LOL LCS Spring Week 4 – Day 1 Betting Previews and Predictions
Cloud9 vs Golden Guardians
Friday, February 26 – 15:00 PST
Golden Guardians might have beaten 100 Thieves last week, but this is not a good team and I will continue to believe so until they start showing they have a basic understanding of how to approach their games. The way I see it, the only way GG can win is if the other team decides to lose.
Are Cloud9 a team that can throw games? They are, but the way they’ve been playing of late, it’s fair to say C9 are the least likely to lose games they should have otherwise won out of all top LCS teams. The individual quality of C9 is so far above that of GG, I just don’t see how C9 can lose.
Blaber alone will likely take over the game end even if he doesn’t, C9 still have Perkz, who has been performing much better of late, and we all know what Perkz is capable of. Although I am not a fan of big kill handicaps, 9.5 is more than justifiable for this match.
Prediction: Cloud9 -9.5 kills – 1.826 Pinnacle
Team Liquid vs TSM
Friday, February 26 – 16:00 PST
Liquid might still be one of the top teams in the league, but they haven’t impressed me of late. TSM, on the other side, looked disastrous early into the season but improved significantly across the last week, meaning we have a clash between two teams on a completely different trajectory.
Although I am not ready to say TSM are one of the top-two teams just yet, their improvement is quite impressive and as long as they can keep playing at this pace, they just might emerge as serious title contenders.
Since I wouldn’t like to overreact to TSM’s recent showings, I still have to believe Liquid are a better team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with the odds. This is more of a 55/45 match, so you essentially have to take TSM to win at 2.62 or avoid this match altogether.
Prediction: TSM to win – 2.62 Pinnacle
Evil Geniuses vs FlyQuest
Friday, February 26 – 17:00 PST
Evil Geniuses are a good team, there is no denying that, but they’re also very volatile, which makes it hard to trust them when they’re the favorites. FlyQuest, on the other side, have had their fair share of struggles, but it’s not like they’re playing poorly.
If EG show their full potential, they should win this match with ease, however, there is also a world where they sink their own ship due to their overly-aggressive playstyle. FlyQuest to win at 2.81 is an appealing bet, but since their win condition is essentially EG choking, I will avoid this match.
No Prediction
Counter Logic Gaming vs 100 Thieves
Friday, February 26 – 18:00 PST
Pobelter has announced he is returning to Counter Logic Gaming’s main lineup, which likely won’t see CLG suddenly improve, but it’s not like they need much improvement. Last week CLG looked very good and while they’re by no means world beaters, CLG are still a team that has proven they’re better than how many people expected them to be.
100 Thieves are stronger, but we’ve seen how volatile they can be. Their fast-paced playstyle is not particularly bad, but it’s not like it can’t get punished. CLG have enough experienced players on the team to slow down the game which will work against 100T. Until I see some more stability from 100T, I will continue to believe they can lose against any team including CLG.
Prediction: Counter Logic Gaming +8.5 kills – 1.787 Pinnacle
Immortals vs Dignitas
Friday, February 26 – 19:00 PST
Dignitas are playing solid LoL, but they are overachieving a bit. We must give it to them, DIG have solid, easy-to-execute drafts and a very potent mid-game, but they lack the early-game power, which will turn around and bite them sooner or later.
Immortals, on the other side, are hard to figure out. They have had some good and some poor performances, but it’s clear that they are finding some stability and are slowly becoming a strong team. If they continue on this path, IMT will likely emerge as serious playoffs contenders- unfortunately, I don’t see them improving beyond that.
There are arguments to be made for both teams and I can understand why you would like either of the two. At the time of writing, DIG are priced at 1.653, which is a bit too low for me, so if I were to recommend a bet, it would be Immortals at 2.26.
This is more of a 50/50 match, so you have to take the better odds, but, if there is one thing we have learned from the LCS this season is that these mid-table brawls are very unpredictable, which is why this is a pass for me.
No Prediction
