Swiss Standoff: Titans set to clash at the main stage of Lol Worlds 2023

As the Play-ins clashes approach their climactic end, the stage is set for the big dogs to go head-to-head. After the final two seeds strained out from the Play-ins stage are locked in, the 4 Pools filled with Esports giants colliding in the main stage are now complete. But before we get to that, let's briefly discuss the thrilling chain of events that unfolded through the Play-ins.

Lol Worlds 2023: Play-ins Review

Worlds 2023 Play-ins started as a precursor round for the main Swiss stage, in which 8 teams locked horns with their eyes set on the final two seeds of the main stage of the World Championship. Following are the teams that clashed in this stage:

1. LOUD (CBLOL - Brazil)  
2. GAM Esports (VCS - Vietnam)
3. Team Whales (VCS - Vietnam)
4. PSG Talon (PCS - Pacific)
5. CBTC Flying Oisters (PCS - Pacific)
6. Detonation Focus Me (LJL - Japan)
7. Rainbow7 (LLA - Latin America)
8. Team BDS (LEC - Europe)

After a week of gritting action, the finals arrived with the two VCS teams going head-to-head, while Team BDS took on PSG Talon. From the former encounter, GAM Esports emerged victorious, while the second final turned out to be the biggest reverse sweep of play-ins history. 

While PSG Talons had the initial winning thrust, steamrolling through the first two games. The diminished hope of BDS fans was re-ignited when the team's collected teamwork boosted by Adam's aggressive playmaking picks carried them to a pivotal game 5. This game was no less than a rollercoaster for both sides. Ultimately, Team BDS emerged victorious after a last resolute team fight forced by BDS resulted in an Ace.

This goes to show that the top lane can be quite the game-winning role in League. In order to turn around your own games as a top laner check out the best split-pushers in League of Legends.

Lol Worlds 2023: Swiss Stage

Now the League community is on its heels with the Worlds 2023 entering its paramount phase. The Swiss Stage will serve as the battleground for the 16 top-seeded teams from all major regions. All culminating at the Grand Finals to determine the winner of the pinnacle of Esports competition. The fun begins on the 19th of October, with the game stage hosted in Seoul, South Korea. 

But before the date arrives, let's understand the ins and outs of the Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage:

Team Pools:

As per the tradition of Worlds, 16 teams are divided into four pools of 4 teams each. All of which, are jam-packed with top Lol Esports giants from all over the world - with the defending region being LCK (DRX victory over T1 in the 2022 Worlds final). Moreover, the Play-ins concluded with Team BDS and GAM both placed in Pool 4 of the Swiss stage. Which, on paper, makes it the weakest pool out of the four.
The format of these pools is devised such that all 4 pools have an LCK first slot and a second slot from LPL. The first 3 pools have the top-seeded LEC and LCS teams for their 3rd and 4th slots respectively, while the last pool harbors the Play-ins qualifiers for their last two slots as mentioned above. 

(Attach pool-related tweet)

Matches Format:

This stage will initiate with a Swiss-style tournament flow - illustrated below:

Round 1: Initially the 16 teams will be divided into an initial set of eight Bo1 matches based on their seeding. Each team will be paired against a team from a different region.

Round 2: The action will continue with another draw of eight matches. This time teams will be paired against other teams with the same record. For example, a 1-0 (Win-Loss) team will only go against another 1-0 team.

Round 2 will be repeated until all teams either qualify or get eliminated. For qualifying, a team will need 3 wins under their belt while the opposite is true for elimination, which is 3 losses for elimination. Ultimately, eight teams will qualify for the Knockout Stage of the tournament.

Note: While all initial rounds are Bo1, all advancement or elimination matches will be Bo3.

Where to watch the Swiss Stage?

League of Legends fans can witness the action first-hand either directly from official Twitch or YouTube livestreams of Worlds 2023 or through the Lol Esports site itself.