The best LoL betting sites have Fukuoka SB HAWKS Gaming as favourites for this match, and like in all previous LoL Worlds, this price is mainly based on the perceived strength of the leagues the two teams hail from. But while the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) is stronger than Vietnam’s league, the Hawks did not show much before heading to LoL Worlds 2024.

Like 100 Thieves and MAD Lions, Fukuoka SB HAWKS Gaming didn’t look good for most of the season, and their performance numbers were not even close to the level of other top sides in the PCS. However, they produced one upset victory — enough to book their tickets for Worlds.

GAM Esports return to the LoL World Championship with a slightly different roster to what we saw in 2023. Despite the lineup changes, GAM were just as dominant domestically and pose a threat to all other play-in teams.

With these series played early in the tournament, between teams who have never met, you have to view them as a coin flip. Yet, in this case, it is also fair to speculate that Fukuoka SB HAWKS Gaming are a bit overrated, as they posted middling stats at best throughout the season.

Like the first fixture of the day, the offered esports betting odds on this one are based mainly on the perceived strength of the two regions. Yet, unlike the VCS vs PCS debate, it is much easier to confidently say that the LoL Championship Series (LCS) is a stronger competition than the Liga Latinoamerica (LLA).

As North America’s third seed, 100 Thieves should not struggle to defeat Movistar R7; however, T100 had some of the league’s worst performance metrics and ended up qualifying for the 2024 LoL World Championship simply by catching Cloud9 off guard in one series.

Movistar R7 were by far the most dominant team in their league, which might not mean much considering the quality of opposition. At the same time, seeing a mid-table LCS team priced at $1.09 against the LLA’s top squad makes little sense.

100 Thieves should win, but with the variance introduced with a new patch, we have to side with the underdogs to take a map.

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This departure marks the end of Japan and LATAM’s presence in the prestigious League of Legends event, and it’s worth noting that both these teams were the sole representatives for their respective regions.

Movistar R7’s elimination came at the hands of the Vietnamese team GAM Esports.

While they displayed some initial promise in their opening series against PSG Talon, Movistar was defeated in 0-2 fashion.

This unfortunate trend continued as they fell 0-2 again, this time to GAM.

The series wasn’t even close, with GAM dominating Movistar R7 in two relatively quick games lasting 26 and 31 minutes.

In the first game, GAM surged ahead with 19 kills to Movistar’s 6, and they held a substantial 13.1k gold lead by the end.

GAM’s ADC, Nguy?n “Slayder” Linh V??ng, showcased an impressive 8/0/5 performance on Xayah, and Duy “Levi” Duy Khánh on Wukong contributed with a 6/2/11 game.

On Movistar’s side, Jeong “Mireu” Jo-bin’s Sylas with a 4/4/1 scoreline was the only silver lining in the game.

The second game was even more challenging for Movistar R7, as Nguy?n “Slayder” Linh V??ng continued to shine on Xayah with a 9/2/5 performance.

Additionally, ?? “Levi” Duy Khánh on Vi seemed unstoppable, posting a 4/1/13 performance.

GAM ultimately closed out the game with a commanding 13.5k gold lead and 24 kills, while Movistar managed to secure only 7 kills.

REVENGE FOR #MSI2023:@GAMesportsVN take the 2-0 win against @Rainbow7lol and keep their Swiss Stage hopes alive! #Worlds2023 pic.twitter.com/MrcRuSFCGE

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 13, 2023

DFM’s journey in the tournament also came to an abrupt end after they faced the European representative, Team BDS.

Team BDS had previously been pushed to the lower bracket following an unexpected reverse sweep by Vietnam’s Team Whales in the upper bracket.

Unfortunately, DFM’s fate mirrored their LATAM counterparts, as they were eliminated with a 0-2 series loss.

The first game of their series against Team BDS was incredibly tight, with BDS securing a narrow victory in 26 minutes and an 11.1k gold lead.

BDS’s midlaner, Ilias “nuc” Bizriken, emerged as the standout performer with a dominant 6/0/3 game on Jayce.

In the second game, BDS demonstrated a cleaner performance, claiming a victory with a 16.6k gold lead in 28 minutes.

BDS’s ADC, Ju? “Crownie” Maru?i?, redeemed himself with a remarkable 10/1/5 performance on Xayah.

