Worlds 2014 Prediction brackets

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

With worlds starting in under 12 hours we put together a bracket for how we think things will play out. Note that because of the lack of international competition these are just gut feelings, but we thought it would be fun none-the-less. We paired each bracket with an explanation of how we came to make the decisions in the predictions.

Duncan 'Thorin' Shields

Ignoring SK losing their Jungler for half the group stage, since ultimately I don’t think it will affect who wins the Ro8 match-up they go into, I’m pretty confident in the rest of my picks. Groups C is the most up-in-the-air, since fnatic could turn up in the right form to dispatch OMG, though I think on consistency that they won’t.

I think a lot of my playoff match-ups are pretty straight forward, but the one that might surprise people is EDG’s victory over NJWS. For me, I’m quite skeptical that NJWS will turn up in the form they showcased at the Regional Qualifier or with the same aptitude in the early-to-mid-game. I expect more of the old NJWS, with watch and Zefa back to being average players and them relying on scaling into the late-game. That’s a world that I think EDG can match them in, especially when you consider that EDG have a significantly better ADC, the best in fact, to cave Zefa’s head in.

Also, Koro1 has shown his zoning skills for team-fights to be impressive, so I can see him being able to help keep the likes of Save and Ggoong off NaMei enough for the ADC to work his magic.

Daniel 'Spellsy' Biery

To start with a group-by-group analysis, group A is easy to predict. Dark Passage stands unfortunately no chance and AHQ can’t beat 2 of the favorites for grand champion. Group B theres a lot more room for unexpected results. I think StarHorn Royal Club will have a weaker appearance this year than their organization had last season, and only because of their easy group will they end up as #1. While I’m not 100% on SHRC making it through, the second spot is even more up for grabs between TSM, TPA, and SK. TPA could be a dark horse, as many people on reddit have been saying they are showing strong in scrims, but it comes down to TSM and SK, which I think TSM > SK. SK got a lot of hype after their close series with Alliance but I think EU right now is like 2014 Spring Split NA, where 2 teams clearly top the region with significant distance between 2nd and 3rd. Group C is a clear win for Samsung Blue, with second place being a toss up between OMG and Fnatic. OMG has been slumping and despite FNC’s poor showing in the EU LCS playoff finals, I think they can beat out OMG. If Fnatic had instead been someone like C9 or even possibly TPA, I would have favored them more here. Lastly, group D where I have NJWS and Alliance coming through. If you had to press me which Korean team is least likely to get out of group stage I would say NJWS, but it is still very likely that they will make it through along side Alliance who is coming stronger into the playoffs than C9.

I believe my bracket to be rather ‘standard’. I think the koreans will all advance to the semi finals and I think the only non korean team to join them will be EDG. To be honest, I don’t think EDG stacks up as well as others might think, and I feel with better brackets teams like Alliance could advance further, but them being matched up against Samsung Blue in the quarterfinals ends their journey there. The two biggest predictions are SSW vs SSB, which I slightly favor White for no real good reason other than a gut feeling, and the finals NJWS vs SSW which despite NJWS’s hot run in the gauntlet I believe a Samsung team will win worlds at the end of the day.

Hunter Leigh

Unfortunately for NA and EU fans, I don’t see a very positive picture for where these regions end up. Even if TSM were to win their group (unlikely) I have them then facing Samsung White. For Alliance, I have them facing Samsung Blue and going out in the Quarters. If they somehow got first place in their group, they get a winnable match against OMG before then facing Samsung White in the Semis. It’s a tough road either way.

I am, however, picking a SSB/SSW final. I am picking EDG to win their group, forcing SSW into the lower half of the bracket and paving the way for having a ¾ Korean Semis and a full Korean Final. That’s probably not what’s great for ratings in EU or NA, but it gives the full spotlight to the superior teams/regions.

I’d love for Alliance to play the spoiler and somehow make it to the Finals, but that would require Alliance to win their group, EDG to finish 2nd in their group, and then Alliance to get the “softer” road of OMG (Quarters) and EDG (Semis) on the way to the finals.

Travis Gafford

Editor’s note: Travis too busy getting to Taiwan to cover the event live was unable to provide explanation.

