There were triumphs and upsets in equal measure.
It was a busy weekend in Riyadh as week one of the Esports World Cup (EWC) came to a close. The biggest esports event in the world runs from July to August with 20 different games on display but it’s already hit the ground running with MLBB, Dota 2, and League of Legends.
MLBB: Mid Season Cup 2024
Let’s start with the EWC’s week one opening event: the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024. As the first-ever million-dollar MLBB tournament, the fighting among the international teams was sure to be fierce. The group stage just concluded and no one could have predicted these results.
Indonesia, the region that many regard as the second best next to the Philippines, is out of the tournament. Fnatic ONIC and EVOS Glory failed to get key wins in their group, allowing Cambodia’s See You Soon and Turkey’s Fire Flux Esports to make it through.
This is the first time that an Indonesian team has not made it to the playoffs of an international tournament. A historical moment for MLBB esports as Indonesia’s fall led to Malaysia’s rise as both Selangor Red Giants and HomeBois are now contenders for the MSC 2024 trophy.
Dota 2: Riyadh Masters
Switching over to Dota 2, the play-in stage of the Riyadh Masters 2024 finished with a pleasant surprise for Filipino fans. Blacklist International, the sole Filipino team in the tournament, is moving on to the group stage in impressive fashion.
Not only did the team score key victories in their play-ins group, but they dominated their opponents – getting 2-0’s against China’s G2 x iG, LGD Gaming, and East Europe’s Virtus.pro. This essentially guaranteed their spot in the group stage, even though they lost 0-2 against West Europe’s Entity.
It’s an impressive feat, especially since Blacklist has struggled to find success after winning the Asia Pacific Predator League earlier this year. Hopefully, they can keep that momentum as they move on in the tournament.
League of Legends: Esports World Cup Invitational
Last but not least for week one of the EWC is the conclusion of the League of Legends invitational. Eight of the best League of Legends teams from the top four regions in the world converged in Riyadh to see who would become the first EWC League of Legends champion.
China, Europe, North America, and South Korea duked it out for four days until only two were left. Unsurprisingly, it was another China versus South Korea grand finals with Top Esports taking on the reigning world champions, T1. Top Esports were undefeated going into the grand finals while T1 had more than a few shaky games, putting into doubt if the world champs have it in them to face their regional rivals.
But if there’s one constant in the world of League of Legends esports, it’s that T1’s dominance is inevitable. After dropping game one to the Chinese squad, T1 would sweep them for a convincing 3-1 finish, adding one more trophy to their ever-growing collection.
Banner photo from Esports World Cup.
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