#lec 2020

[endercasts]

2020 ender hits different

[daily-esports-hug]

Day 160

[gregor-samsung]

Nu astepta prea mult de la sfârsitul lumii [Do not expect too much from the end of the world] (Radu Jude, 2023)

[georgegraphys]

"I rate him very high" - Fred Vasseur on George Russell.

"He won F3 & F2 in a row as a rookie and if you have a look (..) only this group of 5 did it (HUL, ROS, HAM, LEC, RUS) (..) 

George is a very very pushy guy, very demanding for the team, sometimes too much and I had tough discussion with George about this but he is also very demanding for himself. And at the end, it's the only way to survive and to improve. 

He has a good approach. (..) He did a fantastic season at F2. (..) What he was doing in F1 was very difficult because the Williams struggle a lot. (..)  I rate him very high."

P.S. Vasseur didn't mention Piastri here because Piastri has yet to win F2 when this interview happened. This interview was done in 2020/2021!

[laroinda]

Tbh all that i remember from 2021 g2 was... Not that good

Man it's been a while since we had both fnatic and g2 competitive in the lec at the same time no?

[lecpenni]

LEC RETROSPECTIVE: ASTRALIS

Man, this one's just sad.

So Astralis have had a very unfortunate history in LEC so far. Rebranding Origen, which wasn't the most successful after 2016, qualifying to worlds in 2015 and making it to semifinals with that early Niels/Mithy botlane, before losing it to G2 and floundering around the bottom of the table until being demoted in 2017, and then being accepted as a partner org for LEC franchising.

After 2019's "superteam" lost in spring finals to the G2 actual Superteam, 2020's "superteam" (also featuring Upset, natch) performed basically ok then went 10th in summer, and rebranded to Astralis heading into 2021. Signing an all new roster going into 2021, they floundered around the bottom of the table, going 9th, tied 7th, then 9th and 10th in 2022. But the rosters always had flashes of brilliance with endearing players like Zanzarah, WhiteKnight who had arguably a top 3 lee sin in the world during that cursed Lane Sin period, and Kobbe who was a reliable rock looking for a team to finally step out of the shadow of his prior glories on Misfits and Splyce and his 2020 on TSM which was a disaaaaster. Well going into 2023, Astralis actually kept a surprisingly consistent core of Dajor in Mid, Kobbe in Bot, and Korean support Jeonghoon, previously known as Execute, who made a strong impression early in 2022 on Pyke and Bard, despite being on bottom CL rosters beforehand. In addition, they retained the same coaching staff, which while not the top tier of LEC coaches, you could do a WHOLE lot worse. The new additions were Finn in top lane, who had a... odd history prior to this. Debuting in 2019 Summer as a sub for Rogue, who had a fairly weak roster at that point, before making Worlds with a similar roster in 2020, and utterly flopping as the EU 3rd seed, moving to NA and joining CLG during their worst years ever, then coming back to EU and joining Excel during their most successful year, and missing out on worlds by getting reverse swept by a Fnatic who had a fair amount of promise. And in the Jungle, 113. I think most people would say he's probably one of the worse jungle prospects in the ERLs, and he certainly didn't impress while on KCorp, often dragging his team down. But, with a good coach and team around him, he could maybe impress. Early on, not many hopes were had for Astralis, who were often placed bottom 2 or 3 alongside SK in tier lists and power rankings, due to the slightly underwhelming pickups of 113 and Finn, Dajor's mostly amateurish gameplay and Kobbe and Jeonghoon probably being elo helled again due to this topside.

But against all odds, Astralis managed to not completely shit the bed in Winter! Overall they went 3-6 in winter, which did qualify them for Groups, barely. Losses to a new G2 and Yike on a carry jungler, vs Heretics with a brave ass Fiora pick, Vitality who actually did well in Winter overall, and BDS left them very unoptimistic going into week 3, but grabbing a win over Excel meant they were at least guaranteed a chance for top 8, with an incredibly dominant Lucian/Nami, and on Week 3, a clutch Gangplank from Finn snatched victory from the jaws of defeat dropping absolute gorgeous barrels that completely annihilated an MVP level Exakick on Lucian, and then the game that would decide if Astralis could make it to groups, vs a slumped Fnatic that would end up missing playoffs for the first time in their history. Astralis, against almost all odds made it to groups. You could argue it was off the back of Excel looking completely lifeless and horrendous, and Fnatic having a ridiculously poor season in a meta that hated them, but nonetheless, Astralis overcame them and a rising SK to make it to groups. Let's Goooo!!!! And in groups they shit it goddamn it. A 2-1 loss to MAD Lions, who ended up being Astralis' bane this season, with a genuinely unique and surprisingly strong Cassio/Twitch botlane (it lost anyways), and a monster performance from Dajor and the Botlane in Game 2, followed by getting a win over BDS who hadn't come into their winning ways just yet, anchored by a Kled from Finn, his previous one-trick, and a really damn good Varus from Kobbe, carrying them through to one last try at Playoffs. Who's their opponent MAD fucking lions goddamn it all.

A quick 2-0 from MAD, focusing a Dajor who floundered all series, and a fairly disastrous performance from 113, despite Kobbe's best effort on Lucian left Astralis in a maybe not respectable, but certainly surprising 5th place. They scrapped and fought their way up and punched up for most of their victories, demonstrating a style that maybe wasn't unlike some Asian teams, with a toplaner transitioned around the map to generate pressure, a roaming mid-jungle and a strongside botlane who made sure they were the stars. But most of all, they showed 0 fear on engaging and taking every little fight they could, to generate any kind of advantage. That made Astralis genuinely exciting to watch, but there was an obvious weak link on the roster, and that was Mid lane. Going into Spring, Dajor was out, and the rumoured Mid was none other than LIDER, a player who was often considered a dark horse for most inflexible player ever. The narrative was always that the man would and could only ever play assassins, an unusual thing in high level play, as most midlaners since 2016ish stuck to control mages, with occasional assasin picks or poke mages as niche counterpicks. But honestly? That was never true. LIDER did play mages as and when needed, the man just preferred assassins in the game, and he was still capable of your Ryzes, (with the meta changes) your Annies, your Aurelion Sols, even an Azir from time to time. Yes, assassins were his specialty, and mostly what he played, but the narrative that his assassins were his only successful picks? Just untrue. Spring began with a rough first week. FOR ASTRALIS' OPPONENTS, THAT IS. Taking games over KOI, who made playoffs last season, and the Champions G2, with a LIDER Irelia, and dropping a game to SK, with a... unique botlane of Veigar/Pyke that did NOT pay off. Week 2 went rougher, losing to MAD (i told you) and BDS, who came in with a clear gameplan and a perfect plan on how to execute every comp, and then taking a game off of Vitality thanks to a strong LIDER Asol, and a fairly bad game from Bo on the inverse. Week 3 began with a new look again, as LIDER got his Zed, and used it to utterly dominate midlane and carry Astralis through, basically securing playoffs for the team. A win over Excel, thanks to a LIDER Irelia, and a win over Fnatic with another LIDER Zed, a JeongHoon Blitzcrank secured Astralis their first 3-0 week, and a shot at the top couple spots of the season, placing 2nd overall. A damn good finish, if i've ever seen one. LIDER brought so much to the team, and they looked incredibly strong going into the next round. Some things hadn't changed, like 113's ability to be exploited, but overall this roster look shockingly strong, and their playstyle had been solidified, and bright eyes looked forward to groups. We begin the group stage against the one and only Fnatic, a genuinely shockingly close series for what should've been 2nd place vs 8th place, but an odd choice with Illaoi from Finn lost game 2, alongside a misguided Zed pick from LIDER, and a game 3 that hinged on the success of another LIDER Irelia, which managed to finally pull out the win after a half hour slugfest. Astralis, to be frank, were bleeding. They didn't look anywhere as scrappy or exciting as in the regular season, and their next series vs Vitality, to qualify for playoffs, well... Remember yesterday when I said this series was the one that showed the Bo That Was Promised, an insane mechanical hypercarry player who could demolish a team and turn them into a chinese tiktok montage? Yeah, Astralis was on the recieving end of that. 113 and LIDER got absolutely FARMED by a wukong, followed by a Lee Sin, and that was a deathblow for Astralis' mental it felt like. They had beat Vitality already once, like, what was this? Their next series, since they had already won the one vs Fnatic, was vs... MAD FUCKING LIONS. I told you they were their kryptonite this season.

