A first-time champion will be crowned in the LPL this weekend. JD Gaming and Top Esports are both debutantes to this stage. Both teams beat a former World Champion in the LPL Spring Split Semifinals to get to this point with JD Gaming knocking off FunPlus Phoenix and Top Esports defeating Invictus Gaming, and one of these teams will make history with their win. JD Gaming are the favorites after a stronger regular season and a more impressive victory in the semifinals, but Top Esports are a live underdog.
JD Gaming -175
Top Esports +139
These teams met once in the regular season. In late March, Top Esports knocked off JD Gaming 2-0, becoming one of two teams to sweep JDG this split. However, JDG top laner Zoom was not available for that game as he was dealing with the coronavirus.
JD Gaming are led by the Dumpling Brothers. Zoom and mid laner Yagao have yet to lose after being reunited in early April. They are both strong laners that play off each other well in team fights, and Zoom has proven he can do more than just play tank champions like Ornn and Sett. He was superb on Gangplank against FPX in the semifinals, and that gives JDG more options in this series.
Yagao might have surpassed Faker as the best LeBlanc player in the world. JDG’s mid laner posted an astounding 29.7 KDA in eight games on the champion in the regular season per Games of Legends, and he registered a 14 KDA against DoinB on LeBlanc in the semifinals. That pick must be kept out of his hands, or else he will repeatedly punish Top Esports.
Top Esports have an incredible mid laner of their own in Knight. Knight rivaled DoinB and Rookie as the best mid laners in the LPL last year, and he has been even better in 2020. He registered a 5.3 KDA in the regular season, but we have seen him take Syndra into the mid lane almost exclusively in the postseason. Knight has been responsible for 33.5 percent of his team’s damage this postseason, and those are bonkers numbers for the playoffs.
The real difference maker for Top Esports has been bottom laner JackeyLove. JackeyLove was unceremoniously dropped from Invictus Gaming at the end of 2019 despite winning the 2018 World Championship with that team, and he has been on a mission. He wasn’t picked up by any team before Top Esports took a chance on him at the beginning of the month, and that gamble has paid off enormously for the team.
JackeyLove has a 4.7 KDA in the postseason, and he is responsible for 31.9 percent of TES’ damage. He has been aggressive at just the right times, like flashing forward to turn a teamfight around in the deciding game of his team’s series against IG, getting revenge on his former team in the process. That aggression will be needed as he will be asked to win in the bottom lane against LoKen.
The X-Factor in this series might be Kanavi. The former Griffin jungler has looked great throughout the 2020 season, and he posted a 12.3 KDA against FPX in the semifinals. His ability to make picks like Kindred and Silas work has really helped JDG, and his counterpart will be a player that has had difficulty coming through in the clutch in Karsa.
At this price, the right play is JDG. While JackeyLove and Knight have been great for Top Esports, the rest of the team has been somewhat lacking. JD Gaming have been more balanced and well-rounded, so look for them to pick up a 3-1 victory in the finals.
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