After dominating the Play In Stage of the 2024 League of Legends World Champions, MAD Lions Koi were the first team to be eliminated followed quickly by paiN Gaming.
Worlds Competition is Fierce
During the Play In Stage, Spain’s MAD Lions Koi pounced early with a decisive 2-0 victory over Viking Esports followed by a 2-1 win over PSG Talon. MAD Lions Koi winning streak was ended in the Swiss Stage Round 1 on October 3 by China’s Bilibili Gaming. That best-of-one match lasted just under 27 minutes before Bilibili destroyed MAD Lions Koi’s Nexus. During the match Bilibili racked up 27 kills compared to just 10 by MAD Lions Koi.
Brazil’s paiN Gaming had to fight a bit harder to make it to Worlds Swiss Stage. They suffered a first-round loss to PSG Talon during the Play In Stage in September, but rallied with wins over Viking Esports and Rainbow7 to make it to the Swiss Stage. There they faced Germany’s G2 Esports in the first round on October 3, losing in a match that lasted about 33 minutes and saw a difference of 19 kills to 9.
Second Round Losses Mount
The fight for the League of Legends Worlds crown wasn’t any kinder to the teams in the second round of the Swiss Stage. Battling in the Low Matches against the other 0-1 teams on October 4, Mad Lions Koi were pitted against PSG Talon in a rematch of round two of the Play In Stage. This time, the victory went to PSG who outplayed MAD Lions Koi, notching 20 kills to 4 in a match that ran about 31 minutes before MAD Lions Koi saw their Nexus fall.
The members of paiN Gaming didn’t fare much better against Korea-based T1. The T1 team was able to end the match in 25 minutes, accumulating 20 kills while paiN Gaming scored only six.
Third Time Isn’t the Charm
The losses in the second round sent MAD Lions Koi and paiN Gaming to the Low Matches once again, setting them up to face GAM Esports and Team Liquid, respectively. For the four teams in this bracket, their lives at Worlds were on the line as a loss meant their elimination from the tournament.
First up in the Worlds matches held on October 7 was MAD Lions Koi against Vietnam’s GAM Esports. MAD Lions Koi looked like they might be poised to change their luck taking the first of a best-of-three round, outkilling GAM Esports 15 to 6 before destroying their Nexus at about 21 minutes. GAM Esports rallied, however, and ended the tournament for MAD Lions Koi in decisive matches lasting 42 and 27 minutes. GAM Esports outkilled MAD Lions Koi 28 to 12 kills and 24 to 8 kills in matches two and three, respectively.
The members of paiN Gaming left the tournament without a single match win, falling to the U.S./Dutch Team Liquid. Team Liquid won the first match in just under 37 minutes, getting 14 kills compared to the 8 of paiN Gaming. In the second match, paiN Gaming actually outkilled their rivals 16 to 15, but ultimately the effort was not enough and they lost their Nexus at about the 30-minute mark.
Swiss Stage Resumes Thursday
League of Legends Worlds play is set to resume with the fourth round on October 10, 11 and 12. In the High Matches, Dplus will face Top Esports, Hanwha Life Esports will go against Fly Quest and G2 Esports will square off with T1. The Low Matches bracket features BiliBili Gaming against PSG Talon, Weibo Gaming against Fnatic, and Team Liquid against GAM Esports.
The fifth and final round of play in the Worlds Swiss Stage is set to take place on October 13. Those match-ups will be determined by the results of round four.
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