LCK 2022 Spring Split Picks, Predictions, Odds March 3-4

• Gen G and T1 will be top-table clash between two of the best in the LCK
• DWG Kia looking for comfortable win against Hanwha Life Esports
• KT Rolster could be another team to back in the upcoming LCK action

Pick: Gen G (moneyline)

Gen G vs T1 Predictions

You couldn’t have asked for a more riveting contest as we head into week eight of the Korean League. Two teams that have proven to be far ahead of the rest of the pack will clash against each other.

T1 are on a bull run of 12 successive wins and carry with them the kind of intimidation seldom seen previously. If there’s one team that can look at them in the eye and fight fire with fire, it is Gen G, who aren’t far behind with a 10-2 record so far. The points table is that top-heavy.

T1 are through to the playoffs; Gen G almost there. This could free them up to go for broke. Neither will want to give an inch when it comes to claiming the top spot. Either way, at the end of this contest, one thing will remain constant, and that’s where these two teams will be placed in the points table.

Gen G began the spring split with six wins, then slumped to two losses, but they rebounded superbly to take four wins in a row. It can’t get more exciting than this. The odds favor T1 purely on the basis of their bull run, but don’t discount Gen G.

They hold a three-match lead over the next-best team in the league, while T1 hold a two-match lead over their immediate opponents.

Can T1 Extend Streak to Set a New Record?

This past week, both teams separated themselves from the rest of the pack  with massive wins. T1 made direct space over DWG KIA and Hanwha Life Esports and Gen.G earned the better of DRX.

Both teams will square off later this week in what is expected to be a much closer clash than when they first met earlier in the year. That game had Gen G having to call upon covid substitutions at the last minute.

But more on that later. For the moment, T1 are two victories away from tying for the longest win streak in the LCK – a record set by SKT (which later rebranded to T1) in 2015 with 14 wins.

Gumayusi vs Chovy Subplot

T1’s Gumayusi holds the best offensive proficiency for the team. He has won 24 out of the 29 maps he has been a part of. He lands 5.17 kills, 1.97 deaths and is involved in 5.24 assists per map on average, along with a KDA of 5.3 and creep score of 356.41. His 16.8k gold is the highest among all players on the team.

Chovy is to Gen G what Gumayusi is to T1.

The mid laner brings with him immense tactical nous and experience to the fore. In his first 6 LCK seasons, he was part of the losing finalists on four occasions and finished third twice. There are two ways to look at it: one, he hasn’t been able to finish top, two: he’s been part of teams that have gone the distance and have faltered at the last step.

Either way, his feats are commendable, and he has an opportunity to correct all of that now. He lands 4.26 kills, 1.48 deaths and 6.22 assists, along with a KDA of 7.08 and creep score of 316.44. Expect both these players to be at the forefront for their respective teams.

Nongshim Redforce vs Kwangdong Freecs Pick

Pick: Kwangdong Freecs (moneyline)

Nongshim Redforce vs Kwangdong Freecs Predictions

The second of our Thursday clashes pits two mid-table teams jostling for playoff spots. Nongshim Redforce have slumped badly, currently sitting eighth with a 4-8 record. If they perform the way they have so far, they may or may not finish in the top six like they did last year. For them to enter playoff contention, they should ideally get on a bit of a roll right now.

It won’t be easy against Kwangdong Freecs, placed a couple of spots higher but with only a one-win advantage so far this Spring Split. That they’re in playoff contention at this stage despite a negative record is a testimony to how tightly fought the spring split has been and how the rest of the field are playing catch-up with the top two.

Despite the higher position, the punters believe Nongshim have the class and experience to rise above the pickle they find themselves in. Last year’s performance backs that. So they’re the punters’ favourites for this one. Although you’d think this one’s going to be a very tight contest either way.

Nongshim Snap Seven Match Streak

Nongshim snapped a seven-match losing streak against Liiv SANDBOX last week. That match brought both of those teams to 4-8. One more win and they could be tied for fifth. No team is eliminated yet and it’s going down to the wire. So Nongshim has little margin for error here. Kwangdong needs some massive lift from here to progress higher up. That said, they have the best chance among all the other contenders in the mid-table race.

But the luck of the draw pits them against tougher opponents such as Gen.G, T1, and DRX over the next two weeks. Even one upset there would give their playoff hopes a massive fillip. Watch out for Canna’s battle against Kwangdong’s ‘Kiin. The two didn’t face off against each other in round one. Do watch out for what promises to be a fun laning phase when these two clash in bout two.

