The LCS, League Championship Series, is one of the longest leagues in the League of Legends professional scene. The main stage for North America and Canada was founded in 2013. Although it had other additions to its name from time to time, it has kept the LCS name for many years. More financially lucrative than other leagues, the LCS also offers many betting opportunities. Here’s everything you need to know about LCS betting, including the best betting sites for the LCS, tips, and strategies for safe and smart bets.
Best LCS Betting Sites
LCS Summer 2023 Schedule
| Schedule | Dates |
|---|---|
| Regular Season - Summer | June 1st - July 22nd |
| Summer Playoffs | TBD - August 20th |
| LCS Summer Finals | August 19 - 20th |
Odds: Teams Competing in the LCS Summer Split
LCS Summer 2023 will feature 10 franchising teams. In this section, along with the names of the teams, we will also share their chances of winning the league according to GG.Bet Esports. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the list.
| Team | GG.Bet Outright Odds |
|---|---|
| FlyQuest | 3.0 |
| Cloud9 | 3.5 |
| 100 Thieves | 5.5 |
| Golden Guardians | 7.0 |
| NRG Esports | 11.0 |
| Team Liquid | 15.0 |
| Evil Geniuses | 17.0 |
| Dignitas | 31.0 |
| Immortals | 41.0 |
| TSM | 51.0 |
GG.Bet odds available at time of writing – May 29th 2023
Despite falling short at the LCS Spring Playoffs 2023, FlyQuest’s 1st place finish at the LCS Spring 2023 regular season remains rather impressive. So much so, according to the League of Legends odds by GG.Bet, they are seen as the team closest to lifting the trophy at the end of the season.
Notably, their closest competition looks to be Cloud9 and Golden Guardians, the only two teams who managed to take down FlyQuest in the LCS Spring 2023 Playoffs.
See our LCS Power Rankings for a more detailed analysis of the LCS teams.
LCS Format 2023
Regular Season
As in the past few years, the LCS will be played in two splits, each with its own standing. The group stage will be completed in 8 weeks with a different number of matches. At the end of the regular season, the top 6 teams will qualify for the playoffs.
During the regular season, each team will play a total of 18 matches, all of which will be best-of-one. Each team will play the other twice.
LCS Playoffs
Riot Games has decided on a change for the LCS playoffs. Fewer teams will now be involved in the knockout phase of the league. This means that teams will have to put more emphasis on the group stage. Once the regular season is over, the top 6 finishers will advance to the LCS Playoffs.
The placement of the qualifying teams will depend on their performance in the regular season. Teams in top 4 will start their competition in the semifinals, while 5th and 6th teams will start their journey in Lower-Bracket Round 1.
Except for the Grand Final, the Double Elimination bracket will be active throughout the playoffs. This means that a team defeated in the Upper-Bracket will continue their fight in the Lower-Bracket instead of being eliminated from the tournament. On the other hand, all matches in this stage will be played as best-of-five. The winner and runner-up of the Playoffs will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational 2023.
Relegation
Founded in 2013, for many years, the LCS used a system where the worst teams in the league had to participate in the promotional LoL tournament. In this system, teams from the lower league could qualify for the main league by performing well. However, with the 2018 season, Riot Games decided to switch to the franchising system and abolished relegation and started organizing a league with 10 teams as partners.
You may also be interested in:
With this decision, the lower league ended and was replaced by the Academy System. Since 2018, this system has been improved. That being said, no matter how bad a season teams have, they are not relegated from the LCS.
LCS Champions
It’s safe to say that the history of the LCS is a long one. In these 10 years, different champions have emerged and different stories have been written. Despite this, when you look at the list of champions, two teams stand out: TSM and Cloud9.
Image Credits: LoL Esports
Their battle has been the headline of the scene for years. Regardless of the names of the players or the status of the teams, the matches between these two renowned organizations have always managed to be one of the most watched matches in LCS history. In recent seasons, however, TSM has fallen behind the top tier. Unable to find form with their roster, the team struggled to survive at the bottom of the league while their arch-rivals won championships.
Cloud9 has a team that can compete for the top spot this year. Although they are not the best team on paper, the players on the roster have the potential to become champions with good work. On the other hand, it’s hard to say the same for TSM. After having one of the worst seasons in history, the team is considered the worst roster in the league this year.
LCS Teams’ Performance at Worlds and MSI
After the professionalization of many League of Legends leagues in 2013, Worlds didn’t go so well for LCS teams. In fact, it’s safe to say that the LCS has had the worst performance among the major leagues. Despite the introduction of different champions over the years and some teams dominating the league and making it to Worlds, the best the league has achieved in the biggest arena of League of Legends is Cloud9’s semifinal appearance in 2018.
The fact that the LCS spends more money than other leagues but fails on the international stage has long been a topic of discussion for years, but no answer has yet been found. Fortunately, North American teams have been scoring one level better at MSI. Since its inception in 2015, LCS teams have made it to the finals twice and the semifinals once.
Why watch the LCS?
Despite the failures on the global stage, LCS fans remain highly engaged in the league. This creates a community with a lot of interaction and heated debates. On the other hand, the North American professional league has a rich competitive culture, thanks to its long history. Watching such matches is a real pleasure to watch.
To be clear, the best League of Legends is not played in this league. Despite this, the region has been able to produce young players who have been attracting attention and challenging other players worldwide. These young players are also one of the factors that increase the interest of the viewers.
Many of the players in the LCS have a sharp tongue and often share what they have to say on social media. This often leads to drama throughout the league. Some of the rhetoric can turn players against each other and create a new rivalry between them. These dramas, especially in an active community, make the league even more followable.
