We continue to watch the action at League of Legends World Championship 2024. The play-offs are heating up at Worlds 2024, where 8 teams will compete for the title of the best team in the world.
On the 18th of October, at 14:00 CET, Hanwha Life Esports vs Bilibili Gaming will take place. The winner advances to the semi-finals of Worlds 2024, where they will play against the winner of the LNG Esports - Weibo Gaming pairing.
Let's see who will be stronger in the match HLE - Bilibili Gaming and thus guarantee themselves the top 4 of Worlds 2024.
Let's go.
HLE Form
Let's open the analysis of the match HLE vs Bilibili Gaming with the analysis of HLE's form. In this match, strange as it may seem, HLE are playing as favourites with odds to win around 1.6.
HLE consistently reach the late stages of the regular split. It didn't start to work out until 2023. Before that, in the 2022 season, HLE were the worst team in the race, twice finishing in the top 10 in regular splits.
It was corrected by 2023, after the big Reshuffle. Two reigning world champions joined the HLE roster, which strengthened the club considerably.
- HLE roster: Doran, Peanut, Zeka, Viper, Delight.
With the addition of Zeka and Kingen to the HLE lineup, it was clearly more vigorous. So much so that they made it to the top 4 of LCK Spring 2023. The latest addition to HLE is Grizzly, a jungler who got promoted from the academic roster.
It seems to be working out pretty well. HLE finished in the top 3 in the regular season, which with teams like Dplus, T1 and other top teams is pretty good.
In the first play-offs match HLE warmed up against DRX. Nominally reigning world champions couldn't do anything against their visions and HLE easily closed the match with the score 3-0.
Then the situation was not so rosy: HLE ran into Gen.G and fell 0-3. The favour went to the bottom set of play-offs, but it did not save them for long.
Hanwha Life Esports faced KT Rolster in the first match of the last chance grid. The pressure was too hard and HLE was washed away: 0-3 and a play-offs exit, and at the same time not a pass to Worlds 2023.
They tried to make it to the Worlds in the regional finals, but again failed. LCK finished the final tournament of the season in the top 3, having failed to use either of the two attempts to qualify for the Worlds: they lost first to KT Rolster with a 1-3 score and then to Ledge or DPlus KIA with the same score.
Hanwha Life Esports finished the LCK Spring 2024 season in the top 3. The team once again fell one series short of reaching the international LAN tournament.
HLE advanced to the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs from the second place of the regular season, finishing 14-4. Went directly to the second stage of the playoffs. They debuted at the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs with a match against T1, where they beat the reigning world champions 3-0. HLE then lost to Gen.G, beat T1 again on class and in the grand final got revenge on Gen.G and became LCK Summer 2024 champions.
Worlds 2024 HLE Long started with a solid win over PSG Talon. Next up was a win over G2 Esports. In the next match for the play-offs Worlds 2024 HLE were close to disaster against FlyQuest, but managed to turn the tide in the first map, which allowed them to close the series 2-1 in their favour.
Hanwha Life Esports Champions
HLE utilise a wide pool of characters on the top line. The most popular are Gnar (12 matches, 75% wins), KSante (5 matches, 40% wins), Ornn (4 matches, 75% wins), and Sion (4 matches, 50% wins).
Sejuani (9 matches, 11% wins), Vi (7 matches, 85% wins), Elise (4 games, 75% wins) appear most often in the forest.
Azir (9 games, 55% wins), Sylas (5 matches, 80% wins), Kassadin (5 matches, 80% wins), Akali (4 matches, 100% wins) appear on the centre line.
Shooters are chosen as standard: Zeri (11 matches, 63% wins), Varus (7 matches, 42% wins), Caitlyn (7 games, 57% wins), Lucian (5 matches, 80% wins).
From the supporting heroes choose Lulu (10 games, 70% wins), Heimerdinger (7 matches, 42% wins), Lux (6 matches, 66% wins), and also Nami (4 matches, 75% wins).
Bilibili Gaming uniforms
We continue our breakdown of the BLG vs Hanwha Life Esports match with an analysis of BLG's match form. In this match, the LPL champions play the number two with odds to win around 2.
Last season, BLG made a lightning leap into the top 2 of the Chinese region, thus clawing their way to the Mid-Season Invitational 2023. Another sensation happened at the international event: BLG made it to the grand finals, only to lose to JD Gaming.
Another plus for BLG is the roster renewed at Long Conference 2023. The club managed to assemble a top company.
- BLG roster: Bin, XUN, knight, Elk, ON.
After a really triumphant half-year, Bilibili Gaming has not slowed down at all. The team was the first to reach the play-offs of LPL Summer 2023, and also set a local record: the only one in the history of the series finished the group stage with one defeat.
