If you had told Oceanic fans that Mammoth would force a three-way tiebreaker in a stacked Play-In group at the League of Legends World Championship, they would have celebrated.

For years, the championship representatives from the Oceanic Pro League have struggled to make their mark on the world stage. Twice, a star-studded Dire Wolves roster travelled overseas — China in 2017, and Korea in 2018 — and came back emptyhanded.

Now, after a campaign in Berlin against the LCS third-seed Clutch Gaming, and Russian champions Unicorns of Love, Mammoth returned to Australia with the same result: dropped out of the group stage in third. But this time, something about the loss feels different.

It wasn’t exactly a success, Mitchell ‘Destiny’ Shaw said, considering the team had set itself the target of making it to the main group stage with superstar teams like SK Telecom T1, G2 Esports, Cloud9, and more. But there was something else Oceania had learned.

“We said before we were going into the tournament that anything less than groups would be a failure, so by those metrics the team failed in Europe,” Destiny said. “That felt really bad, and honestly that was all I could think about right after. It sucked.”

According to the Mammoth captain, it wasn’t just that the Oceanic team arrived at Worlds full of hope, and were slapped around on Summoner’s Rift for four games.

While stars like Heo ‘Huni’ Seung-hoon and Lev ‘NoManz’ Yakshin felt like they were on another level when stacked up to a lot of the OPL players that Destiny was used to playing against, he believed it was more just “one or two mistakes” and one bad day that stopped them short.

And as for what they had learned during their heartbreaking run of five games in Berlin?

Well, for one, there’s no reason to rank Oceania behind any of the other wildcard regions. Mammoth may have struggled to find their feet against Clutch Gaming in their two meetings, but they finished with a 2-1 record over the Unicorns. Only one game went against them.

It just so happened to be the only game that really mattered at that stage.

“A lot of things went wrong for us, and then that one game, that one disappointing game, had too many errors,” Destiny explained. “It wasn’t anything like we cracked under the pressure, or we weren’t good enough. It was just an off game at just the wrong time.”

But for the OPL, it was a learning experience. After multiple years of being slapped around the Rift due to compounding problems, strong wildcard teams, and just falling behind in the meta and practice due to the tiny size of Australia and New Zealand, a corner may have been turned.

According to the team’s mid laner, Stephen ‘Triple’ Li, it was only an 18-day practice period that left Mammoth struggling behind the bigger teams on the world stage this time around. Problems behind the scenes, and illness, halved the Australian team’s chances.

“Ideally I’d like to have left to boot camp the days after we won [the Pro League title in Melbourne] but unfortunately due to ‘logistical issues’ we were left in Australia, not knowing when we’d leave for around 18 days,” the mid laner explained on social media.

“I ended up stressing really hard over this, because this meant other teams were moving forward in the race while we’re in a geographically isolated region, with 10-20 minute queues, no scrims, and occasional win traders.

“Having experience at international events, I knew that the rate of progress for teams is extremely fast because of that exposure to so many different styles and drafts. After the tournament, I thought to myself that maybe we would have made best-of-fives if I made better use of my time, or if we had those 18 plus days to work on our pools, gameplay, and draft.”

They may have missed nearly three weeks of experience, but the Mammoth roster still did get to play against the best in Berlin, and Europe. They scrimmed against Play-In teams, and set about climbing the solo queue ladder. Nearly all of them hit Challenger.

It was there that Destiny and the rest of the team realised something about the way they had been approaching the game – the teams on the other side of the Rift to them weren’t necessarily amazing compared to the Australian and New Zealand players.

There may be differences in macro-play, and how styles are applied across the map, but at a mechanical level, and talent-wise, there wasn’t much to split ANZ from the rest of the world.

“OCE isn’t that far behind players in EUW. We all got Challenger, and that was a bit of surprise to me at first because we used to go to Korea and get Grandmaster-level at best, and then we’re playing against other Western players and getting to the top,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s as much of a gap from Oceania to NA and EU, maybe with the way they’re supported, how they learn, and then just literally how many players there are in the overall talent pool for the region too.”

