DAMWON vs. NS RedForce: KeSPA Cup 2020 betting analysis

The grand final in the KeSPA Cup 2020 is right around the corner, where the world champions from DAMWON will clash with the new kids on the block from NS RedForce. 

After a great tournament from both finalists, it’s time to find out who will run with the KeSPA Cup 2020 trophy. The two opponents are very different from each other as DAMWON recently won the biggest LoL event of the year, while NS RedForce is entering with a newly updated squad after renaming from Team Dynamics. 

So far, DAMWON has cruised its way through the tournament with only a single map lost. DAMWON went 4-0 in the group stage, followed up by a 3-1 win in the semifinals against Hanwha Life Esports. Even though Hanwha took a game from the world champions, there was never any doubt that DAMWON was the stronger of the two. 

DAMWON has played the tournament with its new top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, and so far, it has been a great success. It’s still not expected that Khan will perform at a level like the previous DAMWON top laner Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon, but the 25-year-old star has already shown promising games with carry performances.

Challenging the world champion is NS RedForce, a team that has surprised fans and experts with its run in the tournament. NS RedForce entered the tournament as a question mark but has since then proved to be a potential dark horse for the 2021 LCK season. 

Led by former T1 and LGD Gaming jungler Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, NS RedForce placed second in group A right behind DAMWON. The single loss that NS RedForce took in the group stage was to DAMWON, so there will be plenty of room for revenge in the final. 

It looks like a very hard task for Peanut and his young teammates to take down DAMWON in a best-of-five, so the team should probably look at the match as a great learning opportunity as well. If NS RedForce manages to win, it will definitely go down as a big upset and put the squad in a great position ahead of the upcoming season. 

Even taking a game or two from DAMWON should be considered a success for NS RedForce, and they will likely enter Summoner’s Rift with a lot of aggression and a nothing-to-lose mentality. 

KeSPA Cup 2020 final lineups

DAMWON lineup:

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

NS RedForce lineup:

• Top – Lee “Rich” Jae-won
• Jungle – Han “Peanut” Wang-ho / Lee “Juhan” Ju-han
• Mid – Park “Bay” Jun-byeong
• Bot – Seo “deokdam” Dae-gil / Hwang “Wayne” Seo-hyeon
• Support – Kim “Kellin” Hyeong-gyu

DAMWON expected to stroll through KeSPA Cup 2020 final

Despite this being a final, the odds are almost as one-sided as it gets towards the world champions from DAMWON. While NS RedForce has impressed during the tournament, beating DAMWON in a best-of-five looks near to impossible. DAMWON has the edge in pretty much every aspect and will have better synergy and individual skill on all positions across the map. 

The big skill difference reflects in the odds, as a win for DAMWON only gives odds of 1.04. A win for NS RedForce gives whopping odds 8.20, but a big upset would have to unfold for that to happen. 

The KeSPA Cup 2020 final between DAMWON and NS RedForce kicks off on January 2.