T1 vs Gen.G – LCK Summer Grand Final 2022 Picks and Predictions
After two months of action, the highly anticipated grand final of the LCK summer is finally here. It’s been obvious for weeks who the two finalists would be, and as it turned out we are indeed faced with a repeat of last spring. The top two seeds of the split, Gen.G and T1 will battle it out once more for the championship.
The rivalry between the two teams is at its peak, especially since the winner will seal the top spot at the Worlds 2022 Main Event. This is more of a concern for Gen.G, because T1 currently leads the race for the most championship points with 190 total points in 2022. Both teams have secured 100 points this summer, but spring champions T1 secured 90 points last season, while runners-up GG received 70.
They are both practically shoo-ins for the event anyway, no matter who wins the LCK, but there’s nothing like heading into the Worlds with a fresh trophy in your cabinet. According to LoL betting predictions, Gen.G will finally end their wait for the title.
Predictions: Gen.G to win
Odds: 1.38
Betting Site: Odds provided by Midnite
When: Sunday, August 28 – 10:00 CEST
Gen.G
GG’s summer split has been as close to perfect as anyone’s could possibly get. Since the tournament began in June, they have lost just one – one! – series in the round robin, against arch rivals T1. They’ve been simply unshakeable off their perch at the top. GG have won 35 and lost only five games so far, achieving the kind of superhuman dominance that most teams can only dream of.
They have won practically all of their best-of-three fixtures in two straight games. On only four occasions have their contests stretched into three games, twice against DWG KIA , once against KT Rolster, and of course T1. They ended the regular split with an unbeaten 11-series streak. GG will take plenty of heart from the knowledge that that streak included a 2-0 victory over T1. They carried that confidence into the playoffs, where they cruised past Liiv Sandbox 3-1 in the semi-final.
Ever since the spring of 2020, GG have come agonizingly close to the LCK title but have never been able to go the distance. Thrice in that time they’ve finished as runners-up, defeated by T1 on two of those occasions, back in 2020 and this past spring, and lost to DWG KIA in the spring of 2021. They renewed none of their players’ contracts last year despite their success, choosing instead to sign on a set of entirely new faces.
It was a bold move, but it worked. This team carried them to second place in the spring, and LoL predictions indicate that they’re poised at the brink of a historic maiden LCK championship. They just have to get past T1 first, which is easier said than done.
T1
T1 finished this split as second seed, two series wins behind Gen.G. This season, like every season, they’ve lived up to their reputation as the best League of Legends team in South Korea, and among the best in the world. They won 15 of their series in the round robin, losing to only three opponents – Gen.G, Kwangdong Freecs, and Liiv Sandbox towards the end of the season.
This has been a near-perfect defense of last spring’s championship, but the LoL odds imply that Gen.G will prevent them from holding on to that trophy this season.
The last 12 months have been an assertion of dominance from T1. They placed second in the LCK in the summer of 2021, won the regionals, and then finished 3rd-4th seed at the Worlds in October, bringing home a prize money of $178,000. No opponent has been able to dampen their confidence in 2022 either as they surged to the spring split title, their second in three years.
T1 hold the psychological advantage over Gen.G, but cannot afford to get cocky the way they did in the semi-finals. They cruised to a 2-0 lead against DWG KIA in the best-of-five, bolstered by the knowledge that DK haven’t managed to beat them even once this year. After wrapping up both victories in under 26 minutes, T1’s confidence grew and they should’ve made it three in three.
Instead DK were shaken by that loss, and played with more caution, scrapping hard to equal the scoreline to 2-2. But T1 pulled through in the end, slowing down their pace of play in the series decider and finally taking a win in the 43rd minute.
T1 vs Gen.G Odds
According to the odds at esports betting operator Midnite, Gen.G are heavy favorites with odds of 1.38 while a T1 win is currently priced at 2.96. There is certainly room for a wager on T1 considering the higher payout on offer. That is probably where your bet should be if you are looking for immense bet value.