In League of Legends, it is becoming clear who will go to the Worlds in 2020 and who will not. Everything is going as planned in Europe, but in South Korea, Faker and his Titans from SKT1 are still worried about qualifying for the World Championship. In the USA, it’s a completely different story. And for the world champions from China, FunPlus Phoenix, things have not gone well at all.
The LoL World Championship is approaching. It will start in Shanghai at the end of September. A total of 24 teams are invited, most of which are already confirmed. We take a look at the 4 major regions and see a significant favorite decline in the Corona year 2020.
World Champions Blunder in China
This is what happened in the LPL 2020 in China: At the Worlds 2019, FunPlus Phoenix were the absolute stars of the tournament. The team around Midlaner Doinb, the innovative super-carry, started strong and grew even stronger throughout the tournament.
He and his brilliant jungler Tian seemed like they were from another world, and it looked like they could reinvent modern LoL and dominate and shape the scene for a long time. They simply wiped away the European champions from G2 Esports in the finals.
But 2020 did not go well for FunPlus Phoenix. They only finished eighth in the Chinese LPL and were eliminated in the playoffs in the first round.
Other “big” teams from China will also not go to the Worlds:
- Royal Never Give Up has accomplished nothing without their star bot laner Uzi.
- Even the 2018 world champions, Invictus Gaming, will miss the trip to the Worlds: they had a good regular season, but failed in the playoffs.
The 3 teams that have qualified are Top Esports, JD Gaming, and Suning. LGD Gaming finished in fourth place and will enter the qualifiers.
Chaos Season in Europe Ends as Usual
This is how 2020 went in the LEC in Europe: In Europe, the LEC had a peculiar year. The two established powerhouses, G2 Esports and Fnatic, performed inconsistently. The rookies, Mad Lions and Rogue, stepped up and dominated the regular season.
However, it was the same as always in the playoffs: Fnatic and G2 Esports reached the finals, and G2 Esports easily prevailed. The two star-studded teams along with Rogue will go to the Worlds. The Mad Lions will have to start from the preliminary round.
What is surprising is that Schalke finished in 5th place, after a disastrous preliminary round with 1-10. This is a notable success, but in the end, they narrowly missed out on the Worlds 2020 – despite a miraculous run.
So they are the “participants of the hearts of the Worlds”, but Schalke cannot benefit from that.
In the USA, the Strongest Team Fails After a Great Run
This is what’s happening in the LCS in the USA: In the USA, it looked in the spring as if Cloud 9 was practically unbeatable. The team had acquired the bot laner Zven from TSM: a top talent that was previously underutilized there.
With Zven, Cloud 9 dominated the spring season night and day. With a 17-1 record, they placed first in the league: an exceptional team. But the spring season is now practically meaningless in LoL: no World Championship slots are awarded there.
In the “real” season in the summer, Cloud 9 appeared noticeably weaker. And in the playoffs, the breakdown came: the team lost the important playoff games and will not attend the Worlds.
Instead, TSM is currently the strongest team in the USA. Although they faced continuous struggles throughout the year and encountered numerous small and medium-scale disasters, TSM was fully present in the playoffs and somehow managed to survive.
The controversial and now 27-year-old bot laner, Doublelift, seems to be exactly what the team around Bjergsen has been missing for years.
Cloud 9 will miss the Worlds for the first time in their history. In their place, Team SoloMid has made it back to the Worlds. FlyQuest will also be going to the Worlds, while Team Liquid will at least make it to the preliminary round.
Faker Worries About Whether He Will Attend the 2020 Worlds
This is how it’s going for Korea: There is also a generational change in South Korea. The favored teams with the former world champions, T1 with Faker and Gen G. with Ruler, were not as dominant as expected. Faker was even benched for some games.
Gen G. and T1 could not qualify for the Worlds in the LCK playoffs. Instead, DAMWON Gaming and DRX made it through.
However, there is still hope for Faker and Ruler: The 3rd Worlds spot from Korea is still up for grabs. Currently, there are 3 teams in the running: Gen G., Afreeca Freecs, and T1. One of these teams will make it to the Worlds. The decision on who the 3rd team from Korea will be will be made today and tomorrow.
Who is the favorite to win the 2020 Worlds? It is hard to say who will win the Worlds. After almost all Asian top teams have been eliminated, G2 Esports seems to have better chances than ever before.
After all, in LoL, it is ultimately the current performance curve that decides, and G2 Esports seems to be regaining its form just in time.
But in 2018 and 2019, Chinese teams won that hardly anyone in the West had on their radar. Could 2020 be another repeat?
Faker is probably the most famous LoL player in the world and a three-time world champion. But his last title was 4 years ago. Recently, at 24 years old, he seems to be feeling his age.
The fans’ support for Faker, whether he wins or loses, is evident in how LoL portrays him:
Everyone loves the crying LoL god before the Worlds – 3 videos showcase Faker
