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Worlds 2024 Swiss Stage Round 3 Matchup, Draws, Schedule and Predictions
Worlds 2024 is in full swing with the Swiss Stage. Only 4 teams remain undefeated after Day 2: Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, Dplus KIA, and LNG Esports. Tomorrow, 2 of these teams will advance to the Knockout Bracket and the Quarterfinals of Worlds 2024.
Moreover, 4 teams are now 0-2 in record, and are in danger of being eliminated from Worlds 2024 contention. They are CBLOL’s sole representative paiN Gaming, the LCS’ Team Liquid, EU’s 3rd seed MDK, and the VCS’ GAM Esports.
Both qualification games and elimination games will be Bo3 format and will be highlighted below. If you want to know more about how the Swiss Stage of Worlds 2024 works, perhaps you’d like to check out our complete guide.
Worlds 2024 Swiss Stage Round 3 Matchup Previews and Predictions
2-0 Pool (Bo3 Format)
Dplus KIA vs LNG Esports [2pm CET | 5/10]
Dplus had a 1/3 in chance of drawing a decent matchup and potentially qualifying for the Knockout Stage - and they did in the form of LNG. Dplus series today against FlyQuest wasn't without its bumps, but the LCK 3rd seed has still shown some strong cards at this event. ShowMaker and Aiming in particular put up stellar performances in yesterday and today's series.
On the LNG side, EDG seems to have managed to buff Scout. The LPL mid laner is currently 12/2/17 across just 2 series and he's shown no hints of stopping. Today, LNG took down BLG, LPL's first seed.
Hence, while we think Dplus will deliver a banging performance, LNG certainly have the edge in our books in a longer series where they can stretch their legs a little.
Gen.G vs Hanwha Life Esports [5pm CET | 5/10]
What have we done to deserve this absolute treat? A repeat from the LCK Summer Playoffs Finals, Gen.G and HLE are set to go at it again, this time for a top 8 spot at Worlds 2024. Eyes will be on the Chovy/Zeka midlane matchup, as well as the Peyz/Viper faceoff.
Jokingly called the second Gen.G, HLE boasts 3 former Gen.G players and we think it isn't a huge stretch to imagine that the players might want to prove that Gen.G made a mistake parting ways with them. A little tough to call but we'll give the edge to Gen.G this series. They don't often lose, and certainly rarely twice in a row.
1-1 Pool
Top Esports vs Fnatic [ 2pm CET | 6/10]
3 LPL teams in this pool, the odds weren't great for Fnatic but to pull Top is a little rough. Fnatic have had a fairly lukewarm go at Worlds so far, in all honesty. They had a plausibly close series against Dplus KIA to start out the Swiss Stage but were not able to pull off the win. They then faced a weakened GAM, who in all honesty, Fnatic should have taken down much cleaner than that. Noah and Humanoid are the standout names for this roster for now, however, when the bar is that low...
On the other side is Top Esports, who's had to face T1 and Gen.G to kick off their own Swiss Stage run. They took down T1 in a close series and lost in somewhat expected fashion to Gen.G. Top may not be the favorites on most people's lips but they are still the LPL's 2nd seed. Be on the lookout especially for JackeyLove, an explosive AD Carry player with a signature aggressive playstyle.
Sorry EU, but we're giving this one to Top Esports. Fnatic has not shown much to impress us so far. Perhaps they will in this game.
Bilibili Gaming vs T1 [3pm CET | 6/10]
The last time these 2 teams faced officially was at MSI 2024 in the Lower Finals (T1 beat them at the Esports World Cup some months later). BLG would go on to the Grand Finals after a back-and-forth 3-2 victory over T1. At the time BLG had jungler Xun. Coming into Worlds 2024, they've upgraded with RNG veteran Wei, further sharpening their fangs.
BLG's strength is in their individual laners. Knight, Bin, and Elk can all individually take over games and ON in particular has proven to be an incredible facilitator, making them a dangerous snowball team. Moreover, their loss to LNG will only fuel them in this following match... we imagine.
T1 on the other hand have struggled to find good footings in the early game. Zeus and Gumayusi do show up, but rarely in the same game at the same time. However, this time, the roster will really have to be in sync in order to deliver a strong game against Bilibili Gaming and avoid the elimination series.
