Hanwha Life Esports vs LNG Esports

For our first match of this year's Worlds we have an endlessly interesting match-up between Hanwha Life Esports and LNG Esports! Interestingly enough, both teams had finished fourth in their respective regions which, in all fairness, doesn't sound all that impressive. But looks can, in fact, be deceiving -- these two teams are exceptional in more ways than one and are well-equipped to not only make it out of Play-Ins but trade blows with everyone in the Group Stage as well.

In other words: don't sleep on them one bit as they're bound to dominate in every which way over the coming days and weeks. Take Hanwha, for instance: a team with Chovy and Deft is dangerous almost by default. And sure, they had their fair share of ups and downs over in the LCK but were eventually able to not only get on the same page but execute at a highly respectable level, too. Hence their presence at this year's Worlds. Whether they'll leave a mark further down the line is less important at this point in time.

Much of the same can be said for LNG Esports as well. Actually, one could argue that they're even more impressive — the fact that they reached the biggest of stages in spite of playing in the most stacked and competitive region in the world speaks volumes about their skill and innate talent. And, well, their spectacular gauntlet run only confirms such a theory: they went through Suning, Top Esports, and even Royal Never Give Up. Let that sink in. We're talking about last year's Worlds finalists, last year's LPL champions, and -- as if all of that wasn't enough -- they even took down RNG, a team that has not only won this year's LPL Spring Split but MSI as well. What a spectacular run, one that is no doubt worthy of the history books.

So, naturally, a clash between these two is bound to bring the house down — and it'll also tell us a whole lot about their current power level and overall potential. It's just one game so it's not exactly the be-all and end-all, but it *is* telling nonetheless, and will surely set the stage for what's to come. Who'll come out on top is anyone's guess, though. Hanwha are rumored to be a cut above everyone else, but that's solely based on scrim results which, in all fairness, means nothing and often doesn't translate over to the stage. So, we'll side with LNG on this one as they have a bit more hype coming into the tournament and had proven their worth against some of the very best teams the world of competitive LoL has to offer!