League of Legends Betting Guide
The popularity of League of Legends as a professional esport has led to a flurry of action-packed tournaments, fierce rivalries and intense gaming action over the past few years. Unlike other esport titles, League of Legends as a casual game differs immensely from the professional scene that gets broadcasted. But now, with around the clock analysis and third-party breakdowns of match content, following the sport has become easier than ever before. So, whether you’re completely new to League, or looking for a few betting tips, this is the perfect guide for you.
Follow The Meta
At the beginning of every season, (early Nov – Dec), the game gets updated through a series of patches that have the potential to drastically change the way you play.
From patch updates to simple build path changes, the game can shift on its head and leave the best team on patch 7.22 looking like a whole new team on patch 8.1, depending on the changes.
Sometimes the changes happen right before a big tournament, which leaves little to no play time for the professionals and spectators alike. This, as you can guess, can leave certain matches up in the air. A typical season can have anywhere from 16 – 24 patches ranging in impact.
The best way to stay on top of the changes to the game is to follow the patch notes. But sometimes figuring out how those changes trickle down to different teams that rely on certain strategies is difficult to predict.
Following esports insiders (current/former players, former coaches, analysts, LoL journalists) on social media, or their YouTube channels, is a great way to sense the pulse of the community as patches affect certain teams differently.
For instance, if team A’s star player has a high win rate on their main champion, i.e. LeBlanc, and LeBlanc suffers a major ‘nerf’ — or dwindling of power from a recent patch — the win rate for that team will likely take a dive.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the taking away of LeBlanc’s strength could bring team B’s mid laner to the forefront, as he has more versatility in the role, allowing for control of another pick/ban. These small scale changes can often lead to big advantages depending on the teams at play.
Choose Your Winners
During every offseason, LoL teams launch into a frenzy to reinforce their squads and develop the best teamplay possible within that two month period. As the game changes, so do the teams involved as they constantly cycle through talent to find the best fit.
Last season, CLG and Immortals engaged in one of the biggest blockbuster trades that saw longtime CLG jungler and World Championship contender Xmithie move to IMT as CLG received a highly touted prospect (at the time) in Dardoch.
At first, this move left many CLG fans optimistic for the future as the first few weeks saw them winning with ease, but sure enough, the longevity of the season played a part in their efforts as Dardoch’s gank heavy, bruiser style was eventually figured out by the rest of the league.
On the other hand, a relatively slow start from IMT saw them start to gain momentum as their rookie bot lane took center stage behind solid play from their solo laners and Xmithie’s role playing ability. Xmithie’s game knowledge and composure in crunch time situations was often time the difference maker for his team, and the ‘meta’ heading into Summer split of tank-oriented, play making junglers fit right into the mold of what Xmithie was trying to accomplish.
At the end of the regular season, it was Xmithie and IMT who would have the last laugh as IMT went on to compete on the Worlds stage and CLG was left on the sidelines for yet another summer.
Case in point, very few things in LoL ever go according to script. One thing to take into account when monitoring roster moves is not conflating potential with results. A proven veteran is often times far more valuable than a mechanically adept rookie, but depending on team structure, the results can differ.
Taking a look at a jungler like C9 Contractz, who in his rookie split led his team many times to victory as they once again had a quarter finals finish at Worlds. Sites like LoL wiki (lolpedia) and lolesports.com are great references to check right before making decisions.
Depending on the week, you may see a number of roster mishaps for your most reliable team due to illnesses, or visa issues.
The best way to avoid any last minute mistakes are to simply double check the LoL subreddit and other references to not fall prey to the drama.
