Power Ranking: League of Legends Worlds 2020 knockout stage

Worlds 2020 group stages are over and we know our last eight teams fighting for the Summoners Cup. Quarterfinal opponents are drawn, the matchups are set in stone and today started with a rematch of the LCK finals between DWG and DRX. But which team is the favourite to win it all? This is our ranking for the top eight left at Worlds 2020.

Looking at the top eight, there is not one ‘weak’ team left. All teams have rightfully earned their spot in the quarterfinals and it all comes down to the smaller things now. To rank them we will look at their history, regional strength, flexibility, and performance in the group stage. To top things off, we will start from the bottom up. Let me emphasize that being last in this list still makes you a world class team being top eight in the world.

8. Suning Gaming

Coming in the eighth spot is Suning Gaming. They have already upset G2 in their group, but they still lack the consistency of a top tier team. While their ADC has a wonderful backstory, his performance at Worlds has been subpar with what we can expect from the top eight. It feels like SN is all about the toplane, where we find a beast of a player: Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin. Solely trusting in your toplaner however, is not going to get you far in the playoffs.

7. Fnatic

Second to last, we have Fnatic. Having already shown a bit of weakness in the LEC finals, they are still standing tall at the Worlds stage. Although Fnatic always seems to enjoy a Worlds buff of some kind, the team mostly plays around star jungler Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek. With a lot of question marks surrounding Nemesis’ champion pool, Bwipo’s laning phase and the current form of Hylissang, Fnatic is looking like too much of a wildcard and more so a dark horse in the tournament.

6. DRX

It might be recency bias but ranking sixth on this list is DRX. They were able to put up a fight in their group, but they mostly feel like a weaker DAMWON Gaming. Having faced their nemesis in the quarterfinals and losing 0-3, it really showed the flaws of this team. Not having enough flexibility and game plans to take the fight right up to DWG. Some of these mistakes are most likely caused by the fact they still have mostly rookies in their line-up. This does mean it’ll be interesting to see where this roster goes in the upcoming years.

5. GenG

Not quite making it into the top four is GenG. Having placed first in their group they still make a great team with, arguably, the best and most talented ADC in the tournament in Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk. But with Ruler having a small physical injury on his ear and him underperforming in lanes against weaker opponents, things do seem scary for GenG fans. Although not quite in the top four, they are still a force to be reckoned with, especially if they can keep up the form they showed in their last game against Fnatic.

4. G2 Esports

Our fourth placed team is G2 Esports. Having proved themselves last year by winning MSI and making it to the Worlds finals, they are a team with a lot of experience. They are however not quite on the level of the other three teams above them. They showed a lacklustre performance domestically and also in their group, where most people expected them to take the first seed. Let‘s hope to see a G2 Esports on top of their game, because that is a team to be feared.

3. JD Gaming

Starting in our top three is JD Gaming. The number two seed from the LPL, but not the second-best team per se. They went the full distance with TOP Esports twice in the finals, winning the first one but conceding the second final and thus the number one seed from the LPL to TOP Esports. These teams are so close in skill level that the difference in ranking can almost be nullified. JD Gaming’s playstyle is a more macro-focused one, mostly fighting for objectives.

2. TOP Esports

Runner up for our ranking is TOP Esports. A team with a formidable midlaner in Zhuo “Knight” Ding and world class jungler Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan. They won the last clash of the titans in the LPL finals and could now be well on their way to become the new world champion. Although many see them as the favourites to win it all, because the LPL won the last two editions of Worlds, they are met with heavy Korean resistance on their way to the top. Their aggressive playstyle and their ‘the-game-starts-at-level-1- fighting’ catches a lot of teams off guard. Let us see how far they can go with this strategy.

1. DAMWON Gaming

The top contender is LCK’s avenger: DAMWON Gaming. Having rolled over the competition in the LCK, beating DRX 3-0 in the LCK finals, beating them 3-0 again in the quarterfinals, they look unstoppable. DAMWON Gaming is currently the team to beat and with their individual prowess of the players they look to take the fight to every team that will contest them. They appear to have no significant weakness except their own ability to throw seemingly won games.

Wrapping up

We have a clear top three at Worlds 2020, being JDG, TOP and DWG. While the LPL sits comfortably on the throne, LCK is coming for their revenge. The LEC teams are the dark horses of the tournament and are looking to upset the regions mentioned before. The top eight looks closer than it has ever been and the chances of not getting a three games final are still alive. Good luck to every team still left at the tournament and we’ll be sure to tune in for the LPL clash in the next quarterfinal match tomorrow, where Suning Gaming takes on JD Gaming.

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