The Knockout Stage ended this Sunday with the last quarterfinal between the MSI Champions against the LCS Champions: Gen.G and FlyQuest. Although FLY showed strong preparation and commitment to playing their own style, they were ultimately eliminated by GEN, who had a close call today, nearly succumbing to the infamous "Chovy quarterfinal curse" at Worlds. In light of this intense matchup, Sheep Esports has decided to offer ratings for each player from both teams.

GEN.G: 5

Gen.G sweated in this match, far more than they should have. The giants who dominated without flinching at the start of the year seem to have well and truly disappeared with their defeat in the LCK final, even though they seemed to have arrived at the tournament on a high, qualifying 3-0 for the quarter-finals. No credit should be taken to FlyQuest, but whether it's drafts, lane swaps management, early laning or teamfighting, Gen.G revealed many shortcomings in their games of the day. All of these problems seem to reflect a lack of confidence in the players after their many career setbacks on the international stage. At least they didn't choke on the precipice, as they are wont to do, and perhaps this ‘feat’ will enable them to step up for the remaining of the competition.

Kiin: 7

If game 1 was Kim "Kiin" Ki-in’s worst performance of the series, he worked well on his opponent starting in game 2 by outlaning him completely on Jax. He kept this momentum going forward, and kept evolving throughout the five games. Overall he was often strong side, and used it well. On his K'santé, he turned around a very bad start to the game by taking a kill in 1v2 and snowballing completely behind, having a huge impact on the sides along with his jungler, before also converting in teamfight. Finally, his Rumble finished off FlyQuest on their sneaky Baron attempt with a very clutch solo play inside the pit.

Canyon: 6

Technology advances, the weather changes, the world evolves, but if there's one constant in the universe, it's Kim ‘Canyon’ Geon-bu's Nidalee. When things are going badly for him or his team, whether they are going through a tough series or period, he simply calls on her to solve all their problems, and he proved it once again today. Concentrated and clutch when he needed to be, the jungler even allowed himself to farm better than his midlaner - an expert in the exercise - for one game, while always being in the right place at the right time. He was forgiven for his disappointing first game performance thanks to his following ones, as he was the one who got Gen.G back on track.

Chovy: 4

Although Chovy proved that he had not lost his faith with his game 5, he was not far off the mark. While many of his followers are waiting to see him finally get the trophy he deserves, he will have a hard time winning it this year with such an approximate level of play over an entire BO5, especially when he is expected to be the reliable force in his team and maintain his consistency at the highest level. After all, he is considered by many to be the best player in the world. Today, he made many mistakes, lacked precision on several occasions, and, in particular, forced multiple plays that cost his team dearly. On Kassadin, he took the blows well and took advantage of FlyQuest's mechanical errors, which could have put him in the deep end after losing his flash in 1v1. But on Smolder, he completely turned off the light on Quad and single-handedly offered himself a crazy scaling prospect - that forced FlyQuest to try and speed up - as well as ensuring himself constant priority in the midlane.

Peyz: 4

Like his midlane colleague, Peyz had to prove that he could also shine on the biggest stage: Worlds. And just like him, there was a lot of rubbish, which he is not accustomed to showing in his play, his positioning or his decision-making. On Ashe, at least, the 18-year-old remained calm and created a lot of favourable situations for his team thanks to his Arrows, as well as always causing problems for Bwipo's Renekton in the swaplanes, and thus creating a gap over his direct opposite. On Jinx, however, Peyz didn't have the opportunity to express himself once in a teamfight as he was always within range of the enemy engage. As for his Ezreal, it's even worse: while he was able to trouble FlyQuest a little in the midgame, he was responsible for the lead his counterpart got (which allowed him to run out of control for the rest of the game) with two deaths in quick succession due to early individual errors.