In the first match of the play-offs, TES faced off. The game was played under the dictation of vice-champions LPL Spring 2023 and BLG beat TES very confidently with a score of 3-1.
In the final of the upper grid Bilibili Gaming played against their principal rival - JD Gaming team. The reigning LPL champions left their colleagues no chance and shut down BLG with a score of 3-0.
Unlike the spring split, BLG had a slightly less confident performance in the summer. The vice-champions of the Mid-Season Invitational 2023 ended the summer split in third place, Ledgeiv in the match to advance to the LNG Esports Grand Final with a 1-3 score.
Bilibili Gaming got a pretty serious opponent in their first match at Worlds 2023. Yagao and company played against South Korea's top 3, KT Rolster, and in a 45 minute battle they were stronger.
Next up was JD Gaming and there was no way to win. However, Ledge and the first team of China, BLG got a "free" round against Fnatic, thus making the score 2-1.
BLG ran into T1 in a 2-1 basket and it didn't bode well for the Chinese club. T1 won and went on to advance, while Bilibili Gaming travelled to the net 2-2.
In the final Swiss clash, they met G2 Esports. Bilibili won 2-1, sending the first team in Europe home.
In the first round of play-offs Bilibili Gaming met Gen.G. After a rather easy 2-0, the Korean Grand equalised at 2-2, and everything was decided on the 5th map. It was decided in favour of BLG, who caught Chovy several times on Akali, and eventually sent Gen.G home empty-handed.
However, after defeating Gen.G, Bilibili Gaming failed to beat their compatriots from WBG in the match to qualify for the Worlds 2023 Grand Final.
BLG faced Royal Never Give Up in their opening match already at Demacia Cup 2023. One of the brightest teams of the group stage failed to do anything against a stronger opponent and eventually left the championship, while BLG celebrated a 3-1 victory. Ninjas in Pyjamas didn't feel Ninjas in Pyjamas in the match to reach the grand finals. Neither did they feel JD Gaming in the final itself.
BLG arrived at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2024 as the LPL Spring 2024 champions. They got it by outscoring TES in the grand finals by a score of 3-1. MSI 2024 made their debut against PSG Talon and surprisingly, they beat them 3-2. And in the next match BLG beat their more formidable opponent T1. But to cope with another representative of LCK, the champions of the spring split Gen.G failed: 1-3 and fell to the bottom net. BLG defeated T1 3-2 in the match to reach the grand final. In the grand final itself, Ledge and Gen.G played.
Later BLG played at Esports World Cup 2024, where they lost in the first round to T1, who eventually won the tournament. Next, Bilibili Gaming resumed play at LPL Summer 2024, where they qualified for Group B in first place in the first stage. At the Rumble Stage, they showed their level as they came away with a 7-1 win to take first place.
Bilibili Gaming made it to Worlds 2024 thanks to their victory at LPL Summer 2024, where they defeated WBG 3-0 in the Grand Final.
They started Worlds 2024 with a solid win over MAD Lions KOI. At 1-0, they faced LNG Esports and lost in the derby. They also lost in a 1-1 basket match where they met T1. After getting to the basket 1-2, they defeated PSG Talon. In the Worlds 2024 play-offs match, BLG played against G2 Esports and won 2-1.
Most popular BLG characters
The most popular characters in the TOP remain: Gnar (3 matches, 66% wins), Gwen (2 matches, 0% wins), Camile (2 fights, 50% wins), Renekton (2 games, 0% wins), KSante (2 matches, 0% wins).
Jungle is dominated by VI with 6 matches and 66% wins. Also peaking are Wukong (4 games, 0% wins), Nidalee (3 games, 33% wins).
Azir (3 matches, 0% wins), Ahri (2 games, 0 wins), Galio (2 matches, 2 wins), Sylas (2 matches, 50% wins) appear in the mid.
Lucian (7 matches, 57% wins), Varus (3 matches, 33% wins), Zeri (2 matches, 0 wins) pick on shooters.
The most popular combination with Lucian is Nami (7 matches, 57% wins), Karma (2 games, 50% wins).
History of head-to-head meetings HLE - BLG
Earlier the teams have not played each other in head-to-head meetings.
Predicted result of the match Bilibili Gaming - Hanwha Life Esports at Worlds 2024
As far as I am concerned, the situation with the pre-match odds does not correspond to reality. The fact that HLE made it to the play-offs with a score of 3-1, as well as the fact that they have the LCK Summer 2024 cup, in my eyes does not make them the favourite in the match against BLG. I believe in the success of the Chinese club and I think they will make it to the next round.
Bottom line: BLG wins.