Rogue vs DAMWON Gaming

This match-up is an absolute treat, despite DAMWON being so heavily favored (and with good reason). They're both in Group B (also known as the "group of death") and they've both looked downright incredible in their first outings. Granted, DAMWON faced another tournament favorite in JD Gaming whereas Rogue went up against a Play-Ins team, but the point still stands.

Now, let's make one thing immediately clear: DAMWON is not only favored to win, but they're bound to do so in one-sided fashion. Heck, maybe that's even an understatement. Odds are, they'll steamroll through Rogue like they're a bunch of scrubs. By the looks of it, DAMWON can already be considered as a shoo-in for the grand finals (if not winning the whole thing). The way they've beaten JD Gaming is not something anyone expected. Sure, they're the LCK champions, but JD is every bit as good as Top Esports, and the LPL is widely considered as the most dominant and dangerous region in today's meta.

DAMWON, however, might have a thing or two to say about that. Watching them play brings back memories of the LCK dynasty which tells you all you need to know when it comes to their chances of going deep into the tournament and ultimately leaving a mark.

Rogue, on the other hand, dismantled PSG Talon in what was the most one-sided game of the tournament so far. That's not saying much given whom they had to face, but PSG looked rather impressive (with three subs, to boot) back in Play-Ins, so it's not like they're a pushover either. Rogue made them look like they're a randomly assembled team of solo queue randoms, which bodes well for their chances going forward. They're still not favored to get out of groups, but they've shown something quite important: the willingness to compete regardless of opponent and fight for every inch of the Summoner's Rift. That, in short, is invaluable given which group they've been slotted in.

Will they make things competitive against DAMWON? Well, frankly speaking, probably not. They're outmatched lane for lane and they're worse in every conceivable way. Still, they're a feisty bunch and they won't go down without a fight, which makes this an absolute must watch. It's not unreasonable to expect them to put up a bigger fight than JD Gaming did yesterday, so we should be in for quite a treat!