And that realisation was the real victory that Destiny feels the team took away from their time in Paris, and Berlin. Oceania is still right at the beginning of flourishing as a region, and there’s no reason to think they can go anywhere but up in coming years.

“The OPL can only get stronger from here. There’s a lot up in the air in regards to what is going on at the moment, but I think that players are only going to get better as we continue to learn League of Legends, and improve the scene,” Shaw said.

“Every year we learn something new, and we realise new stuff, and it means that we can go better at Worlds. We were just one game away from playing best-of-five series, and I think that in a different year we maybe don’t even need the tiebreaker either.”

“Just look at players like Fudge [Ibrahim ‘Fudge’ Allami]. There are so many talented players that are coming through at the moment that have that hunger to just keep going even better. We’re growing as a region with exports, and with new styles. I have a lot of hope for OCE.”

Oceanic champions Mammoth’s long-awaited campaign at the 2019 World Championship begins this evening in the Play-In stage of Riot’s massive international tournament.

The Oceanic Pro League representatives were placed in Group A of the early stage, alongside two well-known organisations – LCS wildcards Clutch Gaming, and former EU LCS veterans turned Russian champions Unicorns of Love.

Mammoth is ready for the challenge that will play out over the coming weeks – superstar bot laner Calvin ‘k1ng’ Truong even promised the team was hunting a new narrative for fans Down Under – but who exactly is standing in the way of them making OCE history?

Snowball Esports writers and analysts Harry Taylor and Emma van der Brug have gone behind enemy lines to figure out what makes the LCS and LCL representatives tick, explain just how they found themselves facing Mammoth in Berlin, and the path to victory for the OPL stars.

LCL champions Unicorns of Love

Harry Taylor

Fans across the world likely already know the name Unicorns of Love from their extended stint as one of the EU LCS’ most charismatic organisations that could never quite make it to the international stage. After not being granted a spot by Riot Games for the newly franchised LEC, the Unicorns spent a split out of the spotlight before making the switch to Russia.

UOL burst onto the scene with the acquisition of Team Just in the League of Legends Continental League (LCL) ahead of the 2019 Summer split, and bolstered their stable with the top half of the Vega Squadron roster who had recently represented Russia at MSI.

The organisation also recruited Nihat ‘Innaxe’ Aliev from Excel Esports for the bot lane, and legendary support Edward ‘Edward’ Abgaryan, who originally forged a legacy in the early seasons of League under the name ‘GoSu Pepper’ with Moscow Five.

Picking up a roster with this level of talent saw the Unicorns head into Summer as one of the league favourites to collect the Russian trophy. They finished first with a tie at the end of the regular split, before falling to second with a loss to Gambit in the tiebreaker match.

From there, the champions swept Elements in the semi-finals before facing Vega Squadron in the final. After a back and forth battle, the Unicorns claimed victory in five games.

With a playstyle that seems them play both meta picks, and the occasional spice, the Unicorns will be a formidable challenge for both Clutch Gaming and Mammoth, but will not be impossible to defeat for the Group A competitors.

LCS third-seed Clutch Gaming

Emma van der Brug

If you’re a Clutch Gaming, or even just a fan of North American League of Legends, you know well and truly know they’re a ‘clutch’ team. They managed to reverse sweep six-time LCS champions Team SoloMid in the regional gauntlet, earning them a place at Worlds.

They are set to represent North America alongside Team Liquid and Cloud9, after joining the competition in 2018’s franchise flurry. This year, they were purchased by Dignitas, and are currently midway through the branding overhaul that will see them become the new org in 2020.

For now, though, Clutch has a Worlds campaign on their mind. They are represented by a strong cohort of NA and international talents in their quest too, including Nam ‘LirA’ Tae-yoo and Heo ‘Huni’ Seung-hoon on the top side of the map. Tanner ‘Damonte’ Damonte, Sun ‘Cody Sun’ Li-Yu, and Phillippe ‘Vulcan’ Laflamme fill out mid, bot, and support.

