Worlds 2021 quarterfinals starts on Oct 22, where T1 and Hanwha Life Esports await to face off in the first match of the knockout stages. As the rematch of the Worlds qualifier finals that took place in September, there are now higher stakes on the line for two LCK powerhouses; whichever team wins guarantees themselves a top four finish. With the rematch happening after just 50 days, here’s how the two teams have evolved throughout the tournament.
T1 - Will the king be able to take one step closer to reclaiming his throne at the top?
T1’s a team with an unmatched legacy in LoL Esports. From nine LCK titles to three World championship wins, one player stood at the center of T1’s success: Faker. He’s now back with more fresh talent in his team, and they’re coming into the knockout stages on a high note. The performance they’ve displayed throughout the group stages showed that they can play the game through any lane they want, and have put on a very solid performance.
The most important matchup of the series will be once again focused on the mid lane. While the narrative of ‘Faker vs Chovy’ is what adds spice to the matchup, it’s also because of Twisted Fate being the key mid lane champion in the meta. One of the biggest strengths that Faker has displayed throughout the group stages is how he utilizes vision; when Faker plays TF, it feels like a whole different champion.
It’ll be up to how well Faker will be able to do against Chovy, a player that’s known to ‘lane kingdom’ even on a losing matchup. While Faker’s nowhere at his peak, he’s still at his best form he’s been in years, so only time will tell who’ll come out on top.
HLE - Chovy and Deft will face an LCK team at Worlds quarters two years in a row.
The nickname ‘Chovy Life Esports’ was made because of Chovy’s almost-superhuman ability to carry games. He’s a player that was nicknamed the best mid laner among the experts; his mechanics are a given, but his monstrous ability to play out the laning phase is one of the reasons why he’s so highly regarded even among the pros.
So, does this mean that HLE is a Chovy one-man team? Definitely not; HLE would never have survived at Worlds, let alone even make it to the tournament. HLE’s bot lane, Deft-Vsta, have also gradually been looking better, and HLE’s rookie jungler, Willer, who’s fresh out of LCK Challengers league, has also been surprising many people with his solid performance on the Worlds stage.
The performance that HLE put on throughout the second round robin of the group stages looked as if HLE were being smart in their macro… well excluding the tiebreaker against RNG. They’ve shown that they have really high highs, and really low lows. If HLE has figured out a way to consistently perform at a high point, then Chovy and Deft will finally be able to beat an LCK team at Worlds quarterfinals, and step that much closer to becoming champions.
