LCK Betting – KING-ZONE DragonX Dominating

Kirill | 2018-01-30 |

The League of Legends 2018 season started in many countries around the world last week. However, the South Korean season had already started a week earlier, on January 16. In the process of renewal, SK Telecom T1 ended up winning in the debut against ROX Tigers by 2-1. However, a week later, the team eventually acquired streak of three straight defeats. They were defeated by Jin Air GreenWings, kt Rolster, and this Friday, they lost to KING-ZONE DragonX in a confrontation that marked the reunion of Han “Peanut” Wang-ho with his former team.

On the leaderboard, SKT appears in the penultimate place (9th) with a record of 1-3. Momentarily, they are occupying the relegation zone, ahead of Team MVP only (10th, 0-3). In the lead appears KSV eSports, the only team unbeaten in the LCK 2018 so far (3-0).

Let’s take a look at some of the upcoming matches.

Afreeca Freecs vs bbq OLIVERS (2018 League Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split, JAN 31, 2018, 12:00 PM CET)

Afreeca Freecs

It’s the surprise of summer 2017. Afreeca had fought to the end for a place among the greats of the Korean competitive scene. Merit and the top laner Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan will be absent from their roster this year. The arrival of Kim “Kiin” Gi-in certainly does not give the same guarantees his predecessor. However, he represents a breath of freshness and consciousness that could be useful to his team. They need the qualities of a young talent who will be accompanied by the solidity of veterans Lee “Kuro” Seo-haeng, Lee “Spirit” Da-yoon, and Park “TusiN” Jong-ik.

The second signing is coach Lim “comet” Hye-sung, the former Jin Air jungler. He has shown that he can be a true game-changer to win crucial matches for his side.

Their place will probably be the middle ranking, more upwards (4th-5th place) than downwards.

Afreeca Freecs are tied at 6th place with ROX Tigers and Kondoo Monster. Like the latter, they have also won 2 and lost 2 matches thus far. They lost to last season’s champions, KING-ZONE DragonX, and to the current leaders, KSV eSports, while they won against KT Rolster and ROX Tigers.

bbq OLIVERS

The team was not up to the highest Korean scene in the last season. However, they have also managed to secure their place at the LCK. The desire to reverse the trend for 2018 is evident and is represented by the choices made in the market. Convincing two Koreans to come back from Europe is always difficult, unless it’s for a great team or they have an important project in mind. Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun and Kim “Trick” Gang-yun have abandoned Misfits and G2 Esports respectively.

The rest of the team does not seem to be of the same level with Kim “Crazy” Jae-hee. He seems to set the pace for the team in the top lane. While Kang “Tempt” Myung-gu and Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun, in mid and bot, still have a long way to go to reach the top level in the championship.

The 2018 team is certainly not an instant transformation. However, it is very difficult to believe that they will be immediately protagonists: it is an investment for the long term.

Bbq Olivers sit at 8th position, 1 spot above SK Telecom. They have won 1 series against Kongdoo Monster while losing to KT Rolster and ROX Tigers.

Our Betting Prediction

Afreeca Freecs 2 – 0 bbq Olivers

Odds at Bet365

Afreeca Freecs 1.44 – 2.62 bbq Olivers

KING-ZONE DragonX vs ROX Tigers (2018 League Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split, JAN 31, 2018, 9:00 AM CET)

ROX Tigers

Another “European” is back: Kim “Mightybear” Min-su, the ex-Vitality mid-laner, has been called home to bring up the name of the ROX Tigers. They were finalists at Worlds three years ago, semi-finalists in 2016, but from that moment on they were in a free fall. Lee “Kuzan” Seong-hyeok, in mid lane, was not enough to bring home results in 2017. The beautiful music of the past seems to have flown away. Looking at them this year might not be so different from last season.

Their fight is in the middle of the standings and they may or may not qualify for the playoffs.

ROX Tigers currently sit at 7th place, just above the relegation zone. They have a 50% winning percentage with wins against bbq Olivers and Kondoo Monster, while losing to SK Telecom 1 and Afreeca Freecs.

KING-ZONE DragonX

For those who did not follow last season, KING-ZONE is Longzhu Gaming, champions in charge of the LCK 2017. The name change occurred following the request of Riot itself. Suning Gaming, the same entrepreneur who bought Inter, also owns a team in the Chinese League of Legends. Moreover, by regulation, it is not possible to have two teams. The team remained almost the same with a single, fundamental change in the jungle. Peanut arrived after a season of not living up to expectations of SKT. Despite the world finals qualification, it has never been a consistent achievement for the team. However, they always had to fight for the final spot. Their desire for revenge, together with the solid duo Kim “PraY” Jong-in and Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon, will be the constant fight of the season. Don’t forget Kim “Khan” Dong-ha and Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong: for them, it will be their second high-level competitive season.

Dominating SK Telecom T1

In the second match against SK Telecom T1, KING-ZONE dominated with Khan. He managed to remain untouched in the match and was a key player for the team’s 2-0 series win. It is also worth mentioning that SKT was ruthlessly demolished in the match. They only claimed three kills with no tower, baron, or dragon, and without offering any type of threat.

From the holders of the title, they enter rightfully among the candidates in the first positions. It will be a close fight with KSV and SKT at the end of the season.

KING-ZONE DragonX has currently won 2 and lost 1 and are placed at 3rd place. They lost to the 1st place KSV eSports but won against Afreeca Freecs and SK Telecom T1.