The League of Legends World Championships took place last month, and there has been little real action in the most popular Esport since FunPlus Phoenix claimed the Summoner’s Cup. Major teams from all the regions are retooling their rosters to prepare for the 2020 season, and most minor leagues came to a close shortly afterward as the roster shakeup is very pronounced this time of the year.
However, there will be something to whet our appetite this week in Germany when the ESL Meisterschaft Playoffs take place. Four teams are set to take part in the finals after a nine-week regular season that saw each team play each other once, and Schalke 04 Evolution are the odds-on favorites to win the competition after dominating the regular season.
League of Legends ESL Meisterschaft 2019 Winter Playoffs Betting Odds
Schalke 04. EVO -360
EURONICS Gaming +267
Schalke’s branding and resources give them an advantage over every other team in the Meisterschaft, and they have an LEC team to boot. That has allowed Schalke to use the Meisterschaft as a proving ground for new signings, making this team better since some of those players are expected to rise and play in the LEC.
Schalke 04 Evolution won 15 of their 18 games during the regular season. Their only series loss was against second place Ad Hoc Gaming, and their lineup has been consistent throughout the last two months.
Mid laner Sertuss is only 17 years old, and he will likely get a shot in the LEC too. He has been climbing the solo queue ladder and major organizations have noticed his rise. However, it’s bottom laner Sedrion’s experience that has me taking Schalke to win this series.
Sedrion has been a pro player for over six years, and he has consistently been one of the better players in this tier. He helped lead Schalke past EURONICS Gaming in a 2-0 sweep in the regular season, and his team will want to smash EURONICS after losing the Summer Final to this organization.
Look for Sedrion to come up big in the bottom lane in a Schalke win as Noxiak has trouble keeping Tiger safe to do damage.
BIG -180
Ad Hoc Gaming +143
This will be Carzzy’s last week with BIG. The promising young bottom laner has signed with new LEC organization MAD Lions, and he will be joining their roster after this event. Carzzy’s performance at the European Masters Summer event brought him to the attention of bigger clubs, and he will be looking to lead his side to one more title.
He won’t be alone in that effort. Every player from the team that won EU Masters three months ago is still on BIG, including top laner WhiteKnight. Some believed that the former Unicorns of Love top laner might get another shot in the LEC after masterful performances on Kennen and Akali against Giants in the EU Masters Summer Finals, but he was looked over and will want to prove the doubters wrong in a favorable matchup with a top laner that just joined Ad Hoc two months ago in Scarface.
If Ad Hoc ends up winning, it will probably be due to the play of Gilius in the jungle. The mercurial player has seen his star fall due to chemistry concerns, but there’s no doubt that he is talented. Schalke signed him to its main roster earlier this week, and this will be his last competition with Ad Hoc. His new commitments have reduced his scrimmage time with Ad Hoc this week, so I like BIG to win big here.
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