Cover-Credits:
Worlds 2022 Group Stage kicked off in style as teams competed from the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. With the crowd cheering on and electrifying the atmosphere, teams brought their A-game to the stage. While some of the teams faltered big-time, the other teams showed how dominant they are at an international tournament, unfazed by the pressure. With only Group C having a rest day, we had matches featuring teams from all other three groups at Worlds 2022.
The following are the results of the Worlds 2022 Group Stage Day 1 matches:
Fnatic (FNC): Fnatic vs Cloud9 (C9)
Damwon Kia (DK): DK vs G2 Esports (G2)
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO): CFO vs 100 Thieves (100T)
JD Gaming (JDG): JDG vs Evil Geniuses (EG)
T1: T1 vs EDward Gaming (EDG)
GEN.G (GEN): GEN vs Royal Never Give Up (RNG)
Fnatic smashes Cloud9
The Cloud9 vs Fnatic match kept the fans on the edge of their seats. Both teams walked into the Rift with aggression and traded blow for blow. At 26 minutes, Fnatic had collected its third dragon of the game but the gold between the two teams was still even. However, as the first Baron went to Fnatic at 28 minutes, it slowly made its way into the base of Cloud9, the gold lead was 5K in favor of the European squad. Soon after, Fnatic closed out the game after collecting the Mountain Dragon soul.
Damwon Kia stomps G2 Esports
The Damwon Kia vs G2 Esports rivalry dates back to 2019 when G2 eliminated it from Worlds. The next year, at Worlds 2020, DK returned the favor to G2. However, there have been a handful of changes in the rosters on both sides. Things started off slow but a beautiful fight near the Herald resulted in G2 getting aced. Soon after this, every objective went DK’s way. After the third dragon, DK walked away with another ace and ended the game quickly.
CFO shocks 100 Thieves
The home crowd faced the second disappointment of the day as CFO dished out a shocker to 100 Thieves by picking up a surprise win. Right from the get-go, CFO showed its aggression, pulling 100T towards it around the map and initiating fights. At 24 minutes, CFO’s attack-damage carry (ADC) picked up a triple kill and the team secured Baron Nashor, pushing its gold lead to 5K. However, the game came to a close only after CFO picked up the second Nashor.
JDG humbles EG on Day 1 of Groups
EG was surprisingly even with JDG in the early game and things fell into place for EG as it picked up an ace at 18 minutes. At this point, EG also had three dragons under its belt. But JDG came online a few minutes later, picked up Baron Nashor, and cleaned house with EG. One more big team fight win was all that was needed for JDG to close out the game in under 30 minutes.
T1 wins the battle of the giants
An invigorated T1 won against defending champion EDG in 22 minutes, proving that it is still one of the dominant teams from Korea. A big team fight win against EDG translated into early objectives for T1 and after this, EDG could not stop the Korean freight train. At 20 minutes, T1 was ahead by 8K gold with all the gold funneled into the pockets of its carries. Towards the end, EDG traded Baron Nashor for its nexus.
RNG upsets GEN.G
Right from the minute it set foot on the Rift, RNG came out swinging and came out on top in every duel. Within 22 minutes, RNG had three dragons, one Baron, and three towers. Very quickly, RNG had its eyes set on the soul point, which it collected with ease. As GEN.G tried to take down Baron out of desperation, RNG killed the Korean squad and closed out the game in style.
Day 2 of the Worlds 2022 Group Stage continues on 8th October. Stay updated with the tournament by heading on to Worlds 2022 Group Stage: Teams, Groups, Schedule & More.
