The lock-in phase of the LCS opens this weekend with a packed schedule of games, beginning with matches from Group A on Friday night. Here is a breakdown of some key matchups along with LoL betting predictions from the day’s action.
Let us start with an early disclaimer that Golden Guardians and TSM will be playing with their Academy rosters due to multiple Covid-19 issues within both teams. That has completely changed the dynamics of the early lock-in games. For example, Cloud9 have become massive favorites in their opening match against Golden Guardians.
Image by @ffSade
Cloud9 may not have the roster to compete against the rest of the field on a competitive basis but they certainly have enough depth and skill for this match against Golden Guardians. They will have Blaber in the jungle and Fudge as mid laner, their only two surviving members after the franchise decided to overhaul the roster.
Fudge, who averaged 3.67 kills, 1.7 deaths and 5.7 assists at a sterling KDA of 5.5 along with a creep score of 273.52 and a CSPM of 8.3 in the summer split of 2021, will now have two Korean players in the lanes to his left and right. Summit will now occupy the top lane for Cloud9 and Berserker in the bottom lane.
Even though this is a roster that may take some time to find their chemistry and offensive fluency, this match against GG will be a welcome opportunity for the team to pick up the requisite confidence to make quick progress in the lock-in phase.
Usually, a match between TSM and 100 Thieves to open a new split of the LCS would draw plenty of eyeballs. Not this one though, with TSM having been forced to resort to a roster that is not at the same level (not even close, if we’re being honest) to this 100 Thieves unit.
The difference between the Academy set-up and the main team for LCS franchises is not massive, especially considering several Academy players are brought in as replacements for players struggling for form or more recently, with Covid-19 issues. In this case, though, 100 Thieves will show that statement to be only partially true with a resounding performance.
This is a crucial split for 100 Thieves. The franchise has drawn plenty of attention for the right reasons after winning the LCS Championship last season by beating Team Liquid 3-0 in the final. They would be desperate to ensure that the win was not a flash in the pan with another consistent display in the spring of 2022. There is no reason there won’t be a repetition either. 100 Thieves have retained their core roster for this split, which could be the difference between the best and the rest as other teams find their best fluency.
No player had a kill rate of more than four in the regular season of the summer split but they were all so consistent through that period. Closer had the best kill rate, producing 3.73 kills per map, but he was also the most efficient player, with 1.85 deaths and 5.81 assists that picked up his KDA to 5.17, along with a creep score of 202.46.
FBI will continue to patrol the bottom lane this season. He may want to improve on his kill participation rate slightly this season after producing 3 kills and 6.12 assists per map on average in summer. These two will be key players for 100 Thieves this season, including the season opener against TSM.
Back 100 Thieves to win despite their lower LoL odds.
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