DAMWON Gaming vs DragonX LCK summer playoffs betting analysis

William Davis Published 04/09/2020

The time has finally come for the 2020 LCK Summer Split final, as DAMWON Gaming and DRX will meet in what should be an intense best-of-five series.

Both teams went through the regular split with very few losses, but DAMWON was superior in the end. DRX had the best start to the split, but DAMWON slowly caught up to them and secured the first-place seed in the final week of play.

The two teams are tied in the head-to-head matchup, with DRX winning the first match in week 4 followed up by DAMWON winning in week 7. That head-to-head might be tied on paper, but DAMWON was clearly the best team in the two series combined.

DRX went undefeated in the first three weeks of the summer split and looked to be the best team in Korea. Afterward, DRX started to lose games that they shouldn’t have, but still managed to win most series even though as many of them were played out over the full three games. After finishing second in the regular split, DRX was sent directly to the semifinals where they took down Gen.G in a tight five-game series.

DAMWON went into the summer split after a mediocre spring where they finished in fourth place after being knocked out by DRX. This split, they have been performing much better and now have the chance to get revenge.

DAMWON has had some clear strengths and weaknesses since last year, but this split they have managed to get rid of most of those weaknesses. They have been dominating almost every opponent in the early game, granting them 34 game wins throughout the split. DAMWON has only lost five games during 18 best-of-three series, something that has never been done before.

The matchup will be very interesting on paper. Both teams like to play through the mid lane, so this will be a key matchup for both parties. Heo “ShowMaker” Su was recently announced as the LCK’s spring split MVP, but Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon has been breathing down his neck all split. The two young mid laners are currently fighting to become the best mid laner in Korea, so this match might settle that discussion.

In the bottom lane, DRX should have the advantage. Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu is an experienced bot laner who always shows up when it matters the most. The DAMWON bot lane is also solid and has improved immensely since the last split, but they still have some weaknesses against the best bot lane duo in the league.

DAMWON will have the biggest edge through its top lane and jungle. Top laner Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon is probably the best laner in Korea and can carry games by himself. He is usually assisted by Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu in the jungle, who has been getting leads everywhere on the map.

DAMWON Gaming is favored against DRX in the LCK final

It’s no surprise that DAMWON is a heavy favorite to win the LCK trophy. A DAMWON win currently gives odds 1.24 on Winners.bet, while DRX gives 3.65. Anything can happen in a best-of-five series, but DRX will have to prove that they can withstand the pressure from DAMWON in the early game.

For an LCK final, the odds don’t get much higher on an underdog. This could mean that DRX is a bit underestimated here.

The 2020 LCK Summer Split final will kick off on Saturday, September 5.

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