LoL Worlds 2024: Time to take stock

League of Legends has now crowned its 14th Worlds champion: T1. While EMEA has failed to reach the quarter-finals for the second year in a row, North America has made it again and even defied some odds, just like last year. In Asia, the LPL went back home with empty pockets again, while their biggest rivals from LCK won it for the third year in a row. All these regional narratives stem from the performances of the teams that are the driving forces behind their respective leagues. Now that the competitive year is over and 2024 is already behind them, it's time to take stock.

The LCK as a whole has done a better job than last year, with two teams qualifying for the semi-finals instead of only T1 in 2023. Yet, the reigning Worlds champions keep on carrying their region in the tournament. The Korean Summer champions (HLE) were eliminated in the quarter-finals by BLG (1-3) and the most dominant LCK team this year (Gen.G) was not far from elimination in the same stage against FlyQuest. Last year, the sentence was even more brutal when looking at the track records going into the semi-finals, with two Korean teams crumbling during the quarter-finals, on their home soil.

T1 at Worlds are inevitable. This is the lesson to be learned from this event. The reigning champions came into the tournament in their worst possible form, guilty of a Summer split well below their standards. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Co. even qualified for the biggest event of the year on the edge after a 3-2 win over KT Rolster for the fourth and last slot of LCK’s Regional Qualifier. Yet, they completely dominated every stage of the competition and went on to defend their crown. Ryu "Keria" Min-seok and Faker were two burdens for their team during the Summer Split.

But at Worlds, they were just outshining everyone else and stepped out to be the two best players in the competition. Not only is it unfair, but it also defies all logic. So let’s just face the facts: when it comes to Worlds never, NEVER count T1 out. The GOAT didn't just etch its name a little larger in the letters of nobility of esports on a collective level since he even earned his second MVP of the Final title. Now the question mark remains for every LoL competitive fan: will ZOFGK be back for another year together in 2025?

On the other side, the most dominant Korean team, which even defeated T1 every single time they faced this year has lost to them in the semi-finals (1-3) and has failed to live up to the expectations… Again. However, Gen.G started the year with a bang: winning both the Spring Split and the MSI. Then, the team nearly nailed the perfect regular season in the Summer, with only one loss to KT Rolster (17-1). And they also surprisingly failed to lift the trophy, with HLE taking it away from their hands (2-3 in the final).

Expectations were high for the Worlds, first because Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon still needs to confirm that he is the best player in the world, not only by winning countless times domestically but also by winning on the international stage. You can’t be considered “the best” if you never won Worlds, that’s just facts. And again Chovy (for the fourth time in a row) failed when it mattered the most, he and his team can’t be considered the best throughout 2024 anymore. Will the same roster try their luck again next year, or will major changes be needed if they are to finally reach the world summit at the end of 2025?

In the same vein, Bilbili Gaming were extremely dominant throughout the competitive year. Perhaps even more so than Gen.G. Firstly, because they won the two splits in their region, and the Summer Split was masterfully controlled, with BLG letting just one game slip through the playoffs. Although they didn't win at the MSI, they did manage to reach the two international finals this year, including Worlds, and they were the ones who caused T1 the most trouble by pushing them to 5 games during the final (2-3). However, it wasn't enough to restore China's reputation after last year's rout, when ZOFGK knocked out three LPL teams in the playoffs. Close, but not enough.

In fact, it was Weibo Gaming who met T1 in the final at the time and emerged from it in a wheelchair (0-3). The veteran Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao almost repeated the feat this year, reaching the semi-finals of the competition again - against all odds. They got there by knocking out those who had largely outclassed them in the LPL Regional Qualifiers: LNG (3-0). The Chinese third seed - although advantaged by the draw to some extent - had put on a perfect Swiss Stage, being the only team to get to playoffs without losing a single game, despite the complicated situation they had to go through regarding their star midlaner. However, LNG largely disappointed in Paris, losing out quickly to their runner-up (1-3).

Just like Top Esports, this year's eternal runners-up in the LPL, who had finally conquered their demons by overcoming the Swiss Stage before being crushed in the quarters by... T1. With the arrival of higher salary restrictions from next year, it would be surprising to see the league improve shortly. Especially with rumors already circulating that stars such as Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk would be returning to their home countries by 2025...

For the second time in a row, North America stood as the last bastion against Asian domination in League of Legends. This time it was FlyQuest's turn to don the superhero suit, and it's fair to say that very few believed in them. Firstly, because the team took a long time to find a good rhythm in the LCS, switching their midlaner in the middle of the season. But also because Team Liquid seemed throughout the year to be the most convincing team in the region, the most consistent, the one with the strongest identity. Yet it was FLY (and their minions) who won the Summer Split. And in a rematch of the final, for a place in Paris in round 5 of the Worlds Swiss Stage, they came out on top again, as if to bury the debate.

If that wasn't enough, because some might blame it on luck - particularly with regard to their draw - FlyQuest proved equal to a challenge that everyone thought was insurmountable, in the quarter-finals. Sure, they didn't overcome it. But after taking one game from HLE during the Swiss Stage, FLY took two from the invincible Gen.G, they found themselves two match points away from pulling off the biggest upset in the competition's history and reaching the Worlds semi-finals. A feat not achieved by the West since 2020. As we already reported, Head Coach, Erlend "Nukeduck" Våtevik Holm, and Assistant Coach, Alfonso "Mithy" Aguirre Rodríguez have been renewed by the organisation which logically want to keep digging in that direction.

However, they were not the ones who seemed destined to be the providential team. In fact, this team was from a different region, in a different league: the LEC. G2 Esports dominated EMEA all year long, totally unchallenged domestically. Unlike last year, when they missed out on the Spring title, they took all four in 2024. Where in 2023 at the Worlds they were inexcusable - if not for the sickness that struck them in the middle of the Swiss Stage - after losing to NRG (0-2), this time there is a cruel reason why they failed to reach the playoffs.

Luck. The Samurai simply weren't blessed with the four-leaf clover this time. Unlike FlyQuest, who qualified by beating GAM, PSG and Team Liquid, they had to take the steepest route. After defeating paiN Gaming in the first round, G2 met Hanwha Life (reigning LCK champion), Weibo Gaming (this year's semi-finalists), T1 (this year's champion), and then Bilibili Gaming (reigning LPL champion and this year's finalist). It's hard to get much more complicated than that for a seed 1, but they put up some good fight, particularly as they were the only Western team to topple Asia during the competition, beating WBG. As we also reported, this was the last dance for this roster, which should only retain Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik, Rasmus "Caps" Winther, and Steven "Hans Sama" Liv in 2025.