The LPL second seed, Top Esports (TES), narrowly lost out on a chance to reach the Worlds 2022 quarterfinals following a in-game bug that led to a nexus defence from GAM Esports.
Image via LoL Esports Twitter
The match of TES vs GAM on October 15th was a needed win for TES who started week two of the group stage with a score line of 1-2. A win vs GAM would have made their attempt to escape the group and make it to quarterfinals that much smoother and much more likely.
But an in-game bug put a stop to that. The Lucian Maw bug was not the first we have seen at Worlds 2022 and there has been no official statement from Riot, regarding if anything will be done. But the TES bug in-game has prompted discussion around bugs at Worlds.
What is the bug?
The Lucian Maw bug revolves around the Maw item which is a shield. In what should have been a match winning moment for TES, who were onto the Nexus of GAM and had it down to less than a third health, the shield was procced but due to a bug GAM were able to ace TES.
The bug itself meant that although the shield was procced on Lucian (TES Jackeylove) no damage was actually stopped. Maw works in the scenario where so much damage is done, that it then begins to block it. So while the shield activated, it had no actual effect and Lucian took 924 damage. Had the shield properly activated, this level of damage would not have been done and Lucian would have survived.
Meaning TES would have been able to end the game, adding a win to their score line. They were instead aced by GAM in a defence that should’ve been technically speaking impossible, but was not, due to the bug.
How did it affect the match?
Many in the community have speculated that this bug is one of the main reasons for TES being eliminated when they should have been able to reach quarterfinals–As they have done at previous tournaments.
Some have also gone on to say why it was likely that Riot have not issued a statement in regard to this–And other bugs–That have occurred since the start of Worlds 2022. As there was also a bug issue with Yuumi and other items/champions during the earlier part of Worlds.
Does this mean TES are out?
As the bug was not picked up immediately in game, there was no chrono-break or remake of the match. The win GAM secured was therefore taken as the result and no rematch was had for TES vs GAM and so the bug was carried forward without acknowledgment of the affect it had on the game.
Therefore GAM secured the win and TES had to continue to fight for a win. Many have also speculated that the win for TES would have meant they would have escaped the group as EU team Rogue looked shaky in their last matches before they qualified. But as the bug was not picked up, and neither GAM or TES managed to secure enough wins, both teams were subsequently eliminated from Worlds 2022.
In game, bugs can only be picked up and the game paused by players. So while support staff may have noted the bug, the players did not, and therefore could not pause the game. As the responsibility is on the players to pick up in game bugs, any bug they do not see in the moment cannot be dealt with after the game.
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