Hello and welcome to our in-depth 2022 LCS Lock-In betting preview. That’s right, it’s January and we’re already just days away from the start of this year’s top-level LoL esports action! The North American Lock-In event is scheduled to start on January 14th and last through January 30th. Just like last year, the Lock-In event will serve as an introduction for the Spring Split.
The 2022 #LCS Lock In Draft Results
Matches kick off on 1/14/2022 pic.twitter.com/P2KZbPYqta
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) December 15, 2021
Last year, Liquid won the inaugural Lock-In event and $150,000 in prize money. Will they be able to defend their title? Well, we’ll be discussing that and a lot more in the remainder of our 2022 LCS Lock-In betting preview!
2022 LCS Lock-In Betting Preview – Key Facts
Before venturing any further into the problematics behind 2022 LCS Lock-In betting lines, let’s have a closer look at the key facts:
- As mentioned earlier, the event kicks off on January 14th and runs through January 30th.
- 2022 LCS Lock-in will feature $150,000 in prize money. Just like last year, the entire sum goes to the winning team.
- The winning team will also get an additional $50,000 that they’ll give to a charity of their choice.
- Both YouTube and Twitch will have livestreams of the event, so make sure you don’t miss out.
- The format consists of two stages, group stage and playoffs. More info about the format can be found right down below!
Lock-In Event Format
The show kicks off on the fourteenth with two groups of five teams. Groups are set up in a single round-robin system with all matches scheduled for best of one contests. The four best teams from each group advance to the knockout stage – the bottom team from each group is eliminated.
As for the playoff/knockout stage, it’s set up for a single-elimination bracket with bo3 quarterfinals and all remaining rounds bo5. There are no major changes from last year’s iteration.
Here are the two groups of five we mentioned earlier:
| GROUP A | GROUP B |
|---|---|
| 100 Thieves | Team Liquid |
| Cloud9 | Evil Geniuses |
| TSM FTX | Immortals |
| Golden Guardians | Counter Logic Gaming |
| FlyQuest | Dignitas QNTMPAY |
2022 LCS Lock-In Betting Favorites and Outright Winner Odds
You can already invest in 2022 LCS Lock-In betting slips. Outright winner bets have been around ever since the group stage draft gave us all relevant info. The first match-winner bets are still not available, though they’ll come in the next week or so, for sure.
As for the outrights, here they are:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Liquid | +162 |
| Cloud9 | +200 |
| 100 Thieves | +300 |
| Evil Geniuses | +900 |
| TSM | +1200 |
| Immortals | +1600 |
| Golden Guardians | +2500 |
Now that you know the odds, it’s time to say a few smart words about the most notable contenders:
Team Liquid as the Frontrunners
Liquid are the bookies’ favorites coming into the LCS Lock-in event! They’ve replaced Alphari with Bwipo who will now have a chance to show himself in the best of light instead of all the drama that’s been surrounding his former team.
Another very important factor is Bjergsen in mid lane. Liquid splurged on Hans sama too. They’ve practically made upgrades all over the map and are looking like the strongest team in NA right now.
However, they could run into issues with syncing up. Three of their five starters have joined the team just two months ago. Two months is a lot of time to get things up and running, but playing against the likes of 100 Thieves, EG, and Cloud9 is bound to show off some of their weaknesses.
Cloud9 Right Behind Them
Moving on with our 2022 LCS Lock-In betting predictions, let’s talk about Cloud9. They don’t have Perkz anymore, which is bound to be a massive minus for their overall title tendencies. Still, they’ve done a good job by bringing in Summit who’s bound to become an instant hit in the top lane. Berserker ought to be a viable arrival too, though only time will tell just how much opportunities he’s going to get this season.
Fudge is moving back to the mid role, but knowing his playstyle, we’re bound to see him cover both lanes and roam around if he manages to take mid-control early on. Overall, Cloud9 might not be as strong and dominant as they were last season, but they definitely have potential. However, at just +200, I reckon there are far more valuable bets than this one!
100 Thieves Looking Good
100 Thieves are not to be taken for granted either. A lot of people seem to be underestimating their chances at winning not just the Lock-in event but the Spring Split too. Mind you, they haven’t made a single starting roster alteration ahd have five LCS champions in their roster, nicely poised with a Korean legend up top and a former TCL MVP in jungle.
100 Thieves also have West, one of the highest-potential mid laner in the world, as well as a brilliant bottom lane tandem in FBI and huhi. Perhaps not the best bottom tandem in general, but surely one of the best bottom lanes in NA at the moment.
There’s just one thing that could turn into a potential issue for them – their replacement top player Tenacity. He arrived just two months ago and has signed a deal until November 2024. He’s got potential, that’s for sure, but I value Ssumday’s experience much more than Tenacity’s potential.
If 100T force the Canadian instead of experienced Korean, their LCS Lock-In event might result in a quick elimination. Just saying!
Evil Geniuses Could Be a Dark Horse
Evil Geniuses could be a potent dark horse on this event! They’re currently listed at +900, which is quite a lot… especially considering the likes of 100T at +300 and Cloud9 at +200. Yes, I am aware EG are, at least form and roster-quality wise, not exactly near those two. But, the odds for them to win the event are justifiably bigger too. At +900, you have to appreciate the value here – it’s serious, to say the least.
What’s so special about EG, though?
Well, for starters – Impact is back and that’s bound to make EG one of the most exciting teams to watch this season. It’s not just Impact, though, their entire team breathes quality across all departments.
They can consider themselves very lucky for managing to sign Inspired. The talented 19-year-old Pole had an amazing year and should bring forth much-needed contributions in the jungle. Even though +900 suggests EG are far from the title here, if they manage to snowball right from the off, we could see them reach quite far into the playoffs.
2022 LCS Spring Split Preview and Predictions
Last but not least, let’s say a couple of words about the 2022 LCS Spring Split! The LCS Lock-In event will give us a rough depiction of things to come later on in the season, that’s for sure. But, even though the Lock-In is turning into a fan favorite, the Split is still the main attraction and the competition most League of Legends betting enthusiasts are waiting for.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any outright winner odds for the LCS Spring Split. We’ll have them shortly after the end of the Lock-In event, so if that’s what you’re interested in, visit your go-to bookie in early February.
As for concrete predictions, I’m afraid it’s way too early to draw any hard conclusions here. The Lock-In event will give us a rough depiction of what teams like Liquid and Cloud9 are capable of. But, who knows, perhaps another contender will rise up for the occasion and shock the most notable contenders.
Only time will tell, I guess…
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