Every year at Worlds, teams from non-major regions (EU/NA/CN/KR) are invited to the event, based on their performance during the season. In this article we’ll be covering who the wildcard teams are, and their performance at Worlds 2020.
This year for Worlds 2020 we had the following teams:
- INTZ from CBLOL (Brazil)
- Legacy Esports from the OPL (Oceania)
- PSG Talon from PCS (Pacific)
- Rainbow 7 from Latin America (Mexico)
- SuperMassive from the TCL (Turkey)
- Unicorns of Love from the LCL (CIS)
- V3 Esports from LJL (Japan)
Wildcard teams performance – Group Stage
As expected, 2 of the Wildcard teams were the first to go back home as both INTZ and V3 went 1-3 in their group at play-ins. However some of the Wildcard teams stood up to the major regions and performed extremely well. Most notably, PSG Talon & Legacy Esports with an insanely strong run in groups, having PSG placing 1st getting a spot in the next stage and Legacy placing 2nd in group A.
Wildcard teams performance – 2nd Round
In the 2nd round of Play-ins Supermassive matched up versus MAD Lions, where both teams gave their all to keep their Worlds dream alive. The series went the distance as all 5 games were played, and eventually, the turkish lineup came out on top and crushed MAD Lions’ dreams of getting into the next stage. This was extremely shocking, especially since MAD Lions were one of the teams that were expected to have an easy path to the group stage. Despite their great performance, SuperMassive had a crushing defeat versus UOL which meant that they will be representing the CIS in the Worlds 2020 group stage.
On the other side of the bracket we had Rainbow7 which suffered a beating from China’s finest, LGD. LGD Gaming then went on to the finals of the 2nd round versus Legacy and there they had a similar result, wiping out both Latin America & Oceania.
Are Wildcard teams good?
We’ve already seen that Wildcard teams are not just throwaway teams. And that they are there competing just like the rest of the teams. One of the most memorable wildcard team performances was none other than Albus Nox Luna. This team managed to not only get 2nd place in a very tough group (ROX Tigers, CLG, G2) but end their World Championship run in 5th-8th place. At the 2016 World Championship ANX made history as no other wildcard team had passed through groups before. Not only that, but they are also known as one of the best wildcard teams to ever participate at Worlds.
Interview with Albus Nox Luna Support player Likkrit about Wildcard teams
Wildcard teams may not be as strong as other top regions like Korea or China. But they have always performed at their best in order to make their region proud. Will PSG and UOL keep the dream alive or will it get crushed by the other major regions?
Be sure to keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!
