Worlds 2020 Group Stages kicks off tomorrow with six games with 20 of the best teams League of Legends has to offer.
Worlds 2020 continues tomorrow with the Group Stages kicking off. There are four groups with four teams in each group fighting it out to qualify for the Knockout stage. We will analyze the groups and breakdown how we expect it to go with some of our predictions.
Group Stages Format
The group stages are a double round-robin where each team plays each other twice. After those scheduled matches are over, tiebreakers will be resolved if needed.
Group A:
Group A might be the weakest group at Worlds 2020. G2 is a great team but they have been very inconsistent in their regional games. Adding to it, Machi Esports is regarded as the weakest #1 seed from the respective region in the tournament. Team Liquid were magnificent in the play-ins but how they translate it to the group stages remains a question mark. Suning are a new team to the Worlds stage and their inexperience might be a hindrance to their success.
This is how we see the group to end up at the end of the group stages:
- G2
- Suning
- Team Liquid
- Machi Esports
G2 should be able to easily top the group given their pedigree at Worlds. Suning and Team Liquid should be a very close 2nd and 3rd with a possible tiebreaker for 2nd place. However, we expect Suning to make it through to the Knockout stages since China has been a force at Worlds.
On the other hand, Team Liquid does have a very good shot at 2nd place. They need to establish their place in the groups in the first game or it might be trouble for them. Machi Esports looks to be the weakest team in this group but they can surprise us given they are a #1 team from a less known region in the PCS.
This should be a group where G2 Caps shines throughout their matches. The two top teams, Suning and G2, play through their top lane so Team Liquid will need to decide if they want to do that same. Suning should shine through SOFM’s play in the jungle which has been their staple at the LPL. Machi Esports is the true unknown of the group and can surprise other teams with their play. However, it is hard to tell whether it will happen or not.
Group B:
Most analysts and caster have regarded this group as the Group of Death because of how strong DamWon Gaming and JD Gaming are. DamWon Gaming being the #1 seed from the LCK are set to meet expectations which they had last year. On the other hand, the #2 seed for the LPL JD Gaming is the strongest #2 seed at Worlds. This JD Gaming team has given Top Esports, #1 seed in the LPL, fits in their regional games. PSG.Talon were the surprise of the play-ins but it is hard to tell how that manifests in the group stages. Lastly, we have Rogue who are a very mechanically sound team and are consistent in their play.
This is how we expect Group B to look at the end of games:
- JD Gaming
- DamWon Gaming
- Rogue
- PSG.Talon
This group is a race of two horses and we are going with JDG to win out this group. Honestly, it can go either way with DamWon or JDG so it is not unexpected to see either one be top in the group. Tough luck to Rogue being in a group with two behemoths however the teams should not sleep on them. PSG.Talon will be an unknown given that their whole roster is set to return tomorrow after their quarantine is over, so it will be a different look for them.
For DamWon, it is going to be pivotal for ShowMaker and Nuguri to make their mark at Worlds early. JD Gaming’s play depends a lot on how Kanavi plays and Kanavi should be the standout jungler in the group. Rogue will need to decide on how to best protect Finn at the top lane. In the LEC, Finn was clearly their weakest link in the top lane, and playing weak side against DamWon or JDG does not look good with Nuguri and Zoom on the respective teams. The question with PSG.Talon is how will they look now that their main roster is set to play. That remains to be seen at worlds.
Group C:
This is the most open group in Worlds this year. Any of these teams can make it out of group stages. Gen.G do look to be the best team on paper in this group but it is not unexpected for Fnatic, LGD, or TSM to just outperform them. It is hard to count out any of these teams and thus, this makes Group C the most exciting group to watch.
This is our predictions for how Group C will end up:
- Gen.G
- Fnatic
- LGD Gaming
- Team Solo Mid
Gen.G as said before, looks to be the best roster in this group. Ruler is regarded as the best ADC in the world and they have Clid and BDD to play around that. However, This is a group with three of the best ADC’s the world has to offer with Ruler along with Rekkles and Doublelift from FNC and TSM respectively. Fnatic’s Achilles heel might be Nemesis based on how the regional games went and players like Bjergsen, BDD and Xiye should exploit that. Peanut and Selfmade for their respective teams should shine in the group. This group will be really fun to watch.
Group D:
To us, this is the Group of Death. Not only do we have Top Esports and DRX but it also has the 2nd team from NA, FlyQuest, and the wildcard team Unicorns of Love. Both Top Esports and DRX should not sleep on the Unicorns of Love. UoL was the team that just showed they are level over most play-in teams and it will be very interesting to see how they perform in the group stages.
This is how we expect the group to stand:
- Top Esports
- Unicorns of Love
- DRX
- FlyQuest
Top Esports is the clear top team in this group given their pedigree and they have many standout players in their team. Unicorns of Love however are the real swiss army knife in this group since they are not afraid to play something that the opponents are not familiar with.
DRX is a shaky #2 and we believe Unicorns of Love have what it takes to take game(s) off of them. However, there is a case to be made for DRX will be 2nd with Deft and Chovy being in that team. FlyQuest could play spoiler in this group as PowerOfEvil is still in this team who has played really well this year.
Meta Predictions:
Lets break down the meta as best as we can with each individual role.
Top Lane: Ornn has shown how strong the champion is in play-ins and that will likely translate to more Ornn bans. Camille and Renekton should rise more in priority as there are more carry based top laners in group stages. There should also be more top lane picks we have not seen in Worlds yet including Nuguri’s Vladimir and so on. Mordekaiser should also rise more in priority.
Jungle: The play-ins were dominated by a lot of Graves, Kindred, Nidalee and Lilia. one or two of these four champions should be banned in most games so it will be very interesting to see if the teams just trade junglers or bring out some new picks. Keep an eye on Lee Sin and Sett in the jungle role.
Mid Lane: Mid lane has been the most diverse lane in terms of champion picks. A lot of champions have been picked at least 5 times in the play-ins and expect more different picks to make their way in.
Bot Lane: Caitlyn has been banned for most of the games. Whether that trend continues is a question that remains unanswered. Most of the champions in the those that have been picked at least 5 times are very close in win rates.
Support: Leona will be a menace if not banned out. Leona showed its benefits of engaging with long-range ultimates and the Zenith Blade to stun and lockdown carries. Rakan, Nautilus, and Alistar have been picked a lot. Expect Bard and Thresh to rise more in priority.
Conclusion
This should be one of the more competitive Worlds tournaments in recent years with a lot of teams coming in with similar strengths and high-level play. Group Stages start tomorrow.
