The Swiss stage of the LOL World Championship, the 1-2 group knockout matches, have begun. After TSW was defeated by MKOI and exited at the top 16, BLG and T1 are set for elimination battles. Judging from the draw, neither team is likely to lose because VKS began 0-2 and only secured their first Worlds victory against PSG. 100T is even less of a factor; aside from beating BLG, their other matches were swiftly ended by opponents.

However, BLG has stumbled twice in a row. Even if their opponents are weak, fans hesitate to claim a guaranteed win. BLG’s current form might not be as strong as expected. FNC, who were eliminated 0-3, recently revealed in a coach’s livestream that due to failing to schedule scrims with LCK teams, they played more against LPL and LCS teams. In scrims, FNC once beat BLG 2:1 but lost 1:2 to VKS.

FNC was the first team eliminated and ranks lowest among the 16 teams. BLG losing to them in scrims shows how poor their condition is. Interestingly, in scrims, VKS defeated FNC, who are BLG’s next opponent. So whether BLG can win this do-or-die match is uncertain. BO1s are prone to upsets, but FNC and BLG will face off in a BO3, which is hard to accept for some.

If BLG were to lose 1-3 and go home, they would become the most embarrassing number one seed in LPL history. But scrims don’t fully reflect current form. Since FNC scrimmed BLG last week, and BLG has likely adjusted after losing to G2, as long as Bin stays focused and teamfight decisions improve, BLG should still be able to win against the Brazilian team.

Additionally, Wang Duoduo will be the commentator for the BLG vs. VKS BO3. In a recent livestream, Wang shared his views, saying that BLG’s previous confusion was a BO1 issue, and he doesn’t believe they would repeat that in a BO3. He also mentioned that after experiencing losses, BLG’s mindset should have improved, and they should avoid underestimating opponents. As long as they don’t make mistakes mid-game, they can beat VKS.

Looking at BLG’s two losses, most mistakes happened during mid-game decision-making, which caused the defeats. BLG had lane advantages across all three lanes early on, so if they play mid-game well and treat opponents seriously, upsets would be less likely. The coaching and management staff should remind players before the match that there are no weak teams at Worlds and every game requires caution.

Regarding Wang Duoduo commentating BLG’s matches, many BLG fans have protested, but honestly, that’s unreasonable. The players themselves didn’t perform well and lost the games, yet the blame is placed on the commentator. That doesn’t make sense. From another perspective, Wang Duoduo probably feels worse than the fans — not only does he have to commentate boring matches, but he also gets criticized afterward. No commentator could handle that daily.

If memory serves, last year at Worlds, BLG also advanced with a 2-3 record, but their opponents then were much stronger than this year’s. Perhaps the BO1 format isn’t BLG’s strength. Now back to BO3s, they should be able to show their true level. To qualify for Worlds, they need to win two BO3s in a row, each a do-or-die match. Forget about future opponents for now; focus on the present.

Conclusion:

FNC’s coach leaks scrim results every year, so it’s no wonder LCK teams avoid scrimming them. Revealing results before Worlds end is somewhat inappropriate, but since only results were mentioned without details like BP priorities, the impact is minimal.

So, what do you think — can BLG successfully defeat VKS?

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