lol-banner
All News
article-headline

Who should you root for at worlds? - a guide to all 24 teams

With Worlds 2018 quickly approaching, it’s time to have a full rundown of all participating teams in alphabetical order. With a lot of familiar faces, but also a lot of maybe even unexpected new teams, 2018 is looking to have a spectacular finale. In this guide I will name all the teams as unbiasedly as possible

#1 – 100 Thieves / NA / Championship Points

With NA being franchised, a few fan favourite teams lost their spot in the NALCS. As a result, a few new teams got introduced. 100T was one of those new kids on the block. With a big name in Nadeshot behind them, 100T shaped up to be one of the more likeable teams in the NALCS. The team, with veterans as Ssumday and Aphromoo, surprised the world by taking second place in spring, dropping 3-0 to TL. In summer, especially near the end, the team looked shaky, ending their playoffs in fourth after losing the semis to TL, combined with some internal struggling between their main and academy ADC’s. Despite this, the team is still NA’s 2nd seed and a lot of eyes are on them. Will the thieves surprise us, in their first year of being an organisation, at worlds?

#2 – Afreeca Freecs / KR / Championship Points

Afreeca Freecs qualified for worlds through championship points, after finishing on the podium in both spring and summer. The Korean team got second place in their spring championship after being defeated 1:3 by Kingzone DragonX. In Summer, the team showed that this wasn’t just a one time surprise: Afreeca Freecs fought their way round 1 of playoffs all the way to semi’s, where they lost to Griffin – but not before beating Kingzone and Gen.G, the previous world champions. With their young players Kiin, but also veterans Kuro and Spirit, Afreeca Freecs is fully prepared for worlds in their home region.

#3 - Ascension Gaming / SEA / Play-In

Ascension Gaming is the first seed for South-East Asia. After Vietnam and SEA split up, the Thai team scored first in both spring and summer, auto-qualifying them for the play-in stage. The team had their first international appearance at the 2018 MSI, where they ended in shared 12th. The team went 2-4 in their groups phase, beating KLG and Gambit one time each. The team will try and fight their way through playoffs, and show that SEA isn’t just there because Vietnam split off. Ascension will try to prove to the world that they’re worthy of that golden ticket to groups.

#4 – Cloud9 / NA / Play-In

Cloud9 has gone through a lot of struggles this season. After finishing 5th in spring, the team struggled throughout the entire beginning of summer – even being in sole last place at one point. The team decided to change things up and swapped in a few of their academy players, until finding the sweet spot which turned their entire season around. In a near-miracle run, the team ended up qualifying for playoffs and even made finals, finishing in second place. Despite this, the team came short a few points for instant qualification, and had to play the final gauntlet match where they met up with TSM, and beat them 3-0. With star players Sneaky and Jensen, but also great synergy between substitute jungler and midlaner Svenskeren/Goldenglue, C9 is in a prime position to fight their way to the groups phase, just like they did last year.

#5 – DetonatioN FocusMe / JP / Play-In

Last year, DetonatioN barely missed out on their worlds spot after finishing first in both regular seasons, but losing both finals to Rampage. This year, the Japanese powerhouse repeated their wins in both regular seasons. In spring however, the team again lost the finals to Pentagram. But in a dominating fashion, the Japanese team won the summer season and eventually also the summer finals, beating Unsold Stuff Gaming 3-1. With their 6-man roster, DetonatioN FocusMe will fight their hardest to claw their way through play-ins.

#6 – Dire Wolves / OCE / Play-In

As one of the oldest organisations in the OCE, Dire Wolves has proven themselves worthy of making worlds twice in a row now, both times qualifying them for Play-Ins after two dominating splits. With the OCE region winning rift rivals SEA-LJL-OPL and their addition of rookie toplaner BioPanther in summer, the wolves have high hopes of making it out of play-ins this time.

#7 – EDward Gaming / CN / Play-In

EDward Gaming is one of the veteran teams in Worlds, having qualified for every single edition since 2014. In 2017, the team still qualified for worlds as China’s first seed. This year however, the team had to claw their way through the gauntlet, barely beating JDG 3-2 and defeating Rogue Warriors with 3-1. With the play-ins in sight, EDward Gaming is looking to prove that they’re better than any other of the play-in teams, and truly worthy of qualifying for Groups Phase.

#8 – Flash Wolves / LMS / Summer Champions

Flash Wolves is another one of those veteran Worlds teams, having qualified for Worlds since 2015, barely missing out on their spot in 2014. Nicknamed the Korean Killers, Flash Wolves disappointed heavily last year, finishing groups phase at the bottom of the standings – despite being named as one of the contenders for a spot in the finals. With one of their star members, Karsa, leaving for RNG, the team is now fully centred around pillars Maple and Betty. Will the team make up for their rather forgettable participation last year, and maybe even show they’re truly Korean killers?

