League of Legends Worlds Knockout Stage: What’ll We See in the Quarter
Invictus Gaming and Griffin will set off the quarterfinals of the League of Legends knockout stage tomorrow. Our predictions have been set in a previous post; however, some external factors might shake things up a bit. With this year's knockout stage just around the corner, let's stop the conjectures and just give our bold predictions. These are three hot takes we're dishing out, which can definitely change the manner in which the quarterfinals are going to play out for 2019.
Team Europe for the Win? Home Turf Will be a Big Deal in the Knockout Round
With the group stages having taken place in Berlin, the entire tournament this year is set to remain on European soil. Spain and France are the two countries in which games are still to be decided. What did Berlin teach us? As we've seen all three LEC teams have advanced. So, the home crowd has been making their voices heard, and we expect that to continue!
But, we're leaving Berlin, and the quarters and semis are moving onto Spain. And, if past tournaments serve as an indication, Spaniards are some of the biggest League of Legend Enthusiasts we've seen. But, the buck doesn't stop in Spain, the finals will make their way out to France. And we remember what we saw in 2017 when some of the most passionate fans showed up to root for their teams. We don't expect 2019 to be much different!
A European team hasn't brought a title to the continent in eight years. We expect home court might play a huge role in the finals, as we sweep through Spain, and see some of the world's biggest fans take center stage in the French finals. Of course, only time will tell, but we believe a European team might take the title this year.
Team Griffin: Potential Dark Horse Nobody's Expecting to Pull Through Makes Big Waves
LCK is the favorite to win it all, but plenty of buzz has been floating around SKT T1 and the domination we've seen in group stages. Is this an indication that the dynasty is reincarnating into the giant they've been in the past? We don't think so; in fact, we venture to go as far as saying SKT T1 won't even make it to France for the finals. Looking at Griffin's road to the finals, their bracket is far easier, and I'm going out on a limb to state they just might make it to the French final this year. Given their dismantling of G2 ESports, I wouldn't be surprised if they took the title in France. Just imagine making it from Korean challenger to League Champs, the story writes itself! They might not have an LCK championship under their belt, but I'd venture to guess that being world champion would be far sweeter. Don't you agree?
An SKT T1 Upset in the Works… We Think Splyce Might do Just That!
We know, SKT T1 looked like the monsters they are in group stages, but we still believe in the team Splyce has set up and think they might just take the SKT T1 monster down in the quarters.
Let's just step back to 2017 for a minute. If memory serves correctly, the favorites cracked under pressure then, we think that just might happen again in 2019. SKT T1 played the underdog European team, Misfits Gaming. The match shouldn't have gotten passed three games, but the Misfits really put the pressure on and gave SKT T1 a run for title contention. That series went down to five games, and SKT was breathing heavily as each matchup moved on. They never thought the Misfits would challenge them the way they did.
I'm going to roll the dice and say the same thing is going to happen on Sunday, and Splyce is going to take on the role of the Misfits Gaming challenger. So, SKT T1 fans, make sure you bring your towels, as your team might need to wipe their brows once again this year.
What do you have to say? Agree or disagree with our predictions? Give us a shoutout in the comments below and share your bold predictions, we love engaging and interacting with fans who's bold predictions are as bold (if not bolder) than our own!
Check out the League of Legends Quarterfinals live on YouTube tomorrow. You can believe we'll be there, join us for front row seats as the mayhem unfolds!
