The Swiss Stage of the League of Legends World Championship kicked off with a bang.
In the first three sets of matches, two teams have already clinched spots in the knockout stage. However, before we get to the winners of the week let's start with the underperformers. The 0 and 2 bracket.
Out of the four 0-2 teams in the Swiss Stage, three gained entry through the Play-In Stage. However, there was still a chance for paiN Gaming, MAD Lions KOI, and GAM Esports to start their Cinderella run. However, only GAM Esports was able to keep their hopes alive eliminating the MAD Lions in the process. With them, Team Liquid Honda beat painN Gaming to advance to the 1 and 2 games.
Now to the winners of the week. Gen G Esports and Suzhou LNG Ninebot Esports. The fit two teams to clinch spots in the Knockout Stage. Gen G's performance while impressive was expected. They were the number one ranked team according to the AWS Global Power Rankings after all. However, Suzhou LNG Ninebot, the number 7 ranked team, upset number two rank Bilibili Gaming en route to their Knockout Stage qualification. An impressive display that has put the other tournament contenders on notice.
The teams up next at risk of being eliminated include the aforementioned number two rank Bilibili Gaming. After winning their first match against the now eliminated MAD Lions KOI, they lost their next two games. The first to the aforementioned Suzhou LNG Ninebot and the second to T1 Esports. Even though they ran into two top seven opponents the shaky start could definitely become troublesome for Bilibili Gaming. No other team inside the top 10 is yet at risk of being eliminated. When expanding that filter to the top fifteen, both the eleventh Weibo Gaming TapTap and thirteenth-ranked Fnatic esports also face a win or go home match. In addition, to the above three teams, PSG will join them in the 1 and 2 bracket. They all be accompanied by the survivors of the 0 and 2 bracket, GAM Esports and Team Liquid Honda
With one week of Swiss down, we have already seen two teams eliminated, and eight more on the chopping block. Next week, we will see an already elite, slashed down into the best eight teams. We are quickly approaching the Knockout stage and with the Knockouts near, the Finals are soon to follow. Stay tuned to the Sporting Tribune for the latest Esports content and news.
