League of Legends - Chinese LPL-league - Summer Season 2020 - 5.6 - 9.8.2020

LPL has always been one of the greatest leagues, but after 2 consecutive Worlds championships to LPL-teams western people are really starting to have interest towards the league. The LoL Pro League is very different in structure if you compare it to LCK or LEC, since regular season consist 17 teams. Out of these 17 teams only four will get a spot to Worlds tournaments, so competition is very fierce in China! During regular season all the teams play one best of three series against each other and in the end top eight teams will advance to playoffs. China is still using legace method to decide Worlds spots, so winner of the summer season is secured to Worlds. Second spot goes to team which has the most Championship points from spring and summer seasons. Last 2 spots are decided in regional finals between 3 teams that has the most Championship points. This is first time that LPL has four spots to Worlds and its more than deserved looking at LPL teams in recent international tournaments. 

Teams

• Bilibili Gaming
• Dominus Esports
• EDward Gaming
• estar
• FunPlus Phoenix
• Invictus Gaming
• JD Gaming
• LGD Gaming
• LNG Esports
• Oh My God
• Roque Warriors
• RNG
• Suning
• Team WE
• Top Esports
• Vici Gaming
• Victory Five

Group Stage

• All seventeen teams meet each other once.
• The matches are played as best of three series.
• In the case of tie after regular season, the difference between map wins and losts matters. If result is still a tie, then the mutual match i a decider.
• Top eight teams will advance to the playoffs.

Playoffs

• Teams who placed 5.-8. in regular season will start from the first round.
• The winners will face the 3rd-4th placed teams in the quarter-finals.
• The winners will face 1st-2nd. ranked teams in the semi-finals.
• The winners will face each other in the finals.
• The matches are played as best of five series.

The Prize Pool

• Spot for the Worlds 2020 World Championships
• 90 Championship points
• 70 Championship points
• 40 Championship points
• 20 Championship points
• 10 Championship points

LPL betting

The Chinese LPL League is one of the most watched esports leagues in the world, so LPL betting is available on most betting sites. If you want great market selection and high odds for LPL betting, you should head to Betway or Buff.bet. If you are new to betting on League of Legends, you should read the betting guide. 

Where to watch matches?

• Matches can be watched from Saturday to Wednesday in English at LoL esports website or twitch.
• There will be an unofficial broadcast in English on Thursday and Friday.
• Two best of 3 series are played each game day.

Favorites

FunPlus Phoenix

The reigning world champion acquired Korean superstar Kim “Khan” Dong-han during the winter and their spring season started slow. Despite the initial difficulties, FPX found their groove as the season progressed, finishing third in both the regular season and the playoffs. In the Mid Season Cup between the top teams from Korean LCK and Chinese LPL leagues, FPX got their revenge to JD Gaming which was victorious in spring semifinals. FPX did end up losing the finals to Top Esports, who came in second in the spring season. As you can say, LPL was completely superior in the Mid Season Cup and not least because of FunPlus Phoenix who knocked out both DAMWON Gaming and T1 in the group stage. In Dota 2 scene there is saying that Chinese teams come to life whenever TI approaches and the same could be said for FunPlus Phoenix. They are definitely one of the biggest, if not the biggest, favorites to win the summer season.

JD Gaming

During the winter JDG has risen from the lower middle ground to the leagues absolute top. JDG has built the team patiently and made sensible smart budget purchases. The team suffered from the quarantine caused by the corona virus in early spring, but when it got Zhang “Zoom” Xing-Ran back in its lineup at the end of the regular season, JDG became completely unstoppable. In the playoffs, it knocked down FPX by 3-0 score and in the final, it knocked down Top Esports in tight five game series. In the Mid Season Cup JDG advanced to the playoffs, but was completely rolled over by FPX. JD Gaming was really convincing in the spring season, but these teams that make a sudden rise from the middle grounds to top all too often remain as one season wonders. So the summer season is definitely an important venue tho show that is not the case with JDG. They are definitely one of the favorites for the summer season, but with a small reservation.

Top Esports

When it comes to favorites, Top Esports can’t be forgotten. The new organization, created last summer, has finished second and third in the two seasons it has played. Top Esports also recently won the Mid Season Cup. Last year they just missed Worlds and they want to make sure same doesn't happen this year. Top Esports turned especially dangerous in April when legendary Invictus Gaming superstar Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo joined the team. However, Top Esports is not a team that buys success, since most of the players has played in previous organisation Topsports Gaming. If any team is able to knock down FunPlus Phoenix in the summer season, it’s probably Top Esports.

Challengers

Invictus Gaming

It feels really weird to place Invictus Gaming among challengers and not favorites. IG won the regular season in spring, but then the inexperience of teams bot lane showed and IG completely crumbled in the playoffs. The Mid Season Cup also concluded with no wins for the team, so in its current state it is difficult to place Invictus Gaming alongside three favorites. However, we must be remembered that the IG has notoriously made its way to the Worlds time and time again. From time to time they have done it from almost impossible situations. Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok, Gao “Ning” Zhen-Ning and Song “Rookie” Eui-Jin are real veterans at the top level, but team has never properly recovered from JackeyLove’s departure and bot lane has been under different experiments after that. If the team’s problems are resolved during the regular season, it will definitely be the biggest challenger for the favorites. However, right now IG is no more than a strong challenger.

EDward Gaming

It already feels so long ago when EDG was the automatic representative of LPL in the Worlds. The team has drifted into a somewhat permanent challenger position behind the absolute top teams. In all honesty, its roster is less well-known than the ones mentioned above, but it still finished sixth in the regular season and fifth in the playoffs at spirng, so it has a chance to stir the competition between top teams. However, I consider EDG to be a team that is playing in playoffs, but now for long. You still have to remember that even advancing to the playoffs in the tough LPL league is a tremendous accomplishment.

Royal Never Give Up

At the time, RNG was EDG’s biggest challenger for LPL’s kingship. Unlike its competitor, RNG has maintained its performance well in recent years. The seventh place in the regular season in the regular season and dropping out immediately in the opening round of the playoffs is a real disappointment. Thats why team has made changes during a short break between seasons. Two new names have been acquired for top lane. They are young Tian “New” Zhi-Peng and He “705” Yu-Long, who played for JD Gaming during the Corona quarantine. 705 played a big role in JD Gaming’s volatile spring season and will most likely will be the starting top laner at the beginning of the summer season. However, the start of the RNG season is overshadowed by the fact that Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao, who was considered best player in the world at one point, announced to end his career due to hand problems at the age of 23. Uzi did not play during the spring season, but tried to rehabilitate his hand for the summer season and for one more Worlds. As Uzi the best player in the world in the eyes of many just couple of years ago, he never got to celebrate the biggest victory, Worlds championship. If RNG raises the trophy at the end of the summer season, it will certainly be dedicated at least partly to a retired legend.