Round 2 of League Champions Korea playoffs brings us a new, full-scale BO5 Telecom War. SKT T1 managed to take down KSV in a tight wildcard match last week, and they have been rewarded with a chance to prove themselves against a much stronger, on paper, opponent. KT are one of this split’s three main heavyweights, and along with Afreeca Freecs and the untouchable Kingzone form the trinity most likely to win the league.

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SK Telecom T1 strategy and analysis

The match against KSV, although not a display of impeccable gameplay by any means, showed that SKT was able to work out some of their long-standing issues. The main surprise compared to the expectations was the fantastic performance of their rookie top laner. Thal simply stomped world champion CuVee in lane in all three games, having an average lead of over 400 gold at ten minutes. In addition to that, his Cassiopeia worked very well in teamfights, and it seems that SKT have finally figured out how to unlock the young player.

Blank has also shown improvement compared to his previous form, and it seems that the newly discovered Trundle works great with his style, and adds a new power pick to his limited champion pool. Bang had an excellent series, showing that his Kai’sa is very strong, and also demonstrating how to carry on the safe and defensive Ezreal. SKT’s main weakness lies in the support role, where Effort and Wolf can’t seem to get more than one good game in a row, and it was also a surprise to see Faker perform well under his abilities. SKT’s legend has to seriously look at his positioning mistakes, because a team as individually strong as KT will not let those slide.

KT Rolster strategy and analysis

KT, on the other hand, is finally looking like something more than just a bunch of superstars without synergy. Occasional team-related slip-ups still happen, but all of the members are mostly on the same page, which makes their teamfighting almost perfect. A strong early game is also KT’s huge asset, especially in the bot lane, where Deft and Mata are likely to significantly reduce Bang’s chances of carrying his team. Thal will also have a hard time going against Smeb, but if he pops off again, the duel might be more interesting.

KT’s jungler, however, might be their biggest advantage over SKT, considering how good Score is at reading his opponent’s pathing. KT’s captain is once again one of the strongest junglers in the world, and if his form is matched with a good draft phase to take Zac and Trundle away from Blank, they will have a clear upside in the matchup. Rolster’s rookie mid laner Ucal has also been on a rampage recently, and if his aggressive plays go awry, the safer and more support-oriented PawN will be ready on KT’s bench.

Prediction and best bet

Looking at the current state of both teams, it is clear that KT is a favourite in this match. SKT are known to be great at adapting and taking home clutch BO5 victories, but their upcoming opponents are just much stronger in terms of pure player quality. Unless coach kKoma, Bang or Faker do something extraordinary, the white side sould take the win in this split’s Telecom War.

Best bet: KT Rolster to win, paying -188.68 at BetOnline

The post KT Rolster vs. SK Telecom T1 bet predictions, LoL LCK playoffs Rd 2 appeared first on Esport Bet.

The rematch of last year’s World Championship finals is taking place much earlier than most expected. KSV and SKT T1 will fight in one short BO3 in to decide who moves on to face the first big boss, KT Rolster, in the quarter finals.

Both teams are coming into playoffs hindered by tons of individual and team-related issues. KSV are on a three game-losing streak and have been incredibly inconsistent over the split, showing strong performances against the likes of KT Rolster and Kingzone, but also losing to MVP, ROX Tigers and even Kongdoo in Week 2. SKT’s play is a bit more consistent, but losing to bbq Olivers, barely beating Kongdoo and getting regularly smashed by the top teams isn’t at all what we’re expecting from the most successful org of all time.

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SKT team comp

SKT’s main issue is their painfully average top side, where they just don’t have enough individual skill. Even after trying multiple rosters, the right combination still isn’t there, and the recently favoured duo of Thal and Blank is looking barely okay in comparison to the top dogs. The rookie top laner is a vast improvement over Untara (who is statistically dead-last on the LCK list of top lane performers), but he also never seems to turn the game around, preferring to play safe, stick to his role, and live or die based on how the rest of the team performs. Blank is performing better compared to his horrid form earlier in the split, but he can’t seem to do much on picks outside of Zac and Sejuani and is still notoriously inactive in the early game. CuVee isn’t the best top laner in the world anymore, but he will be a serious worry for Thal, and maybe a potential focus point for KSV.

