Will the G2 Esports Crew Steamroll Competition in League of Legends EMEA Championship Stage 1?

Dan Favale
By , Updated on: Mar 19, 2024 08:00 PM
Will the G2 Esports Crew Steamroll Competition in League of Legends EMEA Championship Stage 1?

The 2024 League of Legends EMEA Championship spring session will kick off this weekend on Friday, March 22. Ten teams will be vying for the right for six playoff spots later this season and the chance to qualify for the League of Legends World Championships that comes with it. We’re here to tackle the best bets to win during Stage 1 of LoL EMEA.

  • What: League of Legends EMEA Championship (Spring Season)
  • Dates: Friday, March 22 through Monday, March 25
  • Time: First match begins on Friday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m. 
  • Where: Riot Games Arena in Adlershof, Berlin, Germany
  • Reigning Champion: G2 Esports

As a reminder, the League of Legends EMEA Championship (formerly known as League of Legends LEC) is run by Riot Games and incorporates Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Every season is separated into three segments: winter, spring and summer. Each session includes three weeks of round-robin tournament matches. These segments then conclude with a playoff tournament between the top six teams.

Since we’re prepping for Stage 1 of the spring season, all 10 teams are currently on the docket. Though our League of Legends EMEA Championship predictions will focus on the Day 1 matchups, you can see the entire list of online eSports betting odds for Stage 1 below:

DateFavoriteBetUSBetUSUnderdog
03/22/2024Rogue-125-104GIANTX
03/22/2024Fnatic-227+167Team BDS
03/22/2024G2 Esports-417+284SK Gaming
03/22/2024Heretics-123-106Mad Lions KOI
03/22/2024Vitality-154+118Karmine Corp
03/23/2024Fnatic-312+222SK Gaming
03/23/2024Vitality-244+179GIANTX
03/23/2024Team BDS-118-111Mad Lions KOI
03/23/2024G2 Esports-588+376Rogue
03/23/2024Heretics-159+119Karmine Corp
03/25/2025Heretics-238+174GIANTX
03/25/2025SK Gaming-196+145Rogue
03/25/2025Fnatic-238+174Mad Lions KOI
03/25/2025G2 Esports-357+245Vitality
03/25/2025Team BDS-167+125Karmine Corp

Please remember to keep checking these eSports betting odds right up until you place any wagers. Our betting odds for League of Legends are accurate entering Wednesday, March 20. That gives the best online sportsbooks in the United States plenty of time to make adjustments to their initial lines prior to the opening bell on Friday, March 22.

As of now, the latest League of Legends EMEA Championship betting odds have billed the reigning champion G2 Esports as the heaviest favorite in Stage 1—across all their matchups. Are they on court to dominate? And what other head-to-heads should you be tracking? Let’s get to it.

Is G2 Esports Primed to Repeat as the League of Legends EMEA Champion?

G2 Esports (-417) is favored by at least 3.5-to-1 in all three of their matchups this week, and we fully expect to see their League of Legends betting lines move further away from the even-money direction.

The reigning EMEA champs, who also have a record 13 LoL EMEA titles, are winning 86.7 percent of their competitions when holding a lead after 15 minutes. Given that SK Gaming (+284) sits under .500 on the season and is clearing the First Tower less than 50 percent of the time, we’d be shocked if G2 Esports doesn’t handedly win this one.

OSB Prediction: G2 Esports (-417)

G2 Esports To beat SK Gaming in Stage 1 of the League of Legends EMEA Championship
-417
BetUS

Is Rogue Overvalued Heading into Matchup vs. GIANTX?

While Rogue (-125) is the betting favorite to beat GIANTX (-104) in Stage 1 of the EMEA Championship, we find ourselves more drawn to the latter.

Indeed, both squads sit miles below .500 on the year. And GIANTX is averaging fewer kills per game overall. But they also tend to capture more Dragons by the 15-minute mark. And on top of that, Rogue has blown an overwhelming number of leads past the halfway point of their matches.

OSB Prediction: GIANTX (-104)

GIANTX To beat Rogue in Stage 1 of the League of Legends EMEA Championship
-104
BetUS

Fnatic Could be on Upset Alert Against Team BDS

The latest LoL betting odds have Fnatic (-227) as the decided favorite over Team BDS (+167). That’s a little strange in our estimation.

Team BDS is more efficient at drawing first blood and is winning a higher percentage of their matches when leading after 15 minutes. To their credit, Fnatic has proven to be the better squad at racking up total kills per game, and they do a better job in the First Tower.

Still, we think linemakers are overcompensating for Team BDS’ recent loss to Heretics, in which they mustered only four kills. However, in their two matches prior, Team BDS rattled off 19 and 20 kills, respectively. This feels like an opportunity to capitalize on some nice underdog odds.

OSB Prediction: Team BDS (+167)

Team BDS To beat Fnatic in Stage 1 of the League of Legends EMEA Championship
+167
BetUS

Heretics vs. Mad Lions KOI May be the Best Matchup in League of Legends EMEA Championship Stage 1

League of Legends oddsmakers are fairly split on Heretics (-123) vs. Mad Lions KOI (-106). We’re a little more certain.

Though Heretics will slow-play their approach earlier on, they have the more balanced attack overall. And their ability to limit mistakes is second to none. Heretics is averaging just 10.9 deaths per game compared to Mad Lions KOI’s 14.7

Indeed, Heretics can be a touch too cautious on occasion. But they really upped their opening-gate aggression level in their most recent win over Team BDS, a match that saw them rattle off 17 kills. Don’t let their two consecutive losses fool you. Heretics isn’t a squad to take lightly.

OSB Prediction: Heretics (-123)

Heretics To beat Mad Lions KOI in Stage 1 of the League of Legends EMEA Championship
-123
BetUS

Can Karmine Corp Get Back on Track Against Vitality?

Karmine Corp (+118) enters Friday’s League of Legends play having lost four of five matches. We don’t see their fortunes chanaging against Vitality (-154).

To be sure, Vitality is working out of their own slump. And their last match against Fnatic went down as a loss. They’ll need to do a more consistent job protecting their flanks.

And yet, Vitality has shown some real pluckiness in their most recent games. For the season, they’re averaging 14.2 kills. That number has exploded to 20 kills per game over their past three matches. Even when factoring in how Vitality can often hurt themselves by taking unnecessary risks, Karmine Corp will be hard-pressed to keep up with this level of firepower.

OSB Prediction: Vitality (-154)

Vitality To beat Karmine Corp in Stage 1 of the League of Legends EMEA Championship
-123
BetUS

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs:

Meet the author

Dan Favale

Dan Favale leverages over 12 years of sports journalism expertise in his role as New York staff writer. He provides in-depth analysis across the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, tennis, NASCAR, college basketball, and sports betting. Dan co-hosts the popular Hardwood Knocks NBA podc...

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