Team Whales Shocks Team BDS and LEC Fans

Group B of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship Play-In Stage took to the stage in South Korea and played their opening matches, which brought the first major upset of the tournament as the 2nd seed from the VCS Team Whales shocked the world by taking down the LEC’s Team BDS. Few fans expected to see one of the major regional teams struggling in Play-Ins.

Will the LJL’s DetonatioN FocusMe be able to finish the job and send Team BDS packing, or will the European squad pull it together and keep their tournament hopes alive?

Regardless of the result, you won’t want to miss any of the action, which you can catch live on both Twitch and YouTube.

CTBC Flying Oyster vs. Team Whales

• When: October 12th, 6 AM ET
• Odds: CTBC Flying Oyster (-175) vs. Team Whales (+133)

Team Whales didn’t have the worst showing during the 2023 VCS Dusk split, in which they would end 2nd overall. The team operates well around their carries and is often aware of their win conditions as they would often find wins off the backs of their mid-laner Glory and their ADC Artemis.

They ended the Regular Season with a 10-4 record, which would give them the 2nd seed in the Playoffs. They lost their first match in the Playoffs but battled on undeterred, going on a tear through the Lower Bracket and playing their way into the Grand Final, where they’d fall to GAM Esports.

There is no way that a few months ago, CTBC Flying Oyster would even dream of being a few wins away from being in the Knockout Stage of the League of Legends World Championships. This squad finished the PCS Summer Regular Season with a 9-9 record, giving them 5th seed headed into the Playoffs.

Though initially seeded into the Lower Bracket, they made the most of their opportunity and made an insane run through the Lower Bracket before falling a game short to PSG Talon in the Grand Finals. This team is carrying plenty of momentum, and it appears they don’t plan on slowing down on the international stage.

Team BDS vs. DetonatioN FocusMe

• When: October 13th, 6 AM ET
• Odds: Team BDS (-1200) vs. DetonatioN FocusMe (+650)

Team BDS is on the verge of being eliminated from Worlds 2023 as they enter the Group B elimination match against the LJL’s DetionatioN FocusMe. A loss here would result in the LEC’s worst showing on an international stage ever.

Team BDS had a rough showing in the LEC 2023 Finals, in which they fell to G2 Esports and Fnatic with a lone win over SK Gaming in the Lower Bracket, keeping their season alive by sending them to the Worlds Qualifying Series.

They would pull out the rare Garen pick twice in a 3-0 sweep against Golden Guardians to set up their Worlds appearance. After all this work, it’d be a shame to see them leave the tournament so soon.

With that being said, DetonatioN FocusMe doesn’t care at all about Team BDS’s journey to this point, as DetonatioN FocusMe performed at an insane level in the LJL to earn their Worlds birth.

After a 6-1 Regular Season, the squad would beat Crest Gaming Act and Fukoka HAWKS gaming to earn a spot in the Grand Final, where they’d rematch Fukuoka HAWKS gaming, who they beat in a close 3-2 match. They will look to shock the world as they don’t plan on going home anytime soon, either.