The LCK Summer Split returned on June 15. The Korean region looks to throw open a few more teams into the ever-competitive LoL world, trying to surpass the might of the European outfits. As such, three consecutive second-place finishes at international tournaments are enough signs of potential domination.
With a few more months left until the world championships, Korea can realistically expect to send three or perhaps even four teams to North America later in the year.
Last month, the all-dominating T1, who ended the Spring Split with an all-win record, was just one win away from clinching MSI 2022. Despite not winning that event, they’re as formidable as they come. T1 has bossed its way through the Korean League in the first half but is looking to return to the Summer Split with different plans and a clean slate. Essentially, they don’t want the euphoria of the spring season to get in the way of their aspirations in the summer. What has happened has happened. This is a fresh start.
Before we look at the Summer Split, make sure to familiarize yourself with all things League of Legends betting, and let’s get started.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| T1 | -154 |
| Gen.G | +195 |
| DWG Kia | +225 |
| Nongshim RedForce | +900 |
Odds as of June 15 at Sportsbook.
Favorites
T1 (-154)
As many expected, T1 hasn’t made any roster changes, even though they’ve repeatedly stressed moving on from their spring success. All said, we’ve seen T1 is beatable, and teams found that out at MSI 2022, where they lost the final. Despite that, their proficiency makes them a sure-shot contender to be in the top three.
Expecting another perfect split may be putting a bit too much pressure on them, but they have it in them to sustain their domination and boss their way to Worlds. Much of their success in the spring was down to Faker recapturing the form that made him one of the most feared mid laners.
His performances helped T1 equal its previous record for the longest win streak in LCK history. Since their 3-2 loss in Iceland at the world championship, T1 has been undefeated. When they surged to a 14-0 record, they equaled the LCK’s longest winning streak, matching their previous best from 2015.
Faker is synonymous with T1. No one has shown more loyalty to a team; he has had the longest career with a single team in LCK history. He’ll be playing for them until at least 2023, marking 10 years with the team. This loyalty could have a boomerang effect on the rest of his teammates.
That said, it’s upon teams to plan for Faker and the rest of the pack. T1’s flaws have been masked because of their collective qualities. Their bot lane duo is nearly unmatched across leagues, and Zeus has been performing admirably too as a jungler. Expect them to soar higher and make another push for the title.
Gen.G (+195)
Like T1, Gen.G has also kept together the same team from the spring split. After all, they were one of the few teams that gave T1 a run for their money. Whether the meta helps them this time around will make for compelling viewing.
Chovy’s contract extension comes as a massive boost for the team. Though he’s been with them for just half a year, the impact he has had is unparalleled. In the LCK 2022 spring playoffs, Gen.G finished second thanks to Chovy. He has now extended his contract until the end of 2023.
Gen.G is primed to dominate. They aspire to go on a run like T1 did; even if they don’t, take nothing away from them. Expect another top-three finish, but they want to really gun for glory and finish first. They’ve developed a bit of a reputation as being “chokers,” by ending up second so many times that it’s muscle memory now. A domestic and international title in the same season will lift them superbly going forward.
The Team that Could Surprise
Kwangdong Freecs (+3000)
The veteran duo of FATE and Teddy are in charge of the mid lane and bot lane respectively. This gives Kwangdong Freecs more heft for the upcoming split. In the LCK 2022 spring playoffs, they fought superbly to beat DRX 3-2 in the quarterfinals, but ultimately lost steam, like every other team did, against the all-dominating T1 side.
Kwangdong Freecs have made some roster changes by signing young players ahead of the Summer Split. Support player Moham comes in from the academy League of Legends squad KDF Challengers. They appear better balanced and have a mix of young and old.
They could be in a position to make an impact this summer if they can avoid the repeat of a disastrous start to the 2022 split, when they lost six of their first seven matches and then went on an inspired run to win seven in the back half. The Freecs of the second half need to turn up more often.
