Though the KeSPA Cup rages on, another huge tournament is set to begin in Xi’an. The Demacia Championship 2018 (also known as the Demacia Cup 2018 Winter), will bring together the top teams in China in a battle of the best. In this article, we’ll break down all the important things you need to know about this tournament, from where to watch, who’s playing, and even what team you should be paying attention to.









Qualification





The Demacia Championship features 8 teams fresh off the Chinese competitive circuit. The top four teams of the LPL 2018 Summer Playoffs qualify, from RNG, Invictus Gaming, JD Gaming, and Rogue Warriors. The next three spots go to the top teams from the NEST 2018, which occurred in mid November. Those teams are JD Gaming, Topsports Gaming, and Rogue Warriors, but as JDG and RW have already qualified through their LPL placements, the next two spots were given to Suning and EDward Gaming, based off of their LPL playoffs results. The final seed of the tournament was given to the winners of the LDL 2018, SinoDragon, who have just qualified into the LPL 2019 off their LDL win.





Top 4 teams from LPL 2018 Summer Playoffs

● RNG

● Invictus Gaming

● JD Gaming

● Rogue Warriors





Top 3 teams from NEST 2018

● Topsports Gaming

● Suning *

● EDward Gaming *





Winner of the LDL 2018 Grand Finals

● SinoDragon





*:As Rogue Warriors and JD Gaming had already acquired their spots through their LPL 2018 Playoffs performance, the spots were given to the next teams that performed well in the LPL 2018 Playoffs and NEST 2018, Suning and EDward Gaming, so as to prevent double seeding.





Format and Schedule





Featuring a double elimination bracket after initial seeding, the tournament will take place over four days. The 8 teams will engage in a Bo1 seeding game, with the winners advancing to Round 1 of the Winners bracket and the losers dropping to Round 1 of the Losers bracket. From there on out, each game will be a Bo3 until the Grand Finals, which will be a Bo5.





Of note, it should be said that the teams in the Winners bracket will only need to win 2 Bo3’s to advance to the grand final, whereas the initial Losers bracket teams will need to win 4 Bo3’s without dropping to make it to the grand finals. By seeding, the Losers vs Losers games will take place in Rounds 1 and 3, so expect the big upset matches to happen in Rounds 2 and 4, as the Winners brackets teams be taking their second chances against teams they may have already defeated.





The games will happen over the course of 4 days, starting 12/20/2018, and ending on 12/23/2018. Common time zones have been included below, alongside a link that converts into your local timezone.





12/20 CST Round 1 (Bo1)

● A1 - iG vs SNG - 12:10 CST / 5:10AM CET / 8:10 PM PST

● A2 - RW vs SDG - 13:25 CST / 6:25AM CET / 9:25PM PST on 12/19

● B1 - JDG vs TOP - 14:40 CST / 7:40AM CET / 10:40PM PST on 12/19

● B2 - RNG vs EDG - 15:50CST / 8:50AM CET / 11:50PM PST on 12/19





12/20 CST Bracket (Bo3)



Losers

● Loser of A1 vs A2 - 17:05 CST / 10:05AM CET / 1:05AM PST on 12/20

● Loser of B1 vs B2 - 20:30 CST / 1:30PM CET / 4:30AM PST on 12/20





12/21 CST Round 2 Winners (Bo3)

● Winner of A1 vs Winner of A2 - 10:50 CST / 3:50AM CET / 6:50PM PST on 12/20

● Winner of B1 vs Winner of B2 - 14:15 CST / 7:15AM CET / 10:15PM PST on 12/20





Round 2 Losers (Bo3)



● Match 1 - 17:45 CST / 10:45 AM CET / 1:45 AM PST on 12/21

● Match 2 - 21:15 CST / 2:15PM CET / 5:15AM PST





12/22 CST Round 3 Winners (Bo3)

● Match 1 - 12:50 CST / 5:50AM CET / 8:50PM PST on 12/21





Round 3 Losers (Bo3)

● Match 1 - 16:15 CST / 9:15 AM CET / 12:15 AM PST on 12/22





Round 4 Losers (Bo3)

● Match 1 - 19:45 CST / 12:45PM CET / 3:45AM PST on 12/22





12/23 CST Grand Finals (Bo5)

● Game 1 - 16:00 CST / 9:00 AM CET / 12:00 midnight PST on 12/23





Where to Watch





As of the writing of this article, there is no official English commentary stream of the Demacia Cup 2018. You can watch this event live at

● lpl.qq.com

● douyu.com





Who to Watch





With eight teams participating, it can seem a bit daunting to pick a favorite team to root for, though it can be tempting to fall back on the old fan favorites (looking at you, Invictus Gaming and RNG). That said, there have been a few roster changes coming into this event, so let’s break down the teams one by one before we get to the matches to give a broader picture of what to expect.





