T1 vs. DRX: 2021 LCK Spring playoffs betting analysis

William Davis Published 29/03/2021

The second quarterfinal of the 2021 LCK Spring Split playoffs will be a banger between T1 and DRX.

Two teams in much different form will clash in the second quarterfinal of the 2021 LCK Spring playoffs. Both teams have been inconsistent throughout the season, but T1 enters the playoffs in great shape while DRX is finding themselves in a big slump. Even though T1 has struggled to find the right starting lineup over the split, it finally seems that the coaching staff behind the team has found a combination that can take T1 all the way to compete for another trophy.

T1 started out the split horrifically with four losses during the first three weeks. The main reason was due to the new T1 10-man roster, where new starting lineups were implemented from game to game. This clearly affected T1’s teamwork as they weren’t able to keep up with teams that T1 should usually beat.

For the last weeks of the regular split, T1 started turning things around after Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was put back in the mid lane together with Park “Teddy” Jin-seong in the bot lane. The two veterans quickly started to turn things around on Summoner’s Rift, resulting in a five-game winning streak by the end of week 10. The big winning streak makes T1 enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, which will likely show against DRX.

On the other side is DRX, who had the complete opposite journey through the regular split. The young DRX teams managed to surprise everyone in the first weeks of the split, with proactive and aggressive play. DRX managed to match up with some of the best teams in the league, but the momentum didn’t last until the playoffs.

After DRX secured a spot in the playoffs fairly early on, the form started to drop drastically. This resulted in losing the last five games of the regular split, the last one being to Liiv SANDBOX after a huge throw in game three. The unfortunate end to the regular split could potentially make it hard for DRX in the playoffs, as the team morale seems to be at rock bottom.

Kingen

T1 vs. DRX rosters

T1 roster:

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

DRX roster:

Top – Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon / Yoon “Destroy” Jeong-min
Jungle – Hong “Pyosik” Chang-hyeon
Mid – Song “SOLKA” Su-hyeong
Bot – Jeong “BAO” Hyeon-woo
Support – Son “Becca” Min-woo

T1 big favorites to beat DRX in 2021 LCK Spring quarterfinal

Based on recent performance and the overall experience on both teams, it’s clear that T1 will enter this match with a big edge. While T1 has been shaky throughout the split, it seems that the equation is starting to add up and that the team has found the right starting lineup.

With experienced players in almost every position, it’s expected that T1 will do well against the very young DRX roster. Since it’s a best-of-five, DRX will have to take three games off T1 and that doesn’t seem likely after its recent losing streak.

A win for T1 won’t give more than odds 1.16 in this case while a win for DRX will give an odds of 4.57.