The first round of the 2019 League of Legends World Championship group stage has come to an end, with only two teams standing undefeated thus far. The group stage is played in a double round robin format, with each team in each group facing off twice over the course of the stage. With the first round robin cycle completed, Korea’s SK Telecom T1 and Europe’s G2 are soaring above the opposition.
Reinforced by LoL legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Group C’s SK Telecom T1 look to claim their fourth Worlds title. With the “Unkillable Demon King” in the mid-lane, SKT have rolled over their opposition at every turn. Their opening match placed them against Fnatic, Europe’s second seed and one of the region’s best. Faker was awarded his first MVP of the group stage as SKT cruised past the European squad. Day two brought fans a highly anticipated match as SKT faced off against Royal Never Give Up. Despite RNG star AD Carry Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao’s best efforts, SKT took their second victory of the group stage. The next match pit them against Clutch Gaming, North America’s third seed. After twenty-six minutes, Faker and co. secured their third straight victory.
Having lifted trophies at the Mid-Season Invitational, LEC Spring, and LEC Summer, G2 have come into Worlds as another heavy favorite. Europe’s shining star kicked off their Worlds group stage run with a match against Korean squad Griffin, where a sub-thirty-minute match secured G2 their first win. Day two saw the EU juggernaut defeat Cloud9 in quick fashion, despite North American top-laner Eric “Licorice” Ritchie’s best attempts to get his team in the game. G2’s final match against Hong Kong Attitude was more closely contested than the others, but Luka “Perkz” Perković’s squad shut down the match to secure their spot at the top of Group A.
SK Telecom T1 and G2 are the only undefeated teams of the group stage, each standing with three wins so far. The League of Legends World Championship will resume on Thursday, October 17th, as the second cycle of round robin matches begins. G2’s next appearance will come on October 18th, while SKT will next play on October 19th.
