With Worlds 2022 Play-ins starting tomorrow, let’s preview Group A of the first part of the tournament.
Worlds 2022 is around the corner as we await this year’s end-of-the-year tournament. We start with the play-ins as twelve teams duke it out to progress to the Groups Stage. The teams are divided into two groups, and in this article, we will talk about Group A and the favorites to go through.
Worlds 2022 Play-ins Group A
Group A is a wide-open group for this year’s play-ins. Obviously, the teams from the major regions will be the favorites. However, other teams in this group have a chance to make some noise. Fnatic will be on the back foot as their bot lane may miss some time. Let’s talk about favorites to be at the top of the group and what storylines are percolating for this group.
Group A Favorites
Regarding favorites, there are two teams in this group: Fnatic and Evil Geniuses. However, both teams have their own problems as the Fnatic bot lane is dealing with Covid, and Evil Geniuses do not have their main AD Carry player.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Fnatic is going through a Covid issue for their bot lane. Fortunately, Upset has tested negative on multiple Covid tests as per regulations, and he should be en route to Mexico. Unfortunately, Hylissang’s status is unknown as he needs to undergo more tests before he is set to join the team. This situation puts Fnatic in a tough spot as their bot lane will be out of sync with no scrims.
Evil Geniuses are missing Danny, their main AD Carry player, but that was a known fact since the LCS Champions Finals week. So EG should have enough practice and be ready for the play-ins. Thus, Evil Geniuses should be the favorite going into the Group A games.
In totality, it’s between Evil Geniuses and Fnatic for us to be first in the group.
Dark Horse to Win Group A
Our dark horse team to win the group is Mega Bank Beyond Gaming. Their scrims are reportedly going well, and BYG was the team to stop PSG from making it to Worlds. With roster turnovers from last year, they are back at Worlds with something to prove in the play-ins. They will be a team to watch in Group A.
The Rest of the Group A teams
Detonation FocusMe will always be in the conversation of making it to the Worlds Groups Stage. They made it last year, but the competition is stiffer this time. With Fnatic, Evil Geniuses, and Mega Bank Beyond Gaming in the group, they have to face real competition to have a spot at Worlds 2022 Groups Stage. However, the top 4 should be achievable for them to make it to the playoffs to have a shot at that.
LOUD and Chiefs Esports will have their work cut out for them. Coming for CBLOL and LCO, respectively, they have to prove more and have to start their Worlds campaign strong. In terms of making it to the playoffs, both these teams might be getting the short end of the stick. However, stranger things have happened. Thus, counting them out would be a bad idea.
In Conclusion
Fnatic and Evil Geniuses are the teams poised to take the top spot in the group to auto-qualify for Worlds 2022 Groups Stage, while 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the group will be in the playoffs. The question remains as to which of the six teams will make it further into the tournament.
