LPL Summer 2021
Lower Bracket. Round 4
On Thursday, August 26, the first round of the LPL Summer 2021 lower bracket playoffs will take place. LNG Esports and EDward Gaming are going to determine who will leave the tournament.
LPL Summer 2021 is China’s professional League of Legends league. Held for the ninth time in history, the summer part of the tournament includes competitions between 17 top Chinese teams to compete against each other in the group stage. The top 10 teams will advance to the playoffs, where the prize money ($656,383) and the right to represent the region at the 2021 World Championship will be up for grabs.
LNG Esports: the team has come so far
The LNG Esports team is the main surprise of the Chinese LoL Summer Championship. In the spring, these guys were the last to break into the playoffs, failing to get ahead. However, they have improved their record this summer. Of course, there was the quarter-final of the summer split in 2019, but back then the playoffs weren't as long as they are now, and the Blue Dragons needed to win three straight rounds against equally strong opponents to reach the lower bracket.
The Blue Dragons got off to a great start to this summer season with 6 games and 6 wins. Victories over Bilibili Gaming (2-1), Victory Five (2-0), JD Gaming (2-1), FunPlus Phoenix (2-1), Royal Never Give Up (2-0) and TT (2-1) put the team in the temporary leaders. Not so many people expected to see this team in the playoffs of the spring season, but they did great in the first 5 game weeks, getting the necessary wins, and history seems to repeat itself in the summer.
The Dragons finished the group stage of the summer split with a 10-6 record, much worse than their current opponents. However, they made up for it in the playoffs, defeating Suning (3-2), Top Esports (3-1) and even the Chinese Spring Playoffs & MSI defending champion Royal Never Give Up (3-1), which was a great shocker of the LPL summer playoffs. In the upper bracket, LNG Esports unsurprisingly lost to FunPlus Phoenix (0-3), showing their limit. What will happen after a one-week break?
EDward Gaming: no room for error
The EDward Gaming team has a serious claim for the title of the champion this summer. They have been in the lead for almost the whole group stage, ending up in the 2nd place with a record of 12-4.
The team started the playoffs with the upper bracket, avoiding qualifying rounds with no room for error, only to be defeated by Team WE (2-3) in round 1 of the second stage. Falling to the lower bracket was a big surprise - no one expected the team to turn out there so quickly. That’s why the championship favorite has to collect all their strength for the upcoming match.
This team has won the LPL Summer Split once, in 2017. They also won the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, and took part in the World Championship many times, but did not achieve a lot. Recent years could have been better for the team in terms of results, but the start in 2021 gives hope for the comeback of the legendary EDward Gaming.
Previous encounters
The last time LNG Esports beat EDward Gaming was in January 2019. After that the Edwards have had no trouble in matches against the Blue Dragons four splits in a row.
Expert Betting Tips
LNG failed to show anything against the leader of the group stage, same story with EDward Gaming, so Team 2 Total Maps Handicap -1.5 for 2.205 is a great choice.
For those who love taking risks, there’s Total Maps Under 3.5 for 3.15. So much faith in the favorite.
There’s one more option to bet on: EDward Gaming FB for 1.81.
Other predictions
