Free LCK Betting Picks 6/17
LCK Picks 6/17
*All odds courtesy of Bovada.*
Well, we made it comrades. The Summer Split of the LCK is almost ready to begin although we will have to wait until the second day of action to get our first look at one of the two new teams in competition. Instead, we will see four familiar faces on opening day. The opening match of the Summer Split will be between two teams that missed the spring playoffs in Afreeca Freecs and Sandbox Gaming. The second bout of the slate will be a Spring Split playoffs semifinals rematch between DragonX and the defending split champion T1. Both of these bouts should be great contests, and I personally can't wait to watch some more LCK action!
Afreeca Freecs (-150) vs. Sandbox Gaming (+110)
Match Spread: Afreeca Freecs -1.5
Match Total: 2.5
The opening battle of the LCK Summer Split will be a match between two teams who are searching for better results than during the Spring Split. These two met twice during the Spring Split with mixed results. Afreeca won the first meeting 2-1 before Sandbox Gaming was the victor in the second bout with a 2-0 score. Betting on the LCK can be a bother in some games as starting rosters aren't released beforehand, and this is especially difficult when two teams with many subs face each other such as in this contest. However, Sandbox Gaming has the better roster composition as a whole, and I believe that they hold a slight advantage regardless of who is named in the starting five. The top-side of the map was a big problem for Afreeca during the Spring Split, and they did nothing to address this issue. Meanwhile, both Lonely and Summit in the Top Lane and OnFleek and Punch in the Jungler position for Sandbox Gaming are all solid options, and will provide Sandbox with the boost needed to take down Afreeca in this opening bout.
Pick: Sandbox Gaming ML (+110)
T1 (-190) vs. DragonX (+140)
Match Spread: T1 -1.5
Match Total: 2.5
The second contest of the slate features two more defined teams, and both should be competitors for the LCK Summer Split title. T1 is the defending Spring Split champions, and they were overly dominant during the playoffs of said split. Meanwhile, DragonX is a tough team, but they couldn't overcome the powerhouse that is T1, losing twice to them during the Spring Split as well as one more time during the playoffs. There is something about this contest that makes it easier to handicap, and that is the fact that these two teams don't change their starting lineups often. DragonX will almost always go with Doran, Pyosik, Chovy, Deft and Keria while T1 will always see Canna in Top Lane, Faker in Mid and Teddy in Bot Lane. T1 may start Cuzz or Ellim as the Jungler, but both are talented players. Roach will see a few games as the Support, but Effort will fill this role more often than not. T1 dominated DragonX during the spring, and their roster is the better of the two as far as talent is concerned. Faker and Teddy are one of the toughest one-two punches in the world, and I look for T1 to continue their dominance over DragonX.
