Welcome to our Worlds 2021 match ratings, as we enter the second day of semifinals with China’s Edward Gaming facing South Korea’s Gen.G for a spot in the League of Legends World Championship final. Every day, I, your designated guinea pig and critic, will watch all of the world championship games so you don’t have to. I will be here to dish out star ratings for every game and let you know if I recommend the slew of fights that day at Worlds.
My rating scale is from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) stars. Here’s what each star rating means in layman’s terms:
* = Boring. Utterly skippable and something no one will remember by tomorrow.
** = Watchable. Possibly recommended based on your rooting interests.
*** = Good. Something I’d recommend checking out, even if you’re not a fan of either team.
**** = Must-watch. A game or series that you need to watch if you have any interest in League of Legends.
***** = An all-time classic. This perfect rating is only achievable if a game or match is at the highest level of entertainment, gameplay and will go down in the lexicon as a moment no League of Legends fan will ever forget.
On Saturday, DWG KIA locked in their spot in the Worlds 2021 final in a five-game banger against T1. That 3-2 series looks like the best one of the tournament so far, but Edward Gaming and Gen.G can bring some more heat to Worlds 2021 on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the games as we work our way toward the top of the mountain on Nov. 6.
Edward Gaming vs. Gen.G Game 1
**** ½ stars
After we were witness to one of the greatest best-of-fives ever in League of Legends on Saturday, the second semifinal also started with a four-star showstopper.
As it has been all tournament, Gen.G has played their own distinctive style with Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong locking in Seraphine to create a five-on-five monster. And though their crowd control and combinations of ultimates made the game a tug-of-war, Li “Flandre” Xuan-Jun on Jax split-pushing was a key factor in bringing the opener into the hands of the LPL champions.
Gen.G’s top lane has been a major issue this entire event. Unless Kim “Rascal” Kwang-hee or Noh “Burdol” Tae-yoon can neutralize Flandre, their hopes of making the grand final are going down the drain.
Edward Gaming vs. Gen.G Game 2
*** ½ stars
We had a trio of 3-0 sweeps in the quarterfinals but won’t have any in the final four as Gen.G pick up Game 2 in the series.
EDG seemed to be in complete control after bullying Rascal again in the top lane, yet it was Kim “Clid” Tae-min’s proactive Lee Sin to bring them back into the game. Once Rascal could stabilize top, Clid was allowed to pair up with Bdd in the mid lane and carve out a lead there.
Edward Gaming vs. Gen.G Game 3
**** ½ stars
We went from a five-course, Michelin star dinner yesterday between DWG and T1 to now ordering $40 worth of Taco Bell and scarfing it down with alcohol.
Is it as high-level? No.
Are DWG KIA laughing watching this? More than likely, yes.
Is it still entertaining? Oh yeah.
Gen.G with their comfort food composition pulls them a single game away from an improbable date in the finals with South Korean rival DK.
Edward Gaming vs. Gen.G Game 4
***
Not great play-ins. Best group stage ever. Worst quarterfinals ever. Now, we have two semifinals both going to a climactic game five.
Sure, this isn’t a classic in terms of high-level strategy or gameplay, but it’s a tense fight for a spot in the final. EDG finally banned Lee Sin and we move to a game that will decide it all.
Edward Gaming vs. Gen.G Game 5
*** stars
EDG won the mid/jungle battle early and rode that advantage into a clean victory. While it wasn’t the classic we could have hoped for to close out the series, the final two games does give me hope that an in-form EDG could possibly make DWG KiA sweat in the final.
If EDG play as they did in the first three games of this series, DWG are sweeping the grand final. Yet, if the LPL champs can look like they did to close out Gen.G, then we might have something interesting on our hands on Nov. 6 when Edward Gaming faces DWG KIA for the Summoner’s Cup.
