SMITE World Championship Predictions
Looking to the Future and Crowning a Champion
SK Gaming celebrates their victory at the season 6 SMITE World Championship. This weekend, the SMITE World Championship returns to in-person for the first time since November 2019. Image courtesy of Hi-Rez Studios.
Quarterfinal 1: Camelot Kings vs Highland Ravens (BO3)
There can be no denying the Highland Ravens’ run at the SWC Group Stages. After falling to the Titans 2-0 in their first match, the European SCC 2nd seed shocked the world by knocking out the Valhalla Valkyries in one of the most convincing wins by an SCC team over an SPL team in SMITE’s history. The Ravens followed that performance with another stellar showing against North America’s own SCC darlings, the Eldritch Hounds. This team is a mixture of raw and veteran talent and will be feeling invigorated after their recent performances.
On the other side is the first seed Camelot Kings, who found themselves in this position after an impressive, gritty win over the Leviathans at the phase 3 playoffs. The Kings are loaded with talent. BigManTingz and Genetics have long been among the best at their respective roles, while Variety and CaptainTwig have each had past Worlds successes, including a season 3 finals appearance together on Obey. The Ravens have had an impressive stretch to get here, but the reality is they failed to take a game off of the Titans in their last set vs an SPL team. While they did make game 2 close, that was mostly due to the Titans struggling on their end calls. The Kings have been a much cleaner team than the recent Titans, especially in late game scenarios.
2-0 Kings.
Quarterfinal 2: Olympus Bolts vs Hex Mambo (BO3)
What to say about Hex Mambo? They won their group, dropping just two games—a game 1 to the Solar Scarabs and a game 1 to the Oni Warriors. Their 5 wins were dominant, but they came against SPL teams that had limped their way to the SWC Group Stages. The Scarabs had an impressive end to their tumultuous regular season, but at the group stage it was clear they were miles behind the field in terms of cohesion. For the Warriors’ part, they have a long history of tournament disappointments. All of this to say, the teams that Mambo beat were in the play-in for a reason. If Mambo drop game 1 to the Bolts like they did against those weaker teams, the Bolts are going to be much harder to defeat, especially in a best of three scenario where the margins for error are narrow.
I know that everyone is high on Mambo right now, and the energy is overwhelming following last weekend’s performance. If I’m wrong, I deserve to be clowned for it. But I have to go with my gut here. The Bolts are frankly better and more resilient than the teams Mambo defeated. I predict that this match will feel a lot like season 7’s match between Renegades and Sanguine, where the former took out a talented team with a lot of momentum. One thing to note: the solo lane matchup will be between two of SMITE’s most storied players to have never won a championship—Deathwalker vs Baskin.
2-0 Bolts.
Quarterfinal 3: Jade Dragons vs Oni Warriors (BO3)
There is no other way to say this: the Warriors limped into SWC. They should have qualified from phase 3 qualifiers. They should have won their group at group stage. They did neither. In a last chance advancement match against the Scarabs, a missed Scylla ult from Snoopy allowed the Warriors to hold off a surging Scarabs. Had they lost that game, the Warriors would have likely been reverse swept. The Warriors are talented, but the energy is completely against them. Time and time again, they have failed on the biggest stages with disappointment after disappointment. They can’t rely on unforced errors to win games at SWC. The Dragons on the other hand are legitimate contenders with talent in every role. Not to mention this roster will be looking to finally make good on the four-year promise of its championship potential. It’s a narrative mismatch as much as it is a quality mismatch.
2-0 Dragons.
Quarterfinal 4: Atlantis Leviathans vs Tartarus Titans (BO3)
The Titans could take this set, and if they did so convincingly it might make them potential favorites to make a run. SoloOrTroll, Paul, and Cyno each have a stellar Worlds performance under their belts, and Aror also won along with Cyno in season five. I am not sure I can bet on them to win, though. I give the Titans a game because Paul is that good, but the Leviathans were especially hard to defeat in best of threes this year, as I noted back in the Phase 3 Week 5 Power Rankings. Zapman’s teams have obviously been forces of nature in the last three SWC events, so it is hard to imagine a first round exit. In a best of five, I would give the Titans better odds, but the Leviathans have been so resilient when facing match-point. The Titans will win game 1, then lose two close matches to end their season.
2-1 Leviathans.
Semifinal 1: Camelot Kings vs The Olympus Bolts (BO5)
This will be the most lopsided best of five played this weekend. As good as the Bolts have looked at times this year, they have struggled against the Kings. The talent mismatch is too great. For a team that lives off of Baskin and LASBRA’s ability to dive backliners, BigManTingz is a nightmare to face. He rarely dies, especially without getting off his damage. In the duo lane, Genetics is flat out better than AweseomeJake408 and can drive sets with his pick selection. Variety can get comfortable on a single god which can provide his team stability in strategizing and formulating team compositions. The only area of concern for the Kings is the jungle. Not because CaptainTwig is a bad player, but rather the Bolts play through LASBRA so much more than the Kings do Twig. If the Bolts could leverage momentum through their jungler enough to tilt an entire side of the map dramatically in their favor, they can snowball into favorable positions and pull out a win. Maybe they can do that once. Not three times.
3-1 Kings.
Semifnal 2: Atlantis Leviathans vs Jade Dragons (BO5)
When predicting this event, perhaps the first question you should ask is whether you think Zapman will win a fourth consecutive championship and, if not, who is going to stop him?
The idea of the Dragons and Leviathans meeting in semifinals is almost distasteful. Zapman vs PandaCat felt like a finals staple after two straight meetings. Like the rest of the league, the Dragons have not had the chance to play in front of a crowd since their runner-up finish as RivaL in 2019. Since then, they have risen to be the clear fan-favorite in the league. If there is a ‘home-field advantage’ to be had, it belongs to the Dragons. The energy in the room will be enough to finally take them past their biggest hurdle in Zapman.
3-2 Dragons.
Grand Finals: Camelot Kings vs Jade Dragons (BO5)
The storylines of this finals would be intense, it is hard not to get excited just imagining them. CaptainTwig chasing his first ring against his former teammates, the Dragons finally trying to silence doubters, fineokay attempting to avoid a 3rd finals appearance without a win, and the list goes on. The biggest advantage in this match: the Dragons have been here before. They know what victory takes and, more importantly, what losing feels like. Screammmmm is a driving force and will be a focal point for the Dragons in this match. If they can use him to apply pressure across the map, then the early fights will be hard for the Kings. CaptainTwig will need to find what picks are working for him to either set up for BigManTingz or become a conduit for his team. He can play the Ne Zhas, but he can play the Peles as well. The Kings will have to find which style of Twig’s helps them the most in this matchup and prioritize his picks accordingly. However, the biggest difference may be PandaCat’s matchup against Jarcorrr. The former’s experience of playing in front of a crowd will help stay his nerves against a player in a new-ish role playing on the biggest stage for the first time in front of fans. In the end, it will finally be the Jade Dragons who are the last to walk off the stage in Arlington.
3-2 Dragons.
