MEET THE TEAMS

Afreeca Freecs rebranded from Rebels Anarchy at the tail end of 2015 and have spent the last couple of years building up a menace of a roster. The puzzle pieces came together this year, when the squad earned themselves a pair of top three finishes in both the Spring and Summer LCK Splits. After KT Rolster did them the favor of capturing their first LCK crown, the Freecs were locked in as Korea’s second seed heading into Worlds 2018. They’re well known as one of the most explosive teams in Korea, favoring carry-heavy lineups that allow them to play through their superstar top laner Kiin. If they can reach their sky high potential, the Freecs have the firepower to take down any opponent, any time.

Royal Never Give Up has shown astounding dominance this year. They have won all the tournaments they entered in 2018, including the LPL Spring and Summer Splits, Rift Rivals, and the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational. Since establishing the team in 2015, RNG have represented LPL at Worlds all three years, with the best result of top four. Now there is nothing but only one final target remains – the championship of Worlds 2018.

Invictus Gaming was established in August 2011 and the team was one of the initial contenders in the first LPL Spring Split that took place in 2013. While the team's roster underwent various changes in the past five years, iG have never stopped moving forward. The current roster has several iconic players, including Rookie and Jackeylove. Mid laner Rookie is currently the most experienced active Korean player in the LPL region, winning MVP for both the Spring and Summer 2018 LPL Splits. Jackeylove is currently the icon of Chinese ADCs and his growth this year has helped him become one of the most stable damage outputs on the team. While iG haven't been to Worlds since 2015, their strong roster and new head coach, Coach Kim Jungsu, will look for significant results this time around.

Edward Gaming debuted in the 2014 LPL Spring Split. The one and only goal of EDG ever since the beginning was to become champions. They won the 2014 LPL Spring and Summer Splits, the 2015 LPL Spring Split, the 2016 and 2017’s Summer Split, and on top of all that, they have yet to miss a single World Championship. Apart from participating in four Worlds, they were also the winner of the first Mid-Season Invitational in 2015, achieving the first international victory for China. As one of the veteran teams in the LPL, their top tier competitiveness has never declined despite changes in their roster. This year, the performance of EDG in the LPL has experienced ups and downs, as they did not choose to hire any superstars. However, against all odds, they defeated both JD Gaming and Rogue Warriors in the LPL Regional Qualifier to ultimately punch yet another ticket to Worlds. This young team is fierce and EDG is ready to make history once again.

KaBuM made history in Brazil in 2018: by winning CBLoL’s Winter Split, they became the first Brazilian that will represent the country twice in the World Championship. KaBuM also won the Summer Split and represented Brazil at this year's Mid-Season Invitational. The team’s playstyle values organized and disciplined games over individual greatness, but that's not say they don't have stars like TitaN and dyNquedo. KaBuM is going to Korea three weeks in advance to get the most out of the World Championship -- will that training be enough to get them to achieve something as epic as the victory against Alliance in 2014 (remember “;This is for KaBuM!”;)?

Gambit Esports, once the scariest team in the West, blew up the LCL by building the most star-studded lineup in the history of the league. Trying to make a splash at the World Championship, this will be the fourth trip to Worlds for Diamondprox, third for PvPStejos, Kira and EDward, and even Lodik debuted internationally at this year's Mid-Season Invitational. Calculated and able to perform under pressure, Gambit Esports will be prepared to face off against nearly any opponent.

DetonatioN FocusMe is notorious for earning 1st place in the LJL regular season but coming up short in the Playoffs. In their fourth successive Finals appearance, Detonation FocusMe finally earned their first LJL Championship, and a trip to Worlds, by defeating Unsold Stuff Gaming 3-1. This will be the first World Championship for each player on DFM aside from Evi who attended with Rampage in 2017. The team is excited to make it this far and represent Japan on the international stage.

Infinity Esports has proven to be an exemplary organization. The team has been to three straight Finals in their region, losing the first two against Rainbow7, the iconic representative in the Latin America North. Now, for the first time in the region’s history, there's a new champion to represent LLN at Worlds. Coming off their historic win, Infinity will look to leverage their momentum at Worlds for the first time ever. Led by their experienced Peruvian star Arce in the support role, the team has a calculated style and is also likely to shine in the jungle with SolidSnake, as well as in the bot lane with their ADC, Renyu, who quickly became the LLN's Rookie of the Year.

Kaos Latin Gamers have dominated the South American scene for the past year. They achieved their third championship in a row and are now returning to Worlds. The red rhinos showed strong play at the Mid-Season Invitational, and their current roster has been together for a long time, further cementing their synergy. Kaos Latin Gamers' passionate spirit runs through their aggressive jungler, Tierwulf, and much of their success will rest on his shoulders. But other teams shouldn't take any of KLG lightly. Mid laner Plugo also has vast international experience and can carry his team with his versatile playstyle.

Bahçeşehir SuperMassive is one of the TCL’s most successful teams in recent years. Since 2016 when the team was founded, they’ve managed to make it to every single Finals in the Turkish Championship League. Despite their consistent performance, they had never won the Turkish Grand Finals. This year, Korean players GBM and SnowFlower helped SuperMassive break this curse. Beating Royal Bandits with a score of 3-1 in Finals, SUP earned the right to compete in the Worlds for the first time in the team’s history.

Ascension Gaming showed strong performances in Southeast Asia's new competitive format this year. They went 6-0 in the Group Stage and sealed a trip to Worlds with a 3-0 against MEGA Esports in the Finals. Despite changes in the region’s competitive landscape, Ascension Gaming continues their dominance by making small changes to their roster. With the addition of Russian AD Carry, Niksar, the team was able to move Lloyd to the jungle and cover their weaknesses in bot lane. The team is now stronger than ever, with stable players in all lanes, and a more aggressive playstyle. If a game against Ascension is prolonged, expect a fearsome team fight!

Phong Vũ Buffalo ascended to the top in the inaugural season of the Vietnam Championship Series. With the core of old Young Generation, in mid laner Naul and bot laner BigKoro, and the help of star top laner Zeros, PVB became tournament favorites early on. PVB lead the league in kills per game and second least deaths per game. Not just gaining advantage through kills, their vision control is also impeccable thanks to Palette, the best vision centric support the league has ever seen. In the VCS Summer Finals, they took down Cube Adonis who went from last place in Spring to first place in Summer. As the team representing Vietnam, Phong Vũ Buffalo is hungry to prove they’re a threat with their eyes fixed on a deep Worlds run.