Biggest Takeaways from Day 1 of Worlds Group Stage

Day 1 of Worlds 2019 Group Stage has ended and there is a lot to digest. There was a pretty big upset and a blowout but overall the games were entertaining and close. The meta also seems to be very interesting and will continue to evolve as the next month of games goes on. But, there were some more specifics things of note. Here are the biggest takeaways from Day 1.

Faker is Still the Demon God

Many people may have been in two camps. Either they thought that because SKT missed Worlds 2018 that Faker was not the same or they had been watching him these past two years and thought he could still bring it. Well, the second camp was clearly correct. Faker brought out a Tristana that kept Fnatic on their back foot the entire game. Any time it looked like Fnatic were clawing their way back in, Faker was there to remind them that they weren’t. Without a doubt, the Demon God is back and he is out to claim what is his.

Uzi looked good but RNG looked better

Normally RNG play around Uzi and give him as many resources as possible. This could have been their downfall to a degree last year. Now, it seems that everyone is here to play. Langx, Karsa and Xiaohu all looked strong and ready to carry more of the load. While this was against Clutch Gaming, RNG were seemingly able to just turn it on at will. They played around the map exceptionally well and took advantage everywhere they could. RNG truly have a multitude of ways where they can win and that makes them even more terrifying than ever before.

The Meta Should Continue to Surprise

Normally Metas will be established and it will seem as though teams are fighting over the same 20 or so champions. This time, the Worlds Meta feels completely wide open. So far 36 different champions have been picked and this is in just the first six games of the Group Stages. As a reminder, there are still 18 more games left in just this stage and the teams will adapt as they face each other for a second time. Between Kayle in the bot lane, Sion in mid and Galio seemingly making it back in as a support, there is no doubt that the Meta will continue to surprise.

Team Liquid are Ready

Seemingly no matter how good the top LCS team has looked coming into Worlds they always disappoint. Well in their first game, Team Liquid went up against a DAMWON Gaming squad who many argued were potentially a top-five team and came out on top. They made plays early and while they had some mishaps mid-game they won through their strengths. They saw Nuguri’s best champion, Vladimir and Impact played into him with the Aatrox extremely well. Doublelift was able to scale well and TL played around the Veigar stun nearly perfectly. This team looks confident and ready to take this group by storm.

Group B Might Actually be Interesting

Everyone figured Group B would be FunPlus Phoenix and then everyone else. Well, in their first Worlds game, FunPlusPhoenix lost to J Team. J Team were able to take advantage of getting kills around objectives and matching FPP’s aggression at seemingly every turn. Then after watching Splyce convincingly take down GAM Esports, it is possible that FunPlus Phoenix don’t even make it out of Groups. Because of that, Group B might actually be worth watching as it seems that it may be more open than most thought.

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