And despite a Cassio and Talon (?) from LIDER, 113 got hard exposed and dominated by the mid jungle of MAD, ending their season, once again, early. This was a sad moment. Astralis had finally begun to reach the heights of the roster that was promised to them, but other teams started reaching their heights much faster than they did, and simply outclassed them. Over the break for MSI, Astralis was one of few roster to make no changes. They had a winning formula, the 2nd place in spring proved that, and the formula and strategy was locked down, scrap everywhere, fight everything, get lane dominant picks and move Finn around to every sidelane to make sure you couldn't do anything without worrying about where he was.

Well... Summer came. And this is where their story goes from hopeful rise of a plucky young adventurer, to a tragedy that ends with the adventurer getting beheaded by the mighty warlord at the end. Summer didn't go well. At all. Week 1 began with a game vs Fnatic, the team that they beat in Spring Groups, however now sporting a fashionable new Botlane of Noah and Trymbi, who proceeded to utterly shitstomp them. A game vs Heretics with a shiny new Vetheo and Flakked, who proceeded to utterly dismantle a LIDER Neeko, but ending the week on a positive note with one of the absolute worst earlygames i've ever had the pleasure of watching in pro league of legends, vs BDS. Nuc simply walks into LIDER for about 10 seconds letting him fully stack Lethal Tempo and nearly 1v2 Adam and Nuc. Please watch it, it's so absolutely pathetic and tragic for how the rest of the game now goes. Finn also helps by RPing Peak Shanji (the OMG toplaner known for his AP tops like Rumble) in the toplane vs Adam, and you know what. It's not the worst. It was a fun fucking game, but the fact that Astralis only won because BDS managed to completely annihilate their ENTIRE early game by doing that wasn't a good sign. Week 2 came by, Astralis were sitting tied with 5 other teams at 1-2, so not that well off, but they could be much worse. Right now they could be Excel still sitting at 0-3! First game, vs MAD lions oh for fuck sake why did they give Nisqy Gragas. That's like rule number 1 vs MAD since winter playoffs, don't give Nisqy Gragas. Well that's lost. Game 2, Vitality well this should be better, vitality look lost and helpless in almost every game now! And Astralis do it! Another Yasuo, with a Gragas for Finn in top handily sweeps the floundering Vitality, and Game 3 of the week pits them vs G2 aaaand yeah it goes about as well as you might think. The game's an absolute snoozer with 10 kills in almost 30 minutes, but demonstrates something amazing about G2 and something really bad about Astralis. Unless they're running the pace of the game, Astralis generally flounder. And G2 are professionals at running the game at the exact pace they desire. Week 3 comes by, and Astralis are a bit worse off. Now they're only tied with 3 other teams, and they could still make it to groups, but few people have high hopes for them. Some of the people they're tied against, they face this week, and BDS they've already beaten. This should be easy, right? Well they beat SK, thanks almost exclusively to a LIDER Azir, giving them one step up on the competition for 8th, now all they need is:

Beat KOI

SK Lose another game

Well, next game vs an Excel who got their first 3-0 week and look decently strong, they lose. No biggie. Would've been nice to win, but all they need now is SK lose (they didn't, they beat MAD) and to beat KOI. That KOI game was an absolute shitshow. Comp pulls out an off-meta Sivir and reminds the world why Sivir was the menace it was just after the rework, with a disasterclass from JeongHoon on Nautilus. Well, their season isn't over just yet! If SK lose to Fnatic, the First place team with a dominant insane botlane, an MVP jungler and one of the strongest toplaners right now, then Astralis qualify! Well they get a tiebreaker. But they've beaten SK before, it's doable again! That SK-Fnatic game was a nailbiter start to finish. From a surprisingly Humanoid Xerath, one of the most terrifying 4/4 Jaxes i've ever seen, and a ridiculous carry performance from Mr Sertussy, it was an end to Astralis' season. 9th place. Where most predicted they'd end in Winter and Spring. Afterwards, it's announced that due to Championship points, it's impossible to Astralis to qualify for Season finals, meaning for Finn, 113, LIDER, Kobbe and JeongHoon, that's it. Their season is completely over. Unlike Vitality who finished last, they're done for now. Following this was some truly heartbreaking posts, especially from Finn, which I'll show here in its entirety:

Finn spent most of the year playing at a high level, being massively underrated on Astralis' roster, and even arguably on Excel, and to lose like this is really heartbreaking. As he says, At the end of the day 2 teams have to miss out, this summer split it just ended up being us. Astralis' future is unknown. Even before the split, rumours were abound that the org was planning on collaborating with KCorp and making the LEC spot a joint-ownership between Astralis and KCorp, but that deal fell through. Most of these players deserve more shots, but most teams won't be shopping around for new players in the offseason until worlds in October/November. I do hope the best comes for this team and these players. APPENDED: I finished this post at around 3:30PM on Friday, and a report has just come out about an hour ago from blix.gg (read here on this link) that Astralis are considering selling their spot again, and negotiations got pretty far with Saudi Org, Falcons, who operate a french CSGO (now CS2 i guess) starring KennyS. Riot apparently blocked the sale, not wanting a Saudi investment firm to get in. Blix also says that some ERL teams are competing for the spot, and if it does end like this, man that's sad. Yeah Astralis weren't the best team but they had heart and their players were likeable as fuck, with genuinely cool plays and players across their history, even in the most dire days of their history.

