Worlds 2024 Best Pick’Ems & Crystal Ball guide. How to make Pickems and get rewards? When Pick’Ems close?

The League of Legends World Championship 2024 kicks off in less than a week, bringing Riot Games’ annual Crystal Ball and Pick’Em challenges. These prediction contests offer every player the chance to showcase their esports knowledge and earn valuable in-game rewards. Whether you’re a seasoned analyst or participating for the first time, this comprehensive guide will help you make informed decisions.

Our strategy combines data-driven analysis from professional analysts, current season performance metrics, and historical patterns from Worlds 2023. While some predictions involve educated guesses due to tournament unpredictability, we’ll highlight the safest options to maximize your scoring potential. Remember that timing is crucial – all predictions must lock in before their respective deadlines.

Critical Deadlines: When Do Worlds 2024 Pick’Ems Close?

Missing deadlines is the most common mistake participants make. Mark these crucial times on your calendar and set reminders:

Crystal Ball predictions deadline: September 25, 14:15 CEST – This is the most restrictive deadline with no second chances. Crystal Ball predictions cover the entire tournament and cannot be modified once locked.

Play-in Pick’Ems deadline: September 25, 14:15 CEST – Unlike Crystal Ball, Play-in predictions reopen between tournament stages, giving you flexibility to adjust based on actual results.

• Swiss Stage Pick’Ems: Lock in your predictions by September 29, 14:15 CEST – This stage features more matches, requiring careful analysis of team performance in Play-ins.
• Playoff Pick’Ems: Final deadline is October 3, 16:15 CEST – By this point, you’ll have substantial tournament data to inform your knockout stage predictions.

Pro tip: Submit your initial predictions 24 hours before deadlines to avoid last-minute technical issues. The Pick’Em platform often experiences high traffic near cutoff times.

Worlds 2024 Play-in Pick’Ems: Strategic Team Selections

The Play-in stage determines which four teams join the main event. Based on regional performance and historical data, here are the most probable qualifiers:

Four teams most likely to advance to Swiss Stage:

• PSG Talon – PCS champions with consistent international performance and strong macro play
• MDK – EMEA representatives showing significant improvement in Summer split
• 100 Thieves – NA’s second seed with veteran experience and adaptable playstyle
• GAM Esports – VCS champions known for aggressive early-game strategies (alternatively, SHG could replace GAM based on Play-in performance)

Strategic considerations: PSG Talon represents the safest pick due to their historical dominance in PCS and strong international showings. MDK offers good value as an improving team with potential upset capability. 100 Thieves brings tournament experience, while GAM provides high-risk, high-reward potential with their chaotic playstyle.

Common mistake: Avoid emotional picks based on fan favorites. Stick to data-driven selections, especially for the Play-in stage where upsets are less common than in later rounds.

Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball Predictions: Event-Based Forecasts

Crystal Ball predictions require understanding tournament meta trends and historical patterns. Here’s our analysis for each category:

EVENT PREDICTIONS

Longest single game duration:

• 45+ minutes – Historical data shows 46 minutes as the longest game at both Worlds 2023 and 2022. With current defensive meta and scaling champions, 50+ minute games are increasingly possible, especially in Best-of-5 series.

Total Pentakills throughout tournament:

• 3+ pentakills – While 2 is possible, the prevalence of hyper-carry ADCs like Jinx and Aphelios increases pentakill potential. Note that most pentakills typically occur during the Play-in stage against weaker opponents.

Most killed Drake type:

• Infernal Drake – Continues its dominance from Worlds 2023. Teams prioritize Infernal for its combat power spike. Avoid Chemtech and Ocean Drakes, as teams often sacrifice these for tempo or vision control.

Total Baron steals:

• 3-5 steals – This range balances safety with realistic expectations. Last year saw exactly 4 Baron steals, and with increased focus on objective control, similar numbers are likely.

Reverse sweeps in Best-of-5 series:

• 1 or 0 reverse sweeps – Professional teams have improved mental fortitude and draft preparation, making comebacks increasingly difficult. Last year featured only one reverse sweep.

Advanced tip: Monitor patch notes closely. Any significant changes to objective bounties or champion abilities in the final tournament patch could dramatically affect these predictions.

CHAMPION PREDICTIONS

Champion played in the most different positions:

• Poppy – Her versatility across top, jungle, and support roles makes her the prime candidate. Teams value her anti-dash utility and lane flexibility in draft phase.

Most picked champion during select:

• K’Sante – The safest prediction due to his tankiness, team fight value, and adaptability to various team compositions. Alternative strong picks include Orianna for team fight control, Rell for engage potential, and Jarvan IV for initiation.

Most banned champion during select:

• Yone, Rumble, Syndra, Tristana, Poppy – These champions represent different ban priorities: Yone for split push threat, Rumble for lane dominance, Syndra for burst damage, Tristana for tower taking, and Poppy for utility.

Champion with most total deaths:

• Alistar – As a primary engage support, he naturally positions aggressively and dies frequently. Jarvan IV and Poppy are secondary choices due to similar playstyles.