The lead-in to the Play-In stage couldn’t have been better for Clutch. After finishing fourth in the LCS 2019 Summer playoffs, they had a mission to make Worlds. With vengeance on their mind, the team had no small mountain to climb – FlyQuest, Counter Logic Gaming, and TSM all stood in their way in the regional finals.

First, they downed FlyQuest 3-1 in an expected victory. Then, they claimed revenge against CLG in another 3-1 win. That left just TSM to down as the gauntlet’s final boss. With Clutch finding themselves defending match point in the third game, the boys in yellow managed a do-or-die reverse sweep. With some clean Qiyanna plays from Damonte, and an astounding mental fortitude, CG booked their spot at the 2019 World Championship.

Overall, Clutch have proven their aptitude for best of five series, where their mental strength and wide range of picks enable them to make comebacks from the direst of situations, all the way to Silver Scrapes. However, Play-Ins is a double round-robin system, and only best-of-one games.

This could play against the NA representatives, and if the Unicorns of Love and Mammoth can formulate smart drafts and gameplans, they could bowl over the Clutch Gaming-Dignitas representatives from the Championship Series.

Group A’s matches begin this evening with Clutch Gaming vs Unicorns of Love at 9pm AEST. Mammoth’s first game will be played at 11pm AEST, when they clash with UOL.

Full details and schedule at lolesports.com.

When it comes to the international League of Legends arena, perhaps third time really is the charm for Oceania’s superstar AD carry Calvin ‘k1ng’ Truong.

That’s certainly a question he’s been asking himself as he braces for impact at the 2019 World Championship Play-In stage in Berlin. Twice before he’s had the chance to represent his region on the global stage. Twice he’s fallen short of his own expectations.

This year, k1ng claimed the Split 2 championship with superteam Mammoth. The return to the grand final was all the sweeter for the 21-year-old, after he missed just his second Oceanic Pro League decider since the foundation of the league.

Their 3-0 victory over the Chiefs Esports Club at Rod Laver Arena confirmed Mammoth would be the OPL representatives heading to Europe for Riot’s year-end tournament. This journey marks the third time k1ng has travelled to Worlds, and his fifth international competition overall.

After two 1-3 records in the Play-In group stages, including a heartbreaking run of deja vu for k1ng and the Dire Wolves in Group A against Edward Gaming and Infinity Esports, Mammoth’s marksman wants to flip the script.

Twice now he’s returned to Australia ranked 21st-24th. This time, everything feels different.

“I don’t want history to repeat itself. I want to change what has been happening, I want to break the cycle of winning a game then losing the rest,” he said of his group stage hopes.

“I want to do something good for OCE, I have a responsibility and I’ve been given the opportunity so many times that I need to be the one to change what has been happening on the international stage. It’s a personal thing for me.”

The Oceanic representatives landed in Paris last month, and quickly set about sightseeing, shopping, and most importantly scrimming.

Their European adventure so far has been an extended one, a lesson well learned after the jetlag-fueled disaster of the Wolfpack at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational in Brazil. The team made the swap from Paris to Berlin on the weekend, and now the games await.

Mammoth drew two interesting picks in their group this time around – LCS darlings Clutch Gaming, led by former Worlds finalist Heo ‘Huni’ Seung-hoon and North American hero/meme Tanner ‘Damonte’ Damonte, and phoenix organisation Unicorns of Love, who dominated Russia after being punted from the fledgling European Championship franchise system.

According to Truong, being slapped straight into Group A alongside the LCS and LCL teams was perhaps “one of the best draws [they] could have hoped for.”

“I’m really confident, based off the draw and how we’re playing in scrims as well,” he said.

“The group we’ve gotten is one of the better ones, we think we have a good chance against UOL and then Clutch is one of the weaker Pool 1 teams that we could have got. We think Splyce and Damwon would be way harder, so we’re happy that we got Clutch.

“I think we’ve got a better chance in this one than the teams alongside Damwon would. It would be fun to play teams like Splyce, but in regards to getting into the best of fives, it’s one of the better ones that we could have asked for this year. We think we have a good chance.”

Even better for k1ng, there’s simmering confidence inside himself. This is the year, he believes. It’s the first time he’s had that confidence going into an international tournament and, according to the Mammoth star, it feels good.