[daysiewish]

First official video of when Chasy started in Damwon Gaming in 12/2020 (as a sub, then he went back to challengers)

(I might start posting videos/screenshots of current Korean LEC pros from their LCK CL days, gotta fill the void somehow)

[yuragawa]

NRGの勝利にNAファンがなぜこれほど沸き立つのか

NRGがノックアウトステージ進出

Riot公式Flickrより

　Worlds 2023 スイスステージDay8、3勝すれば勝ち抜けの新フォーマットで激突した2勝1敗の2チーム、NRGとG2。国際大会観戦勢にとっては定番ともいえるのEU vs NAという対決が行われた。LECにおいて常に一つ抜けた強さのチームとして知られるG2と、CLGの組織を引き継いでLCSを勝ち抜けたNRG。ともに地域の第1シードチームとはいえ、下馬評ではG2が圧倒的に有利とみられていた。しかしそんな予想をNRGはあっさりと覆してG2を2-0で圧倒。3勝1敗でノックアウトステージ進出を決め、その勝利にLCSファンは熱狂した。単なる勝利、ベスト8入りに留まらないその意味について、過去を振り返りながら紹介していく。

NAの国際大会戦績

　Worldsで『NA=Near Airport』、あるいは『Last Hope C9』といった表現を見たり聞いたりしたことはあるだろうか。前者は北米からWorldsに参加するチームは空港が近い＝すぐに敗退してしまうという事を自虐的に評したミームであり、後者はそんな中で最後に残って戦うチームが毎回C9であるという事を表した言い回しだ。実際、LCSチームは過去のWorldsでは苦戦続きとなっており、C9を除いたチームがベスト8入りを確定させたのは2014年のTSM以来となっている。

　C9に限れば2018年のベスト4入りといった結果も残っているが、それ以外のチームはグループステージ敗退が常となっていたのだ。特に2020年に至っては第1シードチームが0-6で敗退という記録を残し、ファンを大いに失望させている。伝統の一戦として扱われているEU vs NAも、実績面で言えばNAは後塵を拝していた。そんな流れの中でEUの象徴ともいえるトップチームのG2をBo3で破ったという結果はNAにとって大きな勝利となった。

NAという地域の現状と熱狂

　NRGのベスト8入りについて、LCSを追ってきた人たちは大きな喜びをあらわにしたのだが、一方でいくつか特徴のある反応が見られた。

NA org owners are you watching? If this isn't proof of the possibilities with NA talent then I don't know what is. TAKE A BOW @NRGLeague

— Kobe (@esports_kobe) October 28, 2023

I remember back at Training Grounds like five years ago I was embedded with the team @palafoxlol was on Even then, he was the kid that everyone else ignored And he smashed everyone Then he went to Academy and got doubted, and crushed everyone Then he went to LCS and got…

— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) October 28, 2023

　これらのポストは、NA在野の才能とその育成について言及した内容となっている。これはLCSという地域の歴史や性質に関わる問題なので、順を追って説明していきたい。 　LCSという地域は、LoLのトップリーグの中でも歴史が長く、本家であるという自負があり、また多額の資金が投じられているリーグの一つである。特に地域外選手の採用という点では最初に他地域の選手をチームに加え、地域外選手は2名までというルールを作った原因となった地域でもある。今までLCSに参加した各地のスター選手や若き才能を上げていけば、BjergsenやLustboy、Looper、Froggen、Piglet、Crown、CoreJJ、Zven……と枚挙に暇がない。

　一方で多額の獲得資金を投じてスターを揃えたはずのチームがWorldsで結果を出せないという状態も続いていた。RiotやLCSのファンは各地域の選手を育成し、地域ごとの特色を残すことを意識して下部リーグの充実を図ってきたものの、チームの側ではNAの苦境は地域選手の弱さが問題なのであり、投じた費用に見合った選手を世界中から5人集めて国際大会に勝てるチームが競うリーグにするべきだという声が表に出るようになっていた。極端に単純化すると、「我々はJDGやT1を丸ごと買う資産があるのだから、買い取ってLCSチームとしてWorlds優勝させろ」といっているのに近い。

　実際には2022シーズンにはEGからJojopyunとDannyが新星として活躍するといった反証があったものの、LCS参加チームは2023シーズンの夏スプリット開始前にアカデミー部門という「投資価値が低く負担にしかならない組織」を切り捨てる決定を行い、結果としてリーグ開催自体が危ぶまれる事態にすら発展していた。

　そんな状況の中で、2016年以降パッとした結果も無くシーズン途中に他組織へと看板を掛け変えたNRG（元CLG）がLEC最強格であるG2を破ってベスト8入りを果たした意味は大きかったと言える。

地域の可能性

　今回NAを熱狂させたNRGのメンバーを見てみよう。 　Dhoklaは2017頃からキャリアをスタート。以来アカデミーとLCSを行ったり来たりしていた。アカデミーでは悪くない結果を出すものの、LCSではそれなりで、国際大会には手が届かない中堅所だった。

　ContractsはC9での活躍で2017シーズンを華々しく終えたが、その後移籍したGoldenGuardiansでは苦戦、その後もアカデミーとLCSチームで低迷する時期が続いていた。

　Palafoxは2017のスカウティンググラウンズで見出されたプレイヤーだったが、やはりLCSでは良くて中堅所だった。

　FBIは元はオセアニアのプレイヤーで、かつては地域を代表するADCだったが、2020以降はLCSプレイヤーとして活動して2021から3年連続でWorlds出場を果たしている。とはいえ地域単位の評価で言えば、いわゆる強豪地域の出身ではなく、オセアニアは国際大会出場枠を失ってしまっている。

　IgNarはEU・NAを渡り歩いている韓国人プレイヤーで、2020シーズンからLCSチームで活動しているので4年目になる。FLYやEGといった比較的育成を重く見るチームで踏ん張ってきたベテランだが、国際大会はWorlds2020以来の出場だ。

　こうしてみると、地域外選手5人で固めるチームが想定しているであろうスターや、既にLCSで活躍しているWorlds優勝クラスのベテランたちとは毛色の違うメンバーが揃っている。彼らはLCSやその2部リーグであるアカデミーリーグで戦い、何ならSummer splitも5位でプレイオフに入ったメンバーだ。それでもLCS 2023 Championshipに勝利し、スイスステージではTL,MAD,G2を下してベスト8を勝ち取った。おそらくこの組織の強みは総勢9名のコーチ、ストラテジックコーチ、ポジションコーチ、アナリスト陣なのだろう。これは同じくWorldsに出場していたTLやC9と比べても倍に近い人数だ。

　次戦はスイスステージ初戦で敗北を喫したWBG。TheShyやXiaohu、Crispと国際大会優勝経験者を含めた強力なメンバーが揃っている。はっきり言えば苦しいゲームだろうが、LCSチームはMSI2019において前年の世界王者iGをBo5で破ったこともある。分析と対策を積み上げて勝利を掴み取ることができれば、彼らの強さが再び世界に証明されることになるだろう。

[futuristicpaintercat]

The Explosive Growth of the eSports Industry: The Rise of Competitive Gaming

Over the past decade, the eSports industry has seen immense growth in popularity and viewership. What started as a niche hobby for hardcore gamers has exploded into a billion-dollar global industry. Major tournament championships now attract millions of viewers online and thousands of LAN attendees. Tournament prize pools rival and sometimes surpass traditional sports events. In 2020 alone, global revenues reached over $1 billion for the first time. This growth shows no signs of slowing down as gaming and it continue penetrating mainstream culture. The Rising Star Players and Teams At the center of competitive gaming are the star players and elite professional teams. Those at the top can now make millions of dollars per year through salaries, tournament winnings, sponsorships and endorsements. Just like traditional sports superstars, the best Esports athletes achieve celebrity status with huge social media followings. Leading teams like Team Liquid, T1, and G2 Esports have valuations exceeding $200 million as major brands back top rosters. Its players are now viewed as serious athletes who train for countless hours perfecting their skills. The commitment levels of pros are on par with other competitive disciplines. Increasing Corporate Sponsorships and Events As it gain wider recognition, blue-chip companies are investing heavily through sponsorships and partnership deals. Major tournaments now feature activations from Fortune 500 brands. For example, at League of Legends Worlds 2020, sponsors featured household names like Mastercard, Alienware and State Farm. They see its marketing as an effective youth-oriented channel. Live event spectacles are also rising as companies leverage it to engage audiences. Intel sponsors premier stadium event Extreme Masters with tens of thousands of LAN attendees. Similarly, League of Legends Champions Korea averages over 10,000 live viewers per match at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium. Esports' affinity with online and digital lifestyle also meshes well with technology sponsors. Automakers are also entering the space seeing parallels with motorsports audiences. Future: Continued Expansion and Evolution All forecasts point to sustained long-term growth of competitive gaming. The arrival of PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles in living rooms fueled explosive casual play. Those players are now the core demographic driving esports interest and viewership. By 2023, global revenues could near $3 billion according to some estimates as broadcast deals and sponsorship rise. Existing franchised leagues like the LEC and LCS will continue minting millions of fans. Meanwhile, new titles like Fortnite and Valorant also cultivate sizable infrastructures that could rival current giants like League and Overwatch. Audience demand is spurring investment as the industry creates structured ecosystems bringing amateur and pro levels closer together. With esports firmly entrenched in youth culture, its continued evolution of tournaments, teams and careers seems inevitable. After over 20 years of grassroots progress, competitive gaming has solidified as an integral part of modern entertainment.

