LCK 2021 Summer Playoffs Finals Odds, Picks and Preview – DWG KIA vs T1

By Matthew Hempstead in eSports
Published:

- The LCK Summer Finals take place on August 28th, 2021 between DWG KIA and T1
- The winner of the final wins 200,000,000 South Korean Won and will qualify for Worlds as the LCK’s number 1 seed
- After sweeping Nongshim RedForce, DWG KIA is the favorite heading into the final
One final best-of-five will determine who will head to Worlds 2021 as the LCK’s top seed. It all comes down to DWG KIA and T1, who took two very different paths to the finals. Both teams emerged from the LCK semifinals, but after sweeping Nongshim RedForce, DWG KIA enters the finals as a -250 favorite over T1 in LCK Summer Finals odds.
Here are the betting odds for the LCK Summer Playoffs Finals.
LCK Summer Playoffs Finals Odds
August 28, 2021 | Map Handicap | Total Maps | Moneyline |
---|---|---|---|
DWG KIA | -1.5 -118 | O 4.5 +160 | -250 |
T1 | +1.5 -118 | U 4.5Â -250 | +175 |
Odds as of August 26th at Betway
DWG KIA
The dominance continues for DWG KIA. They’re the reigning World Champions, they won LCK Spring 2021, they won MSI, and now they’re one best-of-five away from winning LCK Summer. If those achievements aren’t enough to establish DWG KIA’s current power, in their semifinal playoff matchup against Nongshim RedForce, they won with a quick 3-0 sweep. What makes the sweep even more impressive, was that Nongshim RedForce won both regular season series against DWG KIA during LCK Summer. Even if you’ve beaten DWG KIA before, they’re a whole different type of monster come the playoffs.

DWG KIA and T1 faced off two times in the regular season, with each team winning a series 2-1. As evidenced by the Nongshim series, these past results don’t really hold much water as DWG KIA turns up the gas for the playoffs.

Nongshim finished with an identical 12-6 series record in LCK Summer, and yet they couldn’t take a single game off of DWG KIA. DWG KIA’s jungler ‘Canyon’ was especially impressive in the semifinals. His early game is aggressive and relentless. Even though DWG KIA occasionally stumbles in the mid-game and during baron fights, the early lead that Canyon helps accumulate is often enough to snowball to victory.
T1
It’s been an incredibly fun playoff run to watch from T1. Especially with players like ‘Faker’ and ‘Teddy’ turning back the clocks and playing out of their minds. The stars stepped up for T1 as they took down Gen.G 3-1 to advance to the finals. Comparing their win to that of DWG KIA’s, it was far less convincing.
T1’s wins all took over 35 minutes, and game 3, in particular, was a rollercoaster. Gen.G had T1 down to an open nexus, and after their backdoor attempt was halted, T1 went on to win the game.

The issue with T1’s slow victories is that as previously mentioned, DWG KIA has a strong early game. So this series will likely come down to whether T1 is able to keep things close until the mid and late game, and then team fight their way to victory. Unfortunately for T1, they’re going up against the stronger team in the LCK, and they’ll likely have to adapt their style and catch DWG KIA off-guard if they hope to keep this series close. T1 has been strong down the stretch, but they’re running into the buzz saw that is DWG KIA. After watching DWG KIA run over Nongshim RedForce, it’s hard to imagine T1 slowing them down.

Although there isn’t too much value to be had on DWG KIA, I can’t put money on T1 in the finals. DWG KIA should run through T1 on their way to yet another LCK title.
Pick: DWG KIA (-250), U 4.5 (-250)

eSports Writer
Growing up, Matthew was in love with sports. So, following his undergrad, it only made sense to dive head-first into the world of sports media. Rather than sticking to traditional sports, Matt found his way to eSports and gaming. He also produces, edits and serves as an analyst for SQUAD.