“I feel really, really good about this tournament. I just feel good, I don’t really know why, but I haven’t felt this confident in a long while and I have this strange kind of belief. I have a really good feeling every single day that it’s going to go well,” k1ng said.

“We don’t even know how amazing it would be to make it out of Play-In groups, and potentially into groups itself. For OCE it would mean so much, and I want to show that we can compete on the world stage. Oceania deserves that validation in front of the global fans.

“I want to leave a mark on Oceania, and the world. I want to be remembered as one of the greatest Australian players, and now I have the opportunity to do well internationally and really solidify myself in that position.

“We’re all ready to change the narrative. This is the tournament, I believe it.”

Mammoth’s path to the 2019 World Championship group stage begins at the LEC Studio in Berlin during the tournament Play-Ins.

The Oceanic representatives face Unicorns of Love in their opening pool game at 11pm AEST on Wednesday, October 2. Full details and schedule at lolesports.com.

After a strong opening game against Infinity Esports, and a clash with Edward Gaming that came down to the wire before ending in defeat, many could be forgiven for assuming the Dire Wolves were on-track for a play-off appearance at the 2018 World Championship Play-In.

Infinity had been run over by EDG in the opening match of the group, leaving the LAN representatives clinging to hope with a 0-2 record, and keeping the Wolves in pole-position for at least a second seed heading into Day 4.

Only disaster awaited the Oceanic representatives who had looked so dominant in the opening games however. Infinity Esports collected one of the biggest scalps of the tournament when they knocked off Edward Gaming, before wiping the Dire Wolves off the Rift in their second match.

Despite an early tussle keeping the Dire Wolves in the match, Infinity began to find skirmishes across Summoners Rift that saw the gold lead continue to blow out, with Sergio “Cotopaco” Silva commanding the map with inch-perfect plays on his mid lane LeBlanc pick.

Leaving the Wolves on 1-2, now behind their Costa Rican counterparts who were 2-2, it meant the OPL heroes were forced to square up to the biggest team in the play-in stage – EDG – with any hopes of making it out of the groups, a task that proved too difficult to navigate in the end.

The focal point of conversation in the hours and days after the capitulation at LoL Park in Seoul was the return of Shern “Shernfire” Tai, the Dire Wolves’ commanding jungler that had guided them to their fourth title in the domestic league.

After being whacked with a two-game ban for toxicity on the Korean ranked solo queue ladder, Shernfire was forced to sit out and watched as Toby “UDYSOF” Horne filled his boots in the roaming playmaker position.

Pundits, fans and spectators alike eagerly awaited the return of Shern to the starting roster, with the five-man Dire Wolves pack preparing to go above and beyond their strong victory over Infinity Esports.

For many, including the Riot Games casters overseeing the third and fourth games for the Dire Wolves, Shernfire looked “lost” on the Rift as he struggled to find his way into the games, with a Level 1 invade against Edward Gaming even leaving him playing catch-up on the ever-aggressive Kindred.

Pain, defeat and disappointment are all emotions Oceanic fans are used to feeling when their representatives head off to international events to fly the flag of Australia, New Zealand and the whole server, but this last twist of the knife in a long history of second-day struggles may take some time to recover from.

Despite the losses, including a landslide defeat at the hands of the now-group stage qualified Edward Gaming, UDYSOF’s debut on the world stage was a shining light in the Wolves’ campaign, as was the victories and battles of the opening day.

Keep tuned in to Snowball Esports channels for news of when the Dire Wolves will discuss their 2018 World Championship campaign, and their next steps in the OPL.

Photos courtesy of LoL Esports/Riot Games

The Dire Wolves have announced their entrance on the World Championship stage, claiming a 1-1 opening day in the Play-In group matches after a dominant late-game against Infinity Esports and a courageous performance against Chinese titans Edward Gaming.

The Dire Wolves trailed in their opening match at LoL Park however, falling nearly 2k gold behind Infinity Esports – the LAN representatives at Worlds – and giving over first blood and a second kill to fall behind for the first 14 minutes of the clash.