Invictus Gaming





● Top - Duke

● Jungle - Ning

● Mid - Rookie

● ADC - Jackeylove

● Sup - Baolan





Currently the reigning World Champions, all eyes are on this team to see if they can continue their momentum after a spectacular. Despite remaining in RNG’s shadow for much of the duration of 2018, it was iG that proved they were the best when the chips were down. Of note, TheShy is not currently slated to start, and we have yet to see if he will remain with iG or look elsewhere as no announcements have been made. In addition, iG are currently experimenting with head coaches, and Demacia Cup 2018 appears to be the testing ground. Though iG were invited to participate in NEST 2018 in mid November, they chose to forfeit their games to SNG, and did not participate in the tournament. It seems as though the fates had other ideas, though, as now the two teams are set meet once again the first round of the Demacia Cup, though SNG is bringing a very different roster to the table.





Suning





● Top - XiaoAL

● Jungle - H4cker

● Mid - Maple

● ADC - Smlz

● Sup - SwordArT





Retaining only two of their original 2018 members, SNG looks exciting through the raw talent their players possess. XiaoAL has been with SNG since the beginning of 2016, and 2018 saw his talent come to the forefront on a middling roster, as XiaoAL ended up one of the top 10 Man of the Matches in the Summer Splits, placed on the Weekly All Pro Team twice, and landed 2018 Summer All Pro team as the 2nd best top laner in the league.





Despite the threats present in the top lane, most attention will be on the bottom and middle of the map, with Maple and SwordArT joining the team from Flash Wolves, and Smlz joining from Rogue Warriors. By this point, most viewers should be familiar with Smlz’s silent but deadly approach, as one of the most talented ADC’s in the league provides enough skill to warrant consistent camping and shut downs. RW solved this problem by playing a mid/bottom centric style, around which they loudly declared their plays through Doinb and allowed Smlz the autonomy to operate either with or independant of his teammates. With Maple and SwordArT beside Smlz, we should expect a similar style to that of Doinb’s lightning fast play calls, with Smlz following in the blazing footsteps of Maple and SwordArT. Veteran SwordArT should be a strict upgrade to Killua, Smlz’s rookie support in 2018, and assuming the two find good synergy, this bottom lane could become one of the best in the world.





The only concern this team should have is how little play time they may have had together, as SNG only announced this full squad as recently as Dec 13. Though they may be talented, this squad will have a total of one week’s worth of scrim and play time, as compared to iG’s years of synergy building.





iG vs SNG Verdict : Watch it live.





This game is either going to be a complete shutdown, in which one of the two teams expertly dismantle the other through aggressive lane play transitioning, or a bloody brawl across the map translating into systematic targeting of either team’s weak points. SNG lack the long term synergy of iG, but their collective experience combined with the talent these players bring forth creates a potent cocktail of destruction. A lot of eyes are on SNG for 2019, and this is their debut.





Rogue Warriors





● Top - Jiangqiao (previously Betsy)

● Jungle - Xuzhu (Previously Bear)

● Mid - HuaTian (previously MaiX), KongMing (Tianqiu)

● ADC - Zwuji (previously L1ug)

● Sup - Killua





If these names look completely unfamiliar, it’s because Rogue Warriors have undergone the largest roster change up so far in the LPL, as we get closer to 2019. The only returning member of the roster is support Killua, who made his rookie debut as recent as Jan 2018. Now, this support seems to be expected to be the veteran of this squad of developing players. Here’s a quick rundown:





Zwuji is previously of SHEINOO, who placed 3rd/4th in Summer/Spring (respectively) of the LDL 2018 and didn’t qualify for the LDL 2019.





HuaTian is from Royal Club, who played 6th/5th in Summer/Spring (respectively) of the LDL 2018, and did not qualify for the LDL 2019.





Sub mid laner KongMing is previously of Shadow Cream, who placed 5th/2nd in Summer/Spring (respectively) of the LDL 2018, and did not qualify for the LDL 2019.





Xuzhu is from RW’s sister team, RW Shark, which placed 5th/6th in Summer/Spring (respectively) of the LDL 2018, and did not qualify for the LDL 2019.





Jiangqiao is previously of PRW Gaming, who placed 4th/5th in Summer/Spring (respectively) of the LDL 2018, and did not qualify for LDL 2019. Of note, Jiangqiao joined RW in Nov 2018, and played with their roster in NEST 2018, taking third place.





