The final round draw of the S15 World Championship Swiss stage has been released. BLG’s two 2-2 teams will meet in an internal match, which has its pros and cons. The good part is that at least one LPL team is assured a spot in the quarterfinals, meaning two LPL teams will compete in the knockout stage. The downside is that if the draw involved FLY or MKOI, both LPL squads could have had opportunities to advance.

The match between CFO and FLY still holds some uncertainty, but FLY’s chances of winning are slim because CFO’s performance this year at Worlds is on par with Korean and Chinese teams, even better than BLG and T1. CFO is very likely to reach the knockout stage. If T1 draws MKOI, they are almost guaranteed a quarterfinal spot since MKOI is the weakest among the six teams with 2-2 records.

Because T1’s draw was so favorable, many extreme fans have accused the officials of rigging the draw for T1. Frankly, this claim is baseless. If drawing a weaker team equals rigging, then BLG, the top seed from our region, would have been rigged in the first four matches against 100T, VKS, FNC, and G2, all Western teams. BLG’s draw was actually much better than T1’s.

Such accusations of rigging are really frustrating. Fans with these suspicions might be better off watching cartoons like Crayon Shin-chan or Boonie Bears. After the 2-2 group matches conclude, the Worlds will move into the knockout stage. Riot has recently announced the quarterfinal draw rules. Let’s take a look at the possible matchups in the upcoming best-of-five series.

The specific draw rules are as follows: the 3-0 teams are placed in the upper and lower halves of the bracket, randomly matched with teams from the 3-2 group. The remaining matches are decided by draw order. This means AL and KT are placed in opposite halves, and their opponents come from the three winners of the fifth Swiss round, which currently includes one LPL team with a 3-2 record. Therefore, there is a 1/3 chance of an internal LPL clash in the quarterfinals.

AL and KT’s opponents can only be T1, CFO (if they both win their advancement matches), BLG, or T1. There is a chance for an LPL internal battle, and the same applies to LCK. KT also has a 1/3 chance of facing T1. For LPL, the ideal draw would be AL versus CFO, BLG getting a bye, and then facing a 3-1 group team. This way, LPL avoids internal matches and BLG might draw G2.

However, this ideal scenario is quite unlikely. The 3-1 group includes two LCK teams, and if BLG gets a first-round bye and advances to the 3-1 group, there’s a 2/3 chance they will face HLE or GEN. With four LCK teams in the quarterfinals, LPL is likely to face Korean opponents no matter the draw. Another possible draw that could eliminate two LCK teams in the knockout stage is KT versus T1 and GEN versus HLE.

The knockout draw does not prevent teams from the same region or those who have already faced each other from meeting again, so it’s possible for two LCK teams to be eliminated in the quarterfinals. It depends on strategy and execution—perhaps a brilliant play could force LCK internal matches. Otherwise, LPL might only have one team advancing, or in the worst case, both LPL teams face LCK squads and risk a total wipeout.

Conclusion:

If BLG draws KT, it’s not necessarily bad because KT is relatively the weakest among the four LCK teams. After facing many Western teams, BLG’s strength has significantly declined and they urgently need a strong opponent to help them regain form. However, based on BLG’s recent performance, it seems difficult for them to beat KT.

So, what do you think is the best possible draw?

Feel free to leave your comments and join the discussion!