Then Stephen “Triple” Li, playing comfort pick Azir in the mid lane, swooped in to claim the Wolves’ first kill of the international tournament with a ‘Shurima Shuffle’ that sent Cotopaco back to the summoner’s platform and put the Oceanic squad on the board.

From there the Dire Wolves maintained control of the clash against the Mexican representatives, as the kills stretched to 9-4 in their favour, with k1ng (Tristana) finishing with a 4/0/4 record.

It was Triple that picked up the player of the match for his playmaking on Azir however, rounding out his dominant performance with three kills, five assists and no deaths in the 34 minute victory.

For Triple – who joined the organisation at the tail end of 2017 – it was a mixed day however, as the Wolves fell to Edward Gaming after keeping pace for much of the team’s second challenge of the day.

“I don’t feel satisfied with the results, obviously one-and-one was a solid first day and it was probably a more realistic finish on the first day, but the Edward Gaming match was close and we could have pushed advantages a bit more,” Triple said.

“That match against EDG showed us that they’re not as good as we thought they were, and that gives us a massive amount of confidence going into the next games.

“We’re looking to be more decisive on our decisions, we believe Shernfire might even be able to get an advantage in the matches on Day 4 so we’re going to focus on that and look for the upset.”

Upsetting Edward Gaming, one of the biggest teams coming out of the LPL in recent years, would be a “awesome” finish to the groups for Triple and the Dire Wolves, and one they’re aiming their sights towards as the back half of the round robin continues.

“Matching up against them on Day 2 showed me that we really do deserve to be here, we matched up against them well, both in the match and on solo queue, and we want to push that further,” Dire Wolves’ mid laner said. “I think we can get second in the group easily, so now we’re focused on potentially grabbing that first seed finish.”

“The thought of getting into a best of five with one of the Pool 2 teams is really great, I think apart from maybe Supermassive – who I thought would beat G2 – we’re the best wildcard team that’s here at the moment so we’re pretty confident against anyone of the same level.

“If we can upset Edward Gaming then it really shows that we’re here, and that we can go far. That’s what we’re aiming for, if we can face a wildcard team in the best of fives that would be pretty awesome, and a lot more free.”

Triple, who played Syndra in the 33 minute defeat at the hands of EDG on Day 2, pointed to the early-game disadvantage the Dire Wolves put themselves in after an attempted one-for-one turret trade that gave Edward Gaming first turret as the main sticking point the team would be working on.

“That really showed our indecision, and it cost us a bit early, which then snowballed further out and put us in a bad position as the game went on,” he said. “That whole situation then forced us into the risky Baron [Nashor] play and it all went down hill from there.”

The Dire Wolves will now face Infinity Esports and Edward Gaming on Day 4 of the Worlds Play-In group matches, with Shern “Shernfire” Tai returning to the starting line-up after serving his two-game suspension.

The return of their star jungler puts more confidence in the hearts of the Dire Wolves, and Triple explained Shernfire’s return could.

“There’s a bit of a thought that because we won with Toby on day one we could do even better with Shern because we have played with him a lot more,” Triple said. “That win on the first day was a bit of a confidence booster, so we’re looking forward to the next days.”

“I’m really glad that we’ve even had the opportunity to play against a big name like Edward Gaming, as a player this is where you want to get to at the end of the season, and hopefully we can walk away with some great memories against them.”

Finally, Li addressed the fans that had already tuned in for the opening day of the Dire Wolves’ campaign, and would be back in front of their televisions and computers against come Thursday evening.

“To the Oceanic fans, and the Wolfpack, never stop believing in our region – we’re improving faster than other regions are,” he said. “Thanks for all your support despite the ban situation.”

The Dire Wolves kick-off Day 4 with their re-match against Infinity Gaming at 9pm, before facing the Chinese third seed EDG at 11pm. Infinity Gaming and Edward Gaming will face each other in the earlier 7pm time-slot. Find the full schedule and all the details at lolesports.com.

Photos courtesy of LoL Esports/Riot Games

For years now, the Dire Wolves have dominated the Oceanic Pro League. They won both splits in 2017 and 2018, as well as representing Oceania at MSI this year, and are now preparing to make their second Worlds appearance in as many years.

