On Saturday, LPL Will Crown Fourth Different Champion in the Last Four Splits

The LEC, LCS, and LCK have all crowned their Spring Split champions, and it is now time for the LPL to do the same. China will have a first-time champion this weekend when JD Gaming and Top Esports meet in the 2020 LPL Spring Split Finals. Neither team was expected to be here given they played the last two League of Legends World Championship winners in the semifinals, but JD Gaming swept FunPlus Phoenix 3-0 and Top Esports knocked off Invictus Gaming 3-1 to reach this stage. This is the first trip to the finals for both teams.

2020 LPL SPRING SPLIT FINALS BETTING ODDS

JD GAMING -160

TOP ESPORTS +120

Although Top Esports defeated JD Gaming in the regular season, they are the underdogs per the League of Legends betting odds ahead of this match. JD Gaming ended the season on a seven-match win streak, and this squad has looked unstoppable over the last month.

TOP LANE

JDG top laner Zoom has been an enormous part of his team’s success. It might not look like he has a big impact if you only look at his KDA, but the team is 19-0 with Zoom in the top lane this season. He missed a large chunk of games in the middle of the season because he was diagnosed with the coronavirus, but this team has shined since he returned to the lineup on April 5.

We have seen some solid play out of TES top laner 369. He has been heralded as one of the best up and comers since he broke into the starting lineup last summer. However, he is not asked to do much compared with the other laners on his team. Despite playing some real damage dealing champions like Jayce, Kennen, and Renekton, he has only accounted for 16.1 percent of his team’s damage. That isn’t an encouraging sign heading into this matchup.

JUNGLE

This could be the biggest mismatch between these two teams. Kanavi was named LPL First Team All-Pro for his impeccable play in the jungle for JDG this split, while Karsa seems to be past his prime. Karsa has not been the same player we saw with Flash Wolves and with Royal Never Give Up in 2018, but Kanavi continues to set the standard for junglers in China. If Kanavi can get his laners ahead early, that will put TES in a very difficult position.

MID LANE

Get your popcorn ready! The mid lane showdown between TES’ Knight and JDG’s Yagao could be one for the ages. Knight has been excellent on Syndra during the postseason with a 7.5 KDA in six games on the champion. His 8.9 KDA is nearly double the KDA of any of his teammates, and he has been responsible for a whopping 33.5 percent of his team’s damage according to Games of Legends.

Meanwhile, Yagao could be the best LeBlanc player in the world at this point (sorry Faker). Yagao had a 14 KDA in one game on the champion in the semifinals, and he posted a 29.7 KDA on LeBlanc during the regular season. He is 9-0 on the champion altogether, so TES will likely be forced to use a ban to keep the champion away from him.

BOTTOM LANE

The addition of JackeyLove just before the start of the playoffs changed everything for Top Esports. JackeyLove came back with a massive chip on his shoulder after not being on an organization for four months following his release from Invictus Gaming, and he has been a massive upgrade over Photic. We have seen fantastic play from him on Ezreal and Varus in the playoffs, so JDG will look to ban or counter those champions.

LokeN posted the best KDA of any player on JDG during the regular season, but he has been somewhat overlooked by the Dumpling Brothers. His superb performances on Miss Fortune and Kalista have been impressive though, and JDG will prioritize those two champions in the draft.

PREDICTION

While JackeyLove and Knight have been very impressive with their hard carry performances, JD Gaming are the better overall team, and they will win this series 3-1.

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