LCS 2020 Spring Split is set to take off this Saturday, January 25 with four fixtures, which will feature some of the strongest North American League of Legends teams, who will all look to hit the ground running and secure their first W of the season.
In this esports betting preview, we will look over the four opening fixtures and give out our predictions on how do we believe the teams will perform. So without further ado, let’s look at the first fixture on the schedule – Team Liquid vs Cloud9.
Team Liquid vs Cloud9
Saturday, January 26 – 14:00 PST
We still don’t know who will be the main jungler for Team Liquid, but we can be sure it won’t be Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen, who is still dealing with visa issues. Replacing him will be either TL head coach and former mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park or TL Academy team jungler Shern “Shernfire” Cherng Tai, either way, TL will be slightly shorthanded heading into their first match of 2020 LCS Spring Split. Despite the jungle issue, TL are still priced at shorter odds to win here, which is not all too shocking seeing how they are the reigning four-time LCS champions.
C9 on the other side are entering new season with a completely new bottom lane in Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen and Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme who are arguably an upgrade to C9 previous bottom lane duo. WHile Zven-Vulkan are by no means on the level of TL bottom lane, they are on the paper still solid enough to put up a fight and avoid running it down, thus giving TL an advantage in the bot.
As we see it, C9 are severely underrated here and while their success will come down to the performance of Zven and Vulcan, at 2.11, backing C9 to produce an “upset” is too good to pass on.
Prediction: Cloud9 to win – 2.11 Pinnacle
Counter Logic Gaming vs Dignitas
Saturday, January 26 – 14:00 PST
Many people don’t believe Dignitas have the quality to succeed in 2020 Spring Split, but we can’t really wrap our minds around as of why. While it’s true Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon had some iffy performances in Spring last season, he has significantly improved in Summer and at worlds and if he can play on the same level this split, Dignitas should be at very least a top seven team. Then there is Henrik “Froggen” Hansen who is a very consistent player which should add some stability to the team.
There are some question marks above their bottom lane and jungler, but considering DIG have very solid players in both solo lanes, there is no reason to believe they can’t stand up against some of the strongest teams in the league and even pick up a win or two.
CLG on the other side have added Lee “Crown” Min-ho who is a massive addition and a huge upgrade to the team, yet we feel like their biggest addition to the team won’t have a chance to shine here, simply because he is facing an experienced Froggen in the mid lane.
As far as CLG bot lane is concerned, it’s hard to tell how strong the duo will be, which puts them in a similar position as DIG is in. All things considered, DIG and CLG match up nicely and while CLG might be the favorite to win, we believe the betting odds offered on DIG severely underrate them.
Prediction: Dignitas to win – 2.46 Pinnacle
100 Thieves vs Golden Guardians
Saturday, January 26 – 16:00 PST
A match between two of the weakest teams in the league will feature 100T and Golden Guardians, which should be an interesting match, solely because we will get a chance to see whether GGS are really as weak as they are portrayed to be.
100T made a very questionable move when they brought in Tommy “Ryoma” Le, who will have a lot to prove, considering he arrived from OPL. On a more positive, the acquisition of Cody “Cody Sun” Sun is in our book a very solid move and if he can deliver up to the expectations, 100T might impress and be competitive.
GGS on the other side have decided for some very iffy signings, which was the case last year as well. Why would they sign the experienced veterans who are way past their prime is still something we have a hard time understanding and while it may work out, we are confident saying GGS are in for an uphill battle throughout 2020 Spring Split.
Prediction: 100 Thieves to win – 1.45 Pinnacle
Immortals vs FlyQuest
Saturday, January 26 – 17:00 PST
Immortals versus FlyQuest will be a great match featuring two of the biggest wild card teams in North America. Immortals have two of the best players in the game in Jake “Xmithie” Puchero and Nickolas “Hakuho” Surgent, however, there are a lot of questions surrounding their mid lane Jérémy “Eika” Valdenaire and Paul “sOAZ” Boyer, who arrived from LEC and is now set to prove his worth in North America. He was one of the most promising top laners back in Europe, so there is understandably a lot of hype about him and rightfully so.
FlyQuest on the other side have solid individuals, but there is something with this team which makes us believe chemistry and synergy will be an issue. Their top-jungle synergy was rather poor in Summer and we never know what to expect from Jason “WildTurtle” Tran, who has not been good in a while. This might change with the signing of Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun as his new support, but we can’t count on it.
As we see it FlyQuest can become a competitive team if everything clicks, but there are too many “IFs” with this team for us to trust them. Immortals on the other side might struggle to compete for the playoffs, but with an exceptional jungler and one of the best supports in the league, they should have a fairly easy time defeating teams like FlyQuest, who are just one huge question mark throughout.All things considered, we like the underdogs better at these odds.
Prediction: Immortals to win – 2.11 Pinnacle
Best Bet: Dignitas to win – 2.46 Pinnacle
