by Day three unfolds with most matchups having a clear favorite and with Kingzone DragonX to have a predicted enormous lead over the rest of the competition.
Fnatic is still trying to coordinate everything together, making sure Bwipo is up to par when versing world tier top laners and trying to condition Rekkles to his former glory.
On the flip side from the West, Team Liquid is struggling as much as Fnatic to secure a playoff spot, with their early start severly hindering the rest of their progress.
With each team still having six matches to go at the beginning of the day, the standings are not concrete as to which team is assured a semifinal spot. That being said, there are some teams that have a lot of planning to do when looking at the strengh of their remaining matches.
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Royal Never Give Up vs Team Liquid
2am PST / 5am EST / 11am CEST
Both RNG and TL have performed as most would have expected – Team Liquid being the average among the bunch while RNG is looking stronger and stronger despite their late arrival to Europe.
TL has had underwhelming performances from Xmithie and Pobelter which in turn has led for nearly uncontested jungle pressure in the early game. Impact has also had limited influence when it comes to matching his laners’ teleports. Conversely, although Mlxg finds it difficult to jungle from behind, that should not be a problem versus TL and Uzi is still looking in his top form.
Betting prediction: Royal Never Give Up to win, paying -500 at BetOnline.
Fnatic vs EVOS Esports
3am PST / 6am EST / 12pm CEST
FNC, despite possessing home advantage in this tournament, has been judged severely by their own region for their slow start. EVOS on the other hand is constantly surprising onlookers, not necessarily able to take down the best teams but able to hold their own versus Team Liquid, Fnatic, and Flash Wolves.
Once again, this falls upon whether or not Fnatic can get Rekkles rolling. Although Caps has been the main catalyst for FNC’s plays, he is also the main catalyst for FNC’s mistakes, and putting all the pressure on the mid laner may prove too heavy for the young professional. EVOS’s WarZone and Slay have been performing higher than expectations, but ultimately it falls upon Yijin to shut down any aggression from Broxah to influence the lanes.
Betting prediction: Fnatic to win, paying -400 at BetOnline.
Kingzone DragonX vs Flash Wolves
4am PST / 7am EST / 1pm CEST
The Korean emperors face off against Flash Wolves, looking to increase their lead to secure a semifinal spot for the endgame of the tournament.
Off the bat, Kingzone seems to be an upgrade to Flash Wolves in nearly every role. Maple and SwordArt have had great showings and may be the best chance to push a lead, but the problem for FW is developing a lead in the first place. And although FW’s playstyle is flexible enough to play multiple variations of team compositions to counter their opponent, KZ simply is able to do it better with more efficiency, precision and are clear favorites in this matchup.
Betting prediction: Kingzone DragonX to win, paying -909.09 at BetOnline.
Royal Never Give Up vs Fnatic
5am PST / 8am EST / 2pm CEST
The battle of perhaps the teams most reliant on their ADCs transpires in the fourth match of the day.
On paper, Uzi defeates Rekkles in nearly every single statistic for an ADC: damage %, CS difference at 15, kill participation%, KDA. In addition, Xiaohu is a more consistent mid laner than Caps as a whole. If FNC is to secure a win versus RNG, FNC can replicate their first bout with RNG but incorporate Rekkles more as a main carry instead of having Caps run around making amazing plays and then following it up by running face first into the enemy team. As consistency goes, Uzi has been performing as all have expected while the EU MVP still has some question marks in the air surrounding him.
Betting prediction: Royal Never Give Up to win, paying -277.78 at BetOnline.
Flash Wolves vs EVOS Esports
7
6am PST / 9am EST / 3pm CEST
The two mid-tier power regions duke it out yet again to see if Vietnam can stand up to the long term Taiwanese team when it comes to competitive level of play.
EVOS Esports are no strangers to heavy jungle pressure and high level skirmishing whether it be through multiple river encounters or fiestas in the lane. Flash Wolves Betty and Maple have proven to be stable pillars for the team, able to carry the team and provide sufficient variations of teamfighting. Despite Warzone being on point for EVOS, there will have to be a larger amount of pressure coming from anywhere else on the map whether it be from Stark split pushing or crisp rotations to draw FW’s into EVOS’ teamfighting territory.
Betting prediction: Flash Wolves to win, paying -357.14 at BetOnline.
Team Liquid vs Kingzone DragonX
7am PST / 10am EST / 4pm CEST
There is not much to say about this matchup – with Kingzone’s excellent track record, Team Liquid are safely the underdogs across every single lane.
Team Liquid is quite reliant on Doublelift and Pobelter to win the game, as are most teams with their ADC and Mid carries. When battling KZ, neither of these lanes remains a winning matchup when left alone. If jungle pressure intervenes, the chances of Mlxg striking first is that much higher than Xmithie aiding his lanes. It is extremely unlikely that Team Liquid will be able to fulfill their win conditions when it comes to drafting or execution. And even if KZ cannot successfully pull off their team composition’s main goal, their overall strength, mechanics, and coordination should be more than enough to secure victory.
Betting prediction: Kingzone DragonX to win, paying -1000 at BetOnline.
