: PawN ADC: imp Support: Mata Samsung Galaxy White has always been a contender. Since their formation as MVP White, they’ve taken four Top 3 spots in Champions tournaments, nabbing the No. 1 position at Champions Spring 2013. Despite qualifying for the 2013 World Championship tournament, they failed to get out of the Group stage, and were forced back to Korea with their heads low and fans demanding improvements for the next year. This season, they responded, finishing third in both Spring and Summer, giving them enough circuit points to earn them a spot at Worlds 2014. With that momentum - and a disappointing Season 3 World Championship - behind them, jungler DanDy is out for blood. As the leader of one of the most storied and consistent teams in Korea, he’ll be looking to prove that his squad is better than the two third places finishes they had in OGN Champions while aiming their sights on the biggest title around - World Champions.

AHQ e-Sports Club

Top: Prydz Jungle: Naz Mid: westdoor ADC: GarnetDevil Support: GreenTea AHQ operates under a veil of darkness. Perpetually overshadowed by Season 2 World Champion Taipei Assassins, westdoor and company are underdogs in the most absolute sense. They just barely missed their shot at the last two World Championship tournaments, getting knocked out of the Regionals by Gamania Bears in 2013 and - you guessed it - TPA in 2012. This season, however, they’ve finally made their way to the Worlds stage. Once there, they’ll be on the hunt to knock off some of the more favored squads the world has to offer. And in a group filled with streaky and inconsistent teams, the bot lane duo of GarnetDevil and GreenTea might just have what it takes to shine. A duo that rarely loses lane, they’ll have to contend with EDG and White’s dangerous pairs to make it out of the Group stage. With a little roaming help from veteran westdoor, however, they’ve got a chance.

Dark Passage

Top: fabFabulous Jungle: Crystal Mid: Naru ADC: Holyphoenix Support: Touch Dark Passage has been around the block. Formed in the early days of Season 3, they’ve been a consistent force in the Turkish League of Legends scene, even qualifying last season for the International Wildcard Tournament at Gamescom in 2013. Unfortunately, they ran into GG.EU, and failed to qualify for a spot at Worlds 2013. This season, though, they’re back with a vengeance. After finally nailing down a stable roster, they swept through the competition at Gamescom 2014, knocking out Legacy eSports in impressive 3-0 fashion. If mid laner Naru continues to play his hyper aggressive, kill-focused style, while top laner fabFabulous remains the rock of the team, they may be able to shock the rest of the teams in Group A.

Group Dynamic

We can split Group A into two groups: Known entities and potential spoilers. The world knows what EDG and Samsung White are going to be bringing to the table. They’re both highly aggressive, but precise, teams that can snowball their games out of control if allowed to have their way. Whether it’s EDG’s teamfight-based brawls or White’s impeccable objective control, there’s a reason they’re both some of the best in their regions. If both squads show up at their full potential, it’s hard to imagine anyone but these two making it out of the group. AHQ and DP are a bit more of a mystery, which may very well work in their favor. When playing against the best in the world, teams need to pull out some surprising stuff, and the fact that AHQ and DP are somewhat lesser-known may allow them enough secrecy to work out something that will provide a little shock and awe against the favorites of Group A. Realistically, it will all come down to whether EDG and White show up to play. With White choking at last year’s Worlds, and EDG showing signs of inconsistency in clutch moments, both have clear cracks in their armor. It’s just a question of whether AHQ or DP can feel out those weakness then sneak through a knife.

Playstyles

Both EDG and Samsung Galaxy White rely heavily on their junglers, and both are known to snowball games in their favor. They tend to do it in different ways, however, with EDG forcing teamfights into skyrocketing kill numbers, and White tends to focus more on objective control. The two exemplify the style of play their respective regions are known for, and look fairly unstoppable when they’re on their game. That is, unless AHQ and Dark Passage figure out a way to contain the jungle pressure that their Chinese and Korean opponents bring to the table. Naz and Crystal will be under immense pressure here, and will need all the help they can get to handle Clearlove and DanDy. Expect tons of fights in the jungle as entire teams collapse to deal with these veterans.