KT Rolster vs DRX Pick

Pick: KT Rolster (moneyline)

KT Rolster vs DRX Predictions

In what is largely a two-team race, the rest of the pack is still pretty much in contention for the playoffs. This has kept KT Rolster alive despite them having lost twice the games they’ve won. They’re currently languishing seventh with a 4-8 record. Things didn’t look this pear-shaped three weeks ago.

They were comfortably in the top five, with the occasional hiccup that pegged them with a 4-4 record, before things took a turn for the worse. They have lost four games on the bounce and are struggling to put together a winning combination that serves them well for the remainder of the Spring Split.

Their opponents DRX don’t have any such worries presently, having racked up a three-game lead over their opponents and a two-game lead over fifth-placed Kwangdong as things stand. Even if Kwangdong win on Thursday, DRX still go into the game with a one-game advantage. This is thanks to being among the early pace-setters of the season. DRX will go into the game looking to get over the reversal of the previous game, though.

KT Rolster Coming Off A Crushing Defeat

KT Rolster will be smarting from their loss to Freecs. More than the loss itself, it’s the manner of the loss that will hurt them. Across both maps, they were comprehensively beaten across every single parameter. In the second game, it slipped downhill right from get-go, with KT Rolster managing all of 2 kills even as Freecs stormed through the map to land 17.

They also failed to capture a single tower to Freecs’ 8. To put it mildly, it was an annihilation. Rascal and Aiming led the way with 6 kills between them in game-1. So if they are to draw upon any positives, it’ll be hard to look beyond this.

Cracks In The DRX Wall

There have been a few cracks that have appeared ever since Hanwha Life Esports broke DRX’s six-match winning streak. Having lost three games to begin the spring split, they went on a bull run until Hanwha caused a massive stir. The result was even more shocking since Hanwha were placed last at that point in time. Yet, they took form and conventional wisdom out of the window in slaying DRX. Their clinical take-down exposed a few grey areas.

Example: Hanwha dominated the first game through solid map movements from mid-laner Karis’ Ryze and nabbed a 5000 gold lead within 20 minutes. This led to Hanwha denying Deft’s impending power spike on Jinx. DRX attempted a comeback on the final baron, but it wasn’t to be. The second game too played out similarly. These fault lines were exposed by Gen G, too, in their most recent outing. So if KT Rolster have done their homework, they would’ve studied a pattern they will look to cash in on.

Prediction?

If despite this, DRX still have the odds favoring them, it’s because they are a pedigreed team that has a good track record overall. You would expect them to pull their socks up and get back to winning ways.

DWG Kia vs Hanwha Life Esports Pick

Pick: DWG Kia (moneyline)

DWG Kia vs Hanwha Life Esports Predictions

DWG KIA v Hanwha Life Esports Picks

Hanwha Life Esports have resigned to fate. A playoff spot is unlikely now, because not only will they have to win every single game from here on, but also hope the stars align with several results going their way. They have lost thrice the games they have won. They are currently last with a 3-9 record, and are looking to snap a two-match losing streak.

DWG KIA are perched comfortably at the third spot, having raced to a 7-5 record. On paper, this is a giant mismatch. It promises to be no different on the field. You will be very brave to put your cash on Hanwha to register a win. Go for the tried and tested DWG KIA for this one.

DWG KIA Sitting Pretty

Last week, DWG KIA thwarted Kwangdong Freecs’ four-game win streak. The 2020 League of Legends world champions improved to 7-5 in the 2022 LCK Spring Split as a result. On the face of it, you could have brushed it aside as an “easy win” given the Freecs were languishing at the bottom of the pile not too long ago, but they recently became one of the LCK’s hottest teams, along with unbeaten T1, after winning four games back to back.

Hanwha at Rock Bottom

Often, when you’re at the bottom of the pile, you’re looking for crumbs of comfort. Hanwha will look inwards and try and draw something from SamD’s record. As a bot laner, you ought to do better, but performances are also a consequence of team combinations, plans, confidence levels and how players are made to flourish in an environment.

SamD lands 3.4 kills on an average per map, which isn’t the best for a bot laner. But for now, they will have to depend on his offensive proficiency. He marries that with 2 deaths, 2.76 assists, along with a KDA of 3.58 and creep score of 346.52. The problem isn’t the low kill date, but how his death rate is more than half the kill rate.

This reduces any chance of gaining momentum. This has been a perennial problem for Hanwha, and this is something they will look to iron out between now and end of the spring split to have a better shot at the playoffs next time around.

How to Watch LCK 2022 Spring Split