The most anticipated event in the eSports community over the past few seasons has been the LoL World Championships and this edition is set to be a doozy. 16 teams have made it to the finals and although the Asian teams are the biggest five favorites on the board, there is some hope that this could be the year that a non-Asian team breaks through and wins it all. With group stages set to be announced tomorrow, it’s a good time to take a look at some of the biggest questions entering the tournament.
eSports Odds at BookMaker.eu
To win 2016 LoL World Championships
SK Telecom T1 +175 IMay +4000
ROX Tigers +175 Splyce +8000
Edward Gaming +500 Cloud9 +8000
Samsung Galaxy +1000 CLG +8000
Royal Never Giveup +1200 H2K +10000
Team SoloMid +1600 ahq e-Sports Club +10000
Flash Wolves +2000 Albus NoX Luna +200000
G2 Esports +2000 INTZ +200000
Can the Asian teams be stopped?
This is the sixth world championship and although the first was won by European side Fnatic, no non-Asian side has even sniffed the title since then. In the past four seasons, it has been an all-Asian final with the Koreans dominating over the last three years. During that timeframe, SK Telecom became the first ever two-time winner and have been called the greatest team in the world.
It’s no surprise that the Asian sides are once again favorites to win and that SKT and ROX Tigers are the biggest favorites. SKT and ROX met in the finals last season, with SKT emerging victorious and while that trend continued into the Spring Split in Korea, ROX turned the tables on SKT by winning the Summer Split and clinching a spot at worlds. These two sides won’t face each other until the semi-finals due to rules about the draw, but if they meet up it should be another classic affair.
Is Team SoloMid for real?
TSM ran through North America without any real competition over the last few months and gives many fans in the States hope that this could be the year that an American team gets to the final. TSM got to the semi-finals of the first championship back in 2011, but since then no North American side has been able to crack the top four.
Last offseason, TSM revamped itself by poaching some of the best talent from the region that at the same time crippled their rivals. The side struggled to come together early on, failing to qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational, but since that time has run roughshod over the region, dropping just one match in competitive play in Summer.
TSM seems to be hitting their stride, but the Korean and Chinese leagues are filled with talent that is so much better that TSM is relatively untested against the world’s best. Ironically enough, maybe the best reason to believe that TSM can get it done this year was the success of their arch-rivals CLG at the MSI. CLG made it to the championship round earlier this year before being swept by SKT.
Who will win Worlds?
The smart money is on one of the Korean sides. The Korean league is just so much better than all the rest that these teams are fully battle tested by the time Worlds roll around. SKT has shown some vulnerability but this is a side that always seems to rally at the most important time and it’s hard to go against them. For a long shot, look at Flash Wolves who turned some heads at the MSI and could make a run with a favorable group draw.
eSports Odds:
SKT +175
Flash Wolves +2000
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