Worlds 2020 Play-In Round 2 Preview

The first round of the Play-In Stage of Worlds 2020 has ended and we finally know 2 of the 4 teams that will compete in the Group Stage along with the other 12 competitors. Another 2 of them will be decided in the second round of the Play-In, which starts tomorrow, September 29^th.

Worlds 2020 Play-In Round 1 Results

The first round of the Play-In Stage did not go exactly as people had expected. Team Liquid won Group A, which was not a surprise, but Group B was won by an unexpected competitor: PSG Talon. Looking at Talon’s results in 2020, their victory in Group B is no longer such a big upset. Talon finished 1^st in the Spring Split and 2^nd in the Summer Split. But for sure, ahead of the tournament almost everyone would have guessed that LGD Gaming was going to win, simply because they’re a Chinese team.

Being so close to both China and South Korea and having players from Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong-Kong in its roster, PSG Talon probably borrowed a lot of tactics and strategies from the other regions. And since its close neighbours are exceptional, I can see why this team has also become exceptional.

Here are the full results for this round:

Group A

1^st place: Team Liquid: 3 W – 1 L
2^nd place: Legacy Esports: 3 W – 1 L
3^rd place: SuperMassive Esports: 2 W – 2 L
4^th place: MAD Lions: 1 W – 3 L
5^th place: INTZ: 1 W – 3 L

Group B

1^st place: PSG Talon: 3 W – 1 L
2^nd place: Unicorns of Love: 3 W – 1 L
3^rd place: Rainbow7: 2 W – 2 L
4^th place: LGD Gaming: 1 W – 3 L
5^th place: V3 Esports: 1 W – 3 L

Even though they won Group A, Team Liquid managed to lose somehow to INTZ. It no longer matters now, because they won the tiebreaker against LGC, but you should keep this defeat in mind for the Group Stage. Personally, I take it as a sign that Liquid is not on par with the other tier 1 competitors and will likely fail to reach the Playoffs. Or who knows? Maybe they were just tired. Afterall, this was their second match of the day.

Play-In Round 2

The second round of Worlds 2020 Play-In will feature 6 teams. These teams will be the 2^nd – 4^th place competitors from both groups. Unicorns of Love and Legacy Esports are already waiting in the Finals (there will be 2 Finals instead of one). The other 4 teams are scheduled to play in the Semifinals.

First Semifinal: SuperMassive Esports versus MAD Lions

In the first round of the Play-In Stage, these two teams met each other in Group A and SuperMassive Esports won the match in under 30 minutes. However, that was a Bo1. This will be a Bo5. And I think this format is going to favor MAD.

Second Semifinal: Rainbow7 versus LGD Gaming

R7 won the direct match in the first round but again, just like in MAD’s case, I do believe that the Bo5 format will favor them. Keep in mind that LGD comes from the Chinese region, where the competition is fierce and the top teams are highly skilled.

Photo credit: Riot Games