LoL LCS Lock-In 2021 Semifinal Odds, Matchup Picks, and Schedule

• The LCS 2021 Lock-In tournament is down to the final four teams
• The semifinals take place on January 29th and 30th, with the grand finals happening on January 31st
• A grand prize of $150,000 USD will be awarded to the winner of LCS 2021 Lock-In

The LCS Lock-In event began with all ten franchises of the LCS, and the field is already down to four. After a quick group stage saw Dignitas and CLG get eliminated, the best-of-3 quarterfinals took place with Cloud9, 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and Team Liquid moving on to the next round.

Prior to the tournament, the odds for the LCS 2021 Lock-In had Cloud9 as the favorites with Team Liquid close behind. Those odds are reflected ahead of two very fascinating semifinal matchups.

LCS 2021 Lock-In Semifinal Matchup Odds

Odds taken Jan 26 at Bet365

Cloud9 vs 100 Thieves

As the pre-tournament favorites, there were some very lofty expectations coming into the LCS 2021 Lock-In for Cloud9. Not to mention, they had made one of the biggest off-season acquisitions in LCS history when they acquired ‘PerkZ’ as their new starting mid laner.

Not only are they expected to have success regionally, but they also have the best odds among the North American teams of winning the 2021 LoL World Championship.

However, C9 has given its fans a couple of scares already, as they dropped their opening game of the group stage to Evil Geniuses and then lost their first game of their best-of-three against TSM in the quarterfinals.

Scares aside, Cloud9 was able to show off why they can be such a powerhouse in the LCS. Following their game one loss to TSM, C9 answered with a dominant game two. Moreover, they won a nail-biting yet controlled game three where they had a couple of barons stolen away from them.

Although each member of C9 impressed, it was their support ‘Vulcan’ who made the plays when it mattered, which earned him the Player of the Week award.

In the quarterfinals, 100 Thieves were matched up against one of the weaker LCS teams in Immortals. The skill gap was evident as 100 Thieves steamrolled Immortals 2-0 to secure their semifinal spot.

This promising roster is already delivering, and now they have a chance of taking down one of the LCS favorites. Cloud9 has the star power and more experience in do-or-die, stressful moments. Their ability to adapt and withstand adversity could be their biggest strength going forward. I like C9 here, but don’t sleep on this 100 Thieves team.

Pick: Cloud9 (-188), O 4.5 (+162)

Team Liquid vs Evil Geniuses

The second semifinal clash is just as intriguing. Evil Geniuses have been the surprise of the LCS Lock-In so far as they won their group thanks to a victory over Cloud9.

Following the offseason, Evil Geniuses was one of the unknowns, but they were perceived as a good team that might not be able to compete with the best of the best.

So far, that’s been proven false, but the true test will be this best of five against Team Liquid. EG was able to take down a very inexperienced Golden Guardians team in the quarterfinals, however, Team Liquid is anything but inexperienced.

Team Liquid isn’t getting the attention they deserve because of the splash signing by Cloud9. Not to mention, Liquid signed ‘Alphari’ to hold down the top lane, and they’re currently 3-0 with ‘Santorin’ starting in the jungle. Similar to most of the other quarterfinals, Team Liquid made quick work of FlyQuest to advance to the final four.

Liquid has found a winning formula, and it’ll be tough for this new look Evil Geniuses team to overcome. As promising as they’ve looked early on, I trust the core of this Team Liquid roster to hold strong and continue to prove they are one of NA’s best teams.

Pick: Team Liquid (-225), U 4.5 (-250)