Worlds 2020 Winner, MVP, Darkhorse Predictions

Each writer had to choose the Worlds 2020 winner, a darkhorse, the winner of each group, who will win MVP and which champion will be the most picked during the tournament.

Tom Matthiesen

Worlds 2020 Winner: G2 Esports

Top Esports, DAMWON Gaming, and JD Gaming are all high up my list, and I doubt many will disagree with these teams looking incredibly strong. Yet, with a pinch of European bias added, I think this is G2’s year, finally. Their Summer Split was rough as the team failed to accelerate in time—they deliberately took it slower early on to not be burnt out by the time Worlds came around. Even though they won the title, the games looked messy. But in China, G2 is presented with a clean slate, a chance to start over. If they’ve managed to get the motor running, they’ll be unstoppable (except for the trademark int game here and there, perhaps). It’s EUPhoria time, baby!

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: Unicorns of Love

It’s hard to pick a true dark horse in this event, since I think it’s pretty clear who will make it out of each respective group of the Group Stage. Looking at the Play-In Stage, many people may expect Unicorns of Love to be eliminated there. But I think they’re wrong. Unicorns of Love have been frighteningly dominant in the LCL. While I don’t think they’ll finish in first place in their Play-In group (hard to argue against LGD here), I still expect them to make it to the main event. I don’t think they’ll make it to the top 8—with LGD automatically being seeded in group C, I think there is little room for Play-In teams for upsets—they may be a tougher opponent than the other teams anticipate.

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Caps

Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Renekton

Mike Plant

Worlds 2020 Winner: DAMWON Gaming

It’s time. The LPL is still the better region overall, but DAMWON Gaming are the type of explosive and ridiculously talented team that can bring a championship back to the LCK. They got a tough draw in Group B, but you have to beat tough teams to win the title. We’ll find out quickly that they’re for real.

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: Suning

Suning got drawn into the weakest group of the four, but I’m not sure it matters all that much. Considering they couldn’t be matched up against a second LPL team, I think they were bound to advance out of any group draw. Suning ended the season by beating LGD Gaming six straight games, and they might just be the fourth-best team in this tournament. I like them to top Group A.

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Canyon

Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Ashe

Nick Ray

Worlds 2020 Winner: JDG Gaming

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: Suning

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Kanavi

Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Ezreal

Craig Robinson

Worlds 2020 Winner: DAMWON Gaming

DAMWON Gaming is the team in the LCK that has adopted the successful elements that the LPL teams use to dominate with. Their new style is clean and has just as much clear Korean decision making as it does strong Chinese team fighting.

Across all the teams attending from the big regions, DAMWON Gaming has the fastest average game time and one of the highest kills per minute. If DAMWON Gaming has done their homework against the LPL teams then DAMWON shouldn’t really have much of an issue translating their regional success against the LPL.

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: G2 Esports

G2 is one of the teams that certainly has the credentials be a Worlds winner. While G2 Esports has been a bit sloppy throughout the European Summer Playoffs and Regular Split, this team picked up their game when it mattered the most in the EU Final.

G2 Esports is in one of the easier groups of Worlds 2020, so getting out shouldn’t be an issue. If they do have to contend against an LPL team in the quarters then they have the early game and strong lanes to match the slaughter the LPL tends to dish out. And G2 Esports has already proven they can take on skilled LCK teams as proven with their victories over T1 in MSI and Worlds 2019.

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Canyon

Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Nautilus

Justin Hartling

Worlds 2020 Winner: JDG Gaming

Talent goes a long way to winning Worlds. I know that may sound like an obvious statement but we all know it to be true. JDG has a top-five player in the world at four of the five positions. I would argue that Zoom, Kanavi and LvMao are the best top, jungle and support playing League of Legends right now. But not only do they have ridiculous talent, but they also have amazing synergy together. Most will say Yagao is the weak link on the team, and that is fair, but his playstyle perfectly compliments Kanavi and allows the LPL Summer Split MVP to carry from the jungle.

JDG are not a slam dunk based entirely on their lack of international experience. But, this is a team that plays incredibly well together, can fit into any meta because of their skill level and has the opportunity to grow into a dominant powerhouse.

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: Unicorns of Love

First, I will preface this with the fact that Unicorns were my favorite team when they played in Europe, and still have a soft spot for the team to this day.

UoL was one win away from making it to the Group Stage in 2019, losing a five-game series to Splyce. Instead of just running it back, the team got stronger by bringing in Gadget and SaNTaS into the bot lane. When you pair that new bot lane with the best Mid laner in the region and a solid duo in jungle and top, it is easy to see the Unicorns going on a run.

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Kanavi

Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Ornn

Michael Hassall

Worlds 2020 Winner: DAMWON Gaming

This team pushed G2 Esports to the limit last year in a series that gets forgotten about because of G2’s trip to the finals. They didn’t miss a beat heading into 2020, and by Summer were the strongest team in LCK by a substantial margin. They went from barely scraping past DRX in Spring to stomping them in the Summer finals. This is a team firing on all cylinders and if they can keep their level heads together when dealing with the strong LPL and EU squads, they’ll be a shoo-in for a championship. Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon feels like the lynchpin of this team. He’s been with DRX since their promotion to the LCK in 2018, and he’s been a standout in so many of their games over the years. He’s almost certainly the best top laner at Worlds, even with the likes of Martin “Wunder” Hansen around, and benefits from the absence of some of his more famous interregional rivals in the position.

Worlds 2020 Darkhorse: LGD Gaming

They may be in the play-in, they may technically be the fourth-best team in China, but LGD are a dangerous opponent. Their seasonal results aren’t great, having barely scraped into the Summer Playoffs after a dismal Spring. I think people forget how stacked the LPL is –  there were 17 teams in LPL 2020 Summer, two former Worlds winners, and four more teams that have had stand out performances at past Worlds. Still, LGD beat out the likes of Royal Never Give Up, Invictus Gaming, EDward Gaming, OMG, Team WE, and FunPlus Phoenix to be here. What’s more, they’re not even playing at the peak of their potential. The team makes mistakes, but not unfixable ones. They’re ramping up to a top performance. Last but not least, they have Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, a jungler with plenty of Worlds experience.

Play-in Group Winners

Group Stage Winners

MVP: Showmaker
Most Played Champion at Worlds 2020: Thresh

Worlds 2020 gets underway on September 25 at 4AM EST with MAD Lions taking on INTZ. The eventual tournament finals will take place in Shanghai, China on October 31.