E-SPORTS E-SPORTS ARTICLES

Eight of the best CS:GO teams in the world will square off in the Big Apple in two weeks for a $200,000 prize pool. Although ESL One New York doesn’t have a $1,000,000 prize pool like other premier tournaments, it is still considered an S-Tier event, so the two best teams in the world will be there along with other contenders looking to make a name for themselves. The battle between Astralis and Team Liquid has raged all year, and one of these two powerhouses will look to add another tally to their impressive win total in 2019. ... 

The champion of Europe will be crowned this weekend. G2 Esports, Fnatic, and FC Schalke 04 are duking it out for the Summer Split title, and in the modified playoff structure two of those teams will face off on Saturday. Fnatic and FC Schalke 04 will fight for the right to face G2 in the finals on Sunday. Fnatic is a heavy favorite per the Esports betting odds in this match, and they are trying to avoid losing in this spot like they did in the Spring Split when they fell to Origen. Regardless, t... 

Sometimes everything works out perfectly. While attempts to put together super-teams in other regions have mostly failed to pan out, G2 Esports’ endeavor has been a rousing success. G2 have been phenomenal this year. They cruised to the LEC Spring Split title, and they became the first European team to win a major international title since 2011 by beating SK Telecom T1 and Team Liquid to claim the Mid-Season Invitational. They were the first team to qualify for the World Championships two weeks ... 

The LEC Summer Split Playoffs get underway this week, and four teams are looking to keep their hopes of winning their first split title and earning an automatic berth into the World Championships alive. Splyce and FC Schalke 04 are the heavy favorites to advance to the semifinals. Both of those teams finished with double-digit wins this split, while opponents Rogue and Team Vitality both finished the season 7-11. It feels like we typically see one upset in the first round, but will that trend ho... 

The race for the No. 2 seed in Europe is a good one, and it will be decided in the final week of the Summer Split. While G2 is almost assuredly assured of the top spot in the playoffs, Fnatic and Splyce are duking it out for the second bye. Both teams are 12-4, with Splyce having the leg up because they beat Fnatic earlier in the split. Fnatic will have a chance to even the head-to-head record this week though, and that would put them in the driver’s seat for the second bye. ... 

As it turns out, there was a reason that Garen was the only champion that had not been picked in any of the five major regions prior to last week. Not even G2 Esports could spin to win with Garen, as he was thoroughly dunked on in the top lane by Team Vitality, giving Vitality a crucial win that will likely lead to a playoff berth. The playoff picture is taking shape in the penultimate week of the Summer Split.... 

Incredibly, we’re only two-thirds of the way through the LEC Summer Split and G2 Esports have already clinched a playoff spot. G2 have been the team of the year, and their skill has led to them continually crushing foes. Their average game time of 26:49 per Games of Legends is remarkable, and they have lost just once all season. They can avenge that loss against Fnatic on Saturday.... 

We’re more than halfway through the LEC Summer Split, and once again G2 Esports and Fnatic are at the top of the table. G2 are 9-1 with their only loss of the season coming against Fnatic, while Fnatic are 8-2 and finally got back in the win column after consecutive losses to Splyce and Rogue.... 

Only three teams are over .500 in Europe midway through the LEC Summer Split. The first two are no surprise. G2 and Fnatic are both 7-1, and they have waltzed over their competition. G2 are treating matches like a speed run with an average game time of 27 minutes and 19 seconds per Games of Legends, while Fnatic are just looking solid in general after a lackluster effort in the Spring Split.... 

After three weeks away from Summoner’s Rift, the LEC Summer Split is back in action this week. Two weeks ago, the top three teams in Europe smashed their North American counterparts at Rift Rivals and last week was a week off for everyone. Now, it’s time to kick the season into another gear with everyone back in action. Fnatic and G2 Esports are the two overwhelming favorites going forward, but Origen and others are looking to turn the conventional wisdom on its head.... 

The last few days have been ones of soul searching for LCS teams. After the three best teams in the region were roundly smashed by Europe at Rift Rivals, it’s clear that North America does not have a good read of the meta. The teams in this region are not nearly as proactive as they should be, and for the last year we have seen proactivity win out time and time again. That should lead to some teams changing their playstyles in order to better fit the strategies that are working at international ... 

For the third straight split, Griffin look like the best team in Korea. They have only dropped three games so far in the Summer Split, and they are tied at the top of the standings with SANDBOX Gaming. However, whether or not they can finally finish it off and win their first split title after losing in the finals twice in a row is another story entirely.... 

The two most decorated organizations in Europe are the only two remaining undefeated teams in the LEC, and they will square off for supremacy this Friday. G2 Esports and Fnatic are both 4-0 and both teams have dominated their opponents. G2 has finished off matches in less than 28 minutes on average, while Fnatic leads the league with a 391 gold differential per minute according to Games of Legends. Those two teams rule the roost and everyone else is on the outside looking in.... 

