The best Pick'Ems for League of Legends Worlds 2022 group stage

William Davis Published 04/10/2022

After six days of intense competition, the Worlds 2022 Play-In stage wrapped up and the groups for the main event are decided.

This year, the stakes were higher than ever for the teams going through the Worlds 2022 Play-In stage. Due to the absence of the LCL in the tournament, the LEC received an extra slot in the competition. It meant that five teams from major regions were fighting for the remaining four slots at the main event.

DRX, Fnatic, Evil Geniuses, and RNG earned their ticket to New York City. The Main Event Group Stage action starts on October 7, 2022. League of Legends fans now have the opportunity to predict the winners and losers.

Pick’ems for LoL Worlds Group A

EDward Gaming has the opportunity to become the first LPL team to win back-to-back World Championship titles, but first it must go through T1, Cloud9, and Fnatic. EDG and T1 share a common thread, they’re not in top form, and in comparison with other teams from their own regions, they look weak.

The easy prediction would be EDG first and T1 second in Group A. However, Cloud9 and Fnatic can smell blood in the water. If there is an opportunity to qualify over EDG and T1, this is the one. It won’t be an easy feat but it’s not impossible. Cloud9 has history in its favor as the only North American team to ever make it out of groups. Fnatic had time to warm up going through Play-Ins.

Day one of groups will see C9 playing against Fnatic in the opening match and later on, EDG will face T1. If there’s a group that could end up with an upset, it’s Group A.

https://youtu.be/HOtvqc0ECo0

Pick’ems for Worlds 2022 Group B

Evil Geniuses became the first team to ever take down an LEC representative in a best-of-five series. In a surprising turn of events, North America’s third seed claimed the victory in a clean 3-0 series. While the team had a moment of inspiration that led to their miraculous run, it will need more than that to survive Group B.

Right off the bat, the LPL champion JD Gaming stands out as the favorite to take first place. In previous years, the champion has not followed the meta closely but the one that imposes its own style on the rest. The challenge for JDG is to stay true to themselves and do what they do best.

DWG Kia and G2 Esports hobbled through playoffs in their respective regions. DWG experimented with roster changes that did not pay off and are coming to Worlds 2022 with Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon as its starting top laner in a meta that favors the side lanes. Regardless of the meta, G2 is the type of team that performs under pressure, so it is difficult to predict how well they will do in this group. The battle for second might as well be decided by a coin toss.

Pick’ems for LoL Worlds Group C

Group C follows a similar pattern to the previous one with an LPL team as the favorite, the LCK and LEC teams fighting for second, and a fourth team hoping for the best.

In 2022, Top Esports is the team that almost makes it. In both spring and summer finals it finished second-place just behind RNG, which would go to win the Mid-Season Invitational, and JDG, the current favorite to Worlds. TES is always one game away from glory and Worlds 2022 might be their opportunity to prove that they got what it takes.

DRX advanced to the main event undefeated. The match against RNG in Play-Ins proved that they can go head-to-head with LPL teams. Another victory against MAD Lions made it clear that you can’t count them out until the nexus is down. According to the DRX squad, keeping their mental state is the key to having a Worlds-winning performance and so far, the theory is proving to be right.

Rogue is looking to break the 2021 curse and make it out of the group stage. The LEC champion is well positioned to contend for a top spot in the group but only if they remain consistent and don’t drop games to the likes of GAM Esports. The Vietnamese squads are known for last-minute victories to upset the group’s standings. GAM is facing titans but it wouldn’t be the first time they make a god bleed.

Pick’ems for Worlds 2022 Group D

Group D is as straightforward as it gets in Worlds 2022. Gen.G broke the domestic curse and finally earned an LCK title in a dominating fashion against a wounded T1. Considered one of the favorites to win the event, Gen.G is nearly guaranteed to finish first in Group D.

100 Thieves has a fighting chance considering that RNG dropped a game against DRX and then another versus Detonation FocusMe. In a best-of-one scenario, 100 Thieves might find an opening to strike but only if the LCS squad doesn’t try to match RNG’s fighting style.

Group D will be an uphill battle for CTBC Flying Oyster. The PCS team will have a hard time trying to be anything other than the group’s punching bag.

William Davis

About William Davis

View full profile