This is a lineup that doesn’t do much to inspire confidence in RW. Time will tell if they are able to develop in a dangerous squad, but LPL English commentator Raz speaks for the rest of us ‘armchair analysts’, as he has RW at 16th place in his preliminary LPL 2019 power rankings.





SinoDragon





● Top - Changhong

● Jungle - Xiaopeng

● Mid - Twila

● ADC - Gala

● Sup - Mark / Mitsuki





The LDL seed of the Demacia Cup, SinoDragon finds themselves looking across from many difficult opponents, including current World Champions Invictus Gaming. After round 1 against RW, this squad will find themselves against either iG or SNG, both of which bodes poorly for the young squad. Though not all hope is lost, as the team is without question, the best performing team in the LDL over 2018, going 12-2 in Spring, then 14-0 in Summer, before taking first place in the LDL 2018 Grand Finals. If you’re looking for a dark horse to surprise you with an upset over an established org, this is the team to do it - but their first challenge will be leaping the hurdle of either iG or SNG in Round 2.





RW vs SDG Verdict : Read the highlight thread.





RW are a hot mess after the 2018 roster swaps, and their prospects are looking very poor, coming into 2019. Of the 10 players participating in this match, one is an LPL veteran in RW.Killua, and he’s been playing only two splits at that. In addition, RW is composed of LDL rookies from four different LDL teams, and the best synergy on paper is from RW.Killua and RWS.XuZhu, who at least share the same RW organizational umbrella, though we don’t have much insight into how RW and RWS scrimmed with/against each other. Current forecasts heavily favor SDG to take this game.





JD Gaming





● Top - Zoom

● Jungle - Levi / Flawless / xiaohan

● Mid - Yagao

● ADC - Bvoy

● Sup - LvMao





JDG didn’t suffer as many changes as some other teams (looking at you, RW), and things seem to be looking up for JDG. Both Clid and LokeN are departing the roster, which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask. In the jungle, Levi and Flawless look to be upgrades over Clid, with Flawless joining from RW and Levi coming from NA LCS’s 100T, where he spent time with 100T’s academy team. Despite this, Levi has stage time in Worlds in 2017, Rift Rivals in 2018, and is well known in the VCS. With the Dumpling Brothers of Zoom and Yagao returning, the top half of JDG looks a veritable powerhouse. The biggest concern is with newcomer Bvoy, previously of Young Miracles in the LDL. Despite this being his big stage debut, Bvoy has played with Star Horn Royal Club since 2016, and YM since 2017, demonstrating a rare pedigree for rookie players. If he is able to see success on the stage with JDG, this squad could be a contender for the LPL in 2019, if not make a deep run in the Demacia Cup 2018.





Topsports Gaming





● Top-Moyu/369

● Jungle - Xx

● Mid - Knight9

● ADC - LokeN / QiuQiu

● Sup-Ben/Cat





The most important change to TOP going into the Demacia Cup will be their addition of Knight9 to the roster. The team had been struggling to find a consistent carry throughout the LPL 2018 Summer Split, and in such an important mid lane meta, their constant rotating mid lane/jungle left the team scrambling to find a solid 5 man line-up. TOP struggled against the 2 import rule, as MaRin was a clear upgrade over Moyu, and keeping him on the squad meant the loss of either Karin or Ggoong, who were instrumental in TOP wins. The loss of MaRin in 2019 will hurt the squad, but the rotating roster problem has finally been solved, leaving a solid two ADC/SUP’s for the squad to choose from, and a flexible toplane in 369 (previously of the LDL) and Moyu, allowing room for both to push each other and grow. TOP now have cleared their path to success of any notorious roadblocks, and the only thing remaining to be seen is whether or not they will actually grow.





JDG vs TOP Verdict : Catch the VoD.





While both of these teams demonstrate a lot of potential, this isn’t a must-see match, as least if you have to go out of your way to catch it live. The Yagao vs Knight rivalry should be quite entertaining, as this game will be the first chance for us to see Knight return to the stage since LPL Spring, and it was largely Yagao and Knight’s feud that fueled what was the JDG vs SNG rivalry of Spring 2018. Attention should also be payed to the Top and Jungle, as Zoom has consistenly gotten the better of Moyu. Add in Levi/Flawless’s aggression, and TOP’s top half of the map could be in trouble. Bottom lane is largely a debut matchup for both squads, so expect slow play if LokeN/Ben premiere for TOP. This matchup will be decided by Mid/Jungle/Top spillover.