Daniel 'd1dx' Yordanov

Starting with the straight-forward group A, Edward Gaming and Samsung White will quickly assert their dominance and crush all that stands in their way. I give the decider to White, simply because of their more refined style, paired with top 3 players at every role in the tournament. Moving on we have group B which promised us unpredictable action from all four teams as it was generally very hard to predict. In light of recent events, however, I give this group to StarHorn Royal Club and Team SoloMid with a heavy heart. The pressure which Bjergsen and Amazing will apply to Jesiz and Gillius will simply crush the hopes of SK.

Group C is a very interesting mix of quality teams with an almost certain first place to Samsung Blue. I will side with OMG in their battle against Fnatic as I do believe the Chinese side possesses better solo laners which will ultimately decide the outcome. Finally, I predict Alliance to top group D, simply because I believe in Shook and Tabzz more than Watch and Zefa.

Reaching the playoff stage, my two more interesting predictions involve Samsung White and Alliance. In the semi-finals, I think White will take their revenge against Blue who have had their number for quite some time. On the other side of the bracket, Alliance has all that the team needs in order to beat OMG should they meet them in a best-of-five: better late game, more cohesive team and a stronger bot lane.

Overall, I predict Samsung White to take the crown. The line-up simply looks astounding and in addition, the five players have time and time again proven their worth on the Summoner’s Rift. With Mata, Imp, DanDy and Looper all being among the very best in their region and top 3 at Worlds, White is a team no one wants to face.

Kelsey Moser

My predictions aren’t especially radical, and I’ve talked at length about most of them at some point or another, so I’ll focus mainly on addressing StarHorn Royal Club’s internal drama and the potential effect on their performance.

Some have felt content writing them off because of rumors of in-fighting between inSec and UZI, but a lot of these rumors have been disproven or exaggerated. One rumor in particular, the rumor of UZI’s pay being less than inSec’s and Zero’s and [UZI’s dissatisfaction as a result](http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/2gedbd/royal_clubs_uzi_expresses_his_discontent_with/) on the matter, has been proven to be faked on more than one occasion.

Arguments within a team in high pressure situations are not uncommon, especially after an organizational change, like eNo, the CEO stepping down. Rumors in general seem to indicate the team is falling apart or that UZI will not play (due to a statement he did actually make on his weibo that was later deleted). They have also suggested that arguments between inSec and UZI have been ongoing all split. If this is the case, then they have at least managed to overcome them for the sake of playing the game, as their cohesion seemed to improve drastically in LPL Week 8.

I believe the rumors that SHRC will place worse than first because of drama are overblown. SHRC’s ability to play fast, brute-forced games will still pull them ahead in this group, so I stand by my prediction that they will take first place.

Derek 'Kathix' Adams

My bracket is fairly straightforward. I expect to see the Korean teams perform well against teams from the other regions given Korea’s perceived overall strength and recent historical record in international events, including last year’s world championship. I have each Korean team winning its group, SHRC winning Group B, and the other 2 Chinese teams making it out of the group stage. Rounding out my top 8 are SK from Group B and C9 from Group D - two teams with arguably the best strategy and teamplay of the western teams.

In the knockout stage, I predict another rematch between Samsung White and Samsung Blue in one semifinal - this time with White winning. I would like to see teams from different regions in the final, but in the other semifinal I think Najin White Shield will beat EDG. I have SSW beating NJWS to win this year’s world championship.

Nilu 'dooraven' Kulasingham

I’m totally crazy. Predicting Team Solomid to not only advance through to the quarterfinals as the first seed but also making TSM defeat EDG? Lord Locodoco don’t fail me now, I doubted you once before, but not again! (at least until you guys face a Korean team, 0-XX record doesn’t help here).

Really though, Team Solomid should have a good shot at getting first position due to the news coming out of Group B. Them beating EDG is unlikely but a risk I’m willing to take. Najin White Shield winning it all is an interesting prediction here too, since SSB and SSW are the clear favourites. I believe in Save’s ability to carry his team to victory though, especially with Acorn no longer being exceptional as he once was in the previous metagame.

Brackets done by Benson Li.