While most of the buzz in the LPL this weekend is about the semifinal between Invictus Gaming and Royal Never Give Up, there is another spot in the finals on the line. Edward Gaming is the favorite to grab the other spot in the final. They are the most storied team in the history of the LPL. EDG has won five of the ten LPL titles that have been contested since 2013, and this will be their ninth straight trip to the semifinals.
Their opponents are looking to create their own legacy. Rogue Warriors were founded in December of last year and the team immediately set out to make itself a contender. They signed some of the top players in China and were heralded as the Chinese superteam to keep an eye on. Knocking off Edward Gaming and reaching the finals would make it a successful first split.
LPL China 2018 Spring Split Semifinals Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Edward Gaming -275
Rogue Warriors +210
Coming into the season, Edward Gaming were considered one of the favorites. EDG was able to live up to the billing, finishing atop the West Region with a 14-5 record. Yet this team was somewhat fortunate to win the West. EDG dropped 18 of their 48 games in the regular season and had to come up clutch in a lot of Game 3’s.
Even more worrisome was EDG’s inability to beat the top teams in China. They lost to each of the top three teams in the East, including Rogue Warriors, and lost both matches against Snake Esports. EDG’s best win all season came against 11-8 Bilibili Gaming, which isn’t saying much.
EDG does have two amazing talents in mid laner Scout and support Meiko. Scout and Meiko have come up huge for the team time and time again this split. However, the play in the top lane and the jungle hasn’t been great, leading to some issues. The big story coming into this series for EDG is who the starting jungler will be.
Clearlove has been considered one of the best junglers in the world for some time. He is synonymous with Edward Gaming, yet he sat out for almost the entire split. He returned for the team’s final regular season match against BLG and didn’t seem to miss a beat, racking up an impressive 16.5 KDA in EDG’s win. Yet his status for this series is shrouded in mystery. Neither the team or player has publicly commented, leaving us to speculate on his status.
It isn't confirmed that he will play, our broadcast opinion is split. Good chance that his appearance in the last game was to test him before an early MSI roster lock.
— Clement Chu (@ClementKChu) April 21, 2018
Rogue Warriors brought in some of the best talent from other LPL teams, but the strategy for much of the year has been to give as much gold to Smlz as possible. That has largely worked out for the club in a meta where AD carries have been asked to take over matches. However, this team really struggled over the last few weeks of the regular season as priorities shifted and was nearly reverse swept by Bilibili last week
Top laner Mouse had a fantastic Game 5 for Rogue Warriors in order to save the series and help them advance. He has had an up and down career, but some of the downs caused Edward Gaming to bring in Ray to replace him this offseason. Coming up big to lead his new team to the finals would be just about the best revenge you could imagine for him.
Prediction
We probably won’t know whether or not Clearlove will be playing until a few hours before the first match, but in either case I like Edward Gaming to advance. EDG has the experience and Rogue Warriors looked extremely vulnerable last weekend. If Clearlove plays, I think EDG will get the sweep. If he doesn’t play, I look for EDG to win 3-1.
