LPL Knights Rivals begin on May 23 with Team WE vs LNG Esports and Invictus Gaming vs ThunderTalk Gaming. Read our picks.
LPL Knights Rivals begin on May 23 with Team WE vs LNG Esports and Invictus Gaming vs ThunderTalk Gaming. Read our picks.

League of Legends Pro League 2026 Split 2 enters the playoff stage on Saturday, May 23, with the first games of the Knights Rivals.
The day begins with Team WE clashing with LNG Esports, followed by ThunderTalk Gaming taking on Invictus Gaming, promising two exciting affairs and a couple of excellent LoL betting opportunities to explore on the top-rated bookmakers.
| Best Odds | WE +125 at BetOnline | LNG -175.44 at SportsBetting |
| When | May 23, 2026 | 14:00 CST |
| Watch Live | Lolesports, Twitch |
Team WE ended the regular season as the clear weakest team in Group Ascend. LNG Esports, meanwhile, finished the group stage as the strongest team in Group Nirvana.
That sets up an interesting clash between the best of the lower group and the worst of the upper group. However, the gap might still be fairly wide, as LNG have been playing well enough to suggest they could hold their own in the middle of Group Ascend.
Team WE have not shown enough to say the same in reverse. Their late-season improvement was encouraging, but across the full split, they still looked like a team that would struggle to consistently beat the better Group Nirvana sides.
The best LoL bookmakers have LNG Esports priced as favourites, and that feels fair. This is their game to lose, and unless Team WE find a much higher level than they showed for most of the regular season, LNG should be able to take control quickly.
A sweep is very much on the table, making the map handicap worth backing at a big price.
| Best Odds | IG +150 at BetOnline | TT -200 at SportsBetting |
| When | May 23, 2026 | 14:00 CST |
| Watch Live | Lolesports, Twitch |
Invictus Gaming are expected to be in for a strong showing on Saturday, when they clash with ThunderTalk Gaming in the Knights Rivals.
Despite their recent struggles and shaky performances, which resulted in four losses across their last five games, Invictus Gaming remained competitive in Group Ascend. That matters in this matchup, as the quality of opposition they faced was clearly higher.
IG also found a bit more traction towards the end of the regular season. They beat Ninjas in Pyjamas and took maps off Bilibili Gaming and JD Gaming, which is enough to suggest they are still dangerous despite their poor record down the stretch.
ThunderTalk Gaming are moving in the opposite direction. They won their first two games in Group Nirvana, but then lost the next three, proving they are a clear tier below LNG Esports, LGD Gaming, and EDward Gaming.
This is IG’s game to lose. Anything less than a comfortable win would be disappointing, and the sweep is the best betting angle.
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.