The final week of the LEC & LCS season is now upon us. With Semi-Finals taking place this Saturday, followed by the Grand Finals on Sunday.
Each region will decide who is crown Summer Split winners, our preview focuses on the Semi-Final matches from the LEC & LCS. On the LEC side, we have Rogue v G2 Esports, with the winner going on to face Fnatic the following day in the Grand Final. As for the LCS, that will see Team SoloMid v Team Liquid, one of the best rivalries in the league, as they battle it out for a shot against Fly Quest.
Rogue v G2 Esports
First place takes on second place in the LEC Semi-Final. With mid lane clearly showing during playoffs that it will be the deciding role, fans will be salivating at the prospect of a Bo5 of Caps v Larssen. With the latter being the All-Pro mid laner, he had a lot to prove in the series against MAD Lions, after his side was 0-3 against Fnatic. Larssen was one of the main carry conditions for Rogue, so he’ll be hoping to do the same again against G2.
His opposite number is none other than Caps. While his G2 side struggled in the early stages of Summer Split, Caps was always the player that continued to show up. During playoffs, however, Caps leveled up and showed just why he’s one of Europe’s best. He was one of the bright sparks in the series against Fnatic and he’ll be looking to continue that form against Rogue.
As for the odds, we think G2 Esports is the comfortable favourites at 1/ 4. Rogue is good value at odds of 27/10, with the series against MAD showing that the side has some fight in them. G2 will be looking for another LEC title to add to their collection, so a Rogue victory would set up either a first-time winner or the old guard, Fnatic, reclaiming their throne.
Team SolodMid v Team Liquid
Over in the LCS, we find an unlikely Semi-Final taking place. Most people had predicted that Cloud9 would beat Team SoloMid, whilst Team Liquid looks certain to beat Fly Quest. Yet here we are, with one of the LCS’s oldest rivalries locking horns yet again. With a place in the Sunday Grand Final on the line, and a place directly in the main Worlds Group Stage, this is an important game for both sides.
Team Liquid comes out as favourites at 4/9, whilst they did lose to FlyQuest they had moments when it could have gone either way. The series also has some added beef, with former Team Liquid ADC Doublelift now playing for Team SoloMid, having previously left Team SoloMid for Team Liquid. The sides new ADC, Tactical, has become a cornerstone of the Team Liquid roster, and if anything, is proving to be even better than his former ADC star.
As for Team SoloMid, we have them at 17/10*. Whilst outsiders in the series, Team SoloMid could pull it out the bag. However, with a place at Worlds locked in, the possibility of one of the sides dropping down a level is always possible, though Team SoloMid might have more to prove.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
(Main image credit: flickr – LoL Esports)