The last time these two teams played each other was in August, and SSG lost 0-2. It was only made worse by the fact that SSG were using a comp that had previously won against LZ. In June, when the teams met before that, SSG had managed to eke out a victory using bruiser and carry tops like Gnar and Camille with an Orianna Mid, but that strategy backfired in August, as LZ countered these picks heavily and crushed them. We will see if SSG has learned from their mistakes.

What to expect:
SSG is similar to TSM; they are most comfortable on what they know, and they might go straight back to Gnar and split-pushing top laners to try and counter LZ. If that happens, we can expect LZ to simply counter with tanks or split pushers of their own (the exact strategy that beat SSG last time). What we can almost certainly expect is a much more Korean meta – one that usually favors assassins.

Normally, everyone would already be prepping the eulogy for MSF, but there is more here than meets the eye. SKT showed a weakness against AHQ when Faker’s Fizz was stolen out from under him. After that, the team seemed on the wrong foot for the rest of the game. Fortunately, drafting has thus far been a strength for Misfits. They were the team that premiered the Tank Busters to Worlds, and they have consistently been the team most creative and destructive in their drafting. If they can bring that creative and strategic drafting against SKT, they just might have them.

What to expect:
SKT have been flashing some tells of what’s to come, and it seems pretty likely they are going to throw some assassins Faker’s way. If it isn’t LeBlanc, we can expect Fizz. SKT has also shown a willingness to switch between patience and hyper aggression depending on their enemy. With MSF, SKT could play for the late game where they will almost certainly have the advantage, but they have been favoring early aggressive comps this Worlds, and they might return to it. For MSF, they are going to need to pull out some drafting magic. If they have any chance to win, they need to heavily counter-pick or read SKT’s strategy and outpick them. For MSF, this series will come down to the first five minutes of the draft.

Though Fnatic made Worlds history with their comeback, even they know how uneven their performance has been. Their spot here is mostly due to making fewer mistakes than their enemy, and RNG doesn’t make nearly as many mistakes as those already out of Worlds. However, RNG isn’t the caliber of LZ or SKT, and against TSM, RNG did flounder and make a few mistakes. But if Fnatic can keeping games by simply capitalizing on opponents mistakes, then they will certainly be the luckiest team in all of Worlds.

What to expect:
Fnatic haven’t exactly been playing slow and steady.  Their pacing has changed from match to match and they have mostly just outmaneuvered and outlasted their enemies. If they win, it will probably be through attrition. RNG, on the other hand, have Uzi, who is pretty aptly named. If Fnatic don’t keep a lid on him, he will probably mow down their entire team. They also have to keep in mind targeting bans on him haven’t much helped, as RNG just pocket-picked Vayne the last time that happened and cruised to victory.

Both of these teams have shown a lot at Worlds so far, and both of them battled their way out of the Play-in stage just to finally meet here. Team WE started off timid and reserved but has slowly worked their way into a much more aggressive and proactive team while C9 has been showing off a variety of comps they can play expertly. Though WE has often won by waiting out the late game, C9 actually had a gold lead against SKT in the laning phase, so in this scenario, they are probably favored slightly ahead so long as they keep their cool.

What to expect:
C9 haven’t been hinting at so much as smashing over the head that they like aggressive junglers for Worlds. Contractz has been favoring Graves and Ezreal, but he also tested out Nidalee to huge success. WE’s bot lane has been great the last few game, and it was through ADC Mystic and Support Ben that they managed several victories. Though Sneaky has been lackluster in team fights, he has been doing very well in the laning phase. Team WE will probably focus on their bot lane to try and remove that lead as early as possible. Both teams may pull out surprising comps or strategies as well, since Team WE only just recently won with the first siege comp of Worlds 2017.