The top eight of the 2022 League of Legends World Championship has been locked in. After just three games on the final day of the Group Stage, LCK fourth seed Gen.G and LPL fourth seed Royal Never Give Up were certain of a top-two finish in Group D. LCS second seed 100 Thieves and PCS first seed CTBC Flying Oyster have been eliminated from the tournament.
If RNG and Gen.G weren’t the favorites to advance from Group D prior to the Group Stage, they quickly became them. RNG, who had to qualify through the Play-In Stage, won all their games in the first Round Robin convincingly. Gen.G had a shakier start, losing to RNG and almost dropping their first game against 100 Thieves, but still entered the day with a 2-1 score.
100 Thieves gave RNG and Gen.G a gentle nudge toward the quarterfinals at the start of the day. The LCS squad, sitting at an 0-3 score, played against Flying Oyster, who had picked up a win earlier in the tournament. 100 Thieves continued North America’s trend during Week 2 of the Group Stage and sent their first opponents on the day reeling. A fantastic Amumu performance from Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun lined up Flying Oyster’s players to be raked in by Felix “Abbedagge” Braun and Can “Closer” Çelik.
Win and in for Gen.G and RNG
Although 100 Thieves’ victory stalled their own elimination, it gave Gen.G and RNG a leg up. Flying Oysters had been their closest competitor and now could only climb to three wins. If Gen.G would win their next game against Flying Oyster, and if RNG would beat 100 Thieves in the subsequent game, the fates of all teams would be sealed.
Gen.G saw their objective clearly. Jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho did not give Flying Oyster’s bot lane any rest. Though the PCS champion found a bit of momentum in the top lane as an answer, the advantage was quickly nullified. Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk went on a rampage, eliminating Flying Oyster from the tournament.
RNG had far more trouble sealing the deal against 100 Thieves. Although the reigning MSI champion had gotten its hands on the undefeated Sivir/Yuumi combo and built a lead in the early game, 100 Thieves fought back valiantly. At 20 minutes, the North Americans stared at a 1k gold deficit. They climbed back by securing objectives and wiped RNG in a fight in the mid lane. But RNG had an ace up its sleeve: Li “Xiaohu” Yuanhao. The mid laner played a phenomenal game on Akali and cut through 100 Thieves in team fights. RNG steadily regained its lead and expanded it through superior team play. They closed out the game and secured the top-eight spot for themselves and Gen.G.
RNG and Gen.G still have some games to play today, but those will only determine which team emerges as first seed and which team follows in second place. After Group D rounds up, the Knockout Stage matchups are drawn.
The other Worlds 2022 Knockout Stage teams are T1, EDward Gaming, JD Gaming, DWG KIA, DRX, and Rogue. The Knockout Stage begins on Thursday, Oct. 20.