RNG





● Top - Letme

● Jungle - Karsa / Mlxg

● Mid - Xiaohu

● ADC - Uzi

● Sup - Ming





Oh, RNG. You were so close. This was the Golden Year, this was the closest thing in League of Legends history to a perfect run. To clarify, as of the writing of this article, RNG have won every single tournament they have participated in since LPL 2018 Spring, with the exception of one agonizing black and grey, Samurai shaped stain on their record. This team was the best of the best, until October 20th, when their Worlds run was cut short. Since that falling, RNG have been absent, almost as if in self imposed exile. Now, we’re left asking how the team has spent those two months, as the same 6 man squad is finally stepping back into the spotlight.





EDward Gaming





● Top - Ray

● Jungle - Haro

● Mid - Scout

● ADC - iboy

● Sup - Meiko





Previously the monolithic empire of the LPL, EDG are looking to enter their third era, though are struggling to find the footing. On paper, they’ve got raw talent in spades, the experience of champions, and organizational backing that would make TSM blush. On the rift, though, they’ve struggled to convert success far more than should be expected. This roster constantly struggles in the mid game, as more important objectives start spawning to pull their attention elsewhere. That said, if the team is given a clear early game advantage and find themselves against some of the more defenseless teams in the LPL, EDG are one of the best at converting clear vision play into objectives, creating an oppressive and choking playstyle that blinds opponents and nullifies counter play. The challenge of this playstyle, is that it forces the enemy team to make a blind haymaker to come back in to the match - and despite EDG being well aware of this, they constantly get caught by middling teams striking wildly and randomly, and extending games longer than need be. This strategy has been played by EDG for years.





EDG struggle with this strategy against better teams, and the course of 2018 has shown us many clear game plans that effectively deny EDG’s vision choking strategy. iG’s lane kingdom prevent EDG from ever getting an eye on the jungler, which stymies any progress as they hemorrhage one objective after the next. RNG’s raw skill ceiling put all of the incentive on one star player for EDG to step up and create an opening for map pressure and vision, and all too often that falls onto Scout’s doubled-edged shoulders. Though iboy is a spectacular player, he hasn’t quite been tempered by the organization just yet, and his overzealous challenges sometimes lead to the downfall of the entire play-setup of EDG.





Despite their seed into NEST 2018, EDG sent their Youth Team, and the main roster did not appear. The Youth team was eliminated by RW’s fractured roster, 0-2. In addition, Clearlove

will not be playing in the Demacia Cup, citing lack of high level performance. Could we finally be approaching the Clearlove-less future that seems to hang over everyone’s heads?





El Classico - RNG vs EDG Verdict : Watch it live.





This is a no brainer. EDG practically ran the LPL from their entry in 2014, and despite a brief stutter to LGD in Summer 2015, have maintained dominance until 2017. With their restructuring coming into 2017 and 2018, the power vacuum has been filled by RNG, and 2018 saw RNG muscle EDG completely out of the picture. Similarly, EDG’s losses at international events have left even more doubts as to their capabilities. There is only so much more leeway we can give this organization before EDG stop entering the conversation of ‘best teams in the LPL’.





That said, there is a conversation to be had about the ceilings that these teams can reach. Clearly, RNG had one of the best performances of 2018, Worlds aside. EDG have had spectacular performances in one-off games that inspire confidence, but their lack of consistency in these showings leaves much to be desired. Should both teams come in swinging at a 10, this could be an excellent Bo1 to keystone the end of the 2018 year.





When watching, keep your eyes peeled to the Uzi vs iboy matchup, as both are exceptionally talented ADC’s flanked by spectacular supports. iboy has been longing to prove himself as the new generation of Chinese AD Carries, and Uzi is the greatest obstacle blocking his path. In the mid lane, Scout’s best games give Rookie a run for his money, but his average and below average performances create a power vacuum that could fit an elephant (or a 6 stack Cho’Gath), and lets not forget how talented The Little Tiger Xiaohu is at taking advantage of a passive opponent. In the jungle, though Haro has started to embrace his potential, he still seems to be a long way for doing what Clearlove used to do for EDG, and again, RNG have both Karsa and Mlxg, who have taken advantage of Haro multiple times prior. Ray and Letme looks to be evenly matched, but knowing both teams have a propensity to early skirmishes and brawls on the bottom half of the map leaves plenty of room for either side to look at either a utility/tank top laner or even a carry, if recent KeSPA Cup games are any indicator. Draft will be an exciting affair.





The Demacia Cup looks to be a thrilling tournament, set to cap off the 2018 year and usher in the new era of 2019. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates!

















Written by Dom 'Dom' Roemer, @DomRoemer