LCK Summer Outrights: T1 Aren’t Invincible

• The LCK Summer season will commence on June 7th and end on August 6th. The LCK is often considered the toughest regional LoL esports league.   
• T1 are one of the greatest LoL esports sides of all time, so it’s no surprise they head into this tournament as favorites. Gen.G, however, were the winners this Spring. One of them will most likely win this tournament. 
• KT Rolster, DPlus Kia, and Hanwha Life Esports have valuable odds. They are certainly worth a punt. 

LCK Summer 2023 Outrights Odds

Outright odds taken from Unibet for LCK Summer 2023 

LCK Summer Outrights Pick

• Pick:  Gen.G (+200)

LCK Summer 2023 Outrights Predictions

The LCK has some of the best LoL esports teams in the world. No other regional league has as many Worlds winners, so it’s often considered the strongest regional LoL esports league. Another LCK season is set to get underway from June 7th to August 6th.

T1, to no one’s surprise, head into the LCK Summer 2023 as the bookmakers’ favorite despite falling short in the spring season. T1 are the most successful team in LCK and LoL esports history, so regardless of what’s happened recently, the bookmakers will always have them ahead of anyone else. 

Gen.G are just under T1 in the odds list after beating T1 3-1 in the spring season finals. Gen.G have got more valuable odds, so it’s tempting to pick them for this season. Doing it once is admirable, but doing it twice seems a bit improbable. 

The other contenders are KT Rolster, DPlys Kia, and Hanwha Life Esports. They have the potential to beat anyone on their day but have lacked consistency. They’ve got high valuable odds, but it’s hard to see them come out on top with T1 and Gen.G to go past. There are five other teams in the mix for whom playoff qualification will be a big accomplishment; they’re not in the outright winners conversation. 

Favorites to win LCK Summer 2023

T1 Aren’t Invincible 

If T1 don’t win a tournament they’ve participated in, it’s considered a disappointment. That’s how high T1 have set the bar for themselves since 2012. Throughout their time in LoL esports, they’ve been one of the best sides in the world, and that’s no different heading into this tournament. 

They’ve got the experience of Faker – arguably the greatest LoL esports player of all time – on the side, but Gumayusi is their current star. He has averaged 4.59 kills, 1.99 deaths, and 4.79 assists per match this year. They have everything a top team is looking for; it’s now a matter of living up to the billing. 

The 3-1 loss to Gen.G in the spring final will sting, but they’ve got a shot at redemption this term. They were the strongest team in the league last season, with 17 wins and one loss, and they’re capable of going unbeaten all season. However, there isn’t great value in picking them. 

It’s tricky because most top teams relish opportunities like this – they’ve bounced back countless times in the past. However,  the loss to Gen.G in the spring finals showed the world they could be beaten even when they look indestructible for most of the season. It looks like risking it might be a better pick strategy this season. 

Can Gen.G Do It Again? 

Gen.G have made it to the finals of LCK events since 2020 and are the current spring champion. They managed this despite changing their roster just before the spring campaign starter. They’ve also been a thorn in T1’s side for a few years, so there are many reasons to pick them. 

Going back-to-back isn’t easy, and that’s Gen.G’s next challenge. If they want to be perceived in the same bracket as T1, they need to win titles on the bounce and get to the latter stages of the competitions they enter. They’ve been on a phenomenal run in the last three years, and winning this tournament might just crystallize that they’re as good as the likes of T1. 

In Peyz, they’ve got a phenom. He has averaged 4.81 kills, 1.72 deaths, and 4.61 deaths per match this year. These numbers stack up with the likes of T1’s Gumayusi. In fact, many fans and experts would suggest that Peyz has been the best LoL esports player this year. 

Gen.G have nothing to fear heading into this tournament. Despite winning the spring season, they’re still not the favorites. We think that they’re the best pick because they’ve gotten stronger since making the roster changes and have an excellent record against T1, who are their greatest adversary.

Value Picks to Win LCK Summer 2023

KT Rolster, DPlus Kia, and Hanwha Life Esports Could Spring a Surprise  

If KT Rolster, DPlus Kia, and Hanwha Life Esports were in any other league, they’d be considered giants of the LoL esports, but competing against the likes of T1 and Gen.G regularly has taken away some of the shine from these sides. 

KT Rolster are the most capable of challenging the big two. They won 13 and lost five of their matches in the spring league campaign – the same as eventual winner Gen.G. They also beat Gen.G in one of their league matches, which showed how even the two were in the league. Despite suffering losses against Gen.G and T1 in the knockouts, the games were quite tight. They lost 3-1 to Gen.G in round three and 3-2 to T1 in round two.

The big difference between KT Rolster and the big two is the lack of a superstar. Aiming is good, but he doesn’t stack up against the likes of Peyz and Gumayusi. This year, he has averaged 3.9 kills, 1.43 deaths, and 4.13 assists per match. A star player often makes the difference in the tightest of encounters, and it’s why KT Rolster haven’t been able to take the next step. 

This could be the season where he goes up a level, but it’s still too big a punt for now. DPlus Kia and Hanwha Life Esports are the two other sides capable of upsetting a big team, but winning this tournament requires putting a run together, and we haven’t seem them do that often enough in recent years. 

Of all the outside shouts, KT Rolster are the best, but they’ll need some luck on the day, a little improvement from Aiming and his teammates, and some underperformance from Gen.G and T1. It’s hard to envision all of this in one season, so we suggest sticking with one of Gen.G or TI for this season, as predictable as that sounds.

How to Watch LCK Summer 2023

• Venue: Korea
• Time: June 7th to August 6th 
• How to watch: Twitch