Almost an all-Eastern affair.
The Worlds 2022 playoff stage kicks off with the quarterfinals being held in Madison Square Garden, New York. This comes after a gruelling eight-day group stage bracket that saw mostly the LPL and LCK teams pull through. Rogue will be the only Western representative in the playoff stage with all hopes of the LEC resting on their shoulders.
JD Gaming, EDward Gaming, and Royal Never Give Up pulled through their respective groups alongside T1, DRX, Gen.G Esports, and DWG.KIA to round up the finalists. With that said, there are seven teams from the East with three from the LPL and four from the LCK. Here is what the bracket looks like:
One of the biggest matchups in the quarterfinals will be between Gen.G and DWG. Having already played one another across the entire season, this will only be the third best-of-five between them. The first was in the LCK Spring Split finals where DWG swept Gen.G 3-0. The second took place at this year's LCK Spring Split semifinals, which Gen.G rightfully took revenge in a nervy 3-2 showing. With the teams tied, only one will go through and it's poetic for the third match-up to take place at Worlds.
Ever since winning the coveted Summoner's Cup back in 2020 and coming second twice in both MSI and Worlds last year, DWG has not been able to keep up their consistent top-two performances for this season, languishing in the LCK top-four as opposed to what they're used to. On the other hand, Gen.G has been the team on the rise, coming second in the spring and winning in the summer.
Both DWG and Gen.G even managed to force tiebreakers in their respective groups against the LPL. However, the key difference is that Gen.G managed to defeat RNG, something DWG had never been able to do. On top of that, they also lost against JD in their Group B tiebreaker, which brought us to their quarterfinal series.
As for the battle between the LPL and the LCK, there are two quarterfinal series that will feature both regions prominently. T1 will be taking on RNG while DRX will be facing EDG. DRX is the current dark horse of the tournament, having come this far from the Play-In Stage. While EDG is the reigning champion, they have been susceptible towards LCK teams with their two losses coming at the hands of T1.
Speaking of the three-time winners, T1 has a long history with RNG that dates back six years. For three straight international tournaments, T1 was responsible for sending RNG home with the first being in the semifinals of MSI 2016. A few months later, it happened again in the quarterfinals of Worlds 2016 and then the semifinals of Worlds 2017. It wasn't until MSI this year did they meet again in a best-of-five where RNG finally won during the grand finals.
As for EDG and DRX, this will be the first time both teams are facing off against one another. DRX has had a stellar run during Worlds this year, going undefeated in the Play-In Stage and then finishing first in Group C while overcoming the tiebreaker against Rogue. As the reigning champion, this will be EDG's biggest test yet seeing as they haven't faired well against LCK teams in recent memory.
Lastly, there's Rogue versus JD, which has happened before during the group stage of Worlds 2020. Of course, JD came out. on top then with two wins from two. But in a best-of-five setting, it's hard to see who will be victorious. Rogue has been exemplary this season but their true test of mental fortitude and resilience will be put to the test against arguably the LPL's best team right now.
