Invictus Gaming Sees Odds Shorten from +1000 to +275 Ahead of LoL World Championship Semifinals
- The League of Legends World Championship Semifinals are set to begin November 2
- Are Invictus Gaming worth a look to win out in Europe?
- Are the Koreans still the best bet to take home the Summoners Cup?
The quarterfinal stage of the League of Legends World Championship wrapped up on Sunday, and the final four teams have been decided. The LPL number one and number two seeds will duke it out in the first semifinal with FunPlus Phoenix matching up against Invictus Gaming, and the second will see the final everyone hoped for, a rematch of the MSI semifinal, SK Telecom T1 versus G2.
There have been some major moves in the LoL World Championship odds table following the confirmation of the semifinal matchups, with IG taking to biggest jump from +1000 all the way to +275. Are the reigning world champs worth taking a more serious look at? Or is there a better bet to hoist the Summoners Cup in Paris?
League of Legends World Championship
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| SK Telecom T1 | +135 |
| Invictus Gaming | +275 |
| G2 | +300 |
| FunPlus Phoenix | +500 |
*Odds taken on October 28, 2019
A Real Threat to Go Back-to-Back?
Last year’s World Champions, Invictus Gaming, look like they are hitting their stride at the right time after they beat down Korea’s number two seed, Griffin, in the quarterfinals 3-1. They completely outclassed the Korean side throughout the series, with some monstrous performances coming out of their carries, TheShy, Rookie, and JackeyLove.
Though they did end up dropping one game to Griffin, you could definitely see how strong IG are looking right now and that they for sure are a threat to win once again at the World Championship. I think they will run through FPX in the first semifinal en route to another finals appearance. The real question is whether they are able to beat whoever comes out on the other side of the bracket.
The Unofficial Final
The final that every League of Legends fan hoped for, a rematch from MSI that was debatably the best series of the entire year, SKT vs G2. I said it before in previous articles, the final of the League of Legends World Championship should end up being these two titans should they be drawn on opposite sides of the bracket, and sadly they were not for the second time this year.
It’s a matchup that has League fans from around the world hyped like no other. SKT, the most legendary team of all-time lead by an almost mythical being in Faker, matching up against Europe’s superteam, the meme team with just as much skill trolling teams as they do in winning games, G2.
They matched up once before at MSI in what would end up being the best series of the year thus far, and I expect another very close series this time around. Though I would say this time around, I expect a different result than the first time these two went head-to-head.
Despite dropping a game to the third EU seed, Splyce, in their quarterfinal matchup, I would give the edge here to SKT. They are almost looking similar to the Terminator at Worlds, with their only mission to take home a fourth World Championship and currently G2 are standing directly in their way.
I expect this will end up being the series of the tournament, and that whoever ends up advancing through the second semifinal will take the World Championship. It’s really a coinflip to say who will end up winning this series, as SKT has only lost one best-of-five series all year, which was against G2. On the flipside of things, G2 has looked mortal again, as they struggled in groups against Griffin losing back-to-back games against the Korean number two seed.
I think the biggest x-factor in this matchup has to be in the Jungle. If Clid, is able to smother Jankos, like how Tarzan did in the Group Stage portion of the tournament, then I think it’s possible that SKT can win 3-0. Realistically though I don’t think it will be that one-sided, I expect at least a 3-1 either way that could certainly end up being a five-game banger of a series. Whoever does end up coming out of this semifinal though is for sure the team you want to be looking at to take it all in Paris.
Pick: SK Telecom T1 (+135)
Zack is a lifelong video game enthusiast that has been in the competitive scene for over 11 years. He currently works at TSN and has an in-depth understanding across multiple esports titles. From PC to console games, first person shooters to MOBA's, one-taps to five-man ult's, he knows it all.
