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After three incredibly hard-fought rounds of the Swiss Stage, the West took casualties as Team BDS and Team Liquid became the first two teams eliminated from the League of Legends 2023 World Championship.
On the other side of the coin, Gen.G Esports and JDG Intel Esports Club became the first two teams to qualify for the Knockout Stage Bracket to determine who the 2023 World Champions are. The twelve remaining teams continue to battle it out as they look to continue their tournament runs into the event’s next stage. With only two more rounds in the Swiss Stage, it’s coming down to it, and the stakes have never been higher.
Who will rise to the occasion, and who will face defeat on the world’s biggest stage? You don’t want to miss any of the action when matches resume on Thursday.
JDG and Gen.G Earn a Rest
JDG Intel Esports Club and Gen.G Esports now get to watch and enjoy the next two rounds of the Swiss Stage from the comfort of their hotels as they prepare for the next phase of the tournament.
JDG entered the tournament as the favorite to win the whole thing, with some analysts calling this the best roster ever to play the game. They dominated in China’s LPL and have kept that dominance at Worlds, taking down Team BDS, Bilibili Gaming, and LNG Esports.
The only question surrounding this team is how they will fare against competition they aren’t familiar with. Bilibili Gaming and LNG Esports both compete in the LPL with them, and Team BDS was one of the weakest teams in Swiss. It’ll be interesting to see them compete against a team they haven’t seen as much this year in the bracket.
Gen.G Esports has also had an impressive run, taking down GAM Esports, T1, and G2 Esports on their road to the Knockout Stage.
They are the only team left in the tournament that hasn’t dropped a single game as they found a clean 2-0 win over G2 Esports, who many view as the Western team with the best prospects at this year’s tournament. Critics will be quick to point out the fact that Gen.G has yet to go up against a team from the LPL, which many consider the best domestic league in the world.
With the field being cut down, it’ll be nearly impossible for Gen.G to avoid facing an LPL opponent in the Knockout Stage, and when they do, the whole World will be watching eagerly to see who comes out on top.
Team BDS and Team Liquid First to Leave
Unfortunately for Western fans, the LEC and LCS lost a competitor after the first week of play, as Europe’s Team BDS and North America’s Team Liquid were the first two teams sent home after both could not win a single match in the Swiss Stage. Team BDS lost to JDG Intel Esports Club, MAD Lions, and Dplus Kia, while Team Liquid lost to T1, NRG, and GAM Esports.
Team BDS entered the Swiss Stage fresh out of Play-Ins, where they immediately had their backs up against the wall. No one had high expectations for this team, which truly was a middle-tier team throughout the LEC season. Just making it past the Qualifying Series against Golden Guardians was a success in itself.
On the other hand, Team Liquid is a total disappointment for North American fans who have watched this team spend a ton of money as they tried everything to find international success.
Once again, they came up embarrassingly short, losing to GAM Esports in their last match, which is sure to leave a sour taste in LCS fans’ mouths for a while.
However, plenty of League of Legends remain to be played, and five teams from the West remain in the tournament, leaving hope for the European and North American faithful.