We are done with the LCS, LCK, and LEC. Now all the attention is towards the Chinese LPL, where we are yet to know who will emerge the champion of the Spring Split 2019. The playoffs of the LPL started with eight teams, who competed for an attractive prize pool of ¥3,500,000. Now only two teams remain, let’s have a look at what is on the line in this grand finale.
In the LPL Spring Playoffs, teams are competing for five rewards. Firstly, as we previously mentioned, the ¥3,500,000 prize pool. Secondly, for securing a spot at the Mid-Season Invitational Main Eventational 2019. Those who won’t make it to MSI will try to qualify for the Rift Rivals. The last two rewards include qualifying points for the Worlds 2019 and the domestic title.
The reason we picked this match for you is since it is a grand finale between, Invictus Gaming and JD Gaming. We are well aware of the achievements of Invictus Gaming in the past year. So, it is no surprise that we are seeing the side in the final. Yet, what raises out eyebrows is the arrival of JD Gaming, who out of nowhere has produced remarkable results. We will comprehensively summarise the accomplishments of both teams this season. This will help us to make a verdict regarding which team will come out on top.
Invictus Gaming
2018 was a glorious year for the Chinese team which included not winning the National League. The Invictus Gaming team lost both, the Spring and Summer Split. Yet, after the Summer Split, the side was victorious at the Rift Rivals. To top the season as the best League of Legends team in the globe, they won Worlds 2018 beating Fnatic 3-0. Their performances remained remarkable throughout the year. But one thing the team didn’t accomplish was winning the LPL title.
After winning the Worlds, the side won the Demacia Cup 2018 Winter. The team arrived in the LPL 2019 as the favorites since out of the past 19 games played, they won 18. Invictus Gaming remained amongst the few teams that didn’t make any changes to the roster. We believe that the team didn’t need to since they have no room for weaknesses. The side knows how to deal with the ever-changing Meta of the game.
The star player for Invictus Gaming
Ardent Censer, the mid laner of the continues to shine for the team. He has managed to carry IG on more than one occasion. The mid laner has established a solid reputation of winning his lane no matter which champion he plays.
In the league phase of the 2019 Split, the team finished at 2nd place with an 11-4 record. The team only lost to, Blibli Gaming, LGD, Fun Plus Phoenix and lastly JD Gaming. We genuinely understand losing to Phoenix and JD, since the former occupied the 1st spot while JD is in the final. Yet one thing we really find hard to believe that iG lost to Blibli and LGD, two teams which didn’t even make it to the playoffs. This might be a problem for the side in the grand finale. However, seeing that this team won the most prestigious competition in the world, we think they might just see off JD Gaming.
JD Gaming
Unlike Invictus Gaming, JD was not lucky enough to keep its 2018 team as SK Telecom signed Clid, the jungler of the team. He was a game-changing player for JD since he has just won the LCK with his new team. Nonetheless, JD came all guns blazing in the Split. The starlets, YaGao and Zoom were absolutely dominant for the team in their respective lanes. In the efforts to replace Clid, the team recruited Flawless and Levi who had decent performances in the league phase. Yet, we think the duo still needs time to get used to the strategy of JD.
Before the start of the season, Flawless and Levi were predicted to fail. While Zoom and YaGao were assumed to crack under the pressure. These players did take time to adjust themselves since after the end of the league phase the team finished at 8th place. This was the last slot for the qualification to the playoffs. The 8th seed was not the best of spots to make a fight for the title. Yet, JD proved everyone wrong, as they rose from the depths.
Star out of nowhere
In the first game of the playoffs, they were against Team We, who ranked at 5th place. Team We were expected to demolish JD since We beat JD 2-0 in the last game of the league. However, in the playoffs, it was a display of true brilliance as JD won 3-1. After that, JD played absolutely thrilling quarterfinals and semifinals games against RNG and Fun Plus Phoenix. The victory against the MIS 2018 champions, RNG can be argued about, since their star Uzi failed to show impressive performances in the league. However, what comes as a surprise is the victory against Phoenix who lost just two games out of the 15 games played in the league. JD won both of these best of five encounters with 3-2 results and now the team faces the world champions.
We should tell you an interesting stat that: JD lost to both RNG and Phoenix in the league but won against them in the playoffs, while they have beaten IG in the league. We could say that on the basis of this vodo statistic, IG stands a winning chance. But, the matches are not won or lost on figures like these. We believe that the superior strategy and talent of IG’s team will be enough to end the fairytale run of JD. It will surely be an exciting finale to the Spring Split 2019.
Final Verdict
Invictus Gaming 3-1 JD Gaming
Odds on bookmakers
Bookmakers | Invictus Gaming Odds | JD Gaming Odds | ||
European | American | European | American | |
GG.bet | 1.22 | -454.55 | 3.90 | +290.00 |
Bet365 | 1.25 | -400.00 | 3.75 | +275.00 |
Betway | 1.25 | -400.00 | 3.55 | +255.00 |
Shehryar is a professional eSports analyst with a particular affinity for CS:GO, LoL, and DOTA. He covers major eSports events across the world for WagerBop.
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