KSV team comp

Luckily for them, KSV’s Ambition is also one of the least proactive junglers in the league, staying almost invisible during the laning phase and then emerging in teamfights, when it is often too late for his team. Crown is one of the worst performing mid laners this split, and his emotions seem to directly get in the way of his play. Dying way too often in lane, not having enough impact in fights and tilting easily makes him by far the weakest point of KSV, and SKT should know to give Faker, their best player, enough attention to crush mid lane. The other KSV jungler, Haru, is better early on, but the team crumbles without Ambition’s shotcalling. The main duel in this matchup will be in the bot lane. KSV’s saving grace, the mechanically fantastic ADC Ruler, is used to having gold funneled into him and playing as the hard carry of the team. Bang, on the other hand, is having a great split, but will need to step up his laning game in order to stop the opposition’s most dangerous player and likely lead SKT to a lead over at least two lanes.

Game predictions

This match is extremely hard to predict, and calling either of the teams a favourite would be a stretch. We know that KSV can pop off and beat any team on their day, but can they pop off against SKT? I honestly think so. With a week of preparation, if Crown plays extremely carefully and doesn’t succumb to his emotions, I can see KSV taking this series 2-1. The opposite result is very possible indeed, but what we’re guaranteed to get is one wild ride of a series.

Best bet: KSV to win -111.11 with BetOnline

The post LOL: LCK Korea Spring Split Playoffs week 1 March 31 appeared first on Esport Bet.

The day kicks of with KSV Esports clashing with Kingzone DragonX and it promises to be a bumper battle with the World Champs clashing with the LCK champs.

Our LOL LCK Korea expert Kosta has cast his eye and given predictions for Saturday’s matches.

KSV ESPORTS vs. KINGZONE DRAGONX

The world champions meet the LCK champions in a rematch of their first games this split. And while KSV won the first duel, things are looking much different now.
Kingzone have clear win conditions in their strong early game, which KSV is notoriously inept at, and their aggressive jungler who could run rings around Ambition, who still prefers to play more of a herbivore style. Khan is also in much better shape than his bitter rival CuVee, and winning both top lane and the ganking game could mean a very early end for KSV. The world champs will likely, as usual, focus on getting bot lane ahead, but against Pray and Gorilla it will be a very difficult job. KSV are known to pop off in hard games and they absolutely have a chance of beating KZ again, but Kingzone are probably too hard to beat right now.

Best bet: Kingzone to win, paying -400 at BetOnline.

ROX TIGERS vs. JIN AIR GREEN WINGS

At the start of this match, we will likely know if it has any competitive meaning, or if Jin Air are out and ROX are in playoffs. If both teams still have a chance, this might be the biggest bloodbath of all.
Jin Air’s strategy of getting Teddy fed might work in this matchup, because however good the synergy between Sangyoon and Key is, they were never a proficient laning duo. Youngsters Lava and Grace will have a very interesting battle of talent in the mid lane, which could go either way. ROX’s good drafts might be an important factor in this matchup, as well as in the jungle, where SeongHwan has recently been showing much more than UmTi.
Both teams have a very real chance of winning here. If I had to name a favourite, I’d say ROX, purely because their synergy and teamplay seem much more refined.

Best bet: Rox Tigers to win, paying -153.85 at BetOnline.

The post LOL: LCK Korea Week 9 Spring Split Saturday Predictions appeared first on Esport Bet.