#9 – Fnatic / EU / Summer Champions

Talking about veterans – Fnatic is another one of those teams that has qualified for nearly every single world championship. The team hobbled behind G2 for the last two years, but this year the team was the absolute best in Europe, finishing first in both spring and summer finals as well as winning Rift Rivals 3-1 against NA. With Bwipo and Soaz subbing in and out, the team has an aggressive playstyle focused around their stars Rekkles and Caps. Starting as first seed for EU, Fnatic will try and prove that western teams shouldn’t be counted out of contention for the final four.

#10 – G-rex / LMS / Play-In

G-rex was founded in mid-September last year, and took over the LMS spot of Raise Gaming. The newcomer team surprised a lot of LMS fans when they took 2nd place in the regular season and ended up in 2nd place during the finals as well. The team fell down a bit during summer season, ending 5th in the regular season. This forced them to go through the gauntlet, where G-rex beat HKA, who went to worlds the year before – and in the finals convincingly beat J-team. Now, they will have the possibility to prove themselves at the worlds play-in. Will they prove that LMS isn’t just the Flash Wolves show?

#11 – G2 Esports / EU / Play-In

Since their entry in the EULCS in 2016, G2 has been one of the most dominant teams. Winning in both 2016 and 2017, the European team has made themselves known for choking at international tournaments. In 2017, the team barely missed out on making it out of groups, and in 2016 the team finished at the bottom of the standings. Now, the European team will have to fight their way out of the Play-In phase before even making the Groups Phase. Do they have the strength to make it?

#12 – Gambit Esports / CIS / Play-In

Gambit used to be one of the best European teams, until the end of 2015. The team then moved to CIS and became the best team there. In 2017, the team ended their spring season in the quarter finals, but in the summer they beat M19 in a close series qualifying them for Play-Ins. Gambit fought hard, but couldn’t repeat what Albus Nox did before them in 2016, and couldn’t make Groups. Now, in 2018, the team ended 7th-8th at MSI and won the LCL summer playoffs, qualifying them for Play-Ins again. Will they make it out this time?

#13 – Gen.G / KR / Third seed

The fully rebranded 2017 World Champions, who went from SSG to KSV to Gen.G are back with a vengeance. After SSG won worlds 2017, the full team went to KSV which rebranded into Gen.G esports. The team ended their summer season in 4th place, and got beaten by Afreeca Freecs in the quarterfinals. Despite this, the team still qualified for the gauntlet where they beat both SKT and GRF 3-2, and finally swept through Kingzone DragonX with 3-0 – qualifying them as Korea's third seed. Will the Korean team keep their gauntlet buff throughout groups, and will the team be able to defend their championship?

#14 – Infinity eSports / LAN / Play-In

For quite a while, the LAN scene was dominated by Lyon Gaming, which rebranded to Rainbow7 in 2018. Infinity eSports lost their spring finals to R7, and finished their regular summer season in third. However, in playoffs, Infinity found their mojo and fought all the way from quarterfinals to the finals, which they won in a chilling best of 5. With their qualification for the Play-In, the team met their LAS rivals KLG, who they swept 3-0. With their newfound confidence, the Costa Rican team lead by veteran Arce will try and fight their way to Groups.

#15 – Invictus Gaming / CN / Championship Points

An old face returns: Invictus Gaming qualified 2nd seed for worlds with their gathered championship points from finishing 4th in spring, as well as second in summer. After missing out on their play-in spot due to their loss to WE, the team finally makes their return since 2015, where they finished shared 14th. With Rookie as their midlaner, the team has qualified for groups, and will try to show that China isn’t only about RNG and EDward Gaming.

#16 – KaBuM! e-Sports / BR / Play-In

In 2014, the Brazilian team KaBuM! first qualified for worlds after qualifying through their PAX wildcard. The team managed to win a match against Alliance, but still ended at the bottom of their groups. The team didn’t manage to requalify, until this year. The team won both Summer and Winter, auto-qualifying them for the finals in the winter playoffs. The Brazilians had a close match against Flamengo eSports, but prevailed in the end winning 3-2. With their re-entry at Worlds, the team will fight their way through play-ins and attempt to qualify for groups.

#17 – Kaos Latin Gamers / LAS / Play-In

The Chilean team KLG, founded in Puerto Rico in 2013, has been one of the strongest Latin-American teams. But, before Latin America split into two regions, the team always barely missed out on qualifying – losing out to Lyon Gaming and INTZ. In 2017, the team finally managed to qualify for Play-Ins, where they eventually just missed out on the second round. Now, in 2018, Kaos is ready for their rematch in Play-Ins, where they will try to beat their rivalling regions LAN and BR.

