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Credit: lolesports

Worlds 2021: DFM makes history, UOL’s fight instinct, and more Play-in developments




Day 3 of the play-in stage has concluded. The first three games of the day were one-sided and it looked like we were going to get a boring day with only four games, but oh boy were we in for a show in the UOL vs C9 game. Here are the final standings of both groups:

Group A
LNG Esports 4-0
Hanwha Life Esports 3-1
PEACE 2-2
RED Canids 1-3
Infinity Esports 0-4

Group B
DetonatioN FocusME 4-1
Cloud 9 3-2
Galatasaray Esports 2-2
Beyond Gaming 2-3
Unicorns of Love 1-4

DFM Really wanted that first place and they deserve it

DFM, in a historic moment, has qualified for the Worlds 2021 Group stage for the first time. After a hard-fought battle in a tie-breaker game against C9, DFM defied expectations and overcame their Play-in nightmare at last. 

DFM came prepared today as they completely demolished BYG on their way to the first place. With UOL being their best friend by beating C9 and securing them a first-place tiebreaker, DFM were to face C9 in a direct group qualification match, with both being 3-1 in the standings. Even if DFM was behind at some stages during the game, they kept their composure and finally got their revenge over C9 for the first spot in the group. 

On the other hand, Cloud 9 looked nothing like before as they lost both of their games. Despite losing and locking second place in their group, C9 still has high chances as they will face the winner of RED Canids/PEACE for a group stage spot. Looking at C9’s experience in BO5’s and their current squad, this challenge should be more than doable for the NA representatives.


UOL’s fight instinct kicked in

When on the edge, adrenaline fills you in and your fight instinct kicks in. This is exactly what happened to UOL today. With a draft, including fasting Senna, they managed to surprise everyone by beating C9, which secured them a tiebreaker for the fourth place against BYG to stay alive in the tournament.  

In the game against BYG, UOL fell behind early, but a miraculous Baron steal kept them alive. The game was intense and all over the place, with both teams making a lot of mistakes and giving chances to the enemy team to utilize them. In the end, UOL lost and even if they couldn’t qualify for the Play-in elimination matches, UOL fought until the end and it was definitely a respectable try.


Beyond Gaming looked shaky

Despite qualifying for the Play-in elimination matches, Beyond Gaming managed to pick only 2 wins during the Play-in stage so far, both against UOL. The team clearly didn’t live up to the expectations, with many placing them as a top 2 team in their group prior to the start of the tournament. Tomorrow, Beyond Gaming will face Galatasaray to determine the team that faces Hanwha Life Esports for a ticket to the World Championship Group Stage. 


The warm-up match between PEACE and RED Canids

The action in group A was a bit boring compared to the one in group B. The teams were unofficially aware of their standings before the start of the day and LNG made it official after they won against Infinity Esports. 

PEACE and RED Canids played a warm-up BO1 game prior to their BO5 match tomorrow. During the game, PEACE seemed to be better prepared and coordinated. It was finally clicking for Vizicsacsi and company, who were struggling to find the formula to play together. The team had a great early lead and snowballed through the entirety of the game, making it impossible for RED Canids to make a comeback.  

What to expect from the BO5 between them? RED Canids was the team that showed us promising gameplay against the titan of the group – LNG, but we saw a different PEACE today that could give them trouble. The BO5 tomorrow will be exciting and we are definitely in for a show. 



LNG’s dominance

LNG came into the group as favorites and oh boy did they prove that. The team was clearly a tier above everyone else, as they stomped through their games, with the exception of some early game shenanigans against RED Canids. 

LNG will go directly into group D with MAD, GenG, TL, and with those performances, this group becomes really scary.

Yohan Markov is among the most prolific of all analysts and writers covering League of Legends esports. A long-time veteran of the scene, Yohan has the in-depth knowledge of LoL required to break down the biggest pro games, combined with the lengthy experience covering Riot Games and its many regional leagues needed to break down what's happening and why in the LoL esports world.