Get More Insights on Esports

About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)

[endercasts]

three old ender pictures that are special to me

bonus: ender's current twitch icon and offline screen

[thetoxicgamer]

CDL team rebrands as popular Spanish org Heretics re-enters Call of Duty esports

Esports organization in Spain The Miami Heretics will take the name Team Heretics after agreeing to an agreement with Call of Duty League (CDL) team Florida Mutineers. Today, as part of Heretics' seven-year anniversary celebration, the long-awaited shift became official. The Heretics CDL roster will retain Vikul, the Mutineers’ lone Spanish player, who will be joined by fellow countrymen Alejandro “Lucky” López, Adrian “MettalZ” Serrano, and Juan “JurNii” Antonio González Muñoz. The latter three were a part of the last Heretics CoD lineup in 2019 during the Black Ops 4 season. Eric “EriKBooM” Ferrer and coach Jorge “MethodZ” Bancells round out the new franchise’s initial roster. It is unclear at this time, though, what Heretics’ four-man starting lineup will look like to kick off the 2024 CDL season. https://twitter.com/miamiheretics_/status/1694747268572696707 While there were some twists and turns, most competitive CoD fans had expected the deal to eventually happen since May when Jacob Hale of Dexerto reported the news. In the more than three months since that initial report, however, doubt began to creep in about the partnership, in large part because several trademarks for the new team name appeared to be abandoned in July. Ultimately, Heretics and Misfits Gaming Group, the Mutineers’ owners, came to an agreement, which marks the second deal the two parties have made in just over a year after Misfits sold its LEC spot to Heretics in July 2022. Heretics bowed out of CoD following the 2019 season as the competitive circuit transitioned from the Call of Duty World League, which included a 16-team Pro League, to the smaller, more exclusive CDL comprised of 12 franchises that reportedly paid millions of dollars to gain entry into the league. https://twitter.com/miamiheretics_/status/1694749129748935033 In the four seasons of the CDL, the Mutineers have had varied success, although their greatest achievements came in the inaugural season in 2020, when they won three Home Series events and netted $175,000 at the CDL Championship. Since then, the team has not won an event and has missed out on the last two CDL Championship tournaments. Read the full article

[gregor-samsung]

Nu astepta prea mult de la sfârsitul lumii [Do not expect too much from the end of the world] (Radu Jude, 2023)

[healthcaremarketfmi]

Pharmacy Refrigerators Market Industry Analysis, Opportunities, Technology, Demand, Top Players and Growth Forecast 2032

The global Pharmacy Refrigerators Market was worth US$ 552.3 Million in the year 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 1.03 Billion by the year 2032 at a CAGR of 5.8% between 2022 and 2032.

With the growing frequency of organ transplants in the wake of increasing incidences of chronic diseases, the global Pharmacy Refrigerators market is bound to grow on an unstoppable note in the near future.

Besides, there is a steep increase in research efforts related to genomics along with medication-related research. Thermal shock does result in wastage of vaccines as well. These are the other factors driving Pharmacy Refrigerators market and the scenario is expected to remain unchanged even in the forecast period.

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Additionally, optimal temperature as well as hygiene need to be maintained during transportation and storage of blood as well as blood components. Pharmacy Refrigerators also guide against power outages and are built with alarm systems.

Hematological diseases like blood clots, hemophilia, blood cancers, and bleeding disorders are asking for plasma; thereby promulgating the growth of pharma refrigerators market. The pandemic as well as the post-pandemic era saw Pharmacy Refrigerators market grow at an exponential rate and the trend still continues. This could be attributed to the preventive measures taken in the form of vaccines and medications being stored.

At the same time, the fact that local players are floating affordable alternative products can’t be ignored. This factor could restrain the Pharmacy Refrigerators market. Also, the number of end-consumers preferring refurbished equipment is on the rise. This is another factor hampering the Pharmacy Refrigerators market.

Future market Insights has entailed these facts with insights in its latest market study entitled ‘Pharmacy Refrigerators Market’. It has its team of analysts and consultants to deploy a 360-degree approach in its primary, secondary, and tertiary modes of research.

“With financial and technical aid regarding upgradation of healthcare infrastructure flowing from all across, the global Pharmacy Refrigerators market is expected to grow on a splendid note in the forecast period”, says an analyst from Future Market Insights.

Last few days to get reports at discounted prices, offer expires soon!

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Key Takeaways from Pharmacy Refrigerators Market

North America holds the largest market share with The US being subject to sizable investment in healthcare and hospital infrastructure. Plus, reduction in biological and pharmaceutical component waste is on the anvil.

Europe holds the second-largest market share with Germany leading from the front. This could be credited to growing frequency of chronic diseases herein.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the Pharmacy Refrigerators market going forward. This could be reasoned with Indonesia, China, and India witnessing a noticeable increase in demand for these refrigerators.

Competitive Refrigerators

Azbil Corporation, in March 2020, did announce launching LyoQuest Arctic (a new-fangled laboratory freeze dryer operating with the help of natural gases.

B Medical Systems, in January 2020, did announce tabling a novel medical refrigerator production facility.

Lec Medical has its Control Plus. IT comes across as a novel range of pharmacy refrigeration measuring fridge’s as well as vaccine’s core temperature.

Helmer Scientific, in August 2019, came up with professional medical refrigerators abreast with OptiCool cooling technology in its line of GX Solution Refrigerators.

Helmer Scientific, in March 2021, put forth its very first medical-grade refrigerators containing OptiCool cooling system. The basic purpose is addressing concerns related to patient sample, medication, blood, and storage of vaccines.

Major Players:

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Helmer Scientific, B Medical System, Philipp Kirsch GmbH, Haier, Accucold, Aegis Scientific, BioMedical Solutions, Inc., Bionics Scientific Technologies (P) Ltd., Coldway and others

[lecpenni]

LEC RETROSPECTIVE: KOI

Ahhh, I should be hated for saying I don't care for KOI, and I don't think they should get to worlds.

So! KOI are technically a new org, but quickly accrued one of the largest fanbases in esports by being founded by famous and popular Spanish content creator and e-celebrity Ibai, and being part owned by footballer Gerard Piqué. Previously however, they were known as Rogue, probably one of the less popular teams in the LEC.

Being a team accepted during franchising, they didn't come in with the greatest advantage. They didn't have a regional fanbase like MAD Lions, they didn't have a huge pre-established presence in LEC history like Origen or SK, only being present in Rainbow 6 Siege and their parent company also owning a COD League team. The 2 esports you DEFINITELY invest in for huge fanbases. But they quickly established a presence in LEC by being so perfectly average, and then by being so perfectly average that they began succeeding.

