FlyQuest losing to Korean champs HLE has actually revived NA’s long-dead LoL hopes

It may not make complete sense on the surface, but reigning LCS champions FlyQuest losing 1–2 to Korean juggernauts Hanwha Life Esports on Friday has been chalked up as a huge win for the North American League of Legends community — especially considering the drought it broke.

There's several reasons to celebrate the three-game loss, including the fact that FlyQuest's second-game victory broke a 1,089-day drought at Worlds; NA had last beaten an LPL or LCK team in October 2021. Back then, championship hopefuls Team Liquid knocked off Korea's Gen.G in the group stage, though tiebreakers later saw Gen.G escape groups over TL.

Perhaps more importantly though, FLY's performance has awoken something that's slumbered in the NA LoL community for most of the 2020s: Actual hope.

And so, outside a few of the more disappointed LoL fans who thought FlyQuest's fourth series at the 2024 World Championship was winnable — and arguably, it was at times — there's been a wave of freshly baked jubilation from the wider NA community heading into the final games.

There's one sentiment bubbling the top more than any other: "FLY can make it."

There's a few reasons why the tide of hope has risen up again, not least because FlyQuest pushed Hanwha Life to three games. In the maps themselves, FLY's roster played proactively and pushed the Korean champs around, at times even looking like they could close things out in style. Game one was one such instant, with a HLE Baron throw opening the door. FlyQuest couldn't take advantage of the opportunity once they made it, but made it they did.

The eager fans conceded the team "hasn't been stomping," but the matches have looked "genuinely competitive" whether it be stronger drafts, early game success, or even matching the eastern powerhouses through the lategame dances.

Some fans think they've figured out why everything's looking so good too: NA isn't trying to copy their eastern counterparts as much in 2024. Instead, they're playing strategies they've relied on throughout the year, and it's working well.

"A big part of what has been holding NA back is our insistence on meta-slaving at every international tournament," one ecstatic fan wrote. "Hopefully we learn from our small wins and build them up."

Others pointed to FlyQuest having as much a chance to make quarterfinals as Europe's best hope, G2 Esports, and on paper it's looking likely.

It's not going to be a walk in the park for the NA champions, but FlyQuest is definitely well-placed to book a quarterfinals spot this weekend. It all really boils down to who wins the lower bracket 1–2 matches and who losses the upper 2–1 battles.

In all likelihood, we'll see G2 (who face T1) as the last team to drop from the upper bracket; Dplus KIA already lost to Top Esports on the same day FLY dropped against HLE. Then, after saving their bacon in the lower bracket, most pundits would tip Weibo Gaming, TL, and Bilibili Gaming to emerge into Worlds 2024's last-chance qualifiers.

Having already played Dplus KIA in the second round, this gives FlyQuest a four-way draw between Bilibili, Weibo, G2, and LCS compatriots Liquid. Top Chinese seeds Bilibili would, of course, be a brutal final hurdle, but there's a 75% FLY dodge them. That's then only helped on by the fact Liquid and G2 have already played Weibo — China's fourth-seed could drop into FlyQuest's lap should they be drawn against the other western teams in the seedings.

There's always the chance there's upsets too, with any underdogs like Fnatic, GAM Esports, or PSG Talon even easier prey for FlyQuest in the fifth round. T1 dropping into the lower bracket from the G2 vs. T1 epic would be the only truly bad result, outside the expected troubles from the LPL.

And anyway, NA has hope again, so all this fixture planning and match-up predicting means little. LCS fans have agreed they're happy for FLY to get anyone; "they can win against anyone on their day."

Stick around on esports.gg for more Worlds 2024 news and updates.