You read that right: the LPL’s teams came out on top of both semi-final matches in the 2020 Mid-Season Cup. To be fair, they did field three quarters of the teams, seeing as only Gen.G made it out of the group stages out of the four LCK challengers.

The matches between JD Gaming versus FunPlus Phoenix and Gen.G versus Top Esports were nothing short of excellent. There were some unexpected runs in their series and not many were predicting a clean sweep in any of these matches.

Read on below for the details as well as our predictions for the 2020 Mid-Season Cup Finals!

FunPlus Phoenix takes down JD Gaming in 3-1 fashion

After being initially stomped in the blind pick match, FunPlus Phoenix went to work their dark technology against the LPL Spring Split champions to reclaim their glory.

The blind pick match was a battle of the Varuses between FPX’s Lwx and JDG’s LokeN, even running the same runes with only a difference in Gathering Storm and Scorch, respectively. Not to mention Kanavi’s sheer dominance in the Nidalee pick made rounds in the top side of the map during the early phase.

Unfortunately for FPX, the better Varus wins the game, and JDG took their first win of the series.

Once it was time for the pick and ban matches, things started going sour for JDG.

Khan brought out the underrated Hecarim Top pick against Zoom’s Wukong and Gangplank, and he managed to snatch a slight lead and reduce JDG’s chances by comparison.

Doinb played his usual tune with a supportive mid laner with Karma and Lissandra to reinforce his fellow carries. Yagao attempted to match him with his signature LeBlanc and other carry mid picks.

This trend continued even going into the last game of the series, because JDG continued to take carry picks in different roles while FPX built a scaling comp around Lwx’s Varus and Aphelios.

In the end, FPX was able to take revenge on their shameful loss during the playoffs, and they move on to the finals of the Mid-Season Cup.

Top Esports shows Gen.G how it’s done

On the other side of the bracket, the sole Korean team Gen.G is matched against one of LPL’s powerhouses, Top Esports.

While most spectators predicted a close match between Korea and China’s first runner-ups, Top Esports taught the former a lesson on the rising force that is the LPL. The team is the home of powerful players in the form of JackeyLove as the AD carry, and the left-handed mid lane god, Knight.

There’s also Karsa to complement the laners with how much jungle presence they need, and yuyanjia is like the puzzle that fits the missing piece to create the Top Esports everyone is seeing now.

While Top Esports show why they bring the name “Top” with them, Gen.G was not performing to par in this series.

Disappointingly, this series showed that Gen.G was unable to prepare enough for the sheer teamfighting prowess of the team, as well as the powerhouses from 369 down to yuyanjia.

Because Gen.G thrives in winning through calculated aggression and great teamwork, they severely fell flat when It comes to today’s draft picks. Some questionable picks, such as Rascal’s Lucian Top and forcing the Senna-Mordekaiser bot duo in Game 3, certainly raised eyebrows among the audience.

There were some mechanical misplays with Bdd and Clid, who were supposedly famous for having the necessary technical prowess to match their aggression. However, they did come out of Group B after a long and winding day of playing, which could have been a decisive factor in today’s plays.

Nonetheless, it was commendable enough that Gen.G were able to stand in the semifinals as the first team from Group B. Their skill proved that the LCK can take some fights, but it will be a long way to go if the region wants to be toe-to-toe with this rising force of the new decade.

2020 Mid-Season Cup Finals Predictions

The battle to win the first-ever Mid-Season Cup will be fought by FunPlus Phoenix and Top Esports at 5pm tomorrow.

Although the knockout stage was already in favor of the LPL, we are still hyped for a LPL showdown because of the history between each team.

FunPlus Phoenix, the reigning champions of League of Legends, is now at the first global event itching to show the world why they won the trophy last November. They won’t let their losses in the LPL deter them from pushing through and taking the world by storm with their unorthodox playstyles.

Top Esports, one of the rising powerhouses in the LPL, is a rising star because of how much they can dance to the tune of the unorthodox FunPlus Phoenix, as well as the teamfight specialists from JD Gaming. These teams were the cream of the crop in China, and their steadfast presence in the playoffs finals is telling the entire story of this team.

During the regular season, Top Esports was able to go 2-0 in a group stage matchup against FunPlus Phoenix.

Who will win the first-ever Mid-Season Cup? Will it be the reigning world champions or the rising stars?

Tune in tomorrow for the outcome, and tell us who are your bets and anticipated matchups between these two LPL powerhouses!