The Importance of Worlds: FLY Bwipo speaks on fighting for bye advantage
"Not making it to Worlds and making it to Worlds, very big difference."
The World Championship is the pinnacle of professional League of Legends. For a large number of pro players across the globe, there is nothing that quite rivals Worlds in importance.
In an exclusive interview with Strafe Esports, FLY Bwipo discussed what securing that first-round bye would have meant for him, as the importance of qualifying for Worlds.
A coveted first-round bye
With their loss to Cloud9 on the last day of the season, FLY dropped to 3rd place and will have to take the long way round if they want to qualify for the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, as the top two teams in the league were granted a bye in the first round of the bracket.
On how important the difference between finishing 2nd and finishing 3rd was in terms of getting that first-round bye, Bwipo was quick to express just how much that bye would have meant for him.
"I mean, obviously, if you feel like you’re the favorite for winning, being able to qualify immediately for Worlds is always a relief, you know? I’ve played a few Best-of-Fives’ where it determines whether you go to Worlds or not.
As much as winning the championship matters, there’s a load of stress in that specific Bo5. Avoiding that Bo5 is a huge win, so if you get the bye and then you go straight to the top 3 so you don’t have to worry about missing Worlds, I do think it matters."
The Importance of Worlds
While the LCS trophy is a coveted treasure for any League of Legends player, nothing quite compares to the World Championship.
"At the end of the day, the difference between making Worlds and not making Worlds is, in my opinion, larger than winning the split or losing in finals or semis I guess, yeah.
If you make it to Worlds, regardless, you’re still gonna be playing professional for the next two months, you know? If you don’t, you’re going home. So, a huge difference, in my opinion.
Whereas, if you win the LCS or not, obviously it’s a huge achievement, I don’t wanna downplay winning the LCS, I just, you know, as a person rather than a player, there’s such a big difference in participating in a World Championship event and not going."
Bwipo confessed that Worlds is a unique experience, and one which helps you grow as both a player and a person.
"There’s so much learning, you get to play against the best competition in the world, right? So, it gives you so much opportunity to learn and grow as a player, and also as a person, cause usually it’s stressful as hell. So, not making it to Worlds and making it to Worlds, very big difference."
In 2018, Fnatic reached the Grand Finals of Worlds, finishing 2nd place behind Invictus Gaming. Credit: LoL EsportsTo find out whether Bwipo and Flyquest manage to qualify for Worlds, make sure you don't miss all of the LCS Championship action starting this Saturday (August 17th).
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Image source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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