Lehends: 4

Lehends was in the same vein as his AD carry, he didn't particularly make a difference in the first three games, and even gave himself away too often to his opponents, finding himself in awkward 1v3 situations that gave them an advantage and sometimes even an objective. However, once he got his hands on Maokai, he regained some of his clutch factor with some good ults and mid-game acceleration. In particular, he unlocked the tower in the mid-game with a good catch on Massu for the decisive game. But the support remained very average overall in the BO5.

FlyQuest: 6

It's been many years since the West has felt this much excitement in a best-of series against an Asian team. FlyQuest, the absolute underdog of the quarter-finals, came prepared and gave it their all. There were both great moments and some rough ones, especially in terms of drafting. They brought out some very unique picks that caught Gen.G off guard, leaving them vulnerable to Seraphine and the Kai'Sa/Zeri/Urgot combo. Clearly, FlyQuest believed they had no chance playing conventionally, which led them to take bold risks. However, this approach backfired in the final game, where locking in Sett and Fiddlesticks didn’t have the desired impact, and they allowed Chovy’s Smolder to scale uncontested against Quad’s Yone. While there may be some regrets, they stayed true to their style until the end, offering a new perspective for teams heading into 2025.

Bwipo: 5

The team leader put on a show, both in the arena and on Summoner's Rift. Once again, he showcased his aggressive playstyle, fearlessly diving forward to brawl with his opponents. As he’s done throughout the competition, he demonstrated his wide champion pool—for better or worse. He was outstanding on Galio and his signature Urgot pick, but his two Renekton games and Sett were much more vulnerable, failing to absorb the necessary pressure. While he consistently creates space for his carries in teamfights, he’s also one of the players with the most deaths in the series: 21 in total.

Inspired: 6

Inspired showcased all his brilliance today, but even his Fiddlesticks and Nunu couldn’t prevent the inevitable. He faced a formidable Canyon, who dominated two games with his Nidalee. However, Inspired demonstrated incredible teamfight management, especially in Game 1 with his Xin Zhao. He peeled perfectly for Massu’s Ashe and disrupted Peyz’s Jinx, completely shutting her down. Unfortunately, he made a costly mistake in Game 2 with Nunu, giving Gen.G an early lead after a failed gank on Chovy’s Kassadin. In Game 5, his Fiddlesticks was also underwhelming, unable to take control of the match, allowing Gen.G’s scaling to take over and secure the win.

Quad: 5

The midlaner can walk away with his head held high: today, he went toe-to-toe with one of the greatest laners in League of Legends history. Although he faltered in his last two games on Yone and Orianna, Quad stood out in Game 1 and Game 3 with his performances on Seraphine and Zeri, where he truly shined. Often placed in the role of the unpredictable clutch factor, he embraced it brilliantly. However, he paid the price for his mistakes in the skirmishes and teamfights of the later games, especially on Yone, where the pressure of the moment seemed to weigh heavily on him.

Massu: 6

Massu was one of the standout players of the series. The 9,000 spectators in the arena won’t soon forget the quality of his plays, as he may have been at his best all year. He delivered an exceptional game on Kai'Sa, likely his strongest performance of the entire BO5, and skillfully adapted to the unconventional and quirky picks of his team. He will, however, regret his final game on Kalista, where the team took unnecessary risks with a sneaky Baron Nashor call. Unfortunately, Massu fell victim to the blasting cone, unintentionally handing himself over to Gen.G. A sad moment for a rookie, but he still held his own against Peyz and pushed LCK's second seed all the way to Game 5.

Busio: 6

Busio probably showcased his best level of play this year today. Rightfully put on Rakan three times, the support player wreaked havoc on Gen.G’s backline, expertly controlling teamfights alongside Bwipo, who was often at the center of the action. Busio gave his carries as much space and time as possible. However, he struggled to make an impact on Rakan in Game 4, a turning point in the series that seemed to shift the mental state of all 10 players on stage. His first game on Alistar was also brilliant, both in terms of disengages and initiations.