The League of Legends S15 World Championship knockout stage will start in one day. Riot recently announced a revision to the semifinal timetable: the upper bracket semifinals, initially scheduled for November 1st, were postponed to the 2nd, and the lower bracket semifinals moved up to the 1st. The intention was to prevent the AL vs. T1 winner from playing consecutive BO5 series. Riot’s decision instantly provoked fury, with viewers agreeing that Riot is biased towards T1.

Because T1’s quarterfinal match was placed on the very last day, even though it was possible to adjust the timing between T1 and AL, Riot insisted on swapping the semifinal dates. After this announcement, Riot’s official account was flooded with comments, with countless players questioning: Is T1 Riot’s golden child? A team that has never beaten LPL or LCK opponents is given the last day slot just to allow them more time to prepare? What’s the logic behind this scheduling?

To be fair, Riot’s scheduling does seem to favor T1. Since AL qualified for the quarterfinals on the 17th, they have had a long rest period. If their match is on the 31st, that’s nearly half a month off. With such a long break, if their hands get cold or they lose form, they might really struggle against T1. But Riot’s arrangement is clearly for viewership, as T1’s popularity at Worlds far surpasses other teams.

Besides the schedule change, Riot also recently shared player, team, and champion statistics from the Swiss round. Let’s take a look: Xin Zhao was the most picked champion, appearing 21 times. Poppy’s ban rate surpassed that of Azir, topping the list with 33 bans. Among champions with over 10 appearances, Master Yi had the highest win rate at 73.3%, while Lillia had the lowest at only 25%.

Regarding team data, Top Esports and PSG showed the most aggressive play. HLE defeated 100 Thieves in just 24 minutes and 50 seconds, setting the fastest win time in this Swiss round. The team with the highest dragon control was CFO, securing 26 dragons, while T1 led in Baron control with 7 Barons taken. Finally, the team with the highest total kills was MKOI, with 145 kills.

For player stats, BDD topped with a 14.75 KDA. Faker led in damage conversion across all roles and ranked first in mid-lane damage. It’s clear that T1 is still relying heavily on veterans. Recently, “Old Lee” has been on fire. Meanwhile, “Little Lu Bu,” T1’s AD carry, leads in damage conversion and damage share. Previously, T1’s dual carry stats were not very impressive, but since Doran joined, these two players’ potential has truly been unleashed.

The Swiss round solo kill and being solo killed rankings are probably what everyone is most curious about. However, this year’s top player for being solo killed might disappoint some, because the most solo killed player is not Bin, but Little Lu Bu. He was solo killed five times, ranking first across all roles. Bin was only solo killed three times, tied for second with FLY’s mid laner and VKS’s support. Still, Bin remains the most solo killed top laner.

This Swiss round’s solo kill king is Supa, MKOI’s bot laner playing Vayne, who achieved 6 solo kills. Left Hand and Bwipo both had 4 solo kills, tied for second place. In mid and top lane, Zeus is truly world-class, leading in damage per minute, damage share, and kill assists for his role. Compared to him, Bin looks a bit awkward, leading in creep score per minute and wave push rate but ranking low in damage conversion and damage share.

Conclusion:

It’s actually reasonable that Riot scheduled T1’s match on the last day of the quarterfinals, as the 31st falls on a Friday and coincides with Halloween abroad, so many people have time to watch. AL has rested for a long time, but playing later also allows them to observe how earlier teams draft, which can be an advantage.

What do you think about Little Lu Bu becoming the most solo killed player?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!