This article is sponsored by DJ Esports.
Royal Never Give Up and Hanwha Life Esports, the LPL and LCK representatives in Group C of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship, will battle it out on Summoner’s Rift tomorrow.
RNG have had a good run this year, successfully defeating FPX in the LPL Spring Split to win the championship and followed that up by claiming the MSI title in May. While they may have lost to LNG Esports in the third round of the Summer Split playoffs, they advanced to the 2021 World Championship through the regional qualifier.
Hanwha didn’t perform well in the LCK Summer Split. They produced a 7-11 record in the regular season and even failed to qualify for the playoffs. But they still earned enough points in the Spring Split to make it to and win the regional qualifier. At the regionals, Hanwha slowly came alive, defeating LSB and NS back-to-back to qualify for Worlds 2021.
Looking at DJ Esports’ data, RNG are ranked higher than Hanwha despite only having a 50-percent win rate over their last few games before Worlds. Hanwha, on the other hand, had an outstanding performance in the LCK regional finals, losing only one game to LNG. And Hanwha most recently went 4-1 in the Worlds 2021 play-in stage to make it into the main event’s group play.
At past World Championships, teams that come into group play on fire tend to have better performances, so it seems Hanwha have a real shot at victory over RNG.
RNG’s recent performances before Worlds were less than amazing. Their first blood rate is only 50 percent, according to DJ Esports, showing they’ve experienced considerable volatility in their early-game offense.
Conversely, Hanwha have played outstandingly in their recent games. In their match against PCE on Oct. 6, they were ahead by 8,500 gold at the 25-minute mark, highlighting their stellar early-game ability to secure a lead.
Although RNG look better on paper, Hanwha’s hot streak can’t be underestimated. If they can take an early lead, they’ll have a good shot at winning this game. DJ Esports puts the odds of Hanwha winning at 2.581. This could be a huge victory for a savvy bettor.
Going against RNG, Hanwha are likely to choose some strong, early champs to try and keep the pressure on RNG. Using their excellent laning ability and relying on teamwork, they should be able to take the lead by scoring first blood. The odds of Hanwha getting first blood are 2.065. We’re taking Hanwha as our pick on this market.
DJ Esports’ data reveals that RNG’s first dragon rate is only 48 percent, while Hanwha’s first dragon rate is 76 percent. We can also see that RNG tend to prioritize the first Rift Herald, which they’ve secured in 68 percent of their recent games. Hanwha, however, have only managed to slay it 42 percent of the time.
In this game, Hanwha will need to establish a lead early on if they want to make sure that their lineup can properly develop. They’re likely to assault the Rift Herald early and force RNG to abandon the fight and focus on the first dragon. The odds of Hanwha getting the first Rift Herald are 2.649. We think their chances of pulling this off are quite good.
During the pick and ban phase, Hanwha will likely try to pick champions that favor teamfights. But mid laner Chovy could opt for a champ that can come out swinging in the hopes of taking an early lead to build upon. RNG prefer to select champions with strong teamfighting ability in the late game, aiming to rely on teamwork and synergy to defeat their opponent.
Hanwha showed just how good they are during their qualifying matches. The performance of Chovy can often set the pace for the entire team. He’s considered one of the strongest mid laners in the game. His outstanding performance can give the rest of his team more opportunities to take the initiative to gank.
In this game against RNG, Hanwha’s early offense will be their key to victory. They’ll need to take a lead early and hold onto it to drag the game out into the later stages and set up teamfights on their terms. The odds of Hanwha getting the first five kills are 2.386. If they can stick to their game plan and take an early lead, then this represents a solid bet.
Since both Hanwha and RNG tend to rely on late-game teamfights to end the game, this game is likely to become a long and fierce contest. The odds of this game lasting longer than 32 minutes are 1.927. Expect this showdown to drag on well past that mark.
Although Hanwha didn’t perform well in the regular season this year, they’ve still shown how much they are capable of. They’re playing at the peak of their performance right now and have never been in a better position to be competing at Worlds.
But RNG are a frequent competitor at Worlds and they won the MSI championship in May. As one of the favorites to win Worlds 2021, RNG are looking to take an early win here and keep on moving through the tournament.
Hanwha and RNG will face off on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 6am CT.
Do you have your own thoughts on who you think will be victorious? Head over to DJ Esports to place your own predictions for free using DJT and have a shot of winning part of the $10 million USDT prize pool that the platform is giving away. There are over 70 different options you can try to predict, from the first turret to first blood. Put your League knowledge to the test and get a part of that prize pool.
For more insight on the 2021 LoL World Championship and up-to-the-minute updated data and odds for all of the competing teams, you can view them on DJ Esports.