Highest win rate champion (minimum 5 games):

• Blitzcrank, Mordekaiser, Renata Glasc – These niche picks boast high win rates when selected by professional teams who have specifically prepared strategies around them.

Meta analysis insight: The current meta favors flexible champions who can fill multiple roles or provide unique utility. This explains Poppy’s prevalence and K’Sante’s safety as a pick.

PLAYER PREDICTIONS

Player using most different champions:

• Zeus or ON – Unlike 2023 where AD Carries Gumayushi, Elk, and ON led versatility, top laners are expected to showcase broader champion pools this year.

Most kills in a single game:

• Supa, Peyz, Aiming – Supa’s potential for maximum games played gives him an edge, while Aiming demonstrated kill potential at MSI. Peyz combines mechanical skill with team success.

Highest KDA ratio:

• Peyz – AD Carries on successful teams typically achieve the highest KDAs. Chovy represents a strong alternative from the mid lane position.

Most First Blood kills:

• Wei or Peanut – Both junglers excel at early-game pathing and aggressive invades, making them prime candidates for First Blood statistics.

Player likely to score a pentakill:

• Supa – AD Carries remain the safest bet for pentakills, especially those on teams likely to play the most games. Historical data shows all pentakills in 2023 occurred during the Play-in stage.

Scoring strategy: Prioritize players from teams expected to make deep tournament runs. More games played equals more opportunities for statistical achievements.

TEAM PREDICTIONS

Best-performing team from regions with 2 seeds or fewer:

• PSG Talon – As the PCS representative, they have the strongest chance among minor regions to advance deep into the tournament.

Team winning shortest game:

• Gen.G – Known for their snowball-heavy style and decisive early-game decision making. They finished second in this category at Worlds 2023.

Team with most Baron steals:

• T1 – Despite the unpredictability of Baron steals, T1’s historical success in objective control and clutch plays makes them the logical choice.

Tournament winner prediction:

• Bilibili Gaming or Gen.G – These two teams dominate analyst predictions. BLG brings aggressive playstyle and strong individual mechanics, while Gen.G offers strategic depth and consistency.

Team using most different champions:

• Bilibili Gaming – Their deep champion pool and flexible draft strategy, combined with expected deep tournament run, make them the safest choice for this category.

Tournament insight: The gap between major regions has narrowed, making predictions increasingly difficult. Consider recent form and patch adaptation when making team selections.

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Worlds 2024 Crystal Ball and Pick’Em Rewards: Complete Breakdown

Successful predictions yield valuable in-game rewards including exclusive emotes, Hextech capsules, event tokens, and rare skins. The reward system incentivizes both participation and accuracy, with special recognition for top performers.

Prestige reward: The top 5,000 global scorers in both Pick’Em and Crystal Ball competitions will receive the exclusive Worlds 2024 Viego Skin. Track your ranking on the official leaderboards to gauge your performance.

PARTICIPATION REWARDS

• First Crystal Ball prediction: Kha’Zix “You Don’t Say” Emote – Earned simply for making your initial Crystal Ball selection
• Swiss Stage predictions: Gragas “Here’s To You” Emote – Reward for engaging with the main stage predictions
• First Quarterfinals pick: 1 Esports 2024 Capsule – Contains random skin shards and cosmetic items
• First Semifinals pick: 1 Esports 2024 Capsule – Additional capsule for knockout stage participation
• Finals prediction: 1 Esports 2024 Capsule – Final participation reward for completing all prediction stages

PICK’EM PERFORMANCE TIERS

• Perfect Picks: All 7 Ultimate Skins – The ultimate reward for flawless prediction accuracy
• S-Tier (Top 5% globally): 100 Event Pass Tokens + 4 Esports 2024 Capsules + Teemo “Up To No Good” Emote + Galio “Gasp!” Emote
• A-Tier (Top 20% globally): 3 Esports 2024 Capsules + Teemo “Up To No Good” Emote + Galio “Gasp!” Emote
• B-Tier (Top 40% globally): 2 Esports 2024 Capsules + Galio “Gasp!” Emote
• C-Tier (Top 70% globally): 1 Esports 2024 Capsule + Galio “Gasp!” Emote

CRYSTAL BALL PERFORMANCE TIERS

• S-Tier (Top 5% globally): 100 Event Pass Tokens + 4 Esports 2024 Capsules + Orianna “I’m So Sorry, WHAT?” Emote + Briar “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU” Emote
• A-Tier (Top 20% globally): 3 Esports 2024 Capsules + Orianna “I’m So Sorry, WHAT?” Emote + Briar “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU” Emote
• B-Tier (Top 40% globally): 2 Esports 2024 Capsules + Briar “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU” Emote
• C-Tier (Top 70% globally): 1 Esports 2024 Capsule + Briar “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU” Emote

Maximization strategy: Focus on Crystal Ball predictions for the Viego skin opportunity, as fewer participants compete seriously in this category compared to traditional Pick’Em.

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