Next month marks the start of the biggest tournament in League of Legends: the Riot Games 2014 World Championships. Every region in the world is sending their best to compete for their share of $2.1 million. And Europe’s entrants will be ready.
All three European teams who’ve qualified for the World Championships will head to Korea to bootcamp before the world final event. Alliance, Fnatic, and SK Gaming all seek to gain valuable practice before the group stage begins on Nov. 18.
“[Fnatic] will do a 2.5 weeks bootcamp in South Korea prior the group-stages.This to intensify our practice versus a wider range of teams, plus to get used to the environment and time zone,” Patrick “cArn” Sattermon, Fnatic’s manager, told the Daily Dot.
“Korean players and teams have for a long time been in the forefront of League of Legends, and this in combination of the location of this year’s World Finals, and the practice facilities and infrastructure South Korea is offering, it feels like a natural decision for us to organize our bootcamp there.”
Alliance dethroned the three-time League Championship Series winners Fnatic last week at the LCS playoffs. But Alliance captain Henrik “Froggen” Hansen wasn’t kidding when he said their work was just beginning after that win.
SK Gaming, Alliance and Fnatic all going to Korea to bootcamp before Worlds – Fantastic news for the EU fans and GL to the teams!
— Martin Lynge (@RiotDeficio) August 21, 2014
It’s no secret that Korea hosts the best teams in the world. SK Telecom T1 K dominated the 2013 World Championships. At the latest international competition, the All-Star Invitational in Paris, they ran the table against Europe and America’s best. But they may not even qualify for this year’s championship, and probably don’t deserve to, based off their local results this year—a testament to Korea’s strength as a region.
You can only be as good as your competition, as they say, so European teams are making sure they get the best practice possible in the best practice environment they can before the all-important World Championship, the culmination of an entire year’s worth of competition.
The group stage, the opening round of Worlds, takes place in Taiwan and Singapore. Getting acclimated to the time zone in Asia and avoiding jet lag will be crucial for the performance of European teams, considering they’ll need to be in peak form to challenge for the World title.
The announcements come just days after Counter Logic Gaming, a contender for a World Championship spot from America, returns from a Korean bootcamp of their own. The Counter Logic team hopes their rigorous practicing in Korea will earn them a return trip, as they need to qualify for Worlds at the LCS playoffs next week at PAX Prime in Seattle.
American teams wishing to join Alliance, SK Gaming, and Fnatic in Korea will have a tight schedule to make it happen. The LCS playoffs conclude on Sep. 1, leaving just over two weeks before the first World Championship match. But considering Europe’s commitment to Korea, you can bet the American contenders will try to follow suit.
