League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals recap

Eight teams made it through the League of Legends World Championship Group Stage to compete in the best-of-five Knockout Stage. Here's a recap of the action:

Team Griffin vs Invictus Gaming

The defending world champions faced off against the second Korean seed. The first game was a hard-fought battle that eventually resulted in a win for Invictus. Game two had Griffin off to a good start but still ended in a loss for the Korean team. Griffin managed to seize the tempo in game three, denying their opponents match point and taking the game. However, Invictus would not be denied as the team decimated Griffin in the fourth game to secure their spot in the semifinals. 

Griffin

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Invictus Gaming

FunPlus Phoenix vs Fnatic

The best Chinese team and the 2019 World Championship finalists delivered even more fantastic games. The first went quickly at just over 25 minutes long in which FunPlus made short work of the opposition's defence. They also happened to take the only Baron in the game. Game two didn't fare any better for Fnatic as FunPlus decimated them, but game three seemed hopeful. Fnatic took the first tower of the game before a series of tower exchanges followed. Finally losing their inhibitor to Fnatic, FunPlus lost their first game in the series. That loss gave FunPlus the boost they needed to win the series as they proceeded to defeat Fnatic in 24 minutes.  

FunPlus Phoenix

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Fnatic

SK Telecom T1 vs Splyce 

SK Telecom were the favourites of this matchup since Splyce is considered a much weaker team. Yet the idea of the underdog rising at this crucial moment added to the excitement. The LCK team exploited all the holes they could find in Splyce’s tactics, making it look like SK Telecom would secure a sweep. However, Splyce surprised all when they stepped up their play, especially Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir. This play earned them the third game and a lot of respect. That's where their good fortune ended though as SK Telecom refused to give them any more chances to exploit, taking the series in game four.

SKT T1

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Splyce

DAMWON Gaming vs G2 Esports

G2 swept through most of the competition, despite making many small mistakes here and there. Winning the first game and DAMWON the second, things looked as if they could go any way. Being Europe’s last hope at the event, the LEC champions with its star-studded team bolstered their efforts in game three. Luka “Perkz” Perković and Xayah constituted a lethal combination. DAMWON and its roster of inexperienced players still put up a good show, but they failed to win another game, losing to G2, 1-3. 

DAMWON Gaming

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G2

The semifinals

The Worlds semifinals will take place next weekend, from November 2-3 once more in Madrid at the Palacio Vistalegre. G2 is scheduled to take on SK Telecom on the 3rd, while Invictus battle FunPlus Phoenix on the 2nd. The winners from each match will proceed to the best-of-five FInals which will be held the week after on November 10.