League of legends Worlds 2024: Marines set sails, Thieves got robbed

Worlds 2024, the most prestigious annual tournament in League of Legends, continued with the second day of Play-Ins this Thursday. This stage features the top Wildcard teams from around the world, alongside the third seeds from EMEA and NA, all battling for a spot in the Main Event. After an exciting opening day, the competition saw GAM Esports dominating Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS Gaming (2-0) while Movistar R7 made history and won their first ever international series by defeating 100 Thieves (2-1). Both teams will thus face off next Friday for a direct qualification to the main event.

Individualities prevailed. Sadly for the only Japanese representant in this tournament, this series was far from close. Indeed, game 1 between GAM and SHG was a dominant showing from GAM, wrapping up the match in under 28 minutes. By the 15-minute mark, GAM had already established a strong lead, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Đỗ "Levi" Duy Khánh's Shyvana was a standout, completely controlling the map and becoming an unstoppable force very early on.

In Game 2, SHG adapted by banning Levi’s Shyvana, but it wasn’t enough to stop GAM Esports. Kim "DasheR" Deok-beom's LeBlanc outclassed Nguyễn "Emo" Thái Vinh's Yone early on, giving SHG a solid lead. However, around the 15-minute mark around the drake pit, Trần "Kiaya" Duy Sang's Aurora pick helped GAM stage a massive comeback, wiping out SHG's gold advantage. Levi's Wukong then became a key factor in the mid-game skirmishes, teaming up with the now-fed Aurora to dominate the map. SHG couldn’t recover, and GAM closed out the game in under 27 minutes, securing a 2-0 victory for the VCS first seed. This series showed the new meta from Worlds was still very foggy for these teams. First game brought a mix of meta picks and comfort picks, featuring two ADCs midlane in game 1, a Ziggs bot, and Aurora in the top lane (a conventional pick for Kiaya this Summer).

You read it right: Movistar R7 just made history by defeating 2-1 the third seed from North America, 100 Thieves. This is the first time the LLA has won a series to any major region. Before today, they actually only took 1 game from any major region at Worlds against LGD in 2020. In Game 1, Kim "River" Dong-woo's Jarvan set the tempo for a marathon 39-minute match, the longest in this tournament so far. Both teams struggled to close out despite securing three barons, with numerous mistakes in teamfights from both sides. Ultimately, 100 Thieves' scaling composition proved too strong, giving them the edge.

Game 2 saw R7 bounce back in spectacular fashion. While Park "Summit" Woo-tae's Renekton performed brilliantly, leading key fights throughout the whole midgame alone, while 100T’s lack of coordination lead them to their downfall. R7 capitalized on this with perfect synchronization around their Nocturne-Orianna combo, turning the game in their favor. This marked only the second time in Worlds history that an LLA team has taken a game off a major region team. Game 3 was a decisive blow for 100T, despite their draft signaling an aggressive intent with a reset-heavy composition with Viego, Vex, and Jinx. This gamble appeared to be a horrible take. R7 dominated early, with Kim "Keine" Joon-cheol's Leblanc controlling the map and dictating the game’s pace while his opponent, Lim "Quid" Hyeon-seung, despite his recent impressive SoloQ performances, was completely shut down. He ended the series at 1/9/5 and is the symbol of his entire's team failure to pull off their game plan. R7 clinches the series.

This Friday, Movistar R7 will clash with GAM Esports in a crucial best-of-three series at 2pm CET, with a spot in the Main Event on the line. While GAM enters as the favorite after an impressive showing today, R7 has proven to be an unpredictable and dangerous opponent, not to be underestimated. As the final representative of the LLA in League of Legends history, before the region merges with NA, R7 may have fate on their side, adding a sense of destiny to their run. Meanwhile, 100 Thieves and SHG will battle in an elimination match on Saturday.