There will be no Mid-Season Invitational this year because of COVID-19, but the four best teams from China and Korea will take part in a tournament next week to give League of Legends fans some international action before the domestic leagues start back up in summer. The Mid-Season Cup will take place in late May over a span of four days, and there will be $600,000 and bragging rights at stake. A team from Korea or China has won each of the last seven World Championships, and while Korea has won more titles, China has defeated Korea in Rift Rivals in two of the three tournaments.
JD Gaming +400
Top Esports +450
T1 +450
FunPlus Phoenix +450
Gen.G +550
Invictus Gaming +700
DragonX +900
DAMWON Gaming +1400
The favorites to claim the first Mid-Season Cup are JD Gaming. JD Gaming won their first LPL title last month, besting Top Esports in the tightest series we saw in a major region this spring. The Dumpling Brothers were incredible after Zoom’s return to the team, and the combination of mid laner Yagao and top laner Zoom will be tough to overcome. Kanavi will be out to stake a claim as the best jungler in the world too after claiming a share of the MVP award.
Top Esports fell just short in the LPL Spring Split Finals. Their addition of JackeyLove paid off immensely, as his play was instrumental in Top Esports overcoming the odds to get to the finals, and that will make this team dangerous at this event. Knight is one of the top mid laners in the world, but Karsa has historically come up short in international events.
The greatest team in the history of League of Legends has won three straight LCK titles. T1 continue to be led by the best player in the Esports’ history in Faker, and he helped lead the LCK to a win over the LPL at last year’s Rift Rivals. His presence will make T1 competitive, but there are some question marks in the top lane and in the jungle. Teddy is rock solid in the bottom lane though, giving T1 another potential win condition.
Last year’s world champion is tied with Top Esports and T1 as one of the next group of favorites behind JD Gaming. FunPlus Phoenix have arguably the best mid laner in the world in Doinb, but there were problems elsewhere. Khan was not as dominant as many believed he would be after joining from T1, and the bottom lane of Lwx and Crisp took a step back.
It’s hard to have much faith in Gen. G after what we saw from them in the LCK Spring Split Finals. T1 routed them 3-0 in that series, as Faker consistently outplayed Bdd in the mid lane and Ruler couldn’t hard carry like he had in the past. This team is at a disadvantage given the quality of mid laners and top laners on other squads in the competition, and they might not finish in the top four.
The best value on the board is Invictus Gaming. The 2018 World Champions were 14-2 during the regular season in the LPL, but they were unceremoniously dismissed from the postseason by Top Esports. Rookie and TheShy are two of the most skilled players in the world, and the time off could have given this team time to fix their issues in the jungle.
DragonX will have a difficult time competing at this tournament too. They had to move Chovy into the top lane at times to cover up their issues in that spot, and Deft is not the bottom laner he was in the past. Keria is an underrated support, but this team’s issues will be exploited.
At 14-1, the oddsmakers are considering DAMWON Gaming the worst team in the tournament, but those might be good enough odds for a flyer bet. This team is largely boom or bust, as personified as top laner Nuguri who can carry his team to a win or have a meltdown in any game. There is serious talent though as ShowMaker continues to live up to his moniker, and Canyon is due for a bounce-back season.
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!
