The first regional tournament to take place in the offseason will be China’s National Electronic Sports Tournament (NEST). This event is generally seen as a launching ground for up and coming talent, as many of the top players do not partake after the long grind of the regular season and playoffs. The LPL’s two best teams in 2020 (JD Gaming and Top Esports) used this event to get some of their best players experience in 2018, and those players helped carry those two teams to the finals of this event.
2020 League of Legends NEST Odds
Suning +164
Rogue Warriors -212
If you need a demonstration of how teams rest players in this tournament, look no further than Suning. This organization is coming off its best ever performance at Worlds. Suning were seen as the third-best Chinese team coming into the competition, but they proved they were the top LPL team in that meta.
Suning bested G2 Esports in Group A before knocking off JD Gaming and Top Esports 3-1 in the quarterfinals and semifinals. They weren’t able to get past DAMWON Gaming, but they can hold their heads high after their showing.
None of the starters at this year’s Worlds will take part in this competition though. Suning will play five untested players at this NEST, so it’s hard to know just how they will perform.
Rogue Warriors will play four players that have had experience on the main stage. Top laner BoWen is the only player that didn’t play during the LPL Summer Split, but everyone else saw action. Jungler Youdang didn’t look sharp in his five games, yet he did get some time with the main team.
Mid laner Wuming, bottom laner Zwuji, and support Ley were all regular starters. Zwuji is the best of the bunch, dealing out over 30 percent of his team’s damage while starting every game, and he plays very well on Ashe.
Zwuji hasn’t been as sharp on other champions though, so Suning are worth a play at this price given their coaching staff’s understanding of the meta.
Edward Gaming +133
eStar Gaming -170
It’s been a hard fall from grace for Edward Gaming. This was formerly one of the best teams in the LPL, but they have regressed over the last three years. Scout and Meiko are still on the roster, yet this team may finally decide to blow it all up considering their lack of success in domestic play.
Neither Scout nor Meiko will play in this tournament. That will allow EDG to see what they have with mid laner 0909 and support Sloth. BBD will also take part in this event after seeing five games of action during the Summer Split. This will allow the team to see what they have with top laner Xiaoxiang and jungle Jiejie taking part. Both players were the primary starters at their positions.
Estar was one of the most surprising teams in the Spring Split, but they fell flat in the Summer Split. Their playmaking support ShiauC no longer had the same impact as the season went on, and he will not be taking part in NEST. The untested Alu will take his place.
The other seven players on the NEST roster all saw at least some action in the Summer Split. Wei was the team’s starting jungler throughout the season, and Xiaobai, Fenfen, and Wink are all expected to start too.
Estar are deserving favorites, but this is a nice price for EDG considering they have a jungler that can make a big difference in Jiejie.
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