#BDSWIN @TeamBDS take the clean 2-0 against @team_detonation! #Worlds2023 pic.twitter.com/Uqb8GhaKBr

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 13, 2023

After surviving elimination against Movistar R7 and DetonatioN FocusMe, in their respective series, GAM Esports will clash with LOUD and Team BDS will meet CTBC Flying Oyster on Saturday.

The winner of each series will qualify for round two of the Play-In stage, where PSG Talon and Team Whales await the victor of Saturday’s series.

Saturday’s Play-In series

• LOUD ($1.57 vs GAM Esports ($2.25) @ 3pm KST
• CTBC Flying Oyster ($4.00 vs Team BDS ($1.22) @ 6pm KST

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LOUD and PSG Talon took care of business in the first round of Group A and are now just two series away from securing a ticket for the main event. Both teams looked good in their openers, and from afar, there doesn’t seem to be much separating them quality-wise.

But there’s a reason why PSG Talon are priced as $1.57 betting site favourites for this match. Even though teams were expected to struggle a bit early into the tournament due to the meta shift, PSG Talon looked very composed and performed well against Movistar R7. Admittedly, it’s easy to look good against a weaker team, but PSG Talon didn’t make many errors.

LOUD had a more explosive win, mainly due to how they and GAM Esports like to play, but this also helped hide LOUD’s numerous mistakes, which a better team would’ve punished. LOUD can sneak in a map if they catch PSG Talon off guard early, but this is PSG Talon’s game to lose.

GAM Esports and Movistar R7 will clash on Thursday, October 12, in Group A Losers’ Bracket after both teams suffered heavy losses in the first round of the League of Legends Worlds 2023 Play-In Stage. GAM Esports got humiliated by LOUD (0-2), while Movistar R7 proved to be no match for the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) champions, Talon Esports.

Due to how badly GAM Esports and Movistar R7 played on Tuesday, it’s difficult to take much from the first two games— at least, it’s hard to find many positives. GAM Esports were a bit more competitive on the second map of the series, but they made way too many mistakes to feel overly confident in their chances to deliver even against a weaker opponent.

Movistar R7 got smashed by PSG Talon, but unlike GAM, Movistar R7 didn’t let the game get completely out of hand. That doesn’t make LLA representatives a better team, but the eye test proves that Movistar R7 played better than GAM Esports.

GAM Esports still fields better players, which could give them the edge needed to come out ahead. But based on what they showed on Tuesday, GAM shouldn’t be priced as 1.40 favourites with GG Bet.

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The LoL World Championship 2023 kicks off on Tuesday, with the opening Play-In clash between Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) champions Movistar R7 and Pacific Championship Series (PCS) representatives PSG Talon. The two teams have never met before, but they both attended Mid-Season Invitational 2023 in May.

PSG Talon are priced as heavy favourites to defeat Movistar R7, mainly because the PCS is a stronger league than the LLA. Regions’ perceived strength is also the only way to measure the teams’ strength. And yet, neither team accomplished much at MSI 2023.

Movistar R7 looked decent at the MSI 2023, where they beat GAM Esports, while PSG Talon defeated DetonatioN FocusMe and LOUD but lost the LCQ match against Golden Guardians. Movistar R7 have since not made any roster changes, but they were far more dominant domestically, winning the LLA regular season and playoffs without issues.

This doesn’t make Movistar R7 a better team; however, this is still the first match of the tournament on a new patch and between two teams from minor regions. Movistar R7 winning a map isn’t the craziest thing that can happen.

LOUD and GAM Esports return to an international stage after both teams failed to achieve much at the Mid-Season Invitational 2023 in May. GAM Esports ended the tournament in last place, while LOUD placed 10th-11th with one win against DetonatioN FocusMe.

Like the first match of the day, this is a clash between two minor-region teams, but we can say that the Vietnamese and Brazilian leagues are fairly even quality-wise. Another thing worth remembering is that both regions are known for their aggressive playstyle.

This match can go both ways, but we can be sure the series will be bloody. LOUD have averaged 15.6 kills and 12.1 deaths per game, while GAM Esports are at 17.5 kills and 13 deaths per game this season. This, combined with the fact that both teams are bad at closing out games, makes over 29.5 kills an inviting bet, with this option available at many different esports betting sites.

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