The League of Legends World Championship 2023 Knockout stage witnessed the underdog Weibo Gaming from the LoL Pro League (LPL) dominating NRG, the last hope of the West, with a 3-0 sweep on Thursday.
NRG made it to the Knockout Stage after a strong performance in the Swiss stage, settling the rivalry between the LoL European Championship (LEC) and the LoL Championship Series (LCS).
Meanwhile, the LPL's fourth seed, Weibo Gaming, surprised fans by finishing the Swiss Stage with a 3-2 record. The team secured their spot in the Playoffs with a 2-1 win against LEC's Fnatic.
During the post-match interview, Weibo Gaming's support player, Liu "Crisp" Qing-Song, admitted that there were areas for improvement, acknowledging the mistakes made during the Quarterfinals that “almost cost them the match.”
He emphasized the need to expand Weibo Gaming's champion pool and dedicate themselves to rigorous study for their upcoming semifinal match.
Weibo Gaming now sets its sights on the Summoner's Cup as they advance to the semifinals in Seoul. They will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Gen.G and Bilibili Gaming on November 11.
When asked about their preference between facing Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G in the semifinals, Crisp admitted to being more apprehensive about a clash with Gen.G.
"When I watched their games, they barely make mistakes. So I'm more afraid to face Gen.G.," said Crisp.
Match summary
The first game of the series saw NRG fielding Orianna in the mid-lane, Senna and Tahm Kench in the bot lane, alongside Renekton in the top lane and Viego in the jungle. Weibo Gaming, in contrast, chose a dive-focused strategy with Aphelios and Milio in the bot lane, Neeko mid, Rell jungle and K'sante top.
NRG had a successful laning phase, contesting objectives and securing picks. However, Weibo Gaming's deep warding and the advantage in CS for their AD Carry, Wang "Light" Guang-Yu, allowed them to fend off NRG's advances. Weibo Gaming's late-game team fighting and firepower secured them a victory in the 31-minute battle.
In the second game, Weibo Gaming maintained their confidence, making only a minor adjustment by swapping K'sante for Aatrox. NRG chose a dive-oriented composition with Vi in the jungle, K'sante top, Kai'sa and Alistar in the bot lane and Orianna mid.
Weibo Gaming increased the game's pace, prioritizing their bot lane and dominating the map and objectives. The turning point came during a team fight in the Baron pit, where Weibo Gaming outplayed NRG, securing a 29-8 kill lead and a 33-minute victory.
The third game featured a clash of drafts, with NRG banning Aphelios and Weibo Gaming countering by banning Orianna and Neeko in the mid-lane. Weibo opted for Gnar top, Maokai in the jungle, Jayce mid, while Caitlyn and Heimerdinger in the bot lane.
Meanwhile, NRG sent Rumble to the top lane, Sejuani jungle, and Ezreal and Karma to counter Weibo's bot lane picks. Weibo Gaming dominated the entire third game from the laning phase to the mid-game, hindering NRG's efforts to find any openings on the map. The game concluded after 26 minutes, with Weibo Gaming securing a 3-0 victory in the series.
With this defeat, NRG's LoL Worlds journey ends. They finished in fifth to eighth place and secured $100,125 in consolation.