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With the Play-In stage of Worlds 2019 League of Legends completed, it is now time for the upcoming main stage event to take place. The main group stage of the LoL Worlds 2019 event is set to be an explosive one, with many teams in the groups vying for a spot in the bracket play. Of the 16 teams, only 8 will be able to get a chance to prove their worth in the knockout bracket.
Before they are able to do that, however, they must first clear the hurdle of getting out of the group stage first. With so many teams competing, it can be difficult to keep track of who are the favorites in the groups, and who are the underdogs. We’ll be going through and giving you our opinion on who are the favorites in each group, as well as who to watch out for when it comes to possible upsets.
Group A: Cloud 9, Hong Kong Attitude, G2 Esports, Griffin
Seen as one of the less shakable groups, Group A plays host to Europe’s first seed G2 Esports, North America’s second seed Cloud 9, the LMS’ third seed Hong Kong Attitude, and Korea’s second seed Griffin. With many still seeing the western regions as non-contenders, it is thought that the speculation is changing, as G2 Esports had won the Mid-season Invitational, and Team Liquid were runner-ups.
In this sense, many believe that both G2 Esports and Griffin will easily top the standings in this group. Cloud 9 and Hong Kong Attitude, being of weaker status, are seen to be the underdogs, and possibly pushed to the side in sweeps by both G2 and Griffin.
Group B: GAM Esports, Splyce Esports, FunPlus Phoenix, CTBC J Team
Another group with a few major powerhouses, Group B consists of the Vietnamese first seed GAM Esports, Europe’s third seed Splyce Esports, China’s first seed FunPlus Phoenix, and the LMS first seed J Team.
Notable is the fact that FunPlus phoenix were able to come out as the first seed from the China region, making them frontrunners for possibly winning the entire tournament. As such, it will be more of a battle for the second and only seed out, as FunPlus Phoenix look to have already secured their first seed spot.
Group C: SK Telecom T1, Fnatic, Royal Never Give Up, Clutch Gaming
Completely different than the previous two groups, Group C will see some powerhouses contend for the two spots available for the knockout stage. Korea’s first seed SK Telecom T1, Europe’s second seed Fnatic, China’s second seed Royal Never Give Up, and North America’s third seed Clutch Gaming make this group quite hot and slightly unpredictable in a good way.
Although three of the names in this group instil fear in many competitors, it is seen as a group of three, and not four. Clutch Gaming is seen as a dead end, and will be complete underdogs to make it out of the group stage.
Group D: Damwon Gaming, ahq e-Sports Club, Team Liquid, Invictus Gaming
Known as the group of death, Group D holds Korea’s third seed Damwon Gaming, the LMS’ second seed ahq e-Sports Club, North America’s first seed Team Liquid, and China’s third seed Invictus Gaming. All of these teams, save ahq e-Sports Club, are in the top percentile of possibly winning the tournament. However, that comes with quite dire implications.
Even though the seeds tell a different story, the strength of both Damwon Gaming and Invictus gaming cannot be denied. In many analysts’ eyes, Damwon Gaming can be akin to another regions first seed, and it will be a toss-up to see whether or not Invictus Gaming or Team Liquid are able to take the remaining spot.