Entering in 2019, they were a middle of the pack team with some insane talent, like Inspired and Larssen, plus Woolite and Vander in the botlane. That roster didn't pan out the best, and after Hans sama joined in 2020, they had a middling spring followed by coming 1st in regular season summer, and making it to worlds, then they shit the bed and went 1-5 :p. Well 2021 went a hell of a lot better, adding Odoamne and new rookie Trymbi, coming 2nd in spring, and 3rd in summer playoffs, making worlds and being drawn into the Group of Death, and managing to make FPX blow the fuck up. 2022 replaced Hans sama with Comp, an oft maligned player resigned to C tier rosters like Vitality's 2019-2021 disaster rosters, and their MVP jungler Inspired with Malrang, a korean player who was known for his time on goddamn Jin Air (rip sadplane). They then proceeded to get 2nd in playoffs in Spring, and 1st in Summer. As you do. Being the only western team to make it out of groups, they immediately got drawn vs JDG, and lost pretty handily with some weird niche picks that absolutely did not pan out (Trymbi Nasus Support, in a bad matchup for it, anyone?) 2023 began with Odo being replaced in toplane with Szygenda, a player similarly maligned by vitality's disaster rosters and the rebranding to KOI, after a merger with Rogue's team, inheriting Rogue's entire infrastructure in the league. Now that's how you get into the league in a big way and establish yourself quickly. And as the previous champions, giving Odo and Larssen their first LEC titles, there were fairly big expectations put on this team. Sure, Szygenda was basically kinda a rookie at this point still, not having played a full year on Vitality before being benched then brought back in 2021, but his performances in the LFL were impressive nonetheless, often being called TheShygenda for his insane performances on Gwen and Gnar.

Winter began as it usually does, weirdly. KOI take a game off of BDS, with a double ADC botlane, off Excel with their tried and true Kalista/Soraka, and losing a game to a Fnatic who hadn't boomed completely yet with a very ill advised Jhin pick. But, a 2-1 start isn't exactly awful. However, KOI showed some of the problems that Rogue would show back in 2022 Spring, and 2021. Namely, the phenomenon known as Rogue Time. Where at around 16-20 minutes, the whole team mental booms and completely forgets how to play league of legends well, and the midgame completely collapses undoing the earlygame advantages they accrued usually. It got memed heavily by Korean fans, and slowly spread, but it was an actual thing that would happen. Rogue mid-game was absolute abysmal, only in 2022 Summer did they overcome it, and in Winter 2023, it came back in a big way.

Week 2 didn't go that well. A loss to a fumbling Heretics, and Ruby's 2nd good game for the year, a loss to MAD's double ADC comp, and a loss to SK with another, ill advised ADC pick. God, what was going on? Odo wasn't the biggest shotcaller, but they were a lot better than this in Summer? Well one thing was Trymbi didn't look the best, basically ever since he picked Nasus at Worlds and he went on a bit of a tirade on Twitter against the people saying it was a troll pick. Basically he stopped playing to his usual standard afterwards, sadly. These problems continued into week 3. They hadn't locked playoffs yet, and were sitting at the bottom of the table with an underwhelming Astralis, a slumping Fnatic, and a dead in the water Excel. A win over Vitality started their week, which I believe locked them at least a tiebreaker, a loss to G2, and a win over Astralis locked themselves into playoffs, with a poor bot showing in all 3 games. Yeah, KOI didn't look the best. Nothing they won was convincing, and their losses looked lifeless. I don't know, the whole project wasn't going the best so far. Groups wasn't gonna be easy, their first series was a surging SK, who were looking like dark horses for the entire split.

Well, against all odds, KOI actually got a 2-0 over SK, with a good Larssen performance and a renewed Malrang on Sejuani doing Malrang things. Next opponent, Vitality. Ah shit, this is the superteam who got 1st in Winter, KOI have been relying almost entirely on clutch Larssen performances. Well again, against most odds, Larssen pulled out another set of carry performances, with Comp making sure his Sivir his noticed again for its insane carry potential, beating vitality in a quick 2-0. KOI made playoffs! Without demonstrating as much Rogue Time! Let's goooo!

Rogue were always better in Bo1s, but now as KOI they appear to have reversed this? Wonder if their Bo5 performances are gonna be as strong. First up was a series VS the other team who went 2-0 in Groups, G2. A carry performance from Hans sama's Miss Fortune, and a surprise Bel'Veth from Yike took game 1 and 2 respectively. KOI got put on their last legs, and Game 3 came back to a Comp performance. Man got a pentakill! Demolishing G2 inside their base, they got a food back in the series, and it came down to Game 4, it's still doable. Rogue have been reverse swept before, and they can do it to their enemies just as easily. KOI should be able to as well.

Nope nope a disaster in the botlane let Hans sama carry the entirety of G2 vs a Varus/Kalista botlane from Comp and Trymbi, being utterly destroyed. But, but, unlike others so far, KOI got a 2-0 in Groups, so they get a second chance to qualify to finals, and then a potential rematch vs G2. All they need to do is beat their old rivals, the MAD Lions. The team that dominated 2021, and when they slumped in 2022, Rogue took over and won Summer. Their rivalry has been building since 2020, when they took the regular season over G2 and fought each other for the top spots to go to worlds.

And that series went ok! A dominant Larssen Tristana, and a signature Kalista from Comp won Game 1, but that quickly faded. Game 2 featured a fairly weak botlane and the Nisqy Gragas that teams refused to ban, Game 3 had the New Hyli Special, Rell, and Game 4 had the Nisqy Gragas. That's the season. Y'know what, considering they made 3rd overall this season, that's not the worst but it's a step down. They did replace their weakside king Odoamne, so maybe the team needs more time to gel. Their botlane also looked shockingly weak after it was fair to call Comp/Trymbi a top 5 at best botlane at Worlds last year, which was tragic. Trymbi really hadn't been playing well, and Comp looked a lot less confident in lane and in teamfights, probably because his support wasn't doing as well at all.

But, nonetheless, not winning the split is a disappointment. Going into Spring, they were in a good position. Top 3 means that they have a good chance to make MSI if G2 win another split in dominant fashion, as long as they outplace MAD Lions. No changes going into Spring, but Week 1 wasn't exactly a glowing highlight. A loss to Astralis, who were looking pretty good. Day 2, a win over Heretics after some insane fumbles from Ruby, but it's an awful look for KOI, that they could only win through a phonemally awful throw and a botched baron call, and the fact that the game was that close vs a heretics that looked like well... Garbage they looked like shit.

Day 3, a rematch from Winter, MAD vs KOI, a snoozer with few kills and a generally unimpressive game from both sides. Well, Week 1 ending on 1 win. That's really bad. You made playoffs last split guys... Sadly, Week 2's looking a lot harder. G2, the Winter Champions, SK who blew past all expectations and Fnatic, who despite dropping out in the regular season, came back with a new top laner, new support, and went 0-3 first week...

Defying the odds, winning against G2 thanks to a strong Szygenda, a win over SK thanks to Comp and Larssen, and then a... loss to Fnatic... To be fair, Razork took a facilitator in Vi and made it look like a hypercarry, punishing the botlane of KOI super super hard, playing really really not well, failing to execute a pick comp and failing their teamfights really badly despite having goddamn Taric.