#18 – KT Rolster / KR / Summer Champions

KT Rolster is another one of those teams that have been there since the beginning of time. Founded in 2012, the team has taken part in a lot of tourneys. In 2015, the team qualified for worlds by winning the Regional finals. KT ended up getting first in their group, followed by getting beaten in the quarter finals by their fellow Koreans, KOO Tigers. This year, the team has regained a lot of their former glory – and for the first time in his career, the star player Score got to raise his trophy after winning the Summer playoffs. Now, Score will show that – along with his teammates – that KT Rolster deserves to be named the number one seed of Korea, and who knows how far that the team will go.

#19 – Team Liquid / NA / Summer Champions

Finally out of that dreaded fourth place. After the franchising of NA, Team Liquid built a team out of a lot of strong names from the NA region. With star players as Doublelift and Pobelter, the Dutch team located in NA showed that they were one of the best American teams from the start of the season. After ending in 4th in spring, the team fought their way through the playoffs, eventually winning the finals by sweeping 100T 3-0. In summer, the team dominated even harder, finishing the season in first place (despite only winning one more match in total), and won the finals against C9 3-0 as well. TL will now have to prove they’re not just strong in NA, but also internationally. After losing to FNC at MSI, the team is out for blood and revenge.

#20 – MAD Team / LMS / Championship Points

After their creation in the final few weeks of 2017, MAD team immediately showed up in the LMS as one of the new teams to respect. The team adopted the entire ahq academy team, and proved that they were worthy of a team in the real LMS. The team ended their spring split in 4th, and in playoffs qualified for the semis, which they lost – ending their run in third place. In summer, the team built up their strength as a team even more, eventually leading them all the way to the finals, where they lost to the kings of LMS, the Flash Wolves. The team now has a big task on their shoulders: Show that they’re not just “a substitute for AHQ”

#21 – Phong Vũ Buffalo / VN / Summer Champions

Last year, the Gigabyte Marines were possibly one of the most rooted-for teams at worlds. With their unique playstyle, the marines put Vietnam on the map as region. Now, with the performance of their successors at MSI – EVOS – Vietnam earned their groups spot at worlds. Young Generation rebranded to the Buffalos, and took the summer season by storm. The team took first place in the regular season, securing their play-off finale spot, the buffalos got matched against CubeA. The buffalos took the series 3-1 and will now be the Vietnamese team at groups. Will the buffalos be better than the gigabyte marines last year? And will we get another big upset at groups phase?

#22 – Royal Never Give Up / CN / Summer Champions

RNG is one of the biggest teams in China, and have been active in the scene for quite a while now. Having qualified for worlds since 2016 (and before, when they were still called Star Horn Royal Club), RNG is one of the most popular teams at Worlds. In 2016, the team lost to SKT in the quarter finals, and in 2017 RNG lost to SKT in the semi-finals. Now that SKT isn’t there, who can truly stop this team? Uzi, along with LetMe, Mlxg, Xiaohu, Karsa and Ming, will fight through Groups and might just make it to the finals this year.

#23 – Bahçeşehir SuperMassive / TR / Play-In

SuperMassive joined the Turkish esports scene after being founded in early January. Soon, the team cemented themselves in the top dogs in Turkey, finishing either first or second every split. In 2017, Fenerbahçe proved to slightly stronger beating the team 3-0. In 2018, SuperMassive ended the spring season in first and qualified for MSI. Here, the team topped the standings of Group B and in the end they finished shared 7th after losing to EVOS in round 2. Now, the team will go through Play-Ins again, this time at Worlds. Will the Turkish team do what Fenerbahçe couldn’t, and pick up at least one win in groups, if they even make it that far?

#24 – Team Vitality / EU / Championship Points

Vitality formed in late 2015, and joined the EULCS in spring 2016, where they immediately proved they were a team to be reckoned with – finishing third in spring. In summer, the team failed to make the top 6. In 2017, the team fell down a bit – again failing to make playoffs. However, in 2018 their luck picked up again. With the addition of Rookies Jiizuke and Attila (formerly Minitroupax), the team finished fourth in the spring playoffs and third in summer playoffs, getting the edge over both Schalke 04 and G2 with 10 points. Now, Vitality will try and show that they’re worthy of being named together with the European kings, Fnatic and G2.

edit: formatting, changed a few details (credits to u/CosmoJones07u/kappakrab23 & u/holecheck)

All Esports

Entertainment

GosuBattles

Account