Here are our top picks for week 4 of the LCK 2018 Spring Split:

LCK Spring Split – Parlay of the Week with Bovada.lv

• Jin Air Green Wings to beat Kingzone DragonX: +200 ($3.00)
• BBQ Olivers to beat MVP: -250 ($1.40)
• SK Telecom T1 to beat KSV Esports: -250 ($1.40)
• KT Rolster to beat Kongdoo Monster: -500 ($1.20)

Bovada parlay bet pays $6.06

Kingzone DragonX vs. Jin Air Green Wings

Saturday, February 10, 3am EST / 8am GMT

Kingzone DragonX is about due for an upset and Jin Air Green Wings are the team to do it.

With a creep up the leaderboards and some historic record-breaking wins over SK Telecom T1 and other giants, Jin Air have made great picks and displayed on-point team comps that make us confident they’ll bring their A-game this Friday.

Both midlaner Lee ‘Grace’ Chanju and ADC Park ‘Teddy’ Jin-sung have dominated as roamers and shotcallers in recent weeks to bring the team in the same high regard as KDX and KSV, and bottom-laner Ji-min ‘Wraith’ Kwon has decisively shut out botlane threats time and time again.

Kingzone jungler Han ‘Peanut’ and support Kang ‘GorillA’ Beom-hyeon are their biggest threats in the KDA department, but so long as Wraith can free up Grace and Teddy to split-push, we’re confident they stand a great chance here.

Jin Air Green Wings to beat Kingzone DragonX: +200 ($3.00) at Bovada.lv

BBQ Olivers vs. MVP

Saturday, February 10, 6am EST / 11am GMT

BBQ Olivers showed some improvement last week, unexpectedly taking KSV Esports down to the wire with smart late-game team compositions and an overtime performance from AD carry Yongjun ‘Ghost’ Jang’s Kog’Maw, which saw him rack up a 7/0/2 KDA (kills/deaths/assists).

Properly taking advantage of a substantial gold lead remains BBQ’s main problem in this series, but we think they’ll have learned their lesson in time for their clash against the weakest team in the LCK.

They might not even need too, given the frankly laughable 1 – 5 performance MVP has put on so far, practically rolling over to KSV last week at every teamfight or objective struggle.

Expect another bloodbath in favour of BBQ Olivers here.

BBQ Olivers to beat MVP: -250 ($1.40) at Bovada.lv

SK Telecom T1 vs. KSV Esports

Sunday, February 11, 3am EST / 8am GMT

SK Telecom T1 has got to be the most disappointing LCK roster this series.

Fresh off their 2-0 sweep at the hands of Afreeca Freecs and their embarrassing loss to the equally unimpressive MVP, this is nowhere near the same world champion team fans rooted for last year.

KSV are clearly in top form with superior team compositions and individual player laning.

They won’t even need their full roster to secure this win if top laner Lee ‘CuVee’ Seong-jin continues to shut out his opponents as brutally as he managed last weekend with BBQ.

SK Telecom T1 to beat KSV Esports: -250 ($1.40) at Bovada.lv

KT Rolster vs. Kongdoo Monster

Sunday, February 11, 6am EST / 11am GMT

Aside from some account sharing drama with midlaner Cho ‘Mata’ Se-hyeong, KT Rolster have played consistently great LoL to breathe down the necks of both Kingzone DragonX and KSV Esports in third place.

Kongdoo delivered a great upset over KSV but they were categorically outmatched in the midlane and bot lane by Jin Air Green Wings last week – to an embarrassing extent.

Their top laner Kim ‘Roach’ Kang-hui seems to have run out of steam and against KT’s Song ‘Smeb’ Kyung-ho, we’re expecting some fairly straightforward teamfights here.

KT Rolster to beat Kongdoo Monster: -500 ($1.20) at Bovada.lv

Where can I watch LCK esports?

All League of Legends Champions Korea matches can be watched online for free via live-streaming sites like Twitch. You can find and watch LCK live-streams via Riot Games’ official website in HD quality, on your computer or mobile device.

Our top recommended site, Bovada.lv, includes links to official and active live-streams next to each LCK betting market, making it easy to place a bet and watch the game via the same interface.

