Quarterfinals 2 kicks off tomorrow with an LPL showdown between EDG and RNG.
Leading into the series tomorrow, the last remaining LPL teams face off each other to go further into the tournament. This is setting it all up for a great clash between the LPL Summer Split Champions and the MSI Champions. Let’s talk about the series and the teams briefly and predict who will win the series.
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Quarterfinals 2: EDG vs RNG
EDG and RNG have both had a rocky Worlds 2021 run thus far. Both of them did great in Week 1 but Week 2 was tumultuous. This series will be a chance for both teams to prove they are stronger than what they showed in the Groups Stage. With that said, let’s talk about the teams briefly.
EDG
The LPL Summer Split Champions came in as one of the favorites in the tournament. While they came up 2nd in their group, they are still a strong team. Their style is very conducive to the best of 5 format, and they adapt in drafts really well in a series. The question with them is the occasional bad games they have at times.
Viper and Scout are leading this team and are the main carries for the team. Meiko and Viper are in the conversation of being the best bot duo in the tournament. Flandre is a stable player for them in the top lane and Jiejie facilitates well for the team.
While they are individually solid players, they shine even more when they are playing together as a team. Their macro is amongst the best in the Worlds, and they are very good at punishing teams for their mistakes. The Groups Stage did not show that but this is something they have to prove they can still do. If they can play their usual consistent style, this is a tough team to beat in a series.
RNG
RNG is the MSI Champions after their great run from LPL Spring to MSI. However, the Summer Split was up and down for them and it left more questions about them than not. They are still a strong team that plays through Xiaohu in the top lane. The issue for them has been Cryin in the mid lane along with inconsistencies from their players.
They often play a very telegraphic style of play with them always focusing top lane to get Xiaohu ahead. Cryin will always be on a roaming pick while Ming will also roam quite a lot to get the top side in their favor. Once that happens, RNG tend to run away with games. However, against stronger teams it is going to be a tougher task.
On the flip side of that, this is a style that really works well for them. Wei is the perfect jungler for the style and Xiaohu has shown in multiple occasions to be the best top laner in the world on any given day. Cryin is the one player RNG will have to protect in the draft to ensure things go well for them. Gala and Ming are solid enough to make sure RNG stays even to stay true to their win conditions. This is still a tough team to beat with their style of play going forward into the tournament.
EDG vs RNG
EDG vs RNG is setting us up for a series we have not seen after the LPL Spring Split Playoffs which went the distance. Granted RNG has not looked like their peak selves thus far but LPL teams can really turn in on in these occasions. EDG is still a fundamentally sound team, and they certainly have the edge going into this series.
For RNG to win this series, they have to tilt top lane in their favor. Wei and Xiaohu needs to control the top side of the map and force EDG to play at RNG’s pace. Cryin also needs to be on his comfort champs while Ming can roam around the map to make some engages.
For EDG, it’s about controlling the tempo and getting the bot lane ahead. Viper is a big carry for their teamfights and that should be their focus to get him in those situations. EDG also may have a draft advantage since many of RNG’s players are limited on which champions they can play.
Predictions
For us, this is a 3-1 EDG series. Like we mentioned earlier, the draft difference could be an issue for RNG. Cryin has not looked good on picks that are not Twisted Fate and Wei has mostly played his comfort champions and Jarvan IV. Gala has also played a limited amount of champions. So for EDG, they can attack RNG both on the rift and during the draft phase. This will still be a fun series to watch provided both teams play at their peak.
In Conclusion
These teams are the last hope of the LPL. Also, with how their side of the bracket has shaped up, whichever team wins would be favorites to be in the Finals. We are expecting a lot of fireworks in the games tomorrow, and we certainly hope it will be entertaining.
Quarterfinals 2 of the Worlds Championship 2021 kicks off tomorrow at 12 pm UTC+0.
