The critical player matchups for the 'League of Legends' Worlds Quarterfinals

And then there were eight. The World Championships group stages have finished and now the best eight teams are on their way to Chicago for the quarterfinals. The format switches to best-of-5 at this point, and once a team loses those three games, they are out of the competition.

All of the squads that made it to this point obviously have a lot of talent, but here are the key player match-ups to watch in the quarters. Whether they’re a meeting of legends or rising stars, these are the positions that will be the most exciting.

1. Bang (SK Telecom T1) vs Uzi (Royal Never Give Up)

This is the battle of the best. AD carry is a central role on any team, and both of these organizations have storied players in the position. Depending on who you ask, either Bang or Uzi could vie for the unofficial title of ‘world’s best ADC,’ and even on an off-day, they’ll crush just about anyone who would dare to challenge them.

Which means the drafting stage is sure to be especially interesting in this part of the bracket. Champions such as Ezreal, Caitlyn, and Sivir have been strong power picks for both players, but with the switch to a best-of-5 format in the quarterfinals, the odds increase for some unusual pocket picks to debut. This match-up, which some predicted to be a likely meeting in the grand finals, promises to be explosive no matter what.

2. Peanut (ROX Tigers) vs Clearlove (Edward Gaming)

The jungle will be where its at in this game, with two of the world’s best facing off in the position. Clearlove has leveled up in a big way this year, making more consistent and strategic plays that ever with the Edward Gaming team. He’s proven that he’s not a one-trick on Gragas, showing off several jungle champs through the group stages with equal finesse. Clearlove is also the shot-caller for EDG, making him all the more critical in the team’s performance. When he’s on, EDG is also on.

Peanut will certainly be keeping Clearlove on his toes, though. The ROX jungler has the reputation as one of the most aggressive in the role. He’s already pulled off some massive Baron steals and clutch ganks so far in the tournament, and shows no signs of slowing down. While his barely-controlled chaos usually reaps benefits for the team, ROX did show some early-game weakness in their Group A matches. If Clearlove can consistently guide EDG to a quick start, we might see one of the tournament favorites going out early.

3. CuVee (Samsung Galaxy) vs Impact (Cloud9)

As the lone North American team to squeak into the quarterfinals, Cloud9 carries a heavy weight on its shoulders. Top laner Impact seems both able and willing to heft a whole region's expectations though.

Other members of the C9 squad had some serious issues in their international outings, and Impact was not exempt from that. But part of that is that he hasn’t been given as much priority. In the team’s impressive run through the North American regional qualifiers, his play was critical in disposing of all the other NALCS rivals. So far in Worlds, Impact has not had similarly active, star-power games. It’s possible he’s just taking some time to ramp up, but now would really be the time for him to start peaking.

On the other hand, CuVee has been solid through the group stages, along with the rest of his Samsung teammates. The third-seeded Korean team was actually one of the most decisive grabs for the No. 1 spot going into quarters. CuVee’s smart plays on Rumble helped dismantle Team SoloMid, while he took down both RNG and Splyce with a well-executed Kennen. If he’s used to going up against the likes of Smeb and Duke in the LCK, Impact might seem like a walk in the park in comparison.

4. Ryu (H2K) vs Kira (Albus Nox Luna)

Ryu’s Ryze is an insta-ban. His performances in the second week of group stages were a huge element in getting H2K into their top seed spot. After so many games during the summer split where his performance was justifiably criticized, Ryu is a perfect example of peaking at the right time. If he can maintain that pitch-perfect gameplay through this weekend, Europe’s only remaining team could stand a good chance at moving on to the semis.

Standing in H2K’s path is the spunky squad from Russia. Albus Nox Luna has had several standout players, and while the fiery attitude of support Likkrit is hard to ignore, mid-laner Kira seems to be the more critical person in making success happen for the squad. He’s shown solid performances on Viktor, Vladimir and even a couple outings of mid-lane Jayce. Like so many of his compatriots, Kira is willing to take big risks in-game. But will that strategy work in a longer format? Kira’s champion pool and technical skills will definitely be put to the test in the best-of-5 against H2K.