Highest-rated LCK betting options

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The post LOL: LCK Spring Split Week 4 bet predictions & team news appeared first on Esport Bet.

Maybe it’s because they stuck with the Bo3 (Best of 3) match format, or maybe the EU and NA LCS just aren’t stacking up anymore, but we’ve found the Korean competition this year a whole lot more interesting to watch.

Here are our top picks for week 3 of the LCK 2018 Spring Split.

LCK Spring Split – Parlay of the Week with Bovada.lv

• Kingzone DragonX to beat ROX Tigers 2 – 0: -130 ($1.77)
• Afreeca Freecs to beat BBQ Olivers: -210 ($1.48)
• Jin Air Green Wings to beat KT Rolster: +225 ($3.25)
• SK Telecom T1 to beat MVP: -450 ($1.22)

Bovada parlay bet pays $9.37

Kingzone DragonX vs. ROX Tigers

Day 2 on Wednesday, January 31, 3am EST / 8am GMT

Kingzone DragonX head into Week 3 in form after smashing former LCK three-time world champions SK Telecom T1 in a quick and dirty 2 – 0 sweep.

KDX have found their groove in calmly locking down objectives and promptly shutting down lane griefers, only hitting opponents hard once the right amount of gold and proper buffs are at their disposal.

It’s been fascinating to watch them bide their time, even when teams like SKT score First Blood and seemingly secure a crucial lead, only to be overwhelmed with KDX’s deadly long-game coordination.

ROX Tigers secured their own surprise win against Kongdoo Monster last week, but have rightly faced criticism for their sloppy 5-6 game record.

It’s clear they have struggled to take out equally troubled opponents as efficiently as Kingzone and we’re far from convinced they can pull an upset against the leaderboard champions.

Kingzone DragonX to beat ROX Tigers 2 – 0 : -130 ($1.77) at Bovada.lv

Afreeca Freecs vs. BBQ Olivers

Day 2, Wednesday, January 31, 6am EST / 11am GMT

Two middling teams with a ton of issues in the shot-calling and team-fighting departments makes for an interesting mid-week clash.

We’re backing Afreeca Freecs to have a mini comeback here, given the potential of top laner Kim ‘Kiin’ Gi-in and jungler Lee ‘Spirit’ Day-yoon, both securing some solid KDA (Kills, Deaths, Assists) and baron steals throughout the series.

BBQ Olivers play aggressively enough but lack a vocal leader to make proper plays and effectively counter organized teamfights, such as the embarrassment they suffered last week against a resurgent KT Rolster.

Afreeca Freecs to beat BBQ Olivers: -210 ($1.48) at Bovada.lv

KT Rolster vs. Jin Air Green Wings

Day 3, Thursday, February 1, 3am EST / 8am GMT

The most competitive match of the week given their week-to-week improvements, but which of SK Telecom T1’s rivals can outdo the other?

KT Rolster’s top laner Song ‘Smeb’ Kyung-ho has improved dramatically in the aggro and shotcalling department and played a key role in guiding his team to victory over Afreeca last week.

However, the rest of the line-up were a little too dependent on Smeb’s guidance and let themselves get torn through crucial team-fights whenever he was not around.

In contrast, Jin Air’s AD carry Jin-seong ‘Teddy’ Park stole the show once more with his 16/1/7 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) and objective domination over previous opponents MVP.

But top laner Kim ‘SoHwan’ Jun-yeong also impressed in his new role, beating back MVP’s top laner veteran Kang ‘ADD’ Geon-mo effortlessly, and the rest of the team have displayed great coordination and support for each other without the need for excessive hand-holding.

After their earlier historic victory over SK Telecom T1, we’re more confident than ever Jin Air can make the transition to the top 3 and take down the inconsistent KT.

