Before You Bet esports expert Michael Lee is heading back to Iceland this Tuesday, the 12th of October for more action at the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. Check out his best bets for the night below.
Esports Betting Tips: Tuesday, October 12th
Royal Never Give Up vs Fnatic
2021 LoL World Championship
Fnatic announced only hours before their 2021 League of Legends World Championship opening match that their star ADC player, Elias "Upset" Lipp, won't be playing with the team as he needed to return to Germany due to some family emergency. That's a huge loss for Fnatic and a massive blow for their chances to compete for the Summoner's Cup.
With Upset out of the picture, Fnatic were forced to play with a substitute, Louis "Bean" Schmitz, former academy ADC.
Although a skilled player, he lacks the experience and is clearly not as good as Upset. That was very evident in Fnatic's devastating loss against Hanwha Life Esports on Monday. Granted, Fnatic were struggling in other areas as well – namely in the top lane.
On a more positive note, Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau has had an exceptional Worlds debut as a jungler; however, he alone won't be able to carry Fnatic to the promised land.
Seeing Fnatic struggle against Hanwha Life Esports leaves me very sceptical about their chances to upset Royal Never Give Up, who are objectively a much better team than their Korean counterparts. What's more, RNG have an excellent top side and are not to be messed with in the bottom lane, effectively meaning that RNG's strengths are also Fnatic's weaknesses.
This should be a one-sided affair that can spiral out of control quickly, mainly due to the teams' playstyle. A bet on RNG to cover the kill handicap is inviting, but I'm taking a shot with under 28 minutes total map duration.
Under 28.5 Minuts (Game Time)
$2.60
Hanwha Life Esports vs PSG Talon
2021 LoL World Championship
Hanwha Life Esports stomped Fnatic on the opening day of the 2021 LoL World Championship, but as noted above, Fnatic had to play with a huge handicap, so I wouldn't overreact to that win. PSG Talon, meanwhile, lost their opening match of the tournament agianst Group C favourites, Royal Never Give Up.
It's tough to take a lot from those games. PSG Talon looked terrible on Monday, but it's hard to look good when you're facing one of the top teams at the tournament - the opposite holds true for Hanwha Life Esports.
Still, PickleBet has Hanwha Life priced as favourites, at 1.60, which seems to be based on the perception that the LCK is stronger than PCS. That is true for the most part, but this match is between LCK's fourth seed and PCS' champions.
I don't believe Hanwha Life Esports' win against Fnatic means much, and I can't say I was overly impressed with their performance. The only exception was Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoonm, who has had a great game.
We're still very early into the tournament, making it hard to draw any solid conclusions. I wouldn't be surprised if Hanwha Life Esports wake up and look better against PSG Talon, but I don't expect a one-sided match.
MIBR vs Complexity
BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021
PickleBet has MIBR priced as 6.90 underdogs against Complexity at 1.07, suggesting that we are in for a quick and one-sided match on Tuesday. Some may argue that the odds fairly reflect what should happen, but I am not very excited about Complexity and their chances to stomp the Brazilian squad.
Even though Complexity are one of the top European teams, they haven't done much in recent months. In fact, Complexity haven't won a single tournament since Spring Sweet Spring #3 in June, and even that was a second-tier tournament.
Since the Complexity managed a 13th-16th place finish at Intel Extreme Masters XVI – Cologne, ninth-12th at ESL Pro League Season 14, seventh-ninth at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2021. Earlier this month, Complexity ended their run through the Intel Extreme Masters XVI - Fall: Europe with four losses and only one win.
If we look at Complexity's record across their last 10 fixtures, they're 2-8, with wins against FaZe Clan and Endpoint. Obviously, Complexity had to play against much stronger opponents than MIBR, but losing so much can't help their morale.
MIBR are a weaker team and will still likely lose this match, but the 5.5 round handicap line seems a bit high. On the other hand, Complexity aren't in great form, and their morale must have taken a hit following weeks of abysmal performances, so you have to feel confident in MIBR's chances to win at least 11 rounds.