Week 3, KOI have basically locked Groups. MAD, Fnatic, Excel and Heretics all being 2-4, while KOI sit on 3-3 means they're safer going forward, almost guaranteed a tiebreaker at the very worst. And hey, they're facing Excel, who just subbed in a new midlaner in Abbedagge (god this news made me kinda mad, but i digress), plus BDS, who practically ran the regular season and Vitality who definitely looked weaker compared to Winter, but were still no slouch, especially with a strongside bot laner like Upset.

Well a win over Excel who showed most of the same problems, especially with closing out games, then 2 losses meant that KOI barely scraped into Groups. 7th place. Not great. You only beat the half starved MAD Lions and Heretics thanks to that one extra win. 4-5 isn't something to be happy about at all, and considering Rogue were often considered Bo1 Merchants, never showing up as strongly in their Bo5s, this is a really bad look. Groups is looking grim, especially considering they're facing G2 next.

And that series saw an incredibly rare Pantheon pick twice in toplane, piloted by BrokenBlade, which kinda stomped the lane vs Szygenda, plus another hypercarry performance from Yike in Game 1 left KOI on the back foot. A disastrous Leona performance from Trymbi as well felt phenomally bad. But, KOI didn't discourage. Next game, they came in and nabbed a Jayce for Szygenda, after some of his insanely good Jayce play in regular season, and a rare Malrang Lee Sin that actually worked out, but a quiet game from botlane, despite a Zeri/Lulu lane. Game 3 was desperation. Mikyx picked a Jarvan Support, and played it like garrrrrbage as Comp proved exactly why they never can give him Sivir, carrying the game incredibly hard, with a weak Szygenda Kennen and a shock Larssen Akali showing KOI at some of their individual peaks again.

A win over the Winter Champions puts you in a damn good position, after a rough as hell regular season. But still, Malrang felt coinflippy after so many junglers figured out his insanity, Trymbi looked incredibly weak despite being alongside Comp who was capable of solocarrying, and Larssen was either passive and willing to scale until late, or fully willing to put the game on his back and carry everything through to a win, with no in between. Facing BDS next, who uhhh... Managed to completely figure out and lock down the meta.

And KOI as serial meta players... Yeah prayers weren't gonna do anything they got booty blasted in a 2-0. Adam counter picking Kennen with an Aery Jarvan, Sheo putting on an absolute clinic on Vi, and in Game 2, Crownie dominating the laning phase and Nuc getting an insane game on Cassio left KOI reeling going into their next series, this time for their groups lives, another series vs G2.

Now it's fair to say that for most of the season, G2 had been experimenting on new odd picks, since they had a stamped ticket to MSI already, but they obviously had some ambitions still. But, now that they had their entire season at risk, G2 stopped fucking around. Game 1 saw a unique Cho'Gath pick into Kennen, which almost worked until Larssen scaling paid off and he took over the game on Viktor. Game 2 saw a pair of insane ridiculous drafts. The Bel'Veth/Sejuani Jungle/Mid respectively, which demonstrated some insanely high potential, vs an AP Varus Mid from Larssen, which ended up horribly. MVP Performances from Yike, Caps and BrokenBlade vs a really bad game for Comp/Trymbi, again, led into a game point game 3. Larssen Ahri, Comp Sivir, and Trymbi Lulu. This is as close as you'll get to the max comfort draft for KOI, and they shitted it. Hans sama completely ran over Trymbi and transferred that lead everywhere across the map, going deathless and basically solo carrying the game, leading to a KOI loss. Out at 6th, before playoffs. A major disappointment, and everyone on the team felt it. Something had to change.

Summer came along, and a few rumours flew around. One of the biggest rumours was Rekkles roleswapping to support for the future, which meant no Fnatic botlaner, since they weren't gonna keep him on as a support. So a trade was proposed. Fnatic buy Trymbi, a talent grown on Rogue, winning a title with them, and a weakspot all year for KOI, in exchange, KOI get Advienne, excitable, mature Advienne who, to be frank, hadn't gotten the best chances in LEC. A small stint on Excel before being replaced by Mikyx, followed by a benched season and a re-run in the ERLs, then joining Fnatic after a fairly weak season from Rhuckz. Advienne came into a bit of a bad situation, having to follow someone who was world class like Trymbi, even if 2023 was fairly weak so far.

And so, Summer began, with a sole change of the support, Advienne instead of Trymbi. Was this gonna fix the team? Fuck no, you can say a lot of things about Trymbi, bad and good but he's a loud player who calls a lot of shots, something that KOI definitely needed more of. Advienne wasn't that guy, at all.

And wouldn't you believe it, the same shit happened again. 1-2 Week 1, 1-2 Week 2, 2-1 Week 3 barely scraping into Groups. What's the point. But i'm getting ahead of myself. A win over Excel, who most expected to still go absolute dead last in LEC for the 3rd time, so not much to write home about. A loss to BDS who came 2nd in Playoffs and a fairly bad Aphelios game from Comp, followed by a loss to MAD Lions which was honestly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Rogue Time kicked in harder than ever and everyone comitted completely to protecting the president, meaning Carzzy went completely untouched, 1-2 week.

Goddamn it guys. Week 2, a loss to an incredibly strong Fnatic following a disaster game from Comp, a win over Heretics with a very strong Larssen Tristana, and a loss to SK capped off the week, another 1-2 week and a really really bad look heading towards groups. Week 3 started vs Vitality, a free win with a good Statikk Shiv Leblanc from Larssen, a loss to Yike's Kha'Zix for game 2 of the week and the game that would basically decide their groups chances: vs Astralis, who had been floundering in the lead up. And then Comp showed up again, after being basically absent the whole season. Hand delivering Sivir boomerangs to the entirety of Astralis, carrying KOI through to groups, looking phenomally weak and like easy prey. As written yesterday, Astralis then had to hope that SK lose to Fnatic, to keep groups, and their chances for worlds alive, but that all went out the window, after SK pulled a miracle out of nowhere and beat Fnatic.

KOI is the first team i'm writing about that actually is in Group stage, meaning I can do some meaty speculation about them heading into groups, rather than end it with a limp "hope they stick together" again. Truly, KOI look dead. After a strong Winter, an underwhelming Spring and a dead in the water summer they rightly should've lost for some of their abysmal performances and the hard return of Rogue Time, it's unlikely anyone will bet on KOI heading into the group stage. Considering their first opponent is a pissed off G2 looking stronger than ever and looking to secure their place in Season Finals even harder than before, KOI should definitely count themselves lucky that their vacations might start sooner than later. They're also one of the teams fortunate enough to have good championship points, meaning they might eak into Season Finals regardless, if Heretics and Fnatic completely bomb out, which is unlikely at this point.

Whatever does happen, I'll be there watching. Larssen has become one of my favourite players in the past couple years, and of all the "next generation" mid laners, he, humanoid and Vetheo are the ones i've got the most faith in, by far. Comp as well deserves a good roster, just a shame it might only come next year.

Anyways, be back tomorrow for the next team...

MAD LIONS (oh god i hate them)

[researchvishal]

Locomotive Wiring Harness Market Research, Segmentation, Key Players Analysis & Forecast By 2033

The locomotive wiring harness market is estimated to be valued US$ 4,366.50 million in 2023 and US$ 7,388.20 million by 2033, growing at a 5.4% CAGR from 2023 to 2033.

