LoL Worlds 2024 Swiss, TL vs GAM: Striking back in style

A loss here is disastrous. The losers are out of the League of Legends World Championship 2024 (LoL Worlds 2024) — the tournament is over, so go home and enjoy the Knockout stage via the livestream. 

A win here is a hope for great opportunities ahead. Team Liquid players certainly want to prove their power after the disappointment in the regional split. They also have a chance to prove the potential of the North American LoL on the international scene. GAM Esports players carry the hope of Vietnam on their shoulders. They had a chance to be a minor-region team at the main stage of Worlds 2024.

The match Team Liquid vs GAM Esports was intense and exciting! Watch the TL vs GAM stream here, check out the live score, read a brief recap, and discover some extra details.

The League of Legends Worlds 2024 elimination match between Team Liquid and GAM Esports happened on Oct. 12. The TL vs GAM stream is embedded below. These teams played right after the first match of the day: Fnatic vs Weibo Gaming (FNC vs WBG).

Here are the game-to-game results of this best-of-three match between Team Liquid and GAM Esports. Details on picked and banned LoL Champions are below.

It was a series of contrasts. GAM Esports had an absolutely great Game 1. They did everything right: from the draft picks to the fight positioning. The hope for the Vietnamese League of Legends was so real after that. But then, Team Liquid got a few super early kills in Game 2, and that allowed them to snowball incredibly fast. They totally destroyed their opponents. In Game 3, the situation repeated itself, even if with less intensity. Team Liquid played so well that there were few chances for GAM to respond.

Team Liquid won the match to remain in the LoL Worlds 2023 — at least for the final matches of the Swiss stage. On Oct. 13, they face FlyQuest.

GAM Esports are out of the tournament.

GAM Esports looked like a team with better coordination. Their pushes were less costly and more effective. They positioned themselves pretty cleverly across the map to get gold and develop their champions. Jax of Kiaya and Vi of Levi were such a great link!

Team Liquid earned something as well. All six Voidgrubs were on their side. TL secured a Dragon. In the mid-game, they tried to slow down the pace to compensate for the opponents’ advantage. It didn't really work, as GAM players were pretty fed to win team fights relatively easily.

There were some good opportunities for Team Liquid as well, especially when GAM Esports overstepped and lost key members at the fight start. But GAM recovered from that effectively, securing even more objectives and denying them for TL. Even when Team Liquid got Baron, they lost the immediate fight after that, with only one surviving TL player.

At some point, GAM found themselves in a bad position. They lost only one team fight, but thanks to Voidgrubs, TL managed to get two turrets and the bot Inhibitor. 

The response from GAM Esports was quick. When Team Liquid risked starting Baron again, GAM killed four of them, marched to their base, and destroyed their Nexus. It’s one point for the Vietnamese team!

Team Liquid started with early aggression this time. They had five kills to nothing at around minute 7. Partially, that became possible due to an overstepped attack by GAM. 

The advantage grew bigger for TL. They got six Voidgrubs, a Dragon, Herald, and a 6k gold advantage at minute 15. GAM Esports players were losing team fights even if they had good positioning and an upper hand.

With such a massive power on their side, Team Liquid secured an early Baron and quickly destroyed GAM’s Nexus. This looked like an easy win for TL.

Again, TL tried to get an early advantage with an aggressive offense, but GAM Esports decided to fight back. Both teams got their kills and gold. Team Liquid weren’t snowballing their power as quickly as in Game 2, but they still were substantially ahead.

Thanks to many very brave plays, GAM did not let TL get too much. Fights that looked like a total win for Team Liquid, turned out to be trades instead. GAM’s victories were still limited — temporarily denying TL’s Baron at max.

Team Liquid reached the unstoppable level a bit later than in the previous game, but with the same result. They destroyed the Nexus and eliminated GAM Esports from the League of Legends World Championship 2024.

Many positive things can be said about participation in a LoL World Championship after being eliminated from it. This experience is immensely valuable, and it helps the players get better in the future. The team has learned a lot about communication and competing under pressure. It is simply fun to be on such a big stage among the best LoL teams. Still, no one really thinks about these positives. Everybody wants to win and battle for the title. Elimination is a bitter disaster.

For Team Liquid and GAM Esports, the risk of elimination was very real in Round 4 of the LoL Worlds 2024 Swiss stage. One is out of the tournament. The winning team continues battling — and many unique chances are a reward for these players.

TL won the Spring 2024 split of the LoL Championship Series (LCS), but they did not have the same success at the LCS Summer 2024. FlyQuest defeated them back then, and it’s a chance for TL to prove that was an accident. 

North American LoL esports teams are not considered the strongest in the world. Team Liquid finished 5th-6th at the Mid-Season Invitational 2024 (MSI 2024). They absolutely need this chance to prove that their whole region is a viable competitor at such a huge event as the League of Legends World Championship 2024. The only win for Team Liquid before the match vs GAM was against paiN Gaming from Brazil.

GAM confidently dominate the Vietnam Championship Series (VCS). They won six previous splits, which is quite an achievement. But beyond that… GAM players are known for the ability to unexpectedly defeat big teams from the major regions. The match vs Team Liquid was exactly such a chance. Moreover, it wa a chance to remain in the battle for the Knockout qualification. They already eliminated MAD Lions KOI. They had a nice chance for another GAM time...

The final set of the Swiss stage matches happens on Oct. 13. Three more teams will advance to the LoL Worlds 2024 Knockout stage after that. The Playoffs start on Oct. 17 — there will be four tournament days with four quarter-finals. For all League of Legends news and updates, stick around on esports.gg!