However, for the longest time the Dire Wolves had been in the shadow of teams like Legacy Esports and the Chiefs Esports Club. The powerhouses of the early Oceanic scene, the latter had held a monopoly on the title of OPL champions since its inception in 2015.

The early weeks of the first split of 2017 hinted that the Chiefs’ regional dominance would continue, as they went undefeated during the the opening four weeks, while the Wolfpack dropped games to Chiefs and the other to Legacy.

But after that the rest was history. Somehow, some way, the Dire Wolves lit up and went on a tear through the OPL, winning their next six games.

Yet it wasn’t luck, or a sudden meta shift that allowed the Dire Wolves to up heave the pecking order in the OPL –  it was a new way of playing the game developed by coach Curtis “Sharp” Morgan that put the Dire Wolves on the path to success.

Their strategy was very simple, and remains simple to this day: with their jungler Shern “Shernfire” Tai calmly pathing his way through the map and shutting down the enemy jungler, he could influence other lanes that had already built small leads through individual skill. – all Shernfire had to do was to tip the scales over the edge.

Shernfire was truly the cornerstone of the early iterations of the Dire Wolves play style. When he was targeted in the draft, the Wolfpack were more likely to drop games. However, they had their own strategy in draft that put them in good stead.

Most teams draft for a phase of the game, and the Dire Wolves consistently picked themselves up late-game champions to give themselves a backup plan.

The Dire Wolves have never played proactive with this play style, relying on their mechanical skill to win games early after their opponents panic and force an engage. And if it came to it, they could rely on their late-game champions if their opposition stalled it out. With this play style, the Wolfpack had their opponents cornered.

Commonly, the Dire Wolves wouldn’t even interact with their opponents at points. They’d bounce to different points of the map, setting up to pounce on an objective the moment their opposition didn’t turn up to fight.

And this strategy worked. Not only did they win Split 1, they won Split 2 and became Oceania’s first international representatives at the new-look Worlds system in the process. With the dynasty of the Chiefs firmly behind them, the Dire Wolves looked to head into 2018 eager to both continue their regional dominance and make even more of a mark on the international stage.

The roster at the start of this year wasn’t the same however. Their leadership duo in Phantiks and Destiny both headed to the Chiefs, the former leaving the mid lane to become the coach. That didn’t faze the Wolfpack, picking up strong local talents Stephen “Triple” Li and Andy “Cupcake’ Van De Vyver to fill the breach.

Arguably, this new roster did even better as they went undefeated in Split 1, only dropping 4 games out of the 24 they played. Their spot atop the OPL ladder assured, they waited as the final boss, watching the Chiefs fight their way up to challenge them.

Two games into that final series, it looked like the dominance might be over as the Chiefs took an 2-0 lead. But a Game 3 victory energised the Wolves as they smashed the next two games to claim their third OPL title in an astonishing reverse sweep.

With a reverse sweep and for the third consecutive time the Dire Wolves become OPL Champions earlier this year.

At the 2018 Mid Season Invitational the Dire Wolves failed to make a splash in the Play-In stage. Seeded with Turkey’s Supermassive, Japan’s PENTAGRAM and Brazil’s KaBuM! e-Sports, the Wolfpack only managed a win against PENTAGRAM and KaBuM! for a 2-4 record. This could only be seen as a disappointment for a team who had shown so much promise.

Split 2 had only a single change, as Ryan “Chippys” Short moved to MAMMOTH, but the departure of the Dire Wolves’ veteran solo laner heralded the entrance of a new rising star – Brandon “BioPanther” Alexander. BioPanther immediately got to work, his glowing smile and impressive attitude drawing admiration from players and fans alike.

With BioPanther, the Dire Wolves once more seemed complete as they mounted their second undefeated split, their only loss occurring in the finals series of Rift Rivals, before the Chiefs closed the tournament out for OCE. All in all, the Dire Wolves had shown their dominance once more.

