win.gg
Win.gg League of Legends Gen.G and Fnatic are dark horses to watch for at Worlds 2020

Gen.G and Fnatic are dark horses to watch for at Worlds 2020

Author Icon
William Davis Published 12/09/2020

The favorites for the 2020 World Championship have already been agreed upon by both experts and fans. But which teams could end up surprising everyone with a deep run at the tournament?

22 teams will fight for glory and the Summoner’s Cup at Worlds in Shanghai, and some teams are bigger favorites than others. The LPL is considered the strongest regional league, represented by favorites such as Top Esports and JD Gaming. Both teams have been performing at a high level all year. LCK’s DAMWON Gaming is also considered a contender for the title, while G2 Esports from Europe can’t be underestimated either. 

As we see every year, some teams will underperform and others will surprise. For this year, there are two teams that might have the ability to make a deep run in the tournament despite not being considered a favorite. 

Can Gen.G’s controlled style win the World Championship?

Gen.G is the first team to look at for a surprise performance at Worlds. Everyone knows that Gen.G is a good team, but as the third seed from the LCK, they are not considered favorites to win the tournament. 

Gen.G was millimeters from reaching the 2020 LCK Summer Split final, but ended up losing the fifth and final game to DragonX in the semifinals. Several fans and experts thought that Gen.G was the best-performing team in that series, but they didn’t manage to close it out. 

In the Regional Finals, Gen.G redeemed themselves by beating T1 convincingly 3-0 to secure themselves the last LCK spot at Worlds. Because of recent format changes, Gen.G will be automatically qualified for the main event due to the absence of the VCS teams. This gives Gen.G a small advantage, but they still have the chance to end up in a difficult group. 

Gen.G has a scary roster. They have shown in the LCK that their controlled playstyle can work, but also be abused by dominant early-game teams. 

Mid laner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong and bot laner Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk will be the key players for the team, while Kim “Clid” Tae-min will try to enable them from the jungle. If they manage to play their best game, it will be hard for even the top teams to keep up. 

Gen.G has been consistently good domestically throughout the whole year but has needed the last push to go all the way. The World Championship is their chance to put in that last bit of effort.

Will Fnatic perform on the international stage again?

Fnatic has an impressive resume when it comes to international tournaments. They often perform better than expected and there is reason to think that this could also be the case this year.

Last year, Fnatic surprised many by making it out of the group stage. They were later knocked out by FunPlus Phoenix in the quarterfinals, who went on to win the tournament.

Fnatic has only made one roster swap since last year’s Worlds. Oskar “Selfmade” Boderek has replaced Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen in the jungle, but he has not looked like a downgrade for Fnatic. The Polish jungler has been crushing it on carry champions such as Evelynn and Hecarim, and might be one of Fnatic’s greatest assets on the international stage. 

This year, Fnatic reached both LEC finals only to be stopped by G2 in both of them. Fnatic has shown that they can play some good League of Legends, but their struggles against G2 has prevented them from proving themselves completely. 

At Worlds, Fnatic will have the chance to prove themselves against other top teams from around the world and some might fit better into their playstyle than G2. Fnatic likes to be an underdog and knows how to perform under pressure. The bot lane combination of Martin “Rekkles” Larsson and Zdravets “Hylissang” Galabov will be key players to keep the team at a consistent level, while the solo lanes occupied by Gabriël  “Bwipo” Rau and Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek will have to step up as we saw from them last year. 

Fnatic might also be able to pull out some innovative compositions as we saw last year, where they surprised the whole scene with Veigar in the mid lane. 

William Davis
About William Davis

View full profile
Read Also
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4 Esports Betting
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4 Ben Boland The 2026 LCS Summer Split is in full swing, with the eight North American squads all vying for a chance to represent the region at this year's World Championship. With Worlds being on home soil, there is more than just a ticket to Worlds at stake. Each series in the regular season carries weight, as the standings will determine their seeding and potentially their fate in the playoffs. Week four ...
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends League of Legends
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends Hannan Mundia After Faker and Uzi were inducted into the Hall of Legends in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the European League of Legends player Caps will be the next to get the same treatment. League of Legends has been a cornerstone in the professional gaming scene for over a decade. In that time, a handful of players have managed to leave their mark for all future fans and fellow players to learn ...
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it Michael Hassall The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More League of Legends
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More Hannan Mundia 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are slated to start soon, and this preview highlights the schedule, our expert predictions, and everything else you need to know before watching. The LCK has been upside down recently. Teams that were considered absolute powerhouses are seemingly falling off, while previous underdogs have been causing upset after upset. 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are starting soon, and the big question here is which team will reign ...
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more League of Legends
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more Hannan Mundia The 2026 LEC Summer split will be the deciding split to determine which teams can make it to the World Championship, and this preview aims to highlight everything you need to know about it. It isn’t a stretch to say that the LCK and LCP are the only two competitive League of Legends regions actually pulling their weight currently. The LEC did show potential at the start of the year, ...
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version? League of Legends
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version? Hannan Mundia League Classic brings the classic League of Legends gameplay and design from when the game first came out, but how is it different from the modern version? The modern League of Legends mode is arguably in its best state in terms of popularity, with a study even reporting that playing LoL can improve brain function. Over a decade of gameplay and multiple marketing tactics by Riot Games have bumped up ...
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode League of Legends
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode Hannan Mundia League Classic sees the return of League of Legends Season 3, but which champions were deemed the best during that time? League of Legends has gone through a lot of changes since it first came out. While the map and item-related changes naturally impacted the game's state, so did the many champion nerfs, buffs, and reworks. Multiple champions played completely differently in Season 3 than they do now. Since League ...