League of Legends World Championship 2019 quarterfinals are behind us and only four teams remain in the race for the Summoner's Cup. It is safe to say the tournament properly filtered the best of the best so far.
Quarterfinals draw of Worlds 2019 was probably one of, if not the best ever. It matched teams across various regions perfectly so one region's teams wouldn't eliminate one another.
The first matchup was Griffin versus the reigning world champions, Invictus Gaming. Many will probably remember this as the fight of the best and the weakest top laners in quarterfinals as TheShy kept demolishing Griffin, game in, game out. Rookie was on hand too and Griffin's fate was sealed with a 3-1 score. Chovy, unfortunately, finished this tournament by four straight games of playing tanks, despite displaying amazing mechanical skill in group stage.
FunPlus Phoenix and Fnatic took the stage after Invictus Gaming secured their semifinals spot. The Chinese #1 seed came better prepared than Fnatic who just looked flimsy for the majority of the best of five. They did, however, manage to attack FPX's Nexus turrets at 18 minutes during one of the earliest base races ever in Game 3 so that has to be a record of some kind. FPX took the series comfortably though, 3-1, and secured at least one spot for Chinese teams in the finals.
SKT T1 versus Splyce was the least unpredictable matchup of the four, with the Korean team being the heavy favourites. Europe's third seed mounted an admirable defence though, not dropping matches without a fight and even managed to give T1 the first game loss of the tournament. In the end, Faker & Co. wrapped it up with 3-1. David won the hearts in this matchup which should serve as a good sendoff for Splyce as the team will be competing under a different name in Season 10 due to the Splyce brand shutting down.
Damwon Gaming versus G2 Esports was one of the most exciting matchups. Normally, one would think that despite DWG's quality, G2 would be the favourites due to their incredible form but it was actually DWG who dominated the scrim matches between the teams, prior to Worlds. The most reliable win condition for DWG was the synergy between their top lane and jungle, which prompted Jankos to set up a tent there. Nuguri never stood a chance and PerkZ's fantastic performances made sure Damwon Gaming didn't have one either.
League of Legends - showcase of several champion splash arts
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In the end, it's SKT T1 versus G2 Esports and Invictus Gaming versus FunPlux Phoenix in the semis. The matchups couldn't be better as we have grudge matches on both sides. G2 won MSI against SKT while FPX won summer playoffs versus iG.
Furthermore, the quality and consistency of these teams is undeniable as SKT T1 are Korean summer champions, FPX are Chinese summer champions, G2 Esports are European definitive champions as well as holders of the MSI 2019 crown and Invictus Gaming are the reigning world champions. We really are in for a treat, with the best four teams in the world, starting 2 November 2019.
