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League of Legends

EDG Defeat DWG KIA To Win Worlds 2021

Edward Gaming has defeated DWG Kia to become the 2021 League of Legends World Champions. In a thrilling five-game series, EDG managed to undermine the seeming dominance of their LCK opponents DWG to take home the victory in a 3-2. 

The series started with a bang, as EDG immediately struck first, taking the first point from DWG in a shock upset start. DWG had been heavily favored heading into the series, with EDG, a lower seed from the LPL, being considered a weaker opponent than others DWG had crushed in the playoffs.

But in the opening game, EDG shocked DWG, decisively claiming first blood, before striking at Baron pit and winning a crucial team fight.


This put DWG on the back foot, with the Korean team playing with renewed intensity. The team quickly equalised in Game 2, and pushed into the lead in Game 3. Despite a bump in the road, it looked like DWG was on track to be champions.


But EDG never said die. The squad were able to equalize the score, forcing a brutal game 5 situation. With Worlds 2021 on the line, EDG faced off in a new best-of-one for the entire championship. 

EDG’s win ends DWG’s hopes for a repeat victory, after the team claimed the gold in Worlds 2020. The win also marks a return to form for China. The region raised the LoL Championship Trophy in 2019 and 2018, with Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix taking gold. But last year, Korea regained their champion status. 

The finals in ReykjavĂ­k, Iceland were somewhat marred by recent revelations of deception by Riot Games. But for EDG, the victory is as pure as it can be, becoming just the 9th team in history to claim a World Championship.

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League of Legends

Riot Games Allowed Chinese Press to Worlds 2021, Ignoring Own Safety Measures

On Sep 9, many were disappointed to find out that Worlds 2021 would have no crowd, and no press. Content creators, endemic press, fans, etc. would not be allowed on site in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

In an official announcement, Riot Games outlined it’s desire to “focus on ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved in hosting, producing, and competing at the event.” However, in a new statement by Korizon’s Ashley Kang, and Dot Esports’s Jacob Wolf, it’s been revealed that several third-party new outlets from China, as well as LPL-affiliated content creators have been on site.

In the days leading up to Worlds 2021, all press and media were restricted from travelling to the event, despite repeated requests from news outlets. When pushed about the seeming attendance of Chinese media, Riot confirmed it had allowed them on site, in direct violation of their own previous safety measures.

When outlets pushed to request attendance for the upcoming finals for Worlds 2021, they were rebuffed. Riot Games seems content with it’s stance of allowing Chinese outlets and not the rest of the world to Worlds 2021.

Ultimately, this statement has sparked debate about Riot Games and their dubious media tactics once again. In 2018 and 2019, Journalist Richard Lewis found himself the subject of ire after pointing out the hypocrisy of Riot Games and it’s background control of the r/lol subreddit.

Beyond this, the increase in screened questions, open hostility to news outlets, and favouritism has soured many to the company. Riot Games is eager to present itself as a global company with international values. However, it’s actions seem incredibly far from those standards. 

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League of Legends

Backlash after MAD Lions “owner” Slams Carzzy in Twitter Rant

Social media erupted late on Sunday evening (Oct 24) as it appeared that one of MAD Lion’s owners had heavily criticized the performance of Matyáơ “Carzzy” Orság in a post on Twitter.

The tweet by “Revenant”, whose Twitter bio described him as a MAD Lions Co-owner, was a scathing critique of MAD Lion’s starting AD player. Roughly translated to english, the tweet stated that Elyoya and Kaiser are trying to carry the rest of the team. The tweet also claimed that Revenant thinks Carzzy is not good enough for the LEC level, and if it were up to him he’d have put Victor “Flakked” Lirola in as a sub.

Fans and personalities instantly jumped to the defense of Carzzy who felt it was incredibly unprofessional for an “owner” to criticize a player in this manner. 

However, in a tweet posted some time later, it was revealed that Revenant was not a MAD Lions owner at all. He was instead a partnered content creator who’d taken it upon himself to add the “co-owner” title to his Twitter profile.

In a statement by MAD Lions, the team backed Carzzy and stated they fully supported the team and all of its players.  

MAD Lions were eliminated from Worlds 2021 in a Quarter Finals match on the afternoon of Oct 24. The team managed to successfully navigate the group stage and put on a good showing for most of the tournament.  

However, many feel they faced one of the eventual finalists of the tournament in DWG Kia. MAD Lions were the last LEC team remaining in Worlds 2021.

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League of Legends

Worlds 2021: Beyond Gaming Mid Laner Banned in Gambling Scandal

Worlds 2021 was hit by scandal yesterday evening (October 8) as Taiwanese team Beyond Gaming saw one of it’s players banned from the event for gambling related offences. 

Riot Games announced that PCS mid laner, Chien “Maoan” Mao-An, had been banned in a competitive ruling posted on their social media late last night. 

The ruling, attributed to Tom Martel, Riot Director of Operations, stated that Maoan had violated Rule 9.3 of the 2021 World Championship Ruleset (sic). Breaking of this rule, pertaining to gambling, mean that he would be suspended for the remainder of Worlds 2021, pending an investigation.

According to leaked texts and documents, it appears Maoan distributed details of his Champion picks ahead of their game against Galatasaray. The series, which Beyond Gaming won 3-2, was a crucial juncture in the Worlds 2021 play-in phase. 

The inside information could have been used to make wagers on betting sites. Champion picks are just one of many stakes esports gamblers can make on League of Legends.

Former player Michael “bigfatlp” Tang weighed in, detailing his take on the leaked images in an expletive ladened post. The payment for Maoan’s potentially lucrative picks appears to have been a single selfie. It appears that when the picks were wrong, the other party reported Maoan to Riot Games.