Rising Government Initiatives for Robust Transportation System to Boost Growth

The key factors driving market expansion for locomotive wiring harness are increasing urbanisation, increased demand for expanded public transportation services, and government efforts to modernise existing railway infrastructure to improve rail connectivity. Furthermore, the growing use of trains for transportation and logistics has increased demand for locomotive wiring harness.

The growing trend of autonomous trains, as well as the growing demand for energy-efficient wiring frameworks, is going to provide new growth prospects for the locomotive wiring harness market.

Market Restraint

The instability of raw material prices, corrosion concerns caused by changing weather conditions and malfunctioning of the wiring system operating under large loads, all contribute to the locomotive wiring harness market’s slow progress.

Market Segmentation – By Train Type

The high-speed rail and bullet train sectors are expected to experience significant growth. These are improved railroad train varieties that operate faster than other trains. To complete quickly, they combine a set of dedicated tracks with a specific arrangement of moving goods.

The development of the high-speed rail/bullet train segment is likely to increase, supporting the growth of the locomotive wiring harness market, due to its accuracy and capacity to quickly cover large geographic areas. 

For more information: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/locomotive-wiring-harness-market

Most Rapidly Expanding Market: Asia-Pacific

Both developed and emerging economies are present in the Asia-Pacific region. The locomotive wiring harness market in these nations is anticipated to be driven by new rail projects for the replacement and maintenance of the current fleet as well as for urban passenger transit.

Asia-Pacific is predicted to experience the fastest development in the autonomous train market and has one of the largest rail networks globally. India, China, and Japan are among the nations with the longest rail lines.

Additionally, public transit is well-liked in many nations, particularly in India, where many people use the metro for everyday commuting. Due to this, the railway system is crucial to the economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region.

Key Takeaways

The German market share for locomotive wiring harness is 4.2% through 2033.

The market share of United States for locomotive wiring harness is 16.9% during the forecast period.

The Japanese locomotive wiring harness market share is 5.7% for the forecast period of 2023-2033.

The market share of Australia for locomotive wiring harness is 2.6% during the forecast period.

The Chinese market CAGR for locomotive wiring harness is 4.4% during the forecast period.

The market CAGR for India is 5.5% for the forecast period of 2023-2033.

The United Kingdom’s market CAGR for locomotive wiring harness is 2.3% through 2033.

Competitive Landscape:

Few companies dominate the market for locomotive wiring harness, including Hitachi Metals Inc., Schleuniger, TE Connectivity, Prysmian Group, and Samvardhana Motherson. Furkawa Electric, Komachine Co., NAC Corporation, APAR, and LECS (Lakshmi Electrical Control System Ltd) are among the other firms trailing the market's expansion.

Recent Development

Purchase

Motherson purchased the electrical wiring division of Bombardier in Huehuetoca, Mexico, in May 2021. The company has stated that it is going to purchase this asset for $10 million in September 2020 through its subsidiary Motherson Rolling Stocks (MRS).

Key Segments

By Component:

Wire

Connector

Terminal

Others

By Material Type:

Aluminum

Copper

Others

By Voltage:

Low Voltage (Up to 1000V)

Medium Voltage (1000V to 25kV)

High Voltage (25kV to 230 kV)

By Train Type:

Metro Rail Transit/Monorail

Light Rail Transit

High-Speed Rail/Bullet Rail

By Application:

HVAC Harness

Lighting Harness

Brake Harness

Engine Harness

Infotainment Harness

Transaction System Harness

Others

By Cable Type:

Jumper Cable

Power Cable

Transmission Cable

Others

By Wire Length:

Less Than 5 Feet

Less Than 15 Feet

More Than 15 Feet

By End Use:

OEM

Aftermarket

[yuragawa]

MSI 2023出場チーム紹介

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

今年も「Mid Season Invitational（MSI）」の季節がやってきた。春夏シーズンの間に行われるこの国際大会は、各地域の代表チームが1～2チームずつ集い、華々しい戦いを繰り広げる。夏シーズン終了後に行われる世界大会「Worlds」の前哨戦でもあり、普段戦うことにない他地域のチームがそれぞれに得意とする戦略をぶつけ合う場でもある。

年に2回行われる国際大会だが、他の地域やその代表チームについて知っているというのは中々に熱心な観戦ファンや、観戦歴が長く他の地域から観戦を始めたような人がほとんどだろう。今回は、他地域リーグとチームについて解説することで、それぞれの対戦カードをより楽しめるはずだ。

League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC)

強豪地域の一角を占めるリーグの一つ。地域としてはEMEA（ヨーロッパ、中東、アフリカ）で構成されている。トップリーグとしてのLECに加え、EMEA地域内で行われている13のリーグを含めると非常に多くの選手が競い合う地域となっており、毎年若手が国際大会の舞台へと挑んでくる。アジ���地域とは異なる環境評価から、チャンピオンの選択で変わった戦略を披露してくることが多い。また伝説的なプレイヤーであるxPekeのバックドア勝利の伝統からベースレースが発生したりと、戦略上のギリギリを攻めるリーグでもある。

MAD Lions : Chasy/Elyoya/Nisqy/Carzzy/Hylissang

LECではトップ争いに加わり、今やWorlds常連のチーム。今シーズンはリーグ随一の爆発力を誇るCarzzy&Hylissangのボットレーン（ただしコイン投げとも言われている）を武器に春のプレイオフを勝ち上がり、再びLEC第1シードで国際大会出場を勝ち取った。LEC第1シードはブラケットステージからの参加となるが、近年国際大会では苦戦を強いられているLCK/LPLの第1シードチームとの試合は大いに注目されることになるだろう。

G2 Esports : BrokenBlade/Yike/Caps/Hans Sama/Mikyx

出典：LoLesports公式Flickerより

MSI2019優勝を初めとして、LECではまぎれもないトップチームの一角を占める強豪。BrokenBlade/Caps/Hans Samaと経験豊富で強力なレーナーをずらりと揃え、新鋭のジャングルYikeを加えてWinterスプリットを制覇、その実績によりMSI出場を決めた。サイドレーンのコントロールやオブジェクトの取捨に優れる一方、時に最先端を行きすぎるプレイでファンを「G2？？？」と困惑させるプレイがある種の魅力となっている。春スプリットは最終的にプレイオフ4位で終わっているものの、国際大会の経験豊富なプレイヤーと組織であることから十分な準備をしてMSIに臨むと思われる。

League of Legends Pro League (LPL)

全17チームが鎬を削る世界最大のリーグ。地域は中国。LCKと国際大会優勝を争う最有力地域として近年は大きな存在となっている。膨大なプレイヤー人口の中で磨き上げられた腕効きのプレイヤーが集い、戦って流れを引き寄せる攻撃的なスタイルを精度を高めたマクロ判断でさらに強固にし、最強地域の座をLCKと奪い合う準備を着々と進めている。

JD Gaming : 369/Kanavi/knight/Ruler/Missing

2019頃から上位チームとしての頭角を現し、現在ではWorldsでもよく見かける強豪。今シーズンは考えられる最強メンバーといっても良い超強力ラインナップを揃えている。”黄金の左腕”KnightやLCK最強のボットレーナーとの声もあったRulerらの強さで春のレギュラーシーズン1位、プレイオフも1位通過と間違いなく地域最強の名を引っ提げての参戦である。

