The time for semifinals is nigh and only 2 LPL teams remain. They must battle in this first round to represent their region at the Final stage of this tournament.
This is not the first time WBG goes up against BLG in a Semifinal; not only did they encounter eachoter at the LPL summer playoffs with BLG having a decisive 3-0 victory but we saw this exact matchup last year at the Worlds 2023 Semifinal with Weibo barely winning a 3-2 series.
BLG are the clear favorites to win the match thanks to a dominating Summer Season taking the 1st seed spot in LPL. Their performance has been lackluster this tournament but their victory against HLE was a supreme display of talent. WBG don't seem like a top tier team so far but they have come out on top in multiple situations where they were clear underdogs already. Will they be stomped again or surprise the audience one more time for another chance at lifting the trophy?
Key Moments
Both teams have had decisive moments so far which can help clue us in to who is most likely to win this match.
Weibo hasn't been a very dominating team but they're not afraid to take teamfights as they manage to win them very consistently against almost any opponent; we saw this happen in the very first game against LNG during Quarterfinals. Not only do they win the fight but willl try to win the game off it every time, which can easily backfire as seen on Game 2 where trying to end the game was the incorrect call; doing this lost them their entire lead as they lost soon after.
Macro is not their strong suit but they have definitely learned and improved. They've shown great execution of trading sides and teamfights which heavily revolve around preparation. Not to mention some incredible baron timings as they can mobilize towards this objective very quickly to get it without having to even fight.
The key player on this team seems to be Light as he is simply unstoppable when allowed to play a champion he is good at, such as Ezreal or Ashe. Similarly xiaohu had a trend of dropping CS, falling behind in gold and XP in order to stay grouped with the team. While this does create a man advantage this could easily backfire since he just falls further behind the longer a game goes on.
As for BLG, they had instant map movements as we saw the entire team go from one side of the map to the other. This created massive problems for HLE as they couldn't crossmap without risking getting caught or losing more resources than expected.
xun had a fanastic use of tempo game 2 that series where he ganked Doran and then killed him again as he walked back into lane. This became a 1000 gold lead for Bin which lasted the entire game, but also started a snowball for the whole team.
Elk was a superstar this series, his Ashe in game 2 was a huge factor towards their win as he landed every single arrow no matter how far away he was and the team won all of those teamfights thanks to it. Even without Ashe he was able to give a masteclass on Kai'Sa with his perfect positioning as he fights to the last breath to keep his team in the lead. It's not a one man effort as knight's mechanics played a huge role at following up on the arrows as Sylas or peeling him as Galio.
This team is not afraid to experiment with wild drafts as we saw them pick champions like Galio and Kindred. This was a huge gamble but it worked out great for them
Team breakdown
WBG definitely knows what they are and aren't good at as this is clear in their gameplans; Avoid your weaknesses and play to your strengths. Since a major weakness is Macro game playing the map like a chess board is not really an option so they put all their chips on their main strength: teamfighting. Dropping all resources to fist fight as much as possible is definitely risky, but a single well executed fight can instantly flip a game around or even win it and this is exactly what Weibo plays for.
The closer to Finals the more pressure on this team to perform such magic, if they're able to get the best champions for its players and maximize their chances to win a fight we could see them advance. Just like a good heist movie they will need a perfect plan with even more perfect execution to get away victorious against insurmountable odds.
BLG seem unstoppable at this point and it's hard to imagine their Macro being unable to pave the path to victory this series. If this series is going to be anything like their match against HLE then WBG may not stand a chance against this team's precise coordination and impeccable mechanics.
The unconventional drafts may throw them off balance and get them the edge in teamfights leaving Weibo having all weaknesses and no strengths. BLG has shown to jump the gun a bit too often however, which may have them play straight into Weibo's hands.
Predictions
Ashe will be a pivotal pick as both team's ADC's are not only amazing at the champion but have been playing her most games. They're incredibly influential on the game's outcome when playing this character.
This series will definitely come down to the teamfighting in true LPL fashion; gold differences will be deceiving as they will quickly go either way throughout the games.
I'm going against the currents here and predicting a WBG victory on a very exciting 3-2 series. There's been a running theme of rematches this year and I expect the finals to be another chance at revenge.
Remember to comment which team you think will win! We will give away 70€ (in the official Riot Merch Store or even Riot Points if winner prefers!) to a random person who guessed correctly. Good luck!