Their series today against paiN was more in line with what we've come to expect from T1 but it'll take more than that to bring down BLG, especially coming off a loss. Giving the obvious edge to BLG, but T1 has slain titans before and this is Worlds form T1 after all, greater magic has occured before.
PSG Talon vs FlyQuest [4pm CET | 6/10]
FlyQuest you lucky duck. Not only did they manage to dodge every LPL team in this round, they've also somehow managed to dodge both EU rosters. FlyQuest played some messy League of Legends today and overall they've been decent performance-wise but not incredible. That said, their performance against GAM does indicate that they'll likely deliver against minor region roster, essentially beating teams that they should.
PSG... looked better in Play-Ins. Granted their first game was against HLE, but both their games looked incredibly messy on their side, especially against MDK. Not only did PSG try and fail to force certain angles for fights, we also haven't seen especially strong macro from their roster. If anything, their strong laners have pulled them through against the weaker teams they faced before, leaving them now in this predicament where they don't seem to know exactly how to pilot against more experienced teams who escape their early game leverages.
We're giving this one to FlyQuest though the series should be relatively close between the 2 teams as they're fairly evenly matched in form.
G2 Esports vs Weibo Gaming [5pm CET | 6/10]
The last time these 2 teams faced, Caedrel swapped region. Unfortunately, he's found a new non-LEC team to support so the post-caster curse will no longer have an effect. G2 managed to have a close series against HLE but I personally feel their level hasn't raised significantly since MSI.
One of the biggest win conditions these days is Caps navigating the sidelane pressure, however, it feels very much like G2 hasn't found their clear identity at this Worlds of what kind of League of Legends they want to play. Their bold picks have been more muted than usual this Swiss Stage. Perhaps we'll see some more interesting picks once we get into Bo3s and Bo5s.
Weibo has looked fairly decent at this event. Light in particular has been a standout performer for his team but its clear this roster is also still feeling out the meta they want to play. We saw a strong series from them against Gen.G on Day 1 and a clean performance against Team Liquid today, signalling that in terms of Worlds level, much like T1, they shouldn't lose to a team that they should beat. This is another tough one to call. Looking at the 2, I think they're fairly evenly matched, with the slightest of edges to G2.
0-2 Pool (Bo3 Format)
MAD Lions KOI vs GAM Esports [2pm CET | 7/10]
What a mess. GAM did not inspire much confidence in today's series against Fnatic. Despite generating a decent early lead, their piloting of the mid-game against the LEC's 2nd seed left a lot to be desired. We're looking to Levi to potentially deliver on another off-kilter pick like his Play-Ins Shyvana. Anything but that Vi from last game. Emo has also been a decent addition for this roster and we're keeping an eye on him to match Fresskowy in terms of aggression this coming series.
MAD Lions KOI... sigh. Their forte is finding those niche picks, pulling out surprise champions to throw off their opponents while simultaneously creating draft advantages for themselves. However, that final series against PSG certainly looked overcooked. Myrwyn in particular has pulled out some exciting picks. Paired with the veteran hands of Elyoya and the exciting talent of Supa, MDK are supposed to be poised as a mid-tier hitter in this Swiss Stage, but so far they've falled short of the mark.
We're giving the edge to MDK, mostly because if they can't beat GAM while the latter's scrambling, MDK's done for.
paiN Gaming vs Team Liquid [5pm CET | 7/10]
CBLOL's final bullet, paiN Gaming are faced against a tough opponent in elimination. Not much to say here, paiN seem to be enjoying their time in the Swiss Stage, especially facing against T1 and Faker. However, their roster is clearly outmatched by the others in this stage and it is unlikely to change in such a short time.
Team Liquid has faced 2 LPL rosters back-to-back. While both series had bright moments for TL, overall, it's not been spectacular. Keep an especial eye on APA as he seems to be heating up after their last game against WBG. Team Liquid is most likely going to take this win in relatively clean fashion, but paiN has never been a team to take it lying down. Liquid will have to earn their reprieve if they want it.
Where to Watch
Don't miss a moment of the Worlds 2024 Swiss Stage! You can catch all the action live on Twitch and Youtube.
For the latest League of Legends news, follow Strafe Esports. To follow everything on Worlds 2024, check out our full guide. Also follow the Strafe YouTube channel for exlcusive interviews with your favorite players and coaches.
Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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