LEC and LCS Summer Conclude As Qualifiers Now Look to September’s Worlds
You may remember that last week we reviewed the teams competing in both the LCS Summer 2020 Playoffs and the LEC Summer 2020 Playoffs and after what was an exciting, and unpredictable, weekend of action, we now know the teams that will be heading forward into September’s League of Legends World Championships from each region.
LCS Playoffs
There is no doubt that the trials and tribulations that have befallen Team SoloMid this season have been one of the major talking points in the LCS, but despite their up and down season, the team came good at the perfect time when they came through two incredibly tough games to claim their first LCS title since 2017.
After a regular season beset by inconsistency, an unusual number of poor performances, and decidedly average form, Team SoloMid entered the playoffs as one of the underdogs based on their regular season performance, which saw them just scrape into the playoffs with a 12-6 record on the back of some stellar individual play by mid-laner Bjergsen.
However, with Cloud9 and Team Liquid also qualified and in much stronger form, Team SoloMid’s chances were not rated that highly and that appeared to be the case when they lost their quarterfinal to Golden Guardians 3-0.
Dropping into the Losers bracket though seemed to galvanise the team and after defeating Dignitas 3-0 in Round 1, they avenged their quarterfinal loss by beating Golden Guardians 3-2 in Round 2. However, in Round 3, they would face Cloud9 as the big underdogs, but TSM produced a run of stunning performances, beating Cloud9 3-1, then Team Liquid 3-2 in the Loser’s Final before going on to defeat the much-fancied FlyQuest in the Grand Final.
Along with Team SoloMid, FlyQuest and Team Liquid will represent the LCS at the Worlds in September with Cloud9 missing out for the first time since 2012.
LEC Playoffs
There was equal drama in the LEC too, although, in the end, it was a familiar name that came out as the eventual Summer 2020 Champions. G2 Esports started in the semifinals and defeated MAD Lions 3-1 to move into the winner’s final, but here they came unstuck when a talented Fnatic team defeated them 3-2 to drop them into the Losers Finals.
In an exciting battle against Rogue, G2 Esports came through with a 3-2 win to renew their rivalry with Fnatic in the final and this time, the team landed an excellent 3-0 win on the back of an outstanding performance from their player Caps, who earned himself a share of the MVP award.
Alongside G2 Esports and Fnatic, Rogue and MAD Lions will also be in attendance at the Worlds in September having snatched the remaining two qualification spots in the LCS.
September’s World Championship
September’s LoL World Championship will take place in Shanghai at the Pudong Football Stadium and will feature a total of 22 teams competing for arguably the most coveted prize in esports. 12 teams will be seeded into the Group Stage and these teams are:
- Top Esports (LPL)
- JD Gaming (LPL)
- Suning (LPL)
- G2 Esports (LEC)
- Fnatic (LEC)
- Rogue (LEC)
- DAMWON Gaming (LCK)
- DRX (LCK)
- Team SoloMid (LCS)
- FlyQuest (LCS
- Machi Esports (PCS)
- + a further LCK qualifier from their Regional Finals.
The remaining 10 teams will take place in the play-in event ahead of the Group Stage and the qualifiers for this tournament are as follows:
- INTZ (CBLOL)
- LGD Gaming (LPL)
- Legacy Esports (OPL)
- MAD Lions (LEC)
- PSG Talon (PCS)
- Rainbow7 (LLA)
- SuperMassive Esports (TCL)
- Team Liquid (LCS)
- Unicorns of Love (LCL)
- V3 Esports (LJL)
The tournament is scheduled to run for just over a month, starting on the 25th September and finishing on the 31st October 2020.
Featured Image Credits: @LCSOfficial
Since: August 10, 2015
