LEC Betting Picks 7/17
LEC Picks 7/17
*All odds are courtesy of Bovada*
Greetings gang! The LEC is back after a week break, and the second half of the Summer Season is set to get underway. There have been plenty of surprises in the first half of the season as G2 Esports, Fnatic and Origen have fallen into the middle of the pack while MAD Lions and Rogue sit atop the standings currently splitting first place. We have a jam-packed five-game slate as is customary from the LEC, so let's dive right in.
SK Gaming (-130) vs. Team Vitality (-105)
Oddsmakers see this match between a pair of teams with a 4-5 record almost even, and I can't say I disagree too much. SK Gaming has impressive wins over G2 Esports and Origen, and the only loss that stands out on their resume is the one to Team Vitality in the first half of the season. Team Vitality's path thus far has been almost identical to SK's as they have wins over G2 and Origen as well. Team Vitality has been the better team in the laning phase, and I like Comp and company to complete the season sweep in this one.
Pick: Team Vitality ML (-105)
Rogue (-450) vs. FC Schalke 04 (+290)
For those readers who follow LEC action closely, they are well aware of how terrible FC Schalke 04 is and you can skip past this portion as my pick is obvious. However, for those who don't, let me tell you. FC Schalke 04 sits last in the standings with a 1-8 record, and their only win came in their last game before the week off over a slumping Fnatic team. Rogue is currently tied for the lead in the LEC standings with a 7-2 record. FC Schalke 04 did give Rogue a little trouble when they met earlier as they split dragons 3-3, but it's a rare occasion that a losing team covers the kill spread and this won't be the case here either.
Pick: Rogue Spread -7.5 Kills (-115)
Fnatic (-205) vs. Misfits Gaming (+150)
You can call this matchup a bit of bad timing for Misfits Gaming. The 5-4 team finds themselves as a pretty decent underdog against the underperforming 4-5 Fnatic. These two met on the opening day of the Summer Season, and Fnatic barely won that contest and some might would even say they stole the game. However, Fnatic was embarrassed by the horrid FC Schalke 04 in their last match before the week off. I expect them to come with a mission and look to send a statement with a dominating win in this one.
Pick: Fnatic Spread -5.5 Kills (+105)
MAD Lions (-335) vs. Excel Esports (+235)
This is another contest on today's slate that I have a feeling will be very lopsided. MAD Lions sits tied for first in the LEC Summer Season with a 7-2 record. Excel Esports hasn't been completely horrible in their own right as they come in with a 4-5 record. When these teams met the first time around, it was an absolute blood bath. MAD Lions had 20 kills while Excel only grabbed four kills. MAD Lions also took down eight towers while only losing three in the match. I believe this rematch will churn similar results as MAD Lions will dominate this contest.
Pick: MAD Lions Spread -6.5 Kills (-115)
G2 Esports (-220) vs. Origen (+155)
The final match of the day should be a great one between the underperforming 5-4 G2 Esports and the 4-5 Origen. I can get why G2 Esports is listed as a favorite in this one, but I feel a lot of this comes simply from their pedigree and not their recent performance. I'm not totally sure why, but G2 doesn't look nearly as strong as they did in the Spring Season. Origen dominated G2 in their first meeting of the season, and I have a strong feeling that they will take down G2 once more in this bout.