Jin Air Green Wings to beat KT Rolster: +225 ($3.25) at Bovada.lv

SK Telecom T1 vs MVP

Day 3, Thursday, February 1, 6am EST / 11am GMT

SK Telecom T1 have suffered some heart-breaking defeats this Spring Split and obviously aren’t the same world champions team they were in preceding years.

However, even with the paradigm shift, it’s hard to see them suffer another upset at the hands of MVP, who have failed to win even one game and have been outmatched at every turn.

With AD carry Bae ‘Bang’ Jun-sik and mid-laner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok carrying the team, SK T1 have more than enough fire-power to at least avoid this embarrassment.

SK Telecom T1 to beat MVP: -450 ($1.22) at Bovada.lv

The post LOL: LCK Spring Split Week 3 bet predictions & team news appeared first on Esport Bet.

There were some spectacular upsets and unorthodox strategies on-show in the opening week skirmishes, with SK Telecom T1 the only one of our favourites to pull through as predicted, while the likes of Kingzone, KT Rolster and MVP failed to secure an early lead against much weaker opponents.

While the EU LCS and NA LCS have proven entertaining so far, the South Korean League of Legends Champions continues to show why they’re the best professional players in the world.

Here are our top picks for week 2 of the LCK 2018 Spring Split.

LCK Spring Split – Parlay of the Week with Bovada.lv

• Jin Air Green Wings to beat MVP: -225 ($1.44)
• SK Telecom T1 to beat KT Rolster: +140 ($2.40)
• Kongdoo to beat ROX Tigers: -125 ($1.80)
• KSV to beat Afreeca Freecs 2 – 0: -110 ($1.91)

Bovada parlay bet pays $10.91

Jin Air Green Wings vs. MVP

Day 2, Wednesday, January 24 3am EST / 8am GMT

Jin Air Green Wings made history last week with their gruelling, but hard-fought victory against SK Telecom T1, which was the longest professional League of Legends game ever played.

The roster changes Jin Air made in preparation for the 2018 season have paid off, with bottom-laner Ji-min ‘Wraith’ Kwon more than earning his keep against the high-regarded SK T1 bottom lane crew.

But it was AD carry Jin-seong ‘Teddy’ Park that stole the show, single-handedly carrying Jin Air into the late-game and holding off their opponents with Sivir for over 60 minutes before using his record-breaking creep score to push Jin Air through the siege and take the game in an astounding upset.

Coming off such an amazing performance leaves little contest here with MVP, who were swept by Kongdoo and KT Rolster 2 – 0. They had zero kills, dragons or towers in their first match against Kongdoo and while their back-line comp improved against KT, the same lack of team cohesion and communication from last season is more than apparent.

Jin Air Green Wings to beat MVP: -225 ($1.44) at Bovada.lv

kt Rolster vs. SK Telecom T1

Day 2, Wednesday, January 24 5am EST / 11am GMT

KT Rolster enters week 2 a little bloodied and a little battle-hardened after their disastrous defeat against Afreeca Freecs and subsequent redemption tour against MVP.

Their defeat to Afreeca was certainly unexpected and discipline and coordination problems remain apparent. Top laner Song ‘Smeb’ Kyung-ho played far too aggro for our liking, losing his position multiple times throughout their second game against MVP. His attempt to take on four of MVP’s players as mini-Gnar can only be described as dumbfounding. Some other poor plays ruined their chances of securing a baron and both matches went far longer than they needed to.

SK Telecom T1 closed out its match against the ROX Tigers last week with some interesting placement of their star players, shocking viewers when they put support superstar Lee ‘Wolf’ Jae-wan, a two-time LoL World Champion, in the jungle for the first time in his career.

They had some panic with Wolf playing too aggressively with Senjuani and losing first blood, but he would ultimately be awarded MVP honors and AD carry Bae ‘Bang’ Jun-sik and mid laner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok’s were solid enough to secure the game in half an hour.

