The top League of Legends teams of the upcoming season are usually the ones that topped the charts in the previous one, with two conditions: the game must not fundamentally change as a result of a massive patch and the teams themselves must not lose superstar players.
Of course, exceptions do exist and even the greatest rosters have bad seasons from time to time, without any obvious reason other than the lack of teamwork and creativity on the players’ part.
But in general, the giants from last year are likely to remain at the top for the new one as well.
So let’s look at some of the top League of Legends teams for 2020 by analyzing five big teams from the previous season.
FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus Phoenix emerged out of nothing and took the world by storm in 2019, winning the LPL Summer and then Worlds itself. The team was created just a few years ago and had no significant results until 2019.
The two players that got signed prior to the 2019 season were Tian and Doinb.
Quite clearly, these two stars played a critical role in turning the situation around and making FunPlus Phoenix what it is today.
For the 2020 season, Phoenix is expected to do well, both regionally as well as globally. All of the team’s roster is still intact and in fact, the organization decided to bring in several players: Khan (Top) from T1, xiao7 (Top), Mingjing (Jungle) and April (ADC).
The most significant one is Khan, who will play as a substitute for GimGoon. It is not yet clear why these new and lesser-known players have been brought in, given that Phoenix hasn’t sold anyone from its world-beating roster.
But perhaps we’ll find out along the way. Who knows?
Maybe the organization wanted to prevent complacency and so they brought some competition for the existing players, just to put them on high alert.
G2 Esports
G2 Esports was the team to watch in Europe in 2019, and they are still the team to watch for 2020 as well. Prior to their 2019 season, they had made two important roster changes that resulted in a much stronger roster.
Caps and Mikyx were brought in as the new Mid and Support and the team simply took off as a result.
Truth be told, G2 had already had a formidable team at that point. But the roster changes made them even better. In 2018 they had finished 3rd – 4th at Worlds and now, with the new crew, they went on to win both splits in the European region (LEC), and the Mid-Season Invitational.
At the 2019 World Championship, G2 finished 2nd after getting smashed by FunPlus Phoenix in the Grand Final. Nevertheless, their season was a dream come true for any G2 fan and the organization.
Going into 2020, the expectation is that G2 will continue to dominate their region and perhaps even win Worlds for the first time in their history.
Invictus Gaming
Invictus Gaming followed their 2018 Worlds victory with an important win at LPL Spring, a 3rd – 4th place at Mid-Season Invitational, the 2nd place at Rift Rivals and a 3rd – 4th place at Worlds 2019.
Overall, they had a great season, even though they did not manage to equal their 2018 results.
Unlike the other two teams mentioned previously, Invictus Gaming has changed its ADC and this might have a big impact on their performance in 2020. We don’t know yet whether or not things will turn out ok for them, but one thing is certain: Puff, the new player, is completely unknown at this point. At least in the Western world.
We don’t know what he’s done so far and how good he is, but we need to respect IG’s decision to take him on board.
If they trust him with such an important role and they’ve been one of the best teams in the world for the last two years, then it’s quite clear that the guy must be exceptional.
The less experienced a player is at the pro level, the stricter the scouts become in deciding whether he is good or not. Because they have no way of knowing except by looking at his replays and stats.
If he shows good decision making and has the right type of personality for esports, then he is taken on board. If not, then he stands no chance.
Why take such a big risk when there are so many other players who are already playing professionally and show great signs of talent and ambition?
T1 (SK Telecom T1)
T1 or the former SK Telecom T1 nearly lost its superstar player in these last few months. Faker allegedly received impressive offers from China and North America.
One team offered him $10 million while another one just sent a blank check and asked him to name his price. But he refused both offers and as a result, T1 looks ready to take over the world one more time in 2020 and become one of the top League of Legends teams again.
To be fair, T1 already is at that level. They finished 3rd – 4th at Worlds 2019 and won both splits in their region (LCK) last year. But it’s clear that Faker wants more. He wants to win Worlds again and in 2020, he’s likely to achieve that with his team.
Like in Invictus Gaming’s case, T1 will have to rebuild around Faker (Mid) and Teddy (ADC), the two cores who are still part of the team. Effort, the Support player, will also be here for the 2020 season.
But the Top and the Jungle players were changed. Roach and Cuzz are the new players and they will need to learn how to play around Faker if T1 is to succeed.
