The first day of the group stages for the 2016 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) is in the books and it did not disappoint. There were dominant performances from South Korea and surprising strength from North America, but also disappointment from China and Europe.
The first day was also the stage for arguably the greatest upset in Worlds in the form of the International Wildcard team, INTZ e-Sports' victory over Chinese powerhouse, Edward Gaming.
Only ROX Tigers exited day one as the team with the least amount of battle scars. The South Korean powerhouse took a hit at the start from wildcard Albus Nox Luna, but still managed to take down the game in quick fashion.
Winners of the day: INTZ e-Sports, Counter Logic Gaming, and Royal Never Give Up
The darlings of day one, INTZ e-Sports, never looked intimidated or outmatched against its Chinese opponents. The team's signature macro-intensive and slow-paced style was a direct contrast to Edward Gaming's strength in team fighting and mid-game transition. INTZ controlled the vision game and punished EDG for being in the wrong position. In addition, the wildcard team took advantage of lane matchups at the top and mid lane to spotlight Felipe "Yang" Zhao and Gabriel "tockers" Claumann, respectively, as its core damage-dealers. While still early, it was a commanding victory, and could allude to a very fruitful tournament run.
Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) was the small underdog and won its matchup against G2 Esports. The team took to balling up early and often to swarm G2 Esports' cores and force advantageous fights for objective control. CLG curtailed its advantage with swift neutral objective control and snowballed its lead to the victory.
Royal Never Give Up (RNG) showed off its new patient macro-intensive play to couple with the team's team fighting power, and it made mincemeat out of North America's Team SoloMid. RNG lost in two lanes in the early game, but played smart and never forced fights, peeling off from any potential overextension. When the Chinese did go, they went hard, and two destructive fights helped ensure RNG's victory. Legendary support Cho "Mata" Se-hyeong and his Alistar play was truly a sight to see.
Losers of the day: Europe, Edward Gaming and Team SoloMid
Edward Gaming, the top seed from the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and arguably the second-best team at Worlds, was outmatched in its opening game against Brazil's INTZ e-Sports. The team was crushed from a macro perspective and made key team fight miscues that led to huge power spikes for the wildcard. It may be one game, but EDG's macro weakness and weak early game could be further exploited.
H2K-Gaming (H2K) lost in a game with its own style and pace. AHQ e-Sports Club took to a slower-paced match with the late game in mind. With a Baron-driven strategy, AHQ used the buff to barrel down H2K's defenses. If H2K cannot win a game that caters to its style, it could be an early exit from Worlds.
G2 Esports and Splyce drew winnable matchups against Counter Logic Gaming and Samsung Galaxy, respectively, but failed in all things execution. If it wasn't the early game pressure or team fighting decisions, it was a lack of focus in objective priority or map control. These two teams need emergency help and it may not come in the form of more group play.
Meanwhile, North America's supposed best hope looked sharp in some areas, but dismal in others. Dennis "Svenskeren" Johnsen was a highlight on his Lee Sin, but the duo of Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng and rookier Vincent "Biofrost" Wang didn't look to be on the same page as their teammates. It's still early in Groups, but it wasn't a promising showing against the Chinese powerhouse, RNG.
Overall, Europe has kicked off Worlds with a disappointing 0-3 start.
Team that needs improvement: Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy won its match against Splyce, but it was not a sure thing for some of the match. This was a team that emphasized control and excellent lane adaptations to snowball any small advantage, but it required a Baron push to finally end the game in victory. For a team that identified with discipline, Samsung Galaxy nearly lost control of the game due to Splyce's comeback potential and frenetic fighting style. Mid laner Lee "Crown" Min-ho faced his best matchup in Splyce and was a star, but it will take more for continued success. It will only get tougher for the South Korean lineup.