If it wasn’t for their heart-breaking defeat to Jin Air Green Wings, SK T1 would be the only predictable favourite in the LCK right now. Still, their consistency and synergy as a team and the effort they put into taking Jin Air right down to the wire still makes us more confident in their ability to pick apart KT’s frequent overextending line-up for an easier win this week.

SK Telecom T1 to beat KT Rolster: +140 ($2.40) at Bovada.lv

ROX Tigers vs. Kongdoo Monster

Day 3, Wednesday, January 25 3am EST / 8am GMT

The closest match-up on paper this week is Rox vs Kongdoo, but we think the latter have shown a lot more promise in their opening week to take home the win.

Kongdoo mid laner Lee ‘Edge’ Ho-seong and top laner Kim ‘Roach’ Kang-hui provided the best shut-out plays so far against the ill-prepared MVP last week, but the duo weren’t enough to counter bbq Olivers’ versatile new jungler. Still, they put up an extremely hard fight and the team clearly has a lot of communication and coordination to back up their individual skill, compared to some of the competition so far.

ROX Tigers did deliver a solid second game against SK T1, securing a win in just over half-an-hour without giving up any barons, dragons or towers, but were sloppy thereafter. Expect a closer game decided by Kongdoo’s superior top-lane play.

Kongdoo to beat ROX Tigers: -125 ($1.80) at Bovada.lv

KSV Esports vs. Afreeca Freecs

Day 3, Wednesday, January 25 5am EST / 11am GMT

KSV have proven to be the LCK team to beat after their comfortable opening 2 – 0 sweeps of Kingzone and Jin Air Green Wings, echoing a surprise upset in last year’s World Championships.

Afreeca Freecs did also defy expectations last week after smashing KT Rolster, the one team they haven’t been able to beat since the 2016 LCK Summer Split. Top laner Kim ‘Kiin’ Gi-in and Jungler Lee ‘Spirit’ Day-yoon did well with some unexpected baron steals and solid KDA (Kills, Deaths, Assists).

However, KSV’s discipline and coordination is something else and they play the best long-game in the League. Korea’s most popular mid-laner Kang ‘Ambition’ Chan-yong proved just that last week with his shot-calling, clutch decision making and varied strategies that put Kingzone on the back-foot, first with an all-out dive comp and later with immensely clever split-pushing.

We fully expect KSV to put Afreeca firmly in their place with a comfortable 2 – 0 win.

KSV to beat Afreeca Freecs 2 – 0: -110 ($1.91) at Bovada.lv

The post LOL: LCK Spring Split Week 2 bet predictions & team news appeared first on Esport Bet.

As the premier League of Legends esports league in Korea, LCK features 10 professional LoL teams battling every other opponent twice over the course of the Spring Season.

With the tournament’s double round robin, Bo3 (Best of 3) match format still intact compared to rival leagues which have experienced major revamps to their structure in 2018, the competition for the LCK will continue to duke it out in significantly longer matches than their EU and NA counterparts, though equally hard-fought and well-earned.

This ranked season, LCK players will be playing in one of the most diverse metas in LoL history with the introduction of the new rune system, which will allow champions across all types to become viable options for each role, instead of whole sub-classes being ignored due to the lack of an item or ability to pull off a certain strategy. The only champions that will continue to be passed over in the LCK will be those that are individually weak.

Here are our best bet picks and predictions for Week 1 of the 2018 LCK Spring Split.

• Kingzone DragonX to beat KSV Esports: -120
• MVP to beat Kongdoo Monster: -200
• KT Rolster to beat Afreeca Freecs 2 – 0: -190
• SK Telecom T1 to beat ROX Tigers: -800

Bovada parlay bet pays $3.96

Kingzone DragonX vs. KSV Esports

Game 1, Tuesday, January 16 3am EST / 8am GMT

Kingzone DragonX (formerly Longzhu Gaming) absolutely smashed the competition in last year’s LCK regular season and playoff, with a well deserved first place standing in each. Meanwhile, KSV Esports (formerly Samsung Galaxy) floundered into third and fourth place, respectively, before finding late redemption with their Summoner’s Cup victory late last year.

