Team BDS overcame CTBC Flying Oyster to send them home from Worlds 2023.
The LEC could very well have four teams in the Swiss stage after Team BDS sent CTBC Flying Oyster back to SEA to secure a spot in the second round of the Play-In Stage of Worlds 2023. BDS' 2-0 victory over CFO also ensured that it would not be a day of regional showdowns after GAM Esports defeated LOUD to set up a showdown against VCS second seed, Team Whales.
If CFO had won instead, they would have gone on to face their fellow rivals PSG in an all-PCS series. And if BDS were to win against PSG, this would be a great performance from an org that is making its debut at the League of Legends World Championship. And its journey to the Swiss stage has been nothing short of exciting.
The first game against CFO was arguably the most entertaining Play-In Stage match so far as neither team were willing to give anything away. And it was BDS who started the first game on the front foot after they secured an early first blood. From then on, BDS went on a rampage that saw them get over a 4K gold lead by 21 minutes.
But CFO was not going away with the likes of Tseng "JimieN" Hao-chun doing everything he could to bring his team back from the brink of defeat. His Jayce secured nine kills and three deaths with eight assists. He also had only three deaths, the least on his team. This even allowed CFO to turn the gold lead back in their favour.
Unfortunately for him and CFO, both Ilias "nuc" Bizriken and Juš "Crownie" Marušič were instrumental in their team's victory. Crownie's Xayah was the star on display for game one with 10 kills, three deaths, and six assists while nuc's Azir went 8/3/9 as he was able to come up with some clutch plays to shift the tides back towards BDS.
CFO started the second match with renewed enthusiasm, able to take control of the proceedings early on to set the tempo at their pace. This allowed them to control the map by restricting BDS' vision and movement for much of the early game with direct pushes to destroy the outer turrets. But as the game wore on, BDS were afforded too much time and space to farm, which was enough for Crownie to take over as the main damage dealer in the late game.
Even Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis introduced a niche Taric pick at support, which turned out to be a shrewd move as he was the sole BDS member to not die with 14 assists to boot, the most of any player in the lobby.
The second round of the Play-In Stage will be the final two matches of this phase of Worlds 2023. Once the second round is complete, the Swiss stage will begin in a few days, starting on October 19.
