The Swiss round of the LOL World Championship has ended, and after five rounds, the eight teams moving on to the knockout stage are set. The LCK’s four teams—KT, HLE, T1, and GEN—all reached the quarterfinals. LPL’s number one seed BLG fell in the round of 16 due to an internal clash. AL and TES advanced together, while the other two teams are G2 from Europe’s LEC and CFO from the Pacific’s LCP.

On the final day of the Swiss round, Zzitai appeared as a guest to conduct the draw for the eight teams. Both AL and KT had undefeated 3-0 records, placing them in the upper and lower halves respectively. AL’s opponent in the upper half is last year’s champion T1, while TES shares a group with G2. For the LPL, the upper half draw is extremely favorable, as their opponents are among the weaker quarterfinal contenders (T1 is also currently not as strong).

The lower half is harsh for CFO, surrounded by three LCK teams. CFO will face KT, while GEN and HLE will battle each other internally. The only all-Chinese roster is outnumbered three to one, making it very difficult to break through. CFO might have a chance against KT, but they would still have to face HLE or GEN afterward. Reaching the semifinals is likely the best result for CFO, and even if they lose later, it won’t be shameful for the provincial team.

With three Korean teams in the lower half, LCK is almost guaranteed a finals spot. The upper half is less certain; T1’s top and AD lanes have shown some recent weakness. AL has a strong chance to defeat T1. TES versus G2 is more balanced, but TES remains somewhat unreliable—whenever expectations rise, TES tends to falter. So the current approach should be skepticism first, then belief in TES.

A brief prediction for these four matches: AL has the edge over T1, as aside from their jungle and mid, T1’s other players have been inconsistent recently. Still, it’s not a guaranteed win because T1 rarely underperforms in BO5 series. If AL can overcome T1, their semifinal spot is nearly assured. Should they eventually claim the title, the championship’s prestige will reach unprecedented heights.

As for TES facing G2, I feel it’s a toss-up. Although TES just defeated BLG, they often seem unstable. If Kanavi avoids mistakes and Xiaonaiyou performs well, there’s no pressure against G2. However, these two rarely play error-free, so much depends on their form during the match. Redmi needs to put real pressure on the jungle, and they also have to consider whether Shaohuang Xiaonaiyou can perform at his best.

HLE versus GEN likely favors GEN heavily. GEN currently looks invincible, with all five players performing at peak level except for occasional lapses from their third member. Xiaohuasheng tends to make mistakes and probably won’t gain an advantage against Canyon. HLE’s top and bottom lanes will struggle, and mid laner Zeka is expected to be dominated by Chovy, so GEN should win.

Finally, CFO against KT: among the four LCK teams, KT seems the weakest. CFO’s performance this year has been impressive, comparable to both Chinese and Korean teams. Their top and jungle have some weaknesses, and mid laner HongQ is somewhat inconsistent. However, KT’s bottom lane is likely outmatched by Doggo. As long as CFO plays normally and their top laner secures a tank like Sion, CFO has a strong chance to win.

Conclusion:

The draw that Zzitai helped LPL secure is quite favorable. With two teams in the same half, if both win their quarterfinals, LPL is guaranteed at least one finalist. So not only must AL step up, but TES cannot afford to underperform. If even with this draw they fail to reach the semifinals, then there really isn’t much left to say.

So, what do you think the odds are for AL versus T1?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!