Longzhu’s shock loss at last year’s World Championships hurt, but they have been a well-oiled team from the very beginning and they will only continue to improve their amazing upper-lane play with the newly formed Kingzone brand. New managing coach Yeon ‘Sin’ Hyeong-mo, a former pro jungler known for his stellar Lee-Sin play, will be able to guide the re-united trio of fellow jungler Han ‘Peanut’ Wang-ho, AD’er Kim ‘PraY’ Jong-in and support Kang ‘GorrilA’ Beom-hyeon and put their well-proven team synergy to proper effect.

The Kingzone line-up overall looks too powerful in the current meta to drop their first-match back – we’re predicting a hard-fought, highly entertaining opening match.

MVP vs. Kongdoo Monster

Game 2, Tuesday, January 16 from 5am EST / 11am GMT

Perhaps the least exciting match-up in the first week, both MVP and Kongdoo Monster are at the bottom of the pack when compared to their competitors in the Spring Split. MVP’s roster has been together for many years with team synergy on display whenever they play, but their predictability and weak individual top-laners landed them in 8th place last year.

Meanwhile, Kongdoo finished dead last in the 2017 Spring Split, before promptly getting relegated back to challengers series with a lucky qualifiers round win to return to the LCK after the summer split. Any promise they showed was squashed when they were demolished by a challengers team at the KeSPA Cup to become the first team eliminated.

With a lack of leadership on both sides, we still feel MVP is the better pick based on Jeong “Max” Jong-bin’s support carries and MVP’s occasional ability to come-back in the late game.

kt Rolster vs. Afreeca Freecs

Game 3, Tuesday, January 17 from 3am EST / 8am GMT

KT Rolster had one of the best rosters last-year, but individual talent means nothing if the team can’t synergise. They secured second place in the regular season and third in the playoffs, always losing to KSV (Samsung Galaxy) or SKT whenever they needed the win. For their sloppiness, they didn’t make it to World Championships for a shot at the Summoner’s Cup, despite having the super-star talent on board that should have got them there.

While the head coach departed, KT’s roster mostly stays the same this year and the team has genuinely worked on their composition as a unit while adding Lee ‘Rush’ Yoon-jae and Son ‘UcaL’ Woo-hyeon to bolster their ranks. Their recent performance in scrims and the KeSPA Cup seem to indicate the changes have worked for them, which we think will give them the momentum they need to crush the middling Afreea Freecs in their first match-up for the season and live up to the favourite reputation their line-up once held.

SK Telecom T1 vs. ROX Tigers

Game 4, Tuesday, January 17 from 5am EST /11am GMT

SK Telecom T1 secured second place in last year’s LCK play-offs, MSI Champions and Worlds, with some inconsistent bottom-lane play (not to mention lack of team-work) from Bae ‘Bang’ Jun-sik and Lee ‘Wolf’ Jae-wan letting them down during the summer split. The previous six-man roster strategy didn’t exactly work as smoothly as intended, either. While this year’s meta isn’t as favourable to SKT’s marco tactics, which allowed them to tank most of the damage and start dominating over-confident opponents in the late-game, a few of their players like Bang have already been seen ironing out their early-game aggro in solo queue to work on their previous weaknesses.

Combined with the fresh additions of Park ‘Jungle’ Beom-chan, Lee ‘Effort’ Sang-ho and Park ‘Thal Kwon-hyuk, their top-lane will wreck ROX Tigers’ Lindarang, a weaker replacement player for the retirement of Park “Shy” Sang-myeon, their most competitive player in the past. While other teams improved their rosters or covered major departures in the off-season, it appears a little too late for ROX to do the same.

See also:

• League of Legends esports betting guide
• League of Legends Championship Series guide
• Weekly LoL betting predictions and tips

The post LOL: LCK Spring Split Week 1 bet predictions & team news appeared first on Esport Bet.