3 Key Takeaways from HLE vs Fly Quest: What We Learned

The routine proceedings for Korean powerhouse HLE nearly transformed into the most significant upset of Worlds. In the initial two games of the matchup, Fly Quest had a strong chance to secure a series sweep and advance to the knockout stages of the tournament, but ultimately fell short.

Here are 3 important lessons that the series has taught us:

1. Yasuo is not a one-for-one replacement for Yone

After winning game 1, Zeka locked in Nightbringer Yasuo, an ode to Pzzang, Korea's, and arguably the world's greatest Yasuo solo queue player it was clear that HLE wanted to experiment in game 2.

It's fair to say that this pick needs to be put back in the box as he is significantly less forgiving than Yone.

Yasuo thrives in split-pushing scenarios after dominating lane, where he can easily take 1v1's against his counterpart, but when his counterpart is an exceptionally wide Bwipo on Olaf, and HLE were not significantly ahead at any moment to 1-3-1, the pick was rendered useless.

Yasuo has a specific role in the competitive scene, particularly in counter-pick scenarios against Gnar and more recently against Aurora (who ideally should not be included in drafts, but we will address this later). Let's not misunderstand the significance of Yasuo's presence in certain situations.

Yasuo has emerged victorious in his past 4 matches in the top lane against those specific champions. However, he has not managed to win any games in the top 4 leagues while playing in the mid lane since Damwon's Showmaker went up against FearX almost two months ago. This particular match was widely expected to end in favor of DK.

The damage meters speak for itself. Aside from the support roles, it performed at the bottom of the pile. Let's dive into why this occurred.

Exhibit A.

While the encounter with Yasuo did not result in a kill, it foreshadowed future events. Leona initiated with Solar Flare followed by Nunu's snowball. This forced Yasuo to use his flash. Had Yone been chosen instead, he could have effortlessly used Fate Sealed to escape after the crowd control was applied.

Exhibit B.

Fly deserves credit for having a strategy in place: targeting Yasuo. This approach proved to be successful, with Olaf, immune to crowd control, swiftly taking down Zeka's Yasuo in a move reminiscent of the previous play.

2. No team has a complete understanding of the meta this Worlds, play what you’re good at, and ban Yone/ Aurora

It's unfortunate that red side bans need to be structured to ban both Yone and Aurora to be competitive. Given Auroa and Yone's win rates exceeding 70% and their presence rates of 100% and 94%, it seems more practical to ban these champions instead of trying to counter them with alternative picks.

This. Every draft. For the remainder of the tournament. Sorry red side!

Other than these two highly contested picks (which should definitely be permanently banned for the remainder of the tournament), it is evident that every team is still exploring the meta and determining the most effective strategies that complement their team dynamics and capitalize on their strengths.

Up to now, we have witnessed Sylas maintaining a 100% win rate in 4 games, Galio being utilized as a response to Rumble, and even Gen.G surprising everyone by picking Twitch, who proved to be unstoppable against HLE, as they had no way to counter it.

As the Worlds moves towards best of 5 matches, a clearer meta will develop, accompanied by changing 'mini metas' throughout the bo5 series, certain picks taking precedence in specific games, with some players sharing an overlap in champion pools.

3. Draft like the West to beat the East

How does one define the 'metagame?' Most efficient tactic available? A game beyond the game? Both definitions carry some significance when describing it.

Let's discuss the most efficient tactic available, which is not the acronym for meta, but helps us solidify its meaning.

Will the most effective strategy for Gen.G be identical to that of a Western team? In short, no. This is due to the distinct strengths that each top team from different regions possesses. If a Western team were to copy an Eastern team's draft, they would constantly lag behind, merely imitating. To put it differently, it would be akin to attempting to outperform a Jurgen Klopp team with Gegenpress or Guardiola with Tiki-Taka football.

Speaking on Euro League two days ago, Nukeduck digressed that Fly had not 'scrimmed against any LCK or LPL teams,' but had 'unique strategies planned.'

We saw this in game two when Fly put Inspired onto the Nunu, a Worlds 2024 first for the champion, and executed the pick to significant success.

HLE dedicated Zyra's ultimate ability to secure the baron, but the risk did not yield the desired outcome. Fly maintained control over the baron and successfully snatched it using Nunu's Chomp and smite, swiftly depleting its health from 2100 hp. This unexpected play completely shifted the momentum in game 2 in their favor.

Shortly after securing the buff for the second time with improved recalls from Baron, Inspired prevents Zeka from teleporting after he and Viper exchange Fly's tier 2 towers for Baron. This play, which would not have been possible for most champions but for a few like Hecarim, enables Bwipo to claim a tier 2 turret for Fly.

The crucial aspect of this play is Zeka's necessity to use flash to survive with the dragon soul team fight looming ahead. Fly Quest ultimately secures the dragon soul without any contention.

In contrast, game 3 illustrated the reasons why Western teams should avoid drafting like their Eastern counterparts.

Vi has won 1 out of 6 games when chosen by Western teams, compared to 5 wins out of 8 when selected by Eastern teams. Circling back to the original point, to have the best chance of beating the East, draft like the West.

Unresolved Questions

The million-dollar question has to be: is the East/West gap closing?

Unfortunately, this game alone is insufficient to reach a definite conclusion. However, it is clear that the Western teams will not go quietly into the night. Even though HLE holds the position of Korea's first seed, they are not considered the strongest team from the region, as Gen.G is favored to win the World Championship.

BLG, China's top seed, has also struggled at the beginning. Therefore, it may not be ideal to rely on best-of-one or best-of-three formats to provide a conclusive answer to this question.

Is Fly capable of defeating an Eastern team at this World Championship?

Although not being favorites in any matchup at worlds against Eastern teams, this series has taught us that they are absolutely capable of causing an upset. I do believe that Fly is the second-best team representing the West and that is something to be excited about.