Royal Never Give Up are out to prove that their dominance over the last two months has not been a fluke. RNG have been the best team in the world since April. They started their run by upsetting Invictus Gaming and Edward Gaming in the playoffs to win the LPL Spring Split. RNG followed that up by knocking off the team that was supposed to be the best in the world, Kingzone DragonX, in order to win the Mid-Season Invitational. Then, two weeks ago, they added another trophy to their mantle by winning the Demacia Cup without superstar Uzi.
Despite all this success, RNG are not the favorites to win the LPL Summer Split. Invictus Gaming are looking to make amends after coming up short to the eventual champions in the playoffs. Invictus went 18-1 in the regular season, but their playoff defeat has haunted them throughout the break. The oddsmakers believe that this will drive them to win the Summer Split and usurp Royal Never Give Up.
2018 LPL Summer Split Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Invictus Gaming +175
Royal Never Give Up +275
Edward Gaming +700
Rogue Warriors +1100
Team World Elite +1400
Bilibili Gaming +1400
Snake +1600
FunPlus Phoenix +1800
SN Gaming +2000
JD Gaming +2500
OMG +2500
Topsports Gaming +5000
LGD Gaming +6000
Vici Gaming +8000
Apologists for Invictus will tell you that the result would have been different in the spring if TheShy was in the line-up. Invictus’ top laner suffered a hand injury that sidelined him for the playoffs, but substitute Duke performed well in his absence.
Not having TheShy wasn’t the reason that Invictus came up short. Instead, it was the subpar performance from JackeyLove. JackeyLove is young, and he will bounce back. However, in a meta where a lot of emphasis is placed on the AD Carry, it’s hard to put a lot of faith in him. RNG was able to defeat Invictus when he was caught out of position a few times, leading to RNG coming from behind to win two games. Whether or not he carries that during the Summer Split is something to watch.
Meanwhile, RNG should be even better. Nerves had been a big problem for their superstar Uzi in the past, but he has moved on after finally winning an LPL title. If the playoffs are played on a patch that leads to a meta with hypercarries, RNG know they have the best in the world.
Karsa should take a step forward too in the summer. He needed some time to build chemistry with RNG after coming over from Flash Wolves, but he looked great in the MSI Finals and at the Demacia Cup. Karsa is a jungler that excels in team fights. With early game jungle aggression de-emphasized, he should be even better this split. He is one of the main reasons that I am betting on RNG to win the LPL Summer Split at +275.
If you’re looking for two longshots to back, there is value in Edward Gaming and Team World Elite. EDG does not play in the same division as either RNG or Invictus, so they will be favored to get a direct bye into the semifinals. Getting Clearlove back for the entire split will make this team stronger too.
As for World Elite, this is a real dark horse. They did not have star jungler Condi for most of spring and made wholesale changes over the break. This was the best team in China for long stretches in 2017, and getting them at 14-1 is good value.
