The 2024 League of Legends World Championship is just around the corner, and with it comes the excitement—and dread—of trying to win something in Pick’Em. Whether you’re a seasoned Pick’Em veteran or just trying it for the first time, we’ve got you covered with a guide based on past results, current meta analysis, and some good old gut feeling.
What is Worlds Pick’Em?
Pick’Em is an activity hosted on the LoL Esport website where fans can predict outcomes for the League World Championship. This year there are three stages of Pick’Em: Crystal Ball, where you predict many things like champions picked or pentakills scored, Swiss, and Knockout stage, where you’ll try to predict which teams will survive the longest in the tournament. You can score points for accurate predictions, and, if you do well, you could win cool in-game rewards like emoticons and the almost unreachable ultimate skins.
The Crystal Ball predictions are all about long-term decisions, where you make predictions that span the entire tournament. It’s arguably the toughest thing for Pick’Ems, but with insights into the meta—and a whole lot of luck—you might just predict everything correctly.
Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball: Event predictions picks
What will be the Duration of the longest single game at Worlds?
We’re going with 45:00 to 49:59 minutes. Though teams have become more efficient at closing out games once they gain the upper hand, intense matches—especially during the Knockout stage—tend to drag out. At both Worlds 2022 and 2023 the longest game clock in around the 46-minute mark, so we feel like this option might work again this time as well.
You pick for yourself, but keep in mind, generally, in high-stakes matches teams tend to play more cautiously, so expect a game to go long once we hit the Knockout stage.
How many Pentakills will there be at Worlds?
Though we hope for more for the sake of seeing an entertaining Worlds, we’re going with just two Pentakills. Pentakills at Worlds are rare; we only saw three last year and all of them in Play-Ins where the skill gap between teams can result in one-sided stomps. This year with Jinx back in the meta, an AD carry could pop off, but don’t expect too many—at the highest level of play most teams play too cautiously for frequent Pentakills.
Which Drake will be Killed the most at Worlds?
We went with Infernal Drake. While it’s a gamble since Drake spawns are random, teams often prioritize Infernal for the powerful buff. It was also the most killed Drake at Worlds 2023, so we’re betting on it to take the spotlight again. You can make your pick trusting your gut, just keep in mind teams often prioritize other objectives over drakes if the element’s not good utility.
How many Baron Steals will there be at Worlds?
Two Baron Steals–though we hope for more. Last year there were four, but Baron steals are notoriously hard to pull off even for top tier junglers. Baron plays can make or break a game, especially since they come at over 20 minutes, so risking a steal might put your team in an even more difficult position than before: Down a player and with the opponents’ now marching towards your base with the Baron buff. So we’re playing it safe with a lower number.
How many Reverse Sweeps will there be at Worlds (out of 7 total Bo5s)?
We’re expecting one Reverse Sweep. In 2023, we saw just one reverse sweep, and it came during the Play-In stage qualification match between Team BDS and PSG Talon. But this year, qualification matches in the Play-In stage are all played as best-of-three matches, so no reverse sweep will be possible until the last stage of the competition.
With international League teams at the same skill level in the later stages, it’s incredibly hard to turn around a 0-2 deficit. The mental and physical strain of a reverse sweep makes it rare, but we’re hoping for at least one moment of “Silver Scrapes.”
Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball Champions predictions picks
Who will be played in the most different Roles at Worlds?
We’re going with Poppy. She’s versatile, and while it might seem like a wild card, she’s known for popping up in the jungle, top lane, and support. Her ability to disrupt opponents with her barrier and ultimate makes her a valuable flex pick.
Who will be Picked the most during Champion Select at Worlds?
Our pick is a spicy, yet boring one: Renekton. He’s a reliable League pick in the top lane with strong laning phase and team fight utility. He has a history of being the most-picked champion due to his versatility, though fans often get bored to seeing him played often. Other contenders for our pick included K’Sante, Orianna, Jarvan IV, or Rell.
Who will be Banned the most during Champion Select at Worlds?
Yet another pick that might upset some, we went with Orianna. She’s a high-priority mid laner in the current meta with her strong laning and late-game utility—her only defect is she’s not an AD Carry. Other likely bans include Yone, Rumble, and Syndra, all of which have been dominating scrims and solo queue leading up to Worlds, but we can foresee many ADCs being targets of lots of bans with the current bot-lane-focused metagame.
Who will have the most total Deaths at Worlds?
We’re going with Jhin. While Jhin’s performance often shines, his lack of mobility makes him an easy target for aggressive dives. Alistar and Jarvan IV are also strong candidates due to their tendency to initiate fights, dive deep, and die there; you know, just like in your ranked games.
