LoL Worlds 2020 Play-In – Day 1 Betting Previews and Predictions
The 2020 League of Legends World Championship is set to launch this Friday, September 25, with the opening five Play-In fixtures played across both groups. The day will begin with a match between MAD Lions and INTZ and conclude with the long-awaited clash regional rivalry between two Western juggernauts in Team Liquid and MAD Lions.
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MAD Lions vs INTZ
The 2020 League of Legends World Championship will begin with a clash between MAD Lions and INTZ in what will mark MAD Lions’ first-ever appearance on the international stage. As talked about in our 2020 League of Legends Play-In stage preview, MAD Lions lack the international experience, which made us concerned about their chances to make it far this tournament, however, the lack of experience does not take away from the fact that this team is still very solid and perhaps much better than many give them credit for.
Even though MAD Lions can be very volatile, explosive and high-variance, that playstyle has earned them more than a few impressive wins and is arguably the perfect playstyle for the Bo1 bouts. On the other end, Bo1 is a perfect format for upset wins and that is exactly what INTZ will look to achieve.
We don’t rank INTZ too highly, namely because they’re hailing from a weak region and while their players looked solid in CBLOL, they’re lane-by-lane still much weaker than MAD Lions’ roster. In all honesty, the only thing working in INTZ’s favour here is that this is the opening match of the tournament and a Bo1.
MAD Lions are put in a position where they can’t afford to make mistakes and drop easy games like this one if they’re serious about securing a direct bye into the main event. We expect this urgency to inspire the efficiency needed to win and if MAD Lions can show the form they did in the LEC Summer Split, we are in for a very one-sided bout.
Prediction: MAD Lions -9.5 kills – 1.934 at Pinnacle
PSG Talon vs Rainbow7
At a first glance, PSG Talon are a far superior team than Rainbow7 and we don’t believe that will change even with the roster swaps Talon were forced to make. Having said that, the synergy and communication could be a huge problem for this team as they had only a couple of weeks to try and get their new-look squad to gel together.
With those issues, we expect PSG Talon to put up a bit scrappier match, especially considering their bottom lane – which was the driving force behind PSG Talon’s success – is without their starting ADC for the opening games of the Play-In stage.
We would consider betting on Rainbow7 to upset the PCS representatives, but at the provided odds, it’s not worth a risk, especially since we don’t know how will PSG Talon look like. Having said that, we are bound to see a few more mistakes from the side of Talon so there is definitely a chance we are in for a bloodier match with plenty of kills on both sides.
Prediction: PSG Talon over 12.5 kills – 1.90 at Pinnacle
Legacy Esports vs INTZ
We don’t rank either of the two teams high nor do we expect either to make it into the second stage of the competition, but if we had to pick one of the two, we have to side with the Brazilians.
INTZ have looked fairly solid in their domestic competition and since it’s more than fair to say that CBLOL is stronger than OPL, it’s also fair to say INTZ are rightfully the favorites heading into this match. One aspect where Legacy have an advantage over INTZ is their aggression and a very solid top side, whereas INTZ have a stronger mid laner.
The current meta, especially the Chinese meta, forces teams to focus more on constant skirmishes which usually results in far more kills than what we are used to seeing in the “Western” regions. Since both teams have been bootcamping on the Chinese Superserver, we can expect both adapted to that playstyle and will likely look to outmuscle rather than outsmart their opponents.
INTZ look like a better team, but their poor understanding of macro play and tendency to die quite frequently (12.6 deaths per game) is enough for us to believe Legacy can give them a run for their money and make this match interesting.
Prediction: Legacy Esports over 10.5 kills – 1.775 at Pinnacle
LGD Gaming vs PSG Talon
It’s very difficult to say how this one will play out since we don’t know what PSG bring to the table with their roster swaps and while LGD Gaming are definitely the favourites to win, we feel like the 10.5 kill handicap is a bit too risky to take, especially since LGD are at times very inconsistent.
We don’t expect PSG Talon to win, but at the same time, it’s difficult to predict a one-sided affair.
No prediction
MAD Lions vs Team Liquid
A clash of two opposite playstyles is set to take place in the final game of the day, where the explosive MAD Lions will take on the slow and calculated Team Liquid.
The general consensus is that LEC is much stronger than LCS and while there is some truth in that – based on previous international results – we must also take into consideration MAD Lions have looked very bad in the latter stages of the split. We, however, can say the same for Liquid who did not look too convincing throughout LCS Summer regular season and into the playoffs.
MAD Lions are still the most likely victors here, mainly because their biggest strength is the same as that of TL’s (bottom lane) but if we draw a line, we would feel comfortable saying MAD Lions’ bottom lane is far more consistent. The jungle match-up can easily go both ways since Broxah did not have a very promising performance this split, whereas Shad0w fell apart completely in the playoffs. Still, it’s hard to compare the two due to their different playstyles.
A lot can happen in a Bo1 and while there is a chance Liquid could surprise everyone and defeat MAD Lions, the chances of that happening rely heavily on whether MAD Lions underperform.
Prediction: MAD Lions -3.50 kills – 1.86 at Pinnacle
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