LoL Worlds 2024: GEN - WBG, A clash of unexpected runners-up

The best time in the year starts this Thursday with the kick-off of Worlds 2024's Main Stage. Only one of the 16 participating teams will be crowned the League of Legends season 14 World Champion. Every day, Sheep Esports offers you the keys to understanding what's at stake for one of the matches. For the start of the prestigious competition, we focused on Gen.G against Weibo Gaming. May the fight begin.

To say the least, both of these teams unexpectedly ended in second place in their respective leagues this summer, the LCK for Gen.G and the LPL for Weibo Gaming. But for two opposite reasons, since Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon and Co. won MSI before the start of the split, and even dominated there, by losing only one match in the entire regular season. While Gen.G's loss in the final against HLE was an upset (2-3), it's indeed WBG that created the upset in their own league by winning against NiP, LNG, and TES in the summer playoffs before the dream came to an end in final, against BLG (0-3).

That's why both teams don't arrive at Worlds with the same status at all, since Gen.G is a clear contender and WBG is more of an underdog. The proof is in the pudding, with Gen.G being LCK's second seed, while Weibo is LPL's fourth and last seed sent at Worlds this year. That is why for this Thursday's game, Korea is undoubtedly the favorite, especially in BO1. Nevertheless, beware of sleeping water. Weibo not only created a surprise this summer, but they also did it last year at the same event they are about to start against Gen.G. Li "Xiaohu" Yuan-Hao and Co. even reached the Worlds 2023 grand final, against all odds. While Gen.G, which was already a contender at the time did not go beyond quarter-finals (2-3 against BLG).

But it's two players who were not in any of these teams in the past that might be the difference makers for 2024. Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong has been WBG's bread and butter this summer, with four Group Stage MVPs and six Rumble Stage MVPs - the leader in this one - the jungler was especially a beast on AP Carries (Nidalee, Lilia, and Brand). But this Thursday, he will be facing the greatest Nidalee of all time: Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu. The former Damwon player has proved it once again this summer, with the Bestial Huntress being his most-played champion in the regular season (11 games for only one loss). As meta shifted slightly, junglers seem to have more options in patch 14.18 as AP champions still seem very playable.

No doubt this match within the match might start in the draft phase, with Skarner having a high chance of being also prioritized since Tarzan seemed to train it a lot in Champions Queue. Canyon is also the only World champion from his team (2020 with DWG), while on the other side, it's the support Liu "Crisp" Qingsong who once lifted the Summoner's Cup with FunPlus Phoenix, in 2019, crushing Europe's hope in the process. Moreover, the bot matchup might be a key as well, with Wang "Light" Guangyu being a major craftsman of WBG success, just as the young prodigy Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan is with Gen.G.