This year’s Mid-Season Invitational looks to be the most anticipated MSI ever. For the first time ever, the competition will take place in three cities instead of just one or two, and we should see some exciting matches as the rest of the world gets better and better. The champions from Korea and China are the big favorites, but for the first time ever, a team from the West has a real chance. The 2019 Mid-Season Invitational will have four stages and will take place over three weeks from May 1 to May 19.
League of Legends 2019 Mid-Season Invitational Betting Odds
Invictus Gaming +150
SK Telecom T1 +150
G2 Esports +450
Team Liquid +2000
Flash Wolves +3500
Other +3500
The Favorites
I’ll just come out and say it. I’m going to be stunned if any team other than Invictus Gaming or SK Telecom T1 wins MSI. This is the fifth MSI and SKT has won two events and China has had two teams win the event, and the LCK and LPL are miles ahead of the competition. Those two leagues have crushed their opponents in international competitions since 2013, and it’s really hard to see any of the other 11 teams upsetting the apple cart.
Invictus Gaming won the World Championship last year, and they brought back their entire starting lineup from last year. TheShy overcame some hiccups to prove that he was still the best top laner in the world against Zoom in the LPL Spring Split Finals, and Rookie is the best or second-best mid laner in the world. They are a team built for the current meta where winning lanes and taking moderate chances is a good thing, and they should be the overall favorite instead of finding themselves tied with SK Telecom T1.
SKT rebounded from a year to forget by making a lot of signings over the summer. They fulfilled their promise by sweeping Griffin in the LCK Spring Split Grand Final, and Faker is out to prove that he is still the best mid laner in the world. To me, this is clearly the second-best team in the competition, but I have two major questions. Can Khan play at a high level throughout the competition? Will this team be as proactive in the early game as they need to be to win here? Khan’s highs are very high, but his play has been erratic, and SKT has lacked the early game proactiveness that sets Invictus apart.
Dark Horse
For the first time ever, a Western team has a real chance to win MSI. Only once has a Western team posted a winning record at MSI, but G2 have a chance to do that and more. They have been the best team in Europe by miles this season, and the decision to move Perkz from the mid lane to the bottom lane is paying huge dividends in this meta where pushing early is so important. I would like their chances quite a bit, but Mikyx recently announced that he will have to limit himself in practice due to a wrist injury and that lack of scrimmage time will hurt.
Long Shots
It’s tempting to grab a long shot at such juicy odds, but to what end? Team Liquid is better than the team we saw flop at MSI last year, yet it’s hard to have real faith in them since they lack an international game changer.
Flash Wolves is a shadow of the team that we have seen turn MSI on its head in the past, and the VCS region has been picked apart after the success of GIGABYTE Marines and EVOS Esports.
At BookMaker Sportsbook, our team of writers breaks down every betting matchup on the wagering board. Esports are exploding in popularity and we at BookMaker have you covered for all of your betting needs.
From League of Legends to CS:GO, BookMaker has all of the Esports betting lines you can hope for. Open an account and get in on the action today!
