The best Pick’Ems for Worlds 2022 quaterfinals

The League of Legends Worlds 2022 Group Stage has ended and the top eight teams in the world have been decided. So, it’s time once again for Worlds Pick ’em, as we move to the playoffs.

After eight days of solid competition in New York City, eight teams are advancing to the quarterfinals. Groups had it all, surprising comebacks, upsets, outstanding performances, and more than one Baron steal.

Now, teams will play their first best-of-five series to determine who are the lucky four that will play in Atlanta.

T1 vs. RNG

T1 started Worlds with a decisive victory over EDward Gaming that would set the tone for the rest of the group stage. Every member of T1 has an outstanding performance, but if we had to pick the game changers, we should look at the top lane and jungle.

Choi “Zeus” Woo-je has turned the individual advantages he earns into a global advantage for the team. Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun is the perfect enabler for the mid and bottom lane with his decisive and aggressive style. T1 is winning big at Worlds, and they’re making it look easy.

In sickness and in health, RNG can get wins. Despite all team members falling ill, RNG rolled up to the final day of groups ready to take it all. Mid laner Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao has taken it upon himself to carry the team, and he’s doing an amazing job so far.

The result of this match will depend on the health of RNG. If the players are at their optimal level, RNG can take the series against T1.

JDG vs. Rogue

A consistent storyline through Worlds 2022 is the influence of top and jungle in a team’s victory. If one team has this dynamic down to perfection, it’s JD Gaming.

Against JDG, teams cannot afford to ignore the top lane because if you give Bai “369” Jia-Hao an inch, he’ll take a mile. His dominant performance, in combination with the genius of Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, makes JDG one of the most challenging opponents to contain at Worlds 2022. 

The last hope of the west, Rogue, stood their ground against opponents that were better than them on paper. However, unlike other teams from Europe, Rogue didn’t try to match their opponents but stayed true to their identity. Combined with lucky results in the group, Rogue advanced to playoffs.

JDG should have this match in the bag. The LPL champion can easily take control of the match’s tempo, and Rogue will have no option but to react.

DRX vs. EDward Gaming

Out of the four LCK teams in the event, DRX is probably the one people underestimated the most. Starting in Play-Ins, DRX fought to playoffs as the first of its group. All eyes are on mid laner Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo, who’s having an outstanding performance.

As the tournament progresses, the bottom lane is becoming the point of attention, and DRX is looking unstoppable there. 

Despite the stumbles against T1, EDG had a solid performance through the group stage. The key player is jungler Zhao “JieJie” Li-Jie, who has done an excellent job carrying the team to victory. However, DG depends on its jungler’s ability to get ahead to make things happen, and this condition might bite them back as they face well-rounded opponents.

DRX has two points where EDG can attack, the top lane and the jungle. If DRX were facing an opponent with a different style of game, the results would favor them. EDG has a small but significant edge over DRX and should be able to take the win.

GEN.G vs. DWG KIA

Gen.G took over the final day of Group D with a decisive performance. The LCK champion is living up to the expectations and looking like a solid contender for the title. The only point where Gen.G seems to struggle is the laning phase, specifically in the top lane where Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon struggled against the pressure.

DWG had only one thing in mind ahead of Worlds 2022; they couldn’t let G2 win again. This rivalry started in 2019 when G2 defeated DWG in Worlds quarter finals. Since then, DWG has been determined to take G2 down, and that determination made a difference in groups. Like EDG, DWG’s win condition revolves around jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu’s ability to unlock his lanes.

If there was one thing that DWG wanted to avoid was an LCK opponent. Gen.G is the obvious choice, but DWG has an opportunity to strike. DWG must play through the top and make the laning phase as miserable as possible for Doran. Only then DWG might get a fighting chance.

Worlds 2022 resumes on October 20.