Nongshin RedForce vs T1
League of Legends Champions Korea
Nongshin RedForce's tough schedule continues into Wednesday when they meet with T1 for the second time of the season. These sides last met just three weeks ago, when T1 secured a narrow and somewhat disappointing 2-1 victory, which they will look to improve upon here.
Even though winning by a minimal margin against one of the weakest teams in the league is not good, we have to take into account T1 did not field their main top laner Kim "Canna" Chang-dong, but instead their academy player Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, who has done a great job all things considered. Zeus has kept his spot on the team for T1's next game against Fredit BRION and while it's unclear what roster the three-time LoL world champions will field here, Zeus shouldn't be a liability with the time he had to synergise with his teammates.
Betting on -1.5 map handicaps is a risky business so early into the season and especially when we talk about T1, who haven't looked too consistent this split. Still the offered betting odds make it worth it.
DWG KIA vs Liiv SANDBOX
League of Legends Champions Korea
DWG KIA are undeniably the strongest team in LCK and if their 2020 LoL World Championship title means anything, they're also officially the strongest team in the world. DWG KIA enter Week 6 of the split with a 9-1 record and 75% map win rate (18-6), which is good for a first spot in the standings.
Liiv SANDBOX found themselves on the opposite side of the table with a 2-8 record and a 27% map win rate. Last week, SANDBOX suffered two 0-2 losses against Fredit BRION and T1, but it's not fair to ignore their 2-0 sweep of Hanwha Life Esports just over two weeks ago.
From their recent bouts, it's fairly obvious SANDBOX struggle with stability, which is concerning and perhaps the main reason why the experienced Kim "OnFleek" Jang-gyeom got to start over Kim "Croco" Dong-beom in SANDBOX's recent games. Whether that will help SANDBOX overcome their macro issues remains to be seen, but some improvement will be needed to defeat DWG KIA, who are not only extremely talented but also have a very strong sense of how to approach their games.
That being said, DWG KIA looked a bit off sync in their last outings which could offer SANDBOX a chance to cause some damage. I'll take a shot with SANDBOX to win one map at 2.80.
Liiv SANDBOX +1.5 Maps
$2.80
T1 vs Neon Esports
Dota PGL Pro Circuit SEA
The final fixture of the Southeast Asian Dota PGL Pro Circuit: Upper Division between T1 and Neon Esports will take place on Thursday, February 25, the result of which will influence the final standings of five teams. There are numerous ways how each result of this match will shape up the league, but for this prediction, only a few are important.
If T1 win with 2-0, they will finish second in the league and receive a direct invite to the $500,000 ONE Esports Singapore Major 2021, while a 2-1 win is still enough for them to finish inside top-three and attend the Major as a Wild Card. If, however, T1 lose with 1-2 or 0-2, they will finish fourth or fifth, meaning they get denied a spot at the Major altogether.
After battling their way through the league with a 5-1 record and 11-5 map differential, Neon sit in second place, only one win behind Fnatic. A simple win here would guarantee them a pass into the Singapore Major group stage, whereas a loss would see them attend the Major as a wildcard team.
Given the importance of this match, it's fair to say both teams will try to show their best form, which begs the question: which of the two Southeast Asian teams will prevail? T1 last met with Neon in December, when they won 2-0, albeit they've lost the previous two bouts with 0-2.
Form-wise, there is not a lot to set these two teams apart. Both have had good and somewhat iffy showings of late, so it's hard to say which is in better shape heading into this match. If I had to pick a team, I would put my money on T1 who looked slightly better, but since I don't expect a complete dominance from either side, over 2.5 maps is the bet I'll be going for.
