LoL Worlds 2024: HLE-FLY, 1% chance, 99% faith

Round 4 of the Worlds 2024 Swiss stage starts this Thursday. With 14 teams and 6 playoff spots remaining, Sheep Esports is here to break down each day's key matchup. To kick things off, all eyes are on LCS 1st seed FlyQuest (FLY) as they look to topple the goliath that is reigning LCK champion Hanwha Life Esports (HLE).

This match marks the first-ever meeting between the two organizations. Both HLE and FLY are making their second appearance at Worlds following their first ever trophies in their respective regions. Both teams represent some of the best North America and Korea have to offer.

Hanwha Life Esports came into Worlds 2024 as a title contender as they upset Gen.G (GEN) in the 2024 LCK Summer Finals. However, GEN struck back in Round 3 as they took a 2-1 victory over HLE to advance to the Knockout Stage of Worlds. Despite the loss, HLE remains a projected top 3 team in the tournament, as showcased by their dominant wins over PSG Talon and G2 Esports in previous rounds. They've displayed a level of teamfighting and macro that only less than a handful of teams in the world can beat, let alone contest. The Worlds meta has also been quite favorable to them as midlaner Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo utilizes mainstay champions Yone and Smolder to their fullest potential.

Looking to their opponents, FlyQuest have had a relatively easier road to their 2-1 match record with wins against PSG Talon and GAM Esports. Following a loss to Dplus KIA in the second round, FLY now look to their second and much harder LCK challenge.

"I think we can compete with them, but we need to be very creative with our champions and surprise them in the game. If we play a normal game against those teams, we won't be favored" explained Kacper "Inspired" Słoma in our recent interview. Indeed, FlyQuest's main strength seems to lie in their draft flexibility and their ability to rally around their star jungler. While best-of-threes halve the chances of an upset, FlyQuest are no stranger to beating the odds and pulling a victory where it was least expected.

Hanwha Life Esports boasts a significantly more experienced roster overall. Former world champion midlaner Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo and bot laner Park "Viper" Do-hyeon have teamed up with Worlds veteran Han "Peanut" Wang-ho to disrupt the current balance of power amongst the likes of T1, GEN, and BLG.

FlyQuest's experience is more concentrated in Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau and Inspired, who are making their fifth and fourth appearances at Worlds respectively. Both are accustomed to high-stakes matches and carry the responsibility of leading their less experienced comrades. They are the heart and soul of FlyQuest, guiding rookies Song "Quad" Su-hyeong, Fahad "Massu" Abdulmalek, and Alan "Busio" Cwalina through their first Worlds journey while preparing to face one of the toughest opponents they'll ever encounter.

The rookie botlane of Massu and Busio, in particular, will be tested against the fearsome duo that is Viper and Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong. Some may consider Viper the current best ADC in the world while Delight has single handedly won games with clutch engages such as his Rell in HLE's game 1 against GEN in the previous round. This will be a monumental challenge for FlyQuest’s newcomers. Despite Quad's brief stint in the LCK, this will be the first time any of these players face off against each other. Only time will tell if FlyQuest shows up on the day.

The qualifying series between Hanwha Life Esports and FlyQuest will take place following the conclusion of Dplus KIA vs. Top Esports, scheduled for 2 PM CET.