Top Esports hands Korea its first loss at Worlds 2020 group stage with Nocturne
Top Esports took down DragonX in an intense game at the 2020 League of Legends World Championship group stage.
The battle for first place in group D included tournament favorites Top Esports and the Korean jokers from DRX. Both teams dominated its opening game of the group stage, so this match was going to decide a lot.
DRX went with a ballsy draft by picking Quinn for the top lane and Draven down bot. It was the first time that Quinn was played at the Worlds group stage. Picking it to counter Renekton, in this case, seemed like a smart move by DRX.
DRX was looking to get an early lead and shut down the Chinese overlords by split pushing in the late game. DRX jungler Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon put all his focus towards the top lane and succeeded with an early game gank to get Quinn ahead.
As the teams entered the mid game, both DRX Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon on Quinn and Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon on Twisted Fate started to build a solid lead for themselves. The two players were the key for a successful split push in the late game.
Unfortunately for DRX, Top Esports kept answering back by diving onto the DRX bot lane. Top Esports mid laner Zhuo “Knight” Ding on Nocturne was the key engagement tool and it worked out great for getting picks.
In the end, it was Top Esports who prevailed with better macro play and individual performances. Knight succeeded with his Nocturne mid, while Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo was a rock for the team on Senna. Top Esports secures themselves the top position in the group, while DRX will be sitting at second.
Knight pulls out Nocturne against DRX at Worlds 2020
Nocturne in the mid lane is not seen very often, but Knight managed to pull it off in this case. It was picked to counter Twisted Fate specifically, both in and out of lane. Twisted Fate likes to split push, but with a Nocturne on the opposing team that can be hard.
Knight managed to use his ultimate in the side lanes as much as possible, shutting down both Twisted Fate and Quinn in their split pushing.
Knight still had a few plays that went wrong, but the overall performance was world-class. Knight is showing why he is considered the best player in the world, not just because of his individual skill, but also for his strong champion pool.
Top Esports shuts down DRX’ split push composition
Top Esports managed to shut down a perfect split pushing composition through the draft and great map awareness. With two Teleports and a semi-global Nocturne ult, Top Esports was always ready to shut down the split pushers from DRX when they got too close to killing towers.
Knight especially managed to get a lot of great picks on his Nocturne, constantly shutting down the map pressure from DRX. Ultimately, Top Esports could force fights around objectives that DRX had to opt into.
Top Esports still looks like one of the tournament favorites and has a real chance of going undefeated in the group stage.
Read Also
League of Legends
LYON vs Shopify Rebellion LCS playoffs lower bracket: Best bets and predictions
Ben Boland
LYON faces Shopify Rebellion in the lower bracket of the LCS Summer Playoffs 2026. The winner of this match claims North America’s final spot at the 2026 League of Legends World Championship, while the loser ends their season in fourth place. Neither team should have been in this spot. LYON entered the playoffs as the favorite and they’re now in the loser’s bracket, and SR was expected to lose much ...
League of Legends
Team Liquid vs Cloud9 LCS Playoffs Upper Bracket Finals: Bets and Predictions
Ben Boland
The LCS Upper Bracket finals are one many would not have predicted. Team Liquid takes on Cloud9 to see which team will lock in their spot in the Worlds 2026 Swiss stage and the LCS Summer Grand Finals. League of Legends bettors are in for a treat in this best-of-five, with many good bets available. Let’s take a look at some of the best bets for the Cloud9 vs. Team ...
League of Legends
The LEC’s Viewership Is Down 20% From Summer 2025
Ben Boland
As the Summer Split has concluded, the results are out — and the LEC’s viewership keeps declining for the second year in a row. Even though Europe has achieved strong results this year, fewer viewers follow these teams regionally afterwards. According to Escharts, the LoL European league has recorded 173,989 average viewers in Summer 2026, and 438,821 peak viewers. In 2025, the LEC had an average viewership of 213,292 with ...
League of Legends
Is Voice Chat Coming to League of Legends in 2026?
Ben Boland
After a decade of being opposed to it, Riot has finally taken steps to implement voice chat in League of Legends. However, the launch of voice chat in LoL has been delayed as the feature is experiencing setbacks. Here’s a rundown of the situation. Earlier this year, players discovered voice chat-related files on the LoL Player Beta Environment (PBE). Following them, Riot communicated on March 13 that they were now ...
League of Legends
LoL: Europe Shines Against Korea in 2026 As NA Struggles To Keep Pace
Ben Boland
In 2026, Europe has had its best results against the East in LoL Esports history. While their losses to North America may overshadow their achievements, EU has a winning record against South Korea this year. Meanwhile, NA has the LEC’s number but has its worst head-to-head against the East since 2023 — here I will break down the key statistics that show this. After years of Europe being a shell ...
League of Legends
Which League of Legends Region Will Win 2026 Worlds?
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends World Championship is easily the game’s most important annual tournament. The top teams from every major region compete for a chance to win the substantial cash prize and etch their names in League of Legends history. This year will be no different, with the 2026 Worlds coming beginning on October 15. Teams from multiple regions have already qualified for the tournament, though their performances throughout the ...
Esports Betting
Cloud9 vs LYON LCS Summer Playoffs Upper Bracket: Best Bets and Predictions
Ben Boland
It’s a great time to be a League of Legends esports bettor with the LCS Summer playoffs heating up. We have Cloud9 looking to slay their playoff demons against LYON, a side that is looking to win their third straight championship. With LYON picking Cloud9 as their opponent, perhaps they are extremely confident they will get the job done, or are they underestimating the boys in blue? Stay tuned as ...
