The 2020 World of Warcraft World Championship: Qualifier Recap and Final Standings
This weekend marked the conclusion of the 2020 World of Warcraft World Championship open qualifier. The top eight teams from the European Union (EU) and North America (NA) will now enter a circuit over the coming months to determine this year’s champion.
On May 15, Blizzard Entertainment announced important changes to this year’s tournament format. Due to health and safety concerns, the traditional tournament held during BlizzCon has been moved to an online format.
Starting on May 22, four open qualifiers were held in NA and EU, with the top eight teams from each advancing to the weekend cup. Based on their performance during the cup, teams received Championship Points.
North America Qualifier Standings:
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | Cloud9 | 480 |
| 2 | Spacestation Gaming | 300 |
| 3 | Golden Guardians | 260 |
| 4 | M2KC | 240 |
| 5 | Method Orange | 212 |
| 6 | Charlotte Phoenix | 172 |
| 7 | Turtle | 104 |
| 8 | Unitas | 72 |
Cloud9 has dominated all four cups with their Mage, Lock, Healer composition. Their main strategy is playing on big maps and dragging games to the Dampening phase, where healing is reduced based on game time. While teams have occasionally challenged them, C9’s ability to adapt and switch compositions has secured their status as favorites after the qualifying cups.
It’s worth noting that Golden Guardians managed to defeat Cloud9 with their Rogue, Shadow Priest, Healer composition. They played intelligently, bringing the game to the Dampening phase and utilizing crowd control on C9’s healer to secure a victory.
Europe Qualifier Standings:
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | Wildcard Gaming | 460 |
| 2 | Method Black | 400 |
| 3 | nLite | 220 |
| 4 | Diabolus | 192 |
| 5 | ABC | 144 |
| 6 | Bergen Boys | 132 |
| 7 | MyWay | 124 |
| 8 | Coffin Dance | 112 |
Europe had two dominant teams: Wildcard Gaming and Method Black. While Wildcard focused on spell cleaves, Method found success with the Rogue, Mage, Healer composition. Recent nerfs to certain Corruptions have indirectly buffed Method Black, giving them an edge in the competition. Wildcard will need to respond strategically to maintain their chance at the title.
AWC Circuit Standings and Schedule
The final stage of the 2020 World Championship will begin in August. Over four weeks, games will be played on August 22, 29, September 5, and September 12. After these weeks, the top teams will compete in the regional finals: EU on September 26 and NA on September 27.
North America Circuit Standings:
| Rank | Team | Games |
| 1 | Cloud9 | 6-1 |
| 2 | ???? | 5-2 |
| 3 | Charlotte Phoenix | 5-2 |
| 4 | M2KC | 4-3 |
| 5 | Spacestation Gaming | 3-4 |
| 6 | Turtle | 2-4 |
| 7 | Golden Guardians | 2-5 |
| 8 | Unitas | 0-7 |
Europe Circuit Standings:
| Rank | Team | Games |
| 1 | Wildcard Gaming | 6-1 |
| 2 | XSET | 6-1 |
| 3 | Coffin Dance | 4-3 |
| 4 | Diabolus | 4-3 |
| 5 | ABC | 3-4 |
| 6 | Bergen Boys | 2-5 |
| 7 | nLite | 2-5 |
| 8 | F2K MyWay | 1-6 |
While favorites have emerged based on their performance in the weekly cups, there is still room for surprises. Teams that placed lower in the standings have the opportunity to bring unexpected compositions to challenge the dominance of top-tier teams. Recent changes to Corruption gear may provide an advantage to certain strategies, allowing underdogs to shine.
Stay updated with our article throughout the entire 2020 World of Warcraft World Championship Circuit!