Once again, the Dire Wolves were in the final, however this was on an even bigger stage. As one of the major drawcards at the Melbourne Esports Open, LoL fans flooded into the Rod Laver Arena to watch the Wolfpack attempt to take their fourth consecutive OPL title against an in-form Chiefs Esports Club.

The Dire Wolves could smell another Worlds appearance, and blood was in the water as they took down the Chiefs in Game 1. The Chiefs fought back, claiming Game 2, but fantastic play early in Game 3 released the scent of blood into the Melbourne night and the Dire Wolves ripped the Chiefs to shreds both in Game 3 and Game 4 to lock their spot in Play-In.

In Play-In 2018, the Wolfpack are seeded with China’s Edward Gaming and Brazil’s Infinity Esports, a group which holds a strong chance for Oceania to make it out. However, with Shernfire’s two-game competitive suspension it remains to be seen if Toby “UDYSOF” Horne can live up to the reliance that the Dire Wolves had on their superstar jungler.

As coach Sharp said, the Dire Wolves have the potential to take games off anyone. They have the formula for success locked away, but it remains to be seen if they can operate under pressure and without a core member of their lineup, and do Oceania proud.

The Dire Wolves’ first opponents are Infinity Esports at 8pm AEST on Tuesday evening. They will then face Edward Gaming at 10pm the same night.

All matches will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube, find the schedule and all the details at lolesports.com.

Photos & video courtesy of Riot Games/OPL.

The Dire Wolves are just days away from the beginning of their 2018 World Championship campaign in South Korea, but for the Oceanic representatives their path to a potential group-stage berth began from the moment they claimed victory at Rod Laver Arena.

After securing the 2018 Split 2 Oceanic Pro League title at the Melbourne Esports Open, the defending champions turned their attention to the scene of their next major battleground, Riot’s newly constructed LoL PARK in Seoul, and preparations began with a month long boot-camp in Korea’s capital.

While recent controversies – mainly the two-game ban that star jungler Shern “Shernfire” Tai was whacked with after repeated toxic behaviour in high-elo Korean solo queue – have certainly rocked the boat and sent Dire Wolves’ preparations into a new phase, head coach Curtis “Sharp” Morgan believes the team are more than ready for the challenges ahead.

“Preparation has been going great, we’ve been running through scrim blocks and the players have been grinding a lot of solo queue to make sure they have a strong read on the meta at the moment,” Sharp said.

“For our team, confidence has been key – League of Legends is a competitive game that is based around the feelings of winning, getting kills and dominating lanes. When you have that confidence heading onto the Rift you are more likely to replicate those positive movements.

“While the whole Shernfire situation leaves us at maybe 75 per cent of what we were before, just because of the mental toll that it can take and also bedding in Toby [substitute jungler Toby “UDYSOF Horne], we feel like we can take a game off anyone on our day right now.”

Morgan, who has coached the Dire Wolves through all four of their OPL titles and was involved in both Mid-Season Invitational campaigns as well as the Worlds run in 2017 that saw a second day of results sink play-off hopes for the Dire Wolves, believes the team is the most ready they’ve ever been for an international event.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things happening heading into our first day, but we’re really playing quite close to the peak of our powers right now,” he said.

“We want to show the world what we’ve been preparing for the entire year, our entire campaign comes down to these few days and beyond, and we’re looking forward to getting onto the Rift and proving our worth.”

.@udysof just landed safely in Korea?? Ready to get to work for #Worlds2018 ? pic.twitter.com/ErEStR5LCQ

— LG Dire Wolves (@DireWolves) September 27, 2018

The Dire Wolves have been scrimming the likes of Gambit Esports, DetonatioN FM and Kaos Latin Gamers, and have also bagged a handful of scrim blocks against LCK and academy teams who have been keeping sharp in the off-season, with positive results.

According to Sharp, the team has used the scrim-blocks and solo queue training to get a strong read on the Worlds meta (to be played on patch 8.19), and for the most part have now confirmed what they want to bring into the Worlds Play-In Group stage against Edward Gaming and Infinity Esports.

