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Gaming
How Cloud9, T1 and EDG punched their tickets to the Worlds 2021 knockouts
Find out how three of the top League of Legends teams made their way to the Knockout Stage of Worlds 2021, in Reykjavík, Iceland.
The Group Stage of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship has concluded and North America's Cloud9, South Korea's T1, and China's Edward Gaming will all be proceeding to the knockouts.
Amid an unpredictable meta and up against some of the toughest teams the sport has ever known, this trio have proved their worth on the world stage. Here's how they did it.
Cloud9
Cloud9 takes to the stage for the World Championship 2021 Group Stage
© Lance Skundrich/Riot Games
Let's start with North America's last hope, Cloud9. After a mixed result in the Play-Ins, the LCS third seed came into the Group Stage with something to prove, looking to redeem the shaky moments that had preceded them. Their first game in Group A didn't provide the morale boost they hoped for as Rogue secured their typical early-game lead, locking out Cloud9 from a comeback and denying them the win. In a group that included former world champions and the current reigning champs, this early loss didn't bode well for C9.
Their next opponent would be the League of Legends Pro League's FunPlus Phoenix – a formidable foe at the best of times – and following their previous loss, few were counting on Cloud9 to come out on top. Despite a promising start that saw C9 secure First Blood, it was indeed another loss for the LCS representatives. Another loss was to follow against reigning champions DWG KIA – needless to say, things weren't looking hopeful.
Staring down a 0-3 record on the final day of the Group Stage, Cloud9 needed a miracle. Not only did they need to start winning some matches, but they also needed FPX to lose at least one more match to stand a chance of survival. In their rematch against Rogue, Cloud9 answered some questionable plays with focussed aggression, leading them to a convincing win. All of a sudden C9 were back in the game. Next, they would face FPX. With momentum behind them, they found First Blood and steamrolled to a 2.5k gold lead in just six minutes. C9 kept up the pressure, keeping FPX at bay with some smart plays, eventually ending the game at 28 minutes.
Another loss to the dominant DWG was to follow, but it didn't matter. Cloud9's two-win miracle run had pushed them into a three-way tiebreaker with FPX and Rogue. Hope was alive once again, and as the team with the fastest wins during the Group Stage, C9 were the first seed in this tie-breaker scenario. After Rogue emerged victorious over FPX, C9’s hopes all came down to a final match against the EU third-seed. In a 53-minute thriller Luka 'Perkz' Perković showed why he is one of the finest midlaners in the sport, terrorizing Rogue with daring plays that paid off in spades. After some hard-fought battles, Cloud9 emerged the winners, with the final confirmation that they would proceed to the Worlds 2021 quarter-finals.
It was no easy road to get here and now, the LCS hopefuls are facing down Gen.G for their first quarter-finals fight.
T1
Faker silenced the doubters with a dominant performance in Groups
© Lance Skundrich/Riot Games
Compared to their rivals across the Atlantic, things have gone a lot smoother for South Korean powerhouse T1. The seven-man lineup was looking stronger than ever with newer members Moon 'Oner' Hyeon-joon and Ryu 'Keria' Min-seok joining the legendary Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok to form a formidable roster. The team demonstrated their supremacy right out of the gate in Group B dismantling Japan's DetonatioN FocusMe in short order, before dropping a match to Edward Gaming. Next on the chopping block was NA's 100 Thieves. Kim 'Canna' Chang-dong stood out in this game, going deathless with seven kills and five assists.
T1 were also dominant in their second round of Group Stage matches. 100 Thieves' hopes of a comeback were dashed in another clean win from T1. Next up were EDG, the only team that had managed to take a game from T1 so far – but this time T1 came prepared. A smart draft set up T1 for success, but it was Faker's Twisted Fate and Lee 'Gumayusi' Min-hyeong's Aphelios that won them the game.
With their biggest rivals defeated, T1's final match against DFM felt like a victory lap. While DFM managed to get First Blood (on Faker to boot), it didn't take long for this match to tilt in T1's favour. With this win and EDG dropping their final game to 100 Thieves, there was no need for a tiebreaker, as T1 sat comfortably at the top of Group B with five wins to just one loss. Next, T1 will take on Hanwha Life Esports for a chance to move into the Worlds semi-finals.
Edward Gaming
Edward Gaming head to the quarter-finals after a strong showing in Groups
© Lance Skundrich/Riot Games
While it was T1 who came out on top of Group B, EDG still did incredibly well, emerging with a 4-2 record for a second-place finish. Indeed, Group B was viewed by many as a two-horse race between the two teams, perhaps even tipping in EDG's favour due to a phenomenal year in their home region, resulting in them emerging as the LPL's top seed.
Their early win against 100 Thieves certainly set expectations high, as they bulldozed the NA team in a 28-minute win. Midlaner Lee 'Scout' Ye-chan and jungler Zhao 'Jiejie' Li-jie were particularly lethal in this game, facilitating a swift win for the Chinese squad. Next came EDG's first real challenge: T1. EDG managed to take down the LCK's third seed in a triumphant win that demonstrated EDG's knack for reading their opponents. Finishing up the first round of games with a win over DFM saw EDG sitting pretty at the top of Group B at the halfway mark.
A rematch against DFM quickly went in EDG's favour, as Park ‘Viper’ Do-hyeon went deathless the whole game, but things didn't go quite so smoothly in their second meeting with T1. Perhaps shaken from this defeat, EDG also dropped their final game, this time to 100 Thieves. Even so, EDG have had an undeniably impressive run, finishing with a record of four wins to two losses. Now, they will face Royal Never Give Up in the first round of the quarter-finals.
