LoL legend sOAZ makes surprising prediction for Worlds finals

Legendary top-laner Paul ‘sOAZ’ Boyer has made a surprising prediction for the finalists of the League of Legends World Championship.

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During a recent interview with Korizon, sOAZ was asked to pick which teams he thought would appear in the grand final of Worlds 2019.

Having stated that he felt the final would be played between a European team and a South Korean team, however, it was actually second-seed Fnatic that he gave the edge to on the EU side of things.

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Europe is entering Worlds with the highest expectations of any year, but it is G2 Esports – back-to-back LEC champions and victors at the Mid-Season Invitational – who are the top seed from the region and one of the favorites for the tournament.

• Read more: Jankos admits he’s worried about G2 Esports’ chances at Worlds

Instead, sOAZ tipped Fnatic, who pushed G2 to five games in the LEC Summer final but couldn’t quite claim the trophy, as his European favorite.

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It wouldn’t be Fnatic’s first appearance in a Worlds final – last year, the Fnatic squad that sOAZ himself was a part of finished second, falling to Invictus Gaming in the final. This year’s squad is largely the same, although star mid-laner Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther has been replaced by Tim ‘Nemesis’ Lipovšek after the former moved to G2 Esports for the 2019 season.

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Whether it’s G2 or Fnatic who make it, however, sOAZ picked SK Telecom T1 to appear opposite the European squad. The LCK champions won back-to-back titles domestically this year, and while they fell in the semi-finals at MSI, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok’s squad has never failed to make the final at Worlds – winning three times and coming second once out of their four previous appearances.

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Fnatic, however, are guaranteed to meet SKT prior to the final, as they are the same group – Group C, titled by many as the group of death, which also features China’s second seed Royal Never Give Up. The tough group draw does at least mean that Fnatic cannot face SKT in the bracket stage before the final, should both teams reach the playoffs.

The main event for the World Championship is due to kick off on October 12, following the conclusion of the ongoing play-in stage. Fnatic and SK Telecom T1 are actually set to clash in the very first game of the group stage.