The two most storied teams in European League of Legends are the only two teams that are undefeated through the first week of the Summer Split. G2 Esports and Fnatic are both 2-0, and they were both dominant in the first week. G2 smashed Origen and Splyce in their first two matches, while Fnatic knocked off SK Gaming and Misfits. These teams are favored in both of their matches this week, and they will look to move to 4-0.... 

Raise your hand if you thought that the only undefeated team in the LCS through two weeks would be OpTic Gaming. If you put your hand up, you’re a liar. OpTic was seen as one of the also-rans in the Summer Split, and they had some of the longest odds to win the split. They have surprised everyone with a 4-0 start, but now they must start facing the best teams in the region. They will take on Cloud9 and Team Liquid this weekend, and they are underdogs in both games.... 

G2 Esports became the first European team to win a major international tournament since 2011 last month. G2 knocked off SK Telecom T1 and Team Liquid in order to win the Mid-Season Invitational, and they are looking to add another domestic title to their list of accomplishments. Fnatic and Origen are out to stop them, but that will be tough considering how overpowering G2 proved to be in the Spring Split.... 

The most decorated team in League of Legends history and one of the most hyped newcomers ever are the two favorites entering the 2019 LCK Korea Summer Split. SK Telecom T1 need no introduction. The only team to be crowned World Champions three times regained their place atop the LCK in the spring, and they are slight favorites to repeat as champions. Griffin are looking to stop them. The team that burst onto the scene one year ago has finished runner-up in each of the last two splits, and they a... 

There is a clear balance of power in the NA LCS. Team Liquid, Team SoloMid, and Cloud9 are the three elite teams in the region, and then there’s everyone else. We saw that on display in the Spring Split. Liquid, TSM, and C9 all finished with at least 13 wins and were far and away the best teams in the region all split. No other team finished with a winning record, and the oddsmakers aren’t giving any of the other seven teams much of a chance to compete in the summer.... 

Last year, China was home to the best teams in League of Legends. Royal Never Give Up claimed the Mid-Season Invitational, and Invictus Gaming won the World Championship. However, China is looking for a bit of redemption after Invictus Gaming’s stunning loss to Team Liquid at this year’s MSI. It’s no surprise that RNG and Invictus are the favorites to win the Summer Split, but 14 other teams would like to upturn the conventional wisdom and earn a chance to succeed on the international stage.... 

Things move a little differently south of the equator. While all the regions that play League of Legends north of the equator will be playing their Summer Splits in the coming weeks, Brazil has already finished their Summer Split. Instead, the CBLOL will begin its Winter Split next week, and eight teams are looking to emerge victorious and earn a spot at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship in Europe.... 

Some of the best teams in China will square off at the National Electronic Sports Tournament (NEST) in Guiyang this weekend. Eight teams will look to qualify for the 2019 Demacia Cup by getting to the final of this event, but it’s important to keep in mind that this is a sort of toss-up competition. A handful of the top players are unlikely to play, while some teams use this event to integrate new players into the line-up, and other teams use NEST to try new strategies. Regardless, this will be ... 

This season’s CS Summit 4 will feature two of the best three teams in the world according to the rankings over at HLTV. While Astralis will be sitting out after finishing runner-up at BLAST Pro Series: Madrid, Team Liquid and ENCE will head to Los Angeles to take part in the competition, along with four others. Liquid and ENCE are the two favorites, but they aren’t as big of favorites as you might think given where they are ranked in comparison to other squads.... 

There isn’t expected to be much excitement in the first semifinal of the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, but there is plenty of attention being paid to the second semifinal. Invictus Gaming are expected to romp over Team Liquid in Taiwan on Friday, but the semifinal between SK Telecom T1 and G2 Esports on Saturday is much more of a toss-up. G2 knocked off SKT in both of their meetings in the Group Stage, but SKT finished with a better overall record and were the lone team to beat Invictus. This one should be fun. ... 

The Mid-Season Invitational will get underway in earnest on Friday. The six teams everyone expected to make it to the Group Stage are here as Team Liquid and Flash Wolves had little trouble in their play-in series, and Phong Vu Buffalo became the third straight Vietnamese team to make it through the Play-In Stage. At least one of those three teams will make it to the knockout rounds, but they are heavy underdogs to go any further as Invictus Gaming, SK Telecom T1, and G2 Esports are seen as mass... 

The Mid-Season Invitational is underway. Six teams from the top six regions in the world are duking it out for supremacy over the next 10 days in Vietnam and Taiwan, and that has given us time to pause and look at the state of League of Legends around the world. The World Championships will be held at the end of the year, and teams from the LCK and LPL are expected to dominate. However, the West proved that they can no longer be ignored after putting three teams in the semifinals last year, and ...