Key Players

NaMei NaMei knows what to do when he’s ahead - twist the knife. As soon as EDG gains a lead and forms up into a team-fighting death squad, the star AD carry becomes their core. His positioning - safe yet aggressive. He’s known for dishing out tons of damage while taking little of his own. Put simply, he’s one of the absolute best ADCs in China, a region known for excelling in the position. There’s very little that can stop a snowballing NaMei. DanDy Much like EDG, Samsung Galaxy White puts a lot of faith and focus into their jungler. DanDy is the cornerstone to White’s objective-focused team, making calls and wrangling his teammates to be in the right place at the right time. There’s rarely a time when DanDy allows a team to take an objective without either contesting it or responding by taking one of his own. One of the smartest junglers in the world, DanDy has the ability to control the pace of any game he’s in. He’s particularly strong in the early game, where he always seems to have full knowledge of the opposing jungler’s location, freeing him up to set up counterganks and secure huge early leads. fabFabulous Dark Passage’s top laner rejects the tank-heavy meta that has been prevalent for much of the 2014 season, preferring carry top laners like Irelia and Nidalee. Always on the lookout for solo kills, no opposing jungler can leave him alone for too long, as at any moment he could snowball out of control. It certainly doesn’t hurt that his Teleport usage is world class, often picking up multiple kills for himself and his other lanes. Watch out, Koo1, Looper, and Prydz, this guy’s coming for you. westdoor GarnetDevil and GreenTea may be one of the most consistent bot lane pairs in the world, but the real key to AHQ’s victory lies in the mid lane. With his roam-heavy playstyle, westdoor often acts as a second ganker in AHQ’s victories. He’s surprising, exciting, and could very well shock some folks that expect AHQ to easily roll over. And that doesn’t mean he’s weak in the 1v1, either. Regularly, his roams come immediately after he’s dropped the opposing mid laner, giving him time to go help out wherever he’s needed.

Wildcards

Clearlove He may not gank much early, but once he joins the squad, it’s time for the kill count to rise. With EDG’s style of forcing teamfights early and often, Clearlove is often the one leading the way. Excelling at unbridled mid-game aggression, he’s almost always the one making the first move to end the laning phase. That aggression can be his downfall, however. If EDG gets behind, Clearlove’s overconfidence can - and will - send them into a spiral of failed fight attempts. His success or failure often defines EDG’s. Touch Not much is known about Touch. He joined Dark Passage very late into the process of qualifying for Worlds, but nonetheless had impressive showings. However, as he’ll be going up against Mata and Fzzf, easily two of the best supports in the world, he’ll more than have his hands full. If he goes even or beats them we could be in for some exciting upset action during the Group stage.

Our prediction

The way we see it, there’s very little chance that Dark Passage or AHQ make out of the group stages. Barring some serious throws by both EDG and White, the International Wildcard and Southeast Asian teams are simply too inconsistent to stand toe-to-toe with two of the best teams the East has to offer. AHQ does have one thing on its side: a massive chip on their shoulder. This is the first time they’ve managed to make it to the World Championship tournament, and you can bet westdoor will be looking to make an impression. They may even catch both EDG and White on off days, giving them a shot to shock the world. Dark Passage, on the other hand, is going to have a tough time of it. They have very little experience against the top teams in the world. If they have something special up their sleeve from the Turkish scene, however, they may manage to take a game off of one of the other teams in the group. 1. Samsung Galaxy White 2. Edward Gaming 3. AHQ e-Sports Club 4. Dark Passage Taylor 'Riot RoboTayCo' Cocke is a Web Content Coordinator for Riot Games. He only goes all-in, preferably on Leona or Alistar. You can follow him on Twitter, where he will talk your head off about supporting and bands no one has ever heard of.