**Teams from minor regions and lower seeds in the 16-team Swiss Stage face steep paths to avoid 0-3 elimination.** The format requires three wins for quarterfinal qualification and eliminates squads at three losses, with most early matches as Bo1 and decisive 2-1/0-2/1-2/2-2 games shifting to Bo3. LCK and LPL squads (Gen.G, Anyone’s Legend, T1, Bilibili Gaming) dominate seeding pools, while candidates for early exits include CBLOL’s LOS, LCP representatives like CTBC Flying Oyster or the Play-In winner (Karmine Corp/MVK Esports/Cloud9/FURIA bracket ongoing as of Oct 16), and lower LEC/LCS entries such as Movistar KOI or Dplus KIA. Recent Play-In results and the Oct 18 draw will set Round 1 matchups, with historical patterns showing Western and wildcard teams often dropping quick series against Eastern depth and objective control. Trader consensus reflects these regional gaps and draw variance rather than individual upsets.