Who will have the highest Win rate at Worlds? (Minimum five games played)
This is yet another very difficult champ to predict as we need to take into consideration the games played. More games means more chances of losing some, but also a higher chance of being the champion with the highest win rate. Ultimately, we’re going with Syndra, as she can be vulnerable to dives if not positioned well yet strong enough to be picked by players who are very comfortable with her (Showmaker, for example). Hwei and Blitzcrank are also solid picks; they’re strong enough to be picked at Worlds but not the first picks for their position. Mordekaiser’s also a strong contender with Renata Glasc, though both are more rarely picked.
Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball: Players predictions picks
Who will play the most different Champions at Worlds?
We picked T1 Zeus. He’s a highly versatile top laner with a known deep champion pool. In 2023, we saw the most variety from his bot lane teammate Gumayusi, ADC Elk, and support ON, but with the focus on ADCs, we might see more flex picks and unusual champions on the other side of the map.
Who will get the most Kills in a single game at Worlds?
Among all ADCs—who will undoubtedly be the center of teams’ power— this Worlds we picked Peyz, but Supa or Aiming are great alternatives. Sure, Supa is expected to play more League games, giving him more opportunities to pop off, and Aiming had the most kills at MSI 2023, making him also a great pick for this Crystal Ball question. But with long games and an even longer expected run towards the title, Peyz might just secure the title.
Who will have the highest KDA at Worlds?
We picked BLG Knight for this one. While Peyz might be a safer choice, Knight’s mid lane position and damage output are factors not to underestimate. Generally speaking, you want to keep an eye on mids who can secure kills without dying often, like Chovy, but if you want to play it a little safer you may want to go with an AD Carry, like Peyz.
Who will get the most First Blood Kills at Worlds?
We’re going with Wei from BLG. Junglers tend to secure First Blood and Wei is a strong early-game playmaker. Peanut from GenG’s another solid pick if you want to bet everything on Korean powerhouses, given his reputation for controlling the early game.
Who will get at least one Pentakill at Worlds?
Early stage games, a supporting crowd, and star quality talent—we’re going with MDK Supa. He’s a high-potential AD carry with a strong playmaking style who’s likely to face teams where he can exploit his skill gap, especially in the Play-In stage, giving him a good shot at securing at least one Pentakill. Other contenders you might want to consider are Peyz and Aiming, who thrive in chaotic team fights, but for this one we’re betting on the Spanish rookie.
Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball: Teams predictions picks
Which team from a region with 2 seeds or less will advance the furthest?
We picked PSG Talon. They’ve consistently shown they can punch above their weight, and with a strong regional showing, they have what it takes to go deep into the tournament. Last year, PSG Talon didn’t made it to the Swiss stage, but this time we expect them to outperform their opponents. Surely no LEC team will reverse sweep them again.
Which team will win the shortest game?
We’re banking on 100 Thieves for this one. If there’s going to be a quick stomp, the Play-Ins are the most likely place, where the gap between the best and worst teams is wider. Lat year the winning team T1 ended up clutching the shortest game against NA representatives Cloud9, but this time NA will have the upper hand– just maybe not against T1.
Which team will have the most Baron Steals at Worlds?
For this one, we went with Hanwha Life Esports. HLE has had a breakout summer, showing an impressive ability to contest neutral objectives. They won the LCK Summer Split surprising everyone, and we think they’ll carry that into Worlds. Baron steals are a gamechanger, and HLE has the potential to make them and make them count.
Which team will win Worlds?
We’re calling it: Bilibili Gaming will have their international trophy this time. It’s a bold pick over GenG, who many would consider the safest option, but BLG’s shown tremendous growth, and after narrowly missing out on first last year, they’re hungry. Their solid synergy and strategic flexibility make them a serious contender for the crown in 2024. In short, GenG may have the pedigree, but BLG has the momentum.
Which team will play the most different Champions at Worlds?
We’re joining fans in chanting “Let’s go G2” with this one. G2‘s known for pulling off some of the craziest champion picks in the game. Remember when Caps locked Vayne mid in the LEC? Yeah, G2 loves to experiment. They aren’t afraid to bring out unusual choices across all roles; whether it’s bot lane mages or off-meta top lane picks, G2’s drafts are as unpredictable as they are exciting.
Worlds 2024 start this Wednesday, Sept 25, with the Play-In stage. Don’t forget to lock in your Pick’Em choices before the deadline, and remember, anything can happen at Worlds. So trust your gut, and enjoy the last tournament of the season.
