The 2020 Mid-Season Cup draws near, and we’ll be seeing Day 1 on May 28. We’re all in for a treat as two World Champions are set to face each other, as well as other promising matches.

T1 vs. FunPlus Phoenix

During the 2019 World Championships, they never matched against T1 (still named SK Telecom T1) so there are fresh matchups that will be interesting to watch.

A mid lane showdown between Faker, the GOAT himself, and Doinb, the Dark Arts master, is one of the matchups I honestly can’t wait for.

In addition, T1 has a new top laner by the name of Canna. Not much is known about him besides his favorite champion Camille, so a matchup against FPX’s GimGoon should be looked out for.

Regarding the teams themselves, FunPlus Phoenix hasn’t being doing too well lately, sitting at 3rd place in the LPL Spring Split after being insanely swept by the eventual champion JD Gaming. Expectations were not met during their split, and a shift in their tempo to help Doinb avoid being heavily targeted will help the team’s chances of winning.

T1 on the other hand has been steadily rising once again in the Korean scene. This fresh new brand came like a phoenix rising from the ashes; T1 was renewed and ready to rumble as they breezed through their region’s Spring Split.

Prediction:

Faker and the rest of T1 should be able to showcase why their legacy is still standing in Summoner’s Rift. Given FPX’s disappointing Spring Split run, with no chance to adapt in a best of one, T1 may have this easy win in the bag.

DAMWON Gaming vs. Top Esports

This is a matchup that upon retrospect, will heavily favor Top Esports in all aspects than DAMWON Gaming.

DAMWON Gaming doesn’t have a commendable track record from the Spring Split. They may be in the top 4 out of Playoffs, but they only had to beat everyone else that wasn’t T1, DragonX, or Gen.G. Nuguri and ShowMaker are pretty good players if we’re talking individual skill, but that’s not enough to consider a team win.

Meanwhile, Top Esports is the first runner-up in the recently concluded LPL Spring Split. Their track record, on the other hand, is top-notch and praiseworthy, thanks to having a World Champion as their AD carry. If not, there’s still Knight and Karsa to make plays for the team.

Prediction:

As mentioned, Top Esports is the clear favorite in this matchup. DAMWON’s statistics just cannot match the Chinese runner-ups. Therefore, this should be a landslide victory for TES.

T1 vs. DAMWON Gaming

In the regular season, T1 and DAMWON have butted heads twice. During Week 1, T1 went 2-1 against DAMWON, but they met again in Week 7 and faced a clean 2-0 from DAMWON.

Outside of that, T1 has been remarkable as the first runner-up in the regular season, only losing the top spot to Gen.G with a single loss difference. In the playoffs, they had little trouble with DragonX and even swept Gen.G in the finals. Things look promising for this Korean legend.

DAMWON unfortunately fell short in their run during the Spring Split. Garnering 9 series wins and losses, they’re not a threat to either the top or bottom teams. In the playoffs, their most remarkable standing was to draw their Round 2 series to a Game 5 against DragonX, but nothing else to write home about.

If there’s a matchup to look out for, it has to be T1’s newcomer Canna against the seasoned top laner Nuguri. This is the rookie’s first chance to be in the starting roster with Roach being relegated to substitute.

Prediction:

Given their massive differences in wins and losses, T1 is the clear winner in this matchup. The Korean legends just have so many powerhouses and team compositions for DAMWON to catch up with, making this look like another easy victory for T1.

FunPlus Phoenix vs. Top Esports

During Summer 2019, FunPlus Phoenix absolutely destroyed Top Esports. However, the tables have turned in Week 7 of Spring 2020 as Top absolutely toppled the reigning World Champions.

Compared to their 2019 run, FPX has been performing lower than expected. This isn’t surprising because as the reigning World Champions, the pressure of maintaining that title as a new season starts is overwhelming. They’re not a weak team by any means, but other teams have already studied their patterns by now.

Top Esports has been going strong this Spring Split. Beating FPX in regular season and managing to match JDG in the playoffs is a testament to their capabilities as a team. They’re in great shape, especially if one considers who they had to fight against to take that runner-up spot.

Matchups to watch in this game have to be Doinb versus Knight, and Lwx versus JackeyLove. These mid and ADC pairs are really powerful, even praised by Western prodigies especially in Europe.

Prediction:

Much to our surprise, this is a standoff between the rising powerhouse and the reigning champions. LPL’s top 4 has been stacked ever since the spring season ended, and this is undoubtedly a sign of what LPL has to offer. We’re sticking with our guns and pushing for TES to take this one.

FunPlus Phoenix vs. DAMWON Gaming

Even though FunPlus Phoenix has been less fortunate in the other matches, they sure are favored even against DAMWON Gaming.

FunPlus Phoenix has been taking the short end of the stick in the LPL, but that doesn’t make them a lesser team if you match them to other competing regions. Things look well for the team in this matchup, thanks to Doinb and Tian being remarkable players in their respective roles.

DAMWON doesn’t look so good in any of their matches in Group A. As the team to hit the most average scores in the Spring Split, results are always a coin flip with them.

Prediction:

Team play is the name of the game in this series, and Worlds 2019 has proven how much FPX has in that aspect, while DWG has been falling short ever since the season started.

FunPlus Phoenix should undoubtedly take the cake here, no questions asked.

T1 vs. Top Esports

This is another interesting matchup for Group A. This will be the first time both of these powerhouses will do battle, and it is the best way to conclude Day 1.

All things considered, every lane has to be watched out for. Everyone in the team’s starting roster looks primed up and ready to get down in the Rift, and it will be a spectacle whatever lane the camera may pan towards.

TES has to be ready for T1’s team compositions, however. There’s no reason to ever underestimate the legends that have always stayed close in the eSports scene for so long; thus, they must be prepared to respond to any surprises.

Prediction:

Excluding FPX vs TES, this has to be the closest range of odds in Group A. If there’s one match between Korea and China to watch, it has to be this one.

T1 may have the upper hand, but the underdogs in TES are already promising enough since the season started. I’m predicting a close win for Top Esports in this one.