The chalk largely held up in the elimination round of the 2019 KeSPA Cup, but there were two surprises. Brion Blade was the biggest surprise, knocking out an LCK 2020 Spring squad in APK Prince. Brion Blade finished with a better record in Challengers’ Korea than APK Prince, but APK defeated Brion Blade 3-1 in the Summer Playoffs to eventually win promotion. That’s what made APK’s loss to Brion Blade a little surprising, especially since APK has improved by signing better players since being promoted.
Jin Air losing 2-0 to Spear Gaming was something of a surprise too given Jin Air’s legacy. The once proud organization is now at rock bottom, as Spear went 5-9 in Challengers during the 2019 Summer Split. They played the second longest series, but they failed to win a game as Light’s Miss Fortune fell flat in the bottom lane.
League of Legends 2019 KeSPA Cup Qualifying Betting Odds
Afreeca Freecs -550
Brion Blade +379
The Freecs were content to scale into the late game in both of its games against Rockhead. Fly was strong on mid lane mages in Syndra and Orianna, posting a 9.5 KDA in the two games, and Kiin played very well on Vladimir and Aatrox, being responsible for 31.3 percent of his team’s damage.
Brion Blade needed three games to beat APK Prince, and they only won because of their bottom lane. Hena was bonkers, finishing with 13 kills, 17 assists, and one death in the series, but the mid lane and top lane both struggled. That’s why Afreeca has the edge.
KT Rolster +133
Hanwha Life Esports -167
Hanwha has revamped its roster after surviving relegation at the tail end of 2019. The organization brought in CuVee, Haru, and Lehends, and the trio all played very well in leading HLE past Esports Connected in the elimination round. Haru was particularly impressive in the jungle, while Lehends showed why you must ban Yuumi against him.
KT had an easy victory against Ulsan in its first match, but this will be a much tougher test. This team has chemistry since so many members used to be on Afreeca Freecs, but many of these players are past their prime. That’s why Hanwha is the team to take in this matchup.
Gen. G -1800
Dynamics +981
Team Dynamics was the top team in Challengers last year, but they crashed and burned in the playoffs. They were able to keep three of their starters from Spring Split, and one of those starters (jungler Ganknam) has formed a strong bond with new mid laner Kuzan. Those two both finished with an 11.5 KDA to beat Asura in the first round, but Gen. G are another challenge entirely.
Gen. G had no problem beating Busan Ascension, winning the first game in just over 20 minutes and the second game in a little over 22 minutes. That kind of stomping is what Gen. G fans expected last year, and both Clid and BDD failed to die in the rout. Look for the bottom lane to do more work this time, but it’s hard to see Gen. G dropping a game.
DragonX -1750
Spear Gaming +960
Jaguar and Destroy lived up to their names against Jin Air in the elimination rounds. Jaguar had a 19 KDA in the bottom lane in those two games, while Destroy failed to die in the top lane on Vladimir and Kennen. However, they won’t be able to repeat those performances against DragonX.
DragonX was the cleanest team in the first round with Chovy, Deft, and Keria all playing spectacularly. Chovy is significantly better than Spear mid laner Chasy, and he will win his lane hard in a sweep.
At BookMaker Sportsbook, our team of writers breaks down every betting matchup on the wagering board. Esports are exploding in popularity and BookMaker has you covered for all of your betting needs. From League of Legends to CS:GO, BookMaker has all the Esports betting lines you can hope for. Open an account and get in on the action today!