NRG will fly the flag for the LCS at Worlds this year following a 3–1 victory over MSI representatives Golden Guardians on Sunday. The victory marks NRG’s first top-three finish in the LCS and their first guaranteed appearance at an international League of Legends tournament.
Many doubted whether the remnants of Counter Logic Gaming could make it back under their new org following CLG’s withdrawal in April. But the core of Dhokla, Contractz, and Palafox, who have played together since the 2022 Spring Split, rose to the occasion and after four seasons and three playoffs, they’ve finally converted form into an international berth.
Series MVP Contractz was visibly emotional on stage following the win. He is finally returning to Worlds for the first time since his stint with Cloud9 over six years ago. “Once you get a taste of Worlds competition and playing against the best players in the world, there’s nothing better—you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said.
Dhokla, who alongside Palafox will make his international debut in Busan later this year, didn’t want to get the region’s hopes up straightaway, stating he was ready to “get shit on” but learn as much as he could during his experience at Worlds.
Today’s win also sees Australian ADC FBI book his third-straight Worlds appearance after attending 2021 and 2022’s event with 100 Thieves, while journeyman support IgNar finally makes it back to the pinnacle League tournament after stints with FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, Immortals, and Dignitas.
NRG scraped through to the upper bracket of the LCS Championship with a 9–9 regular season record, but they proved they meant business with a 3–1 win over fourth-seeded Team Liquid. Golden Guardians were another challenge altogether, but one NRG had trounced in the past—they held a 2–0 lead over GG in head-to-head this split.
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GG was out to flip that record on its head early in game one with a solid lead in the midgame but opted to try to end the game instead of taking objectives. NRG bit back upon respawning and, with a follow-up Baron Nashor buff, stole game one away.
In a series that featured everything from one-sided stomps to a game-three Baron steal, NRG overcame the 2023 MSI reps to secure a ticket to Korea. NRG progresses to the upper bracket final to take on C9, who locked Worlds yesterday.
It’s not all over for GG: They’ll need to bounce back for their next match (vs. Dignitas) to keep their Worlds 2023 dream alive. The LCS Championship resumes on Friday.
