LCK 2021 Spring Playoffs Odds, Picks, and Preview
- The LCK Spring Playoffs get underway on March 31st, starting with the quarterfinals
- DWG KIA are heavy favorites to win with -150 odds
- The winner of the Spring Playoffs qualifies for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational in May
With a spot at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational at stake, six teams compete in the LCK Spring Playoffs beginning on March 31st. DWG KIA and Gen.G earned first-round byes and will skip straight to the semifinals on April 3rd and April 4th. Two teams will then qualify for the Grand Final on April 10th.
LCK Spring Playoff Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| DWG KIA | -150 |
| Gen.G | +300 |
| T1 | +350 |
| Hanwha Life Esports | +1400 |
| DRX | +5000 |
| Nongshim Red Force | +6600 |
Odds as of Mar. 30 at bet365
World Champs
Some teams experience a sort of hangover effect after winning a championship. DWG KIA is not one of those teams. After being named the 2020 LoL World Champions, DWG KIA went right back to the LCK and continued to dominate. In fact, looking forward to the 2021 LoL World Championship, they’re still the favorites at +250.
DWG KIA cruised through the regular season, finishing with a 16-2 series record and a 33-10 game score. It’s even more impressive when you realize that DWG KIA had a change in the top lane. Even though they had to replace Nuguri with Khan, this team continues to improve and looks to be the best squad in Korea.
DWG KIA gets to skip straight to the semifinals, and they should have an easy path to the Grand Final since they get to pick which quarterfinal winner they will face. They have the easiest road to win playoffs, and they were only two best-of-threes away from a perfect regular season. They deserve to be the heavy favorites, but is there enough value there at -150?
Gen.G or T1?
Outside of DWG KIA, there are only two other teams that you should consider betting to win LCK Playoffs. That’s Gen.G and T1. Starting with Gen.G, they’re only one of two teams to defeat DWG KIA during the regular season. The upset came just a couple of weeks ago as Gen.G utilized a Jinx-Thresh bottom lane to hand DWG KIA just their second series loss of the regular season.
The last place team in the LCK, Bredit Frion, was the only other team to beat DWG KIA. Gen.G secured second place and will have a bye directly to the semifinals. However, they won’t get to choose their opponent, and will likely face T1 in the semis.
T1 has had a rocky regular season, but down the stretch, they finally pieced things together. ‘Keria’ is the only player to play in every single regular season game for T1. Otherwise, T1 has been shuffling players in and out of the roster to find the best possible combination. Since week 8, T1 seems to have settled on a starting five that includes the legendary ‘Faker’, alongside ‘Canna’, ‘Cuzz’, ‘Teddy’, and ‘Keria’. With this veteran line-up, T1 won their final six series of the regular season, including a 2-0 victory over Gen.G in Week 8.
Although they’ve been one of, if not the most impressive team over the final few weeks, we’ve yet to see this iteration of T1 go up against DWG KIA. Entering the LCK Playoffs on a convincing winning streak, I feel pretty comfortable picking T1 over Gen.G. Even though DWG KIA are heavy favorites, they do have cracks in their armor. Plus, at -150 I’d rather side with a streaking T1 that might have figured things out at the perfect time.
Pick: T1 (+350)
Growing up, Matthew was in love with sports. So, following his undergrad, it only made sense to dive head-first into the world of sports media. Rather than sticking to traditional sports, Matt found his way to eSports and gaming. He also produces, edits and serves as an analyst for SQUAD.