Maoan’s suspension means that Beyond Gaming must face Hanwha Life Esports, and top-tier mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon without their primary mid laner.

Fans and supporters of Beyond Gaming have universally condemned Maoan, but rallied behind teammate Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan. The bottom laner has been a stand-out player for his team, by some reports, single-handedly winning games for his squad.

Beyond Gaming faces HLE on October 9 at 13:00 CEST.

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League of Legends

DetonatioN FocusMe Makes History At Worlds 2021

Japanese League of Legends team DetonatioN FocusMe have made history at Worlds 2021, becoming the first team from the country to make it to the group stage. The team defeated Cloud 9 during the play in stage to secure the victory.

https://twitter.com/teamDFM/status/1446151706304139266

Their victory secures a group stage spot for an LJL team for the first time in Worlds history.

DetonatioN FocusMe have become somewhat of a staple of international League of Legends competition in recent years. The team reached their first Worlds in 2018.

They followed it up with an 8-9th place finish at the 2019 Mid Season Invitational, and another trip to Worlds that year. Again the team failedd to make it out of the Play-in stage, but still took at least one series win that tournament.

The team missed out on Worlds in and MSI in 2020, but returned for MSI 2021, and now Worlds 2021. The playoff position already marks the highest finish at an international tournament for both the team, but the LJL region as a whole.

Surprise at the victory swept over the Twitter world as the LJL team claimed a win over North America’s Cloud9. NA’s representatives in the play-ins have underperformed, and may contribute once more to the NA flying home early memes.

But beyond salty NA fans, most who love competitive League of Legends are excited to see the tiny Japanese server represented well on the international stage.

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League of Legends

Official: Worlds 2021 Not In China, LoL Championships To Be Held In Europe

After over a year of expecting that Worlds 2021 in China, League of Legends fans must now look to Europe as the host venue of the World Championships.

Worlds 2021 was initially set to be held in five cities across China in 2021. This was due to last year’s Worlds 2020 occurring with no audience for most of the event due to Covid restrictions. To make up for this, Riot Games announced previously that Worlds 2021 would be held in China again in 2021. 

However, just a few months out from the expected start of the event, the regional host has now changed. The event will now take place in Europe. Many expect the event to be held in Germany, where the LEC studios are based

News of the venue change was leaked on August 23, when news outlet Upcomer revealed the alteration. The publication broke the news, citing numerous sources within Riot Games

On the morning of August 24, Global Head of Communications and Esports for Riot Games, David Higdon, said a statement from Riot Games would be released later that day.

In the eventual official announcement, John Needham, Global Head of Esports for Riot Games, broke the news. In the statement, broadcast on Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube, Needham apologised to fans, especially those in China. Explaining the situation around the decision, he emphasised the desire for teams to compete with their entire rosters. This sentiment alluded to the visa issues that plagued teams as they attempt to head to Worlds 2021.

Instead, with the venue moving to Europe, more teams are likely to play with their full rosters, free of visa issues. In addition, most European countries have strict two-week isolation periods for those travelling from outside. However, these restrictions will likely be a small price to pay for most teams.

Ultimately, we are still unsure of the exact venue, timing, and circumstances of Worlds 2021. However, with only an ending date set, we must still assume that Worlds will look slightly different from usual, even with Riot Games trying everything they can to return to normality.  

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League of Legends

With Worlds on the Line, Sunday 22nd is Make or Break for 4 LoL Teams

League of Legends Worlds 2021 is set to kick off just a few months from now, but some of the best LoL Teams in the West find themselves on the edge of elimination from the event. Out of Team SoloMid, Cloud9, G2 Esports, and Fnatic, only two of these teams will make it to Worlds 2021.

In a landmark series of games over the weekend (Sunday 22), the very makeup of the LoL competitive scene is being reformed.

We break down these two huge matchups and how their outcomes will affect Worlds 2021.

Fnatic vs. G2 to Become an EU Representative at LoL Worlds 

Fnatic and G2 Esports are the two most decorated LoL teams in Europe. With dozens of championships between them, it would seem trivial that these teams would head to Worlds 2021. But, instead, we find them battling it out to even attend.

Despite their normal top-tier play, Fnatic has struggled in both Spring and Summer splits. Sitting strictly at the middle of the table, the team has barely made it to the playoffs in both seasons. Now they have to win this game to even find their way to Worlds 2021.

G2 Esports, with its new roster including Martin “Rekkles” Larsson (a former Fnatic player), has managed to top the tables but struggled in both post-seasons. After two playoffs, they now find themselves taking on historical rivals Fnatic for an international competition spot.

As the teams clash at 16:00pm BST, in a best-of-five competition, they’ll be battling for more than a semi-final spot. They’ll be fighting for survival and the chance to join the ascendant MAD Lions as Europe’s representative at Worlds 2021.

Cloud9 and TSM to Clash With LoL Worlds Spot on the Line

After an incredibly impressive 3-1 victory over Immortals on Friday, the regular season champs, TSM, now have Worlds squarely in their crosshairs. Their match against Cloud9 on Sunday is their most important all year.

On Thursday, Cloud9 3-0’d Evil Geniuses to secure their spot in this matchup. Having spent much of their summer split trying to replicate the success of Spring, the team now struggles in the post-season. By rights, they’d automatically be headed to Worlds alongside Team Liquid. But, instead, they face LCS rivals TSM for this semi-final spot.

What’s so crazy about this matchup is that it’s only round 3 of the Championship. There’s still a trio of incredible matchups on the way, although few will have as high stakes. In the morning, we saw the LPL and LCK have similarly high-profile matchups, and LoL Worlds 2021 feels closer than ever.