DWG KIA vs. T1: 2021 LCK Summer betting analysis

The LCK is back and will have one of its most anticipated matchups during the first week as DWG KIA squares off with T1. 

It’s been a while since fans have gotten to see T1 in action, while DWG KIA had plenty of game time at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. With DWG KIA coming back to South Korea recently, this match will be a battle between a well-rested T1 squad and a DWG KIA team that might be a bit burnt out after a long tournament in Iceland. 

Last split, there was no doubt who the better team of the two was as DWG KIA defeated T1 twice. This time around, T1 will look to bounce back after having more time to figure out how to utilize the 10-man roster. All players in the LCK will also be back in LoL Park to play offline, which could help the T1 players improve at a more rapid pace. 

While it’s still unknown what the exact lineup T1 will field, there’s no doubt who will be on Summoner’s Rift for DWG KIA. The strong core of the world champion is hard to deal with but was still proven to be vulnerable at the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational. Not only did Royal Never Give Up beat DWG KIA in the final, Cloud9 and MAD Lions were also able to take games off of the Korean kings. This should give some hope to T1, who have been able to study DWG KIA throughout MSI while preparing its own strategies in secret. 

To take down DWG KIA, T1 will have to be sharp in the mid and jungle positions. With Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in the mid lane, there will always be a win condition even though Heo “ShowMaker” Su is a scary beast to face. With the right assistance from the jungle, Faker might be able to pull off a classic carry performance. 

If DWG KIA shows up to the level expected, it will still be hard for T1. While T1 has a lot of promising talent on its team, it’s hard to argue against DWG KIA being better from an individual standpoint. DWG KIA also has a lot of experience together, which makes the core very hard to break.

With that said, it’s likely that DWG KIA is feeling a bit tired out after a long and ultimately disappointing MSI event. The team has had minimal time to prepare for the summer split and that might be something T1 can take advantage of. Ever since the world championship, DWG KIA has played a lot of games and will likely need to slow down at some point to recharge its batteries. 

This match will also be the chance for T1 to pick some new champions that have been prepared during the break. As DWG KIA has been practicing on other patches at MSI, it’s likely that T1 could surprise with champions like Viego or Gwen. 

DWG KIA vs. T1 rosters

DWG KIA roster: 

• Top – Kim “Khan” Dong-ha
• Jungle – Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu
• Mid – Heo “ShowMaker” Su
• Bot – Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun
• Support – Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee

T1 roster: 

• Top – Kim “Canna” Chang-don / Choi “Zeus” Woo-je
• Jungle – Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan / Choi “Ellim” El-lim
• Mid – Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok / Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon
• Bot – Park “Teddy” Jin-seong / Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong
• Support – Ryu “Keria” Min-seok

T1 might be able to upset DWG KIA

Because of recent results, DWG KIA will obviously enter this match as favorites. DWG KIA is still one of the best teams in the world while T1 is going through some continued growing pains. With that said, this could be the perfect time for T1 to create an upset against DWG KIA. The world champions are likely tired after a lot of games recently, giving T1 an advantage in preparation. For gamblers, there’s definitely some value in going with T1 for this match. 

A win for DWG KIA in this best-of-three only gives an odds of 1.31, while a win for T1 gives an odds of 3.15. Since it’s the first game of the split, there might be some value in going with the underdog T1.  

The clash of titans between DWG KIA and T1 kicks off on Friday, June 11.