Worlds 2015 – Group B Analysis & Predictions

eSports by INQUIRER.net is happy to host Aika Rojas, Editor-in-Chief at Garena eSports, for today’s article! Catch Aika and the rest of the Garena Philippines team as they strive to push Philippine League of Legends and eSports in general over at Garena eSports.

Let me start off by admitting that I am a Fnatic fangirl. And while I am confident that my boys will make it out of Group Stage, the interesting battles ahead of them are exactly what they need to prepare themselves for the final show.

They will be facing three unique teams who challenge some of the biggest things Fnatic has to offer; Invictus Gaming will test the resilience of their laning phase, ahq e-Sports Club will force the limits of their structured style, and Cloud9’s extraordinary bond will collide with theirs and possibly crush it.

Let’s explore these further:

Fnatic

The first team to go undefeated for a whole split in the LCS, Fnatic may be the West’s best shot at the championship title. Not only do they boast a slew of star players, they also have veteran YellOwStaR who draws out each of their strengths and leads them to victory. His superior shotcalling paid off in consistent wins as he managed to show time and time again that they can win, even from a deficit.

However, as if to reinject some excitement into their lives, Fnatic did end up dropping a few games in playoffs before finishing top in EU. Many people, including the Fnatic team themselves, consider this a catalyst for their continued growth going into Worlds. This is probably why it comes as no surprise that Huni, Reignover, Febiven, and Rekkles are at the top of the ladder in the Western Korean bootcamp.

Invictus Gaming

While they managed to make a seed, Invictus Gaming’s performance throughout the year makes them the underdog of this group. Their inconsistency will cause them to unravel against Fnatic’s solid team, their unbalanced team play will crash and burn to the overt aggression of ahq e-Sports Club, and their overall lack of experience will fall to the surging spirit of Cloud9.

For Invictus Gaming to make it through the Group Stage, they will have to work on their weaknesses and move some of the weight off of Rookie and KaKAO and onto the rest of the team. Since Rookie’s lane domination accounts for a great chunk of their win conditions, they are sure to struggle against mid lane stars like Febiven and Westdoor. Aside from this, their guerilla tactics won’t be enough to shake the other teams. To win, they must rise to the playing fields of their opponents and beat them with superior teamfighting.

ahq e-Sports Club

Deadly plays and vicious fights are the weapons that ahq e-Sports Club show off. Their rabid style adds spice to this group and challenges the very structures that the Western scene thrives on. Their victory will hinge on whether or not their enemies will be capable of adapting and retaliating to their stormy strategies as they have already proved back in the MSI that they have the strength to knock down the biggest names to the ground.

With ahq in the picture, Group B is looking more and more like a mid lane showdown. Will Febiven be able to overcome his lack of confidence in the face of Westdoor’s cold calculations? Will Incarnation’s trust in Hai keep him strong when Westdoor swoops in determined to kill? Who will be left standing when the chaos clears?

Cloud9

If there is any team that can rival the familial might of Fnatic, it’s Cloud9. Hai is their YellOwStaR and his return to the C9 roster reminded their lost boys how to soar once more. And man did they soar! The team went on to shock everyone with one of the most impressive gauntlet runs and proudly rose to become one of NA’s seeds.
Honestly, their return to top form is terrifying. Who knows what else they are capable of achieving with Hai in the lead? But more importantly, how long will this Hai high last? Right now, all we can do is watch out because C9 isn’t exactly the most predictable team in line for the championship and their very power may also bring about their own undoing.

PREDICTION: Fnatic is #1, ahq takes second, IG’s inconsistency will leave them at 3rd, and C9’s miracle run will end at Worlds.

Photos taken from lolesports.com

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