The first round of the Swiss stage at the League of Legends S15 World Championship is over. LPL’s TES and AL both achieved their initial victories, and LCK’s GEN, T1, and KT also had successful starts. Meanwhile, LCP’s CFO and TSW, as well as North America’s 100T, are all at 1-0. After the first round, the second round draw canceled the same-region avoidance, yet the three LCK teams in the 1-0 group managed to perfectly avoid facing each other.

Let’s look at the 1-0 group draw results. After facing Europe’s G2, TES will meet North America’s 100T. Honestly, this is pretty fortunate. Although 100T defeated BLG, their overall strength is weaker than G2’s. As long as TES stays focused and steady, they are likely to secure a second win. AL, however, has a tougher path: after narrowly beating HLE in the first round, they now face GEN, meaning two consecutive matches against LCK teams.

Facing GEN will be challenging since GEN is a top favorite to win the championship. However, BO1 matches are always unpredictable, so AL still has a chance. KT seems to be the luckiest team in the 1-0 group, as they face the only Vietnamese team, TSW, likely leading to a smooth 2-0 start. Lastly, T1 will face the all-Chinese roster CFO, and if I were to guess blindly, that match will be very intense.

Next is the 0-1 group draw. BLG’s luck remains decent as they drew Europe’s FNC, which is near the bottom in strength in this group. If BLG can’t win here, they might as well start preparing for an early exit. Europe’s G2 and MKOI will have an internal clash, with G2 expected to take the first victory. PSG is quite unlucky, having just played GEN and now facing HLE. Unless something unexpected happens, PSG is likely to start the Worlds 0-2.

Finally, in the Americas region, FLY and VKS face off in an internal match, with FLY expected to claim the first win. Looking at the recent draw results, AL and PSG have had really bad luck, consecutively facing GEN and HLE. Due to their differing strengths, AL has a chance to win, but PSG, once a Korean-contending team but now near the bottom at Worlds, shows no sign of hope for a win.

Objectively predicting the second day’s results, I believe the teams likely to win in the 1-0 group are TES, GEN, KT, and T1. Although I want to root for AL, GEN’s strength is overwhelming. Except for their top laner, AL’s other four positions are at a disadvantage in matchups, making a win very difficult. T1, recharged after facing IG, is now also a top contender for the title, and CFO’s chances of winning are slim.

In the 0-1 group, BLG, G2, HLE, and FLY should all be able to secure their first wins. The European and North American regions feature internal matches where teams know each other’s playstyles well. But G2 and FLY, as champions of the third stage, deserve some respect. BLG’s opponent isn’t strong, but based on their first-day performance, it’s hard to guarantee a win. However, if “Silly Bean” plays, losing should be unlikely.

If AL can’t beat GEN, all three LCK teams will probably start 2-0, increasing the chances TES will face an LCK team soon. So, the “Panda” needs to keep pushing. Few expected them to beat HLE last time, but they did. Hopefully, AL can also defeat GEN in the second match to show the global audience that LPL’s international hopes rest on the Panda. A 3-0 advance would be perfect.

Conclusion:

After several years, “Ka” finally made it to Worlds, but was unlucky to be drawn against GEN by Ming and then HLE by Jiejie. The two clearly want “Ka” to struggle. After going 0-2, PSG should face weaker opponents, but since they couldn’t even beat the Vietnamese team TSW in an internal match, they likely will be eliminated 0-3 early.

So, what do you think? Can AL defeat GEN?

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