“We’re feeling good,” he said. “Obviously missing Shern is a major part of everything over the next few days, but we have a saying in the Wolfpack: ‘Plans are useless, but planning is essential’.

“We’ve done our planning, and we’re prepared, so now we’ll just see how it all pans out on the day. Both Toby and Shern bring different elements to our game-styles and our on-the-Rift plans, so we’re going to implement them differently across the two days.”

Finally, Sharp addressed the toxicity ban that Shernfire received over the past few days, understanding many Oceanic fans would have been “disappointed” to hear the news from Riot’s administration.

“I’m sorry that this happened, especially so close to worlds,” he said. “I feel like I could have had an influence on what happened, so I’m sorry that it’s happened at all.”

“While fans may have mixed feelings about barracking for the Dire Wolves at Worlds now, remember that the players are all here with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and they can all use all the positivity that they can get.

“It’s so important and special for them, and for us, to be representing our home region, so we hope you can get behind all of us despite everything that’s happened and cheer us on through the streaming services and online. We’re looking forward to it all.”

The Dire Wolves kick off their Worlds campaign against Infinity Esports at 8pm AEST on Tuesday evening. They will then face Edward Gaming at 10pm the same night.

All matches will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube, find the schedule and all the details at lolesports.com.

Follow Sharp and the Dire Wolves on Twitter.

The 2018 World Championship Play-Ins begin early next week, and Oceanic representatives and current OPL champions Dire Wolves now know their opening pathway to a potential group stage berth in South Korea.

For the OPL titans, there may not have been many group draws harder than pulling Chinese third seed Edward Gaming out of the pot, but for organisation chief executive Nathan “Rippii” Mott epic clashes like the upcoming DW vs EDG matches are “why players want to go to Worlds”.

“We definitely think Edward Gaming are the strongest team currently in Play-Ins, so it does make it hard for us to draw them in groups, but I’d be lying if I didn’t think this is why you try to qualify for Worlds,” Mott said.

“Our main goal at Worlds is always to turn up and we now have an opportunity to put Oceania on the map when we face off against China’s third seed on Tuesday.”

The Dire Wolves and Edward Gaming are also joined by Mexican club Infinity Esports, who will be representing the LAN region in the Play-In stages and potentially beyond.

2018 World Championship Group Draw Show. Source: Riot Games Twitch

For the Wolves, Infinity Esports offers a clear pathway through the Play-In play-offs, and a chance to enter the best of five series that boast a place in the World Championship group stage as the prize.

“Infinity [Esports] represent a chance for us,” Mott said. “They’re coming into the group stage having arrived late in Korea, and even without any outside factors coming into play we believe that we have the stronger roster and the better team cohesion.”

“Even beyond that, we have the experience at international events, and while our results at all of them haven’t exactly been positive, we’ve been to Worlds before and we’ve been to two MSI tournaments so we know what to expect, and we have that behind us.

“This is the first time Infinity have arrived at an international event, and so they’ll be acclimatising themselves to it all while we are settled, and ready to play.”

So the question hovers around the Dire Wolves as they continue their preparations for the biggest LAN tournament League of Legends has on the competitive calendar – can the OPL champions go further than any Oceanic team has before?

According to Mott, most definitely.

“It’s hard to say exactly how everything we’ve been practicing will translate on stage, but as of right now I think we’re operating really well, and from everything I’ve seen the guys are just eager to get on stage and show they’re ready,” he said.

“Last time we came to Worlds we weren’t completely ready, and that rings true for our first tilt at MSI as well – we had this air of confidence but we didn’t actually know what to expect.

“This time around, we’ve had a year of getting that winning feeling in the OPL, we have the experience of the past as an organisation and – apart from a few things that have cropped up – we’re ready to represent Oceania and we’re aiming to do the region proud.”

The Dire Wolves will take to the Rift for the first time in the 2018 World Championship on Tuesday evening at 8pm AEST, facing off against Infinity Esports. They will then contest their second match at 10pm the same evening.

The OPL champions will play their second set of round robin fixtures at similar times on Thursday evening. All matches will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube, find the schedule and all the details at lolesports.com.

Follow the Dire Wolves on Twitter.