Bilibili Gaming : Bin/Xun/Yagao/Elk/ON

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

中国の巨大配信サービスであるBiliBiliが運営しているLoLチーム。過去にはZekaやKingenなども所属していたが、競争激しいLPLでは勝ち切れず中堅どころという位置づけだった。今シーズンは、昨年から所属しているリーグ随一のトップであるBinに加えてJDGを引き上げたベテランのYagao、新チームへの移籍で一気に開花したXun、Elkの活躍で春プレイオフを勝ち上がり、JDGに続いて第2シードとして初の国際大会を勝ち取った。

League Championship Series (LCS)

競技シーンの発展をけん引してきたトップリーグの一角、他地域で活躍したトッププレイヤーを多く集めたリーグでもある。国際大会では苦戦しているが、あくまでそれは優勝争いレベルでその他の地域チームからすればもちろん強敵である。MSIでは過去2回決勝まで進んでおり、国際大会での勝利を求めるファンにとっては大きなチャンスとなっている。

Cloud9 : Fudge/Blaber/EMENES/Berserker/Zven

新規チームも多いLCS地域では、古参といっても良い位置づけとなった北米の名門チーム。LCS地域では常に上位争いに加わり、国際大会への出場回数も多い。これまでLJL代表と戦う機会が多かったため、覚えている人も多いであろう。過去にはWorldsベスト4入りと、北米地域で最も結果を出しているチームでもある。

Golden Guardians : Licorice/River/Gori/Stixxay/huhi

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

NBAのゴールデンステート・ウォリアーズ傘下のLoLチーム。大学リーグ出身プレイヤーなどを中心とした若手メンバーを揃えていた時期もあったが、今シーズンはNAでも結果を残しているベテランプレイヤーとKRの助っ人できっちりと補強して初の国際大会を勝ち取った。今シーズン、LCKのホープを招き入れ、猛威を振るっていたFLYを破っての出場に驚いた視聴者も多かっただろう。

League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK)

LoLの競技シーンで最強にもっとも近いリーグ。ライバルとなるLPLの台頭に伴い以前ほどの絶対的な地位ではないが、やはりその強さは他地域から見て抜けている。序盤のレーン戦から差を積み上げ、オブジェクト前での確実なファイトで有利を広げ、確実な勝利を掴むという意味で一つのお手本といえるスタイルを確立している。ゲームバランス変更で以前ほどに試合を完全に掌握することが難しくなったことに適応する形で、かつてLPLのお家芸だったファイトの強さでより積極的に有利を作りに行く姿も取り込んでいる。

T1 : Zeus/Oner/Faker/Gumayusi/Keria

LCKのみならず、LoL競技シーンを代表するトップチーム。MSI2017を最後に国際大会での優勝こそ手にしていないが、国内リーグ制覇や国際大会決勝進出は続いており、その強さは世界最高レベルであり続けている。現在はトップレーンの神Zeus、最高のプレイメイクサポートKeriaなどを擁しており、剛腕という表現がしっくりくるチーム。

Gen.G : Doran/Peanut/Chovy/Peyz/Delight

Worlds優勝経験もあるSamsung系チームの流れを継ぐLCK強豪チーム。T1とは国内リーグで頂点を争う関係で、ChovyやPeyzを初めとして地域最高クラスのプレイヤーが揃っている。レーンから積み上げる確実な有利、堅実な判断と高レベルな技術による戦闘、すべてが揃ったLCKらしいゲームで相手を寄せ付けないのが今のGen.Gである。

Pacific Championship Series (PCS)

かつて強豪地域の一角として注目されていた台湾・香港・マカオ地域に、ベトナムを除く東南アジア各国のリーグが合流する形で再編されたリーグ。5大リーグと称された時代と力関係は変わったものの、その他地域のチームから見ればもちろん超えるべき壁であることに変わりはない。今シーズンは地域全体で韓国人選手がゼロという例年とも違う様相でリーグ戦が行われたが、地域タレントの力で国際大会においてどれだけの力を発揮できるのかという点でも注目されることになっている。

PSG Talon : Azhi/JunJia/ubao/Wako/Woody

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

2020年のPCS発足時からリーグに参加している比較的新しいチームで、PSGはパリ・サンジェルマンの略。新興チームながら的確な選手集めですぐにトップチームに名乗りを上げ、国際大会常連チームとなっている。今回はキャリージャングルでレギュラーシーズン無敗のJunJiaや、昨年はBYGでWorldsに出場したボットのWako、最ベテランのubao（昨年までの登録名はUniboy）と侮れないメンバーを揃えての国際大会出場だ。

Liga Latinoamerica (LLA)

NA地域に隣接したその他地域リーグ。ブラジル以外の中南米地域のプレイヤーおよびチームで構成されている。スタイルとしてはNAに近く、集団戦を重視したチームでの戦いが得意。今シーズンは各チームとも韓国人選手を招いて大幅な補強を行い、かなりの激戦のリーグとなっていた。国際大会では同じぐらいの位置づけのため、プレイインステージでLJL代表チームと戦うことも多い。

Movistar R7 : Bong/Oddie/Mireu/Ceo/Lyonz

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

R7はラテン地域が南北の2つのリーグに分かれていた頃、さらに前身となるチームも含めると2013年から地域の強豪として活躍してきた古豪チームである。最ベテランのOddieに若干19歳の新鋭ボットレーナーCeo、T1のアカデミー出身のMireuとメンバーを揃えて激戦のプレイオフを勝ち上がってきた。Worlds2020以来の国際大会出場となるが、地域の力を示すべく迎える初戦にBLGとの戦いが待ち受けている。

Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL)

CBLOLはブラジルで運営されている競技リーグである。現地の熱狂的なスポーツ観戦文化はLoLでも健在で、観衆の熱狂や決勝戦での開会式の熱量は強豪リーグに勝るとも劣らない。チームは勢いある攻撃的なスタイルを好み、かつては強豪地域から勝利をもぎ取って記録に残っているチームも存在する。現在のプレイイン方式になってからはLJLチームとの対戦も多い。

LOUD : Robo/Croc/tinowns/Route/Ceos

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

昨年のWorldsでもDFMと対戦しているチーム。現在のメンバーは地域を代表するRoboやtinownsといったプレイヤーで固められており、基本的には昨年と同じメンバー。破壊力のあるRoboとCrocをtinownsが支えてゲームを支配する。さらにボットレーンをRouteの加入で強化し、再び国際大会の舞台へと戻ってきた。初戦はLECのG2、かつてAllianceを破ったときのようにtinownsが再び伝説を作る瞬間に期待したい。

Vietnam Championship Series (VCS)

LCKをはじめとする4つの強豪リーグと、LJLなどのその他の地域リーグとの間に位置づけられる強豪に準じるリーグがVCSだ。ベトナム地域はその実績と競技プレイヤー人口の多さから、東南アジア地域の中から独立した単一のリーグを運営している。2016年のMSIで劇的な登場して以来、随一の攻撃的なプレイスタイルには熱狂的なファンがついており、彼らの試合運びによって試合がキルゲームの様相を呈してくることを『ベトナムの風』が吹いてきたと称することもある。

GAM Esports : Kiaya/Levi/Kati/Sty1e/Zin

出典：LoLesports公式Flickrより

前身となるGigabyte Marines時代から、ベトナム代表として国際大会で旋風を巻き起こしているチーム。春のレギュラーシーズンは無敗と地域内でも一つ抜けた強さでMSIへと駒を進めた。近年は注目されつつも、強豪リーグ代表チームの壁に阻まれている状況を打破できるか、Levi率いるチームによってサモナーズリフトが赤く染められるのか期待しているファンは多い。