Worlds 2020 Quarterfinals Results

The Quarterfinals of Worlds 2020 featured 8 amazing teams. But only one of the 4 matches ended with a thrilling result. The other 3 were very one-sided.

Top Esports – Fnatic

This was a superb match that a lot of people were anticipating. The best team in China was playing against the second-best team in Europe. Top Esports was heavily favored to win the dispute with a score of 3 – 0 or 3 – 1. But things did not go as smoothly as they hoped.

Fnatic took game 1 with a Galio mid that had a lot to offer during team fights. In game 2, the expectation was that Top Esports would make a comeback. But again, Fnatic had some great team fights and managed to make the score 2 – 0. At this point, a quick 3 – 0 was looking like a real possibility. The Chinese team was simply having a bad day after an amazing season. But instead of losing, they made one of the most epic comebacks in the history of Worlds. From 0 – 2, they won 3 – 2.

Suning – JD Gaming

This was the only real upset of the Playoffs of Worlds 2020. Suning, the 3^rd best team in China, encountered JD Gaming, the 2^nd best team in China. And even though JD Gaming won game 1 and everything was looking normal, Suning found a champion that proved lethal against JDG’s playstyle. Suning used Jhin in each of their 3 consecutive wins and the way they played him was surprisingly good. Two of the games ended in just 27 minutes. JDG just couldn’t cope with Suning’s map movements and tactics but what I don’t understand is why they didn’t ban this champion in the 3^rd and 4^th games.

Gen.G Esports – G2 Esports

The 3^rd best team in South Korea faced the best team in Europe. And unsurprisingly, the European team won. The match was a complete stomp but what is interesting about it is G2’s champion pool. In particular, the team decided to employ the same strategy that Suning had used against JD Gaming. They picked Jhin in all of their games. It’s hard to justify why, but if you watch the games you will see how impressive their map movements were. In spite of being a strong team, Gen.G did not stand a chance. The final score was 3 – 0.

DAMWON Gaming – DragonX

This was a rematch of the Grand Final of the LCK Playoffs. DAMWON won that match with a score of 3 – 0 and as everyone expected, they won this one too with the same score. And guess what champion they picked for their first game. Jhin. Something’s going on here but it’s hard to put a finger on it because the strategies and considerations are so high level that only pro players would be able to tell you the reasoning behind them.

Semifinals

As a result of what happened in the Quarterfinals, in the Semifinals of Worlds 2020 we will see Top Esports compete against Suning and G2 Esports compete against DAMWON Gaming. The first match will likely end with a victory for Top Esports but the second one is a complete mystery. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m quite sure that the winner between G2 Esports and DAMWON Gaming will go on to win the entire tournament.

 

Photo credit: Riot Games