The four LPL representatives at the 2020 League of Legends World Championship had two rough splits, failing to requalify for the most prestigious tournament of the year. Top Esports, the last candidates on the list, fell to LNG Esports earlier today.
Top Esports, Suning, JD Gaming, and LGD Gaming had mixed results throughout the Summer Split, with two teams failing to even make playoffs to have a chance to qualify for this year’s Worlds. LGD Gaming and JD Gaming finished 11th and 12th during the regular season, while Top Esports and Suning finished fifth and ninth, respectively.
A similar number of teams requalified for Worlds in other major regions, but LPL is an exception. The region is full of diverse talent spread across multiple teams, which helps elevate the power of all squads and lets rising stars overtake old favorites—even if they made it to Worlds.
While Top Esports and Suning qualified for the playoffs and had a chance to appear at this year’s Worlds, their level was much lower compared to other teams. LNG Esports, the team that eliminated both of them from this split’s playoffs, showed a much more controlled playstyle with the former Griffin jungler Tarzan leading his team to clean victories by reading his opponents like a book.
With four Worlds spots up for grabs, both known and unknown teams can make it to the tournament. FPX, EDG, RNG have proven themselves on the international scene with either wins or deep runs into the tournament. On the other hand, unproven teams such as Rare Atom, Team WE, and Bilibili Gaming can still surprise fans.
The LPL playoffs continue tomorrow with Bilibili Gaming taking on Team WE at 4am CT.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
Published: Aug 14, 2021 11:29 am