LCS 2022 Spring Split Picks, Predictions, Odds March 5

• Evil Geniuses looking to kickstart their season after a sluggish start to the LCS
• FlyQuest, fresh off consecutive losses, aim to stay in the top half of the table
• Split leaders Team Liquid seeking continued resurgence

Pick: Evil Geniuses (moneyline)

Immortals vs Evil Geniuses Predictions

We have veered towards the halfway mark of the 2022 LCS Spring Split, and it has been tougher than ever before to pick out definite trends and positions on the leaderboard. Some teams have exceeded expectations, others have slipped below their owns standards.

All of these have added to the unpredictability and volatility of the points table going into week five.

Among those who have had a bit of a disappointing run so far despite promising much more are Immortals and Evil Geniuses.

Both sides have a 4-5 record, and are in a three-way race for sixth. Playoff positions are very much on the line, and the winner here will have an opportunity to establish a small advantage, even if it may not count for much.

Immortals Given Reality Check

Their contest against Golden Guardians was on an even keel for large parts, but Guardians eventually flexed their muscle to close out the contest. Immortals can draw heart from their fight, however. Immortals captured seven towers, finishing just one less than Guardians. They also had 63.1k gold to show, as compared to Guardians’ 69.5k.

Overall, Immortals landed 9 kills to their opponents’ 15.

They were level in terms of both inhibitors and barons, but Guardians had double the dragons Immortals possessed. Even in defeat, the form of Xerxe and Revenge were huge takeaways. Xerxe landed the most number of kills, 3, apart from 3 deaths and 5 assists.

Revenge was terrific as the jungler, lending as many as five assists along with a creep score of 341. PowerOfEvil too had an excellent outing, with K/D/A numbers of 2/3/6 that pegged his creep score at 323. They have the personnel. With a bit of luck and better map movements, they can challenge the top sides too.

Evil Geniuses Going Strong Despite Defeat

Evil Geniuses are in a battle to stay alive. They’ll be the first ones to admit they have underachieved so far, especially after a creditable show at the lock-in tournament where they finished runners-up.

Like Immortals, they’re coming off a loss to Counter Logic Gaming in a tight contest. EG had 69.4k gold to CLG’s 72.1, landed 18 kills to CLG’s 20, and six kills to CLG’s 9.

Impact left his mark on the game, landing 7 kills, 3 deaths and 4 assists, while Inspired was terrific in a support role, lending as many as 13 assists along with Vulcan’s 15.

They can take heart from the fact that they weren’t blown away and were in the contest for much of it. As such, they are the more pedigreed team on paper, so expect them to hold the aces with this one.

TSM vs FlyQuest Pick

Pick: FlyQuest (moneyline)

Team SoloMid v FlyQuest Predictions

TSM are rooted to the bottom of the pile, two wins away from equalling ninth-placed CLG, but they just have one win to show going into week five.

They will be heading into the game against third-placed Fly Quest on the back of four back-to-back losses. No wonder TSM have the odds heavily stacked against them.

TSM in Rebuild Mode

Having slumped to an embarrassing position from where they’re struggling to pick themselves up, TSM have just pride to play for.

Not even a slew of personnel changes ahead of the lock-in leading into the Spring Split has helped deliver encouraging results.

Spica, Tactical and Shenyi were all brought into the roster through a combination of lengthy trials, scouting and flexing of their financial muscle.

Their CEO Andy Reginald says the team spent over USD 5 million on their League of Legends roster with a plan to rebuild over a three-year period. Clearly their hopes for stability has far from materialised, and now is a true test of their long-term vision.

FlyQuest Far From Their Best

FlyQuest saw the gulf in class and quality they will have to bridge when they were handed a loss by Cloud9. FlyQuest weren’t even in the contest that went away from them within the first 10 minutes itself as the fight to take control of the map quickly turned into one-way traffic. Cloud9 effected as many as 18 kills, even as FlyQuest managed all of seven.

All their players combined managed seven kills, as much as Cloud9’s Summit effected.

100 Thieves vs Liquid Pick

Pick: Liquid (moneyline)

100 Thieves vs Liquid Predictions

100 Thieves are fairly comfortably placed, but wouldn’t want to rest on their early laurels. Already, the consequence of breathing easy may have been felt.

They’ve lost two games on the bounce to currently be placed third and in the middle of a logjam. Team Liquid have a two-win advantage and are challenging to finish as the runaway leaders, even if they may have some distance to traverse before they get there.

Both sides finished in the top half of the leader board last year and are primed to do so again, but they’re at a stage where they don’t want the belt to get tighter because of complacency.

100 Thieves still will deliver better bang for your buck should they pull off victory here, and that’s because the punters favour Team Liquid on current form.

100 Thieves Play Bold

The 2022 lock-in hardly gave 100 Thieves the opportunity to prove why they were the reigning champions of the 2021 LCS. But they laid down a marker of sorts in their very first game of the 2022 Spring Split when they beat Team Liquid, the very team against whom they earned the title. That they’re a force to reckon with isn’t in doubt.

CoreJJ’s green card approval has made them a stronger unit on paper and has rejuvenated them mid-season, even though the mystery over his participation has become a talking point. They’re looking sharper and more threatening as a result. What has also helped 100 Thieves is their decision to be bolder and moving sway from more traditional team compositions in the middle of the competition. They’d like to believe the loss to Team Dignitas last week was an aberration.

Liquid’s Squad Depth Shines Through

Liquid are coming off an epic upset, where they were taken to the cleaners in the first game. They showed what makes them a force to contend with as they leveled proceedings 13 minutes into the second game, taking control of the map entirely. But as the game transitioned towards the mid-game stage, Liquid fell behind again.

Lost’s Jinx held a 4/0/0 scoreline at 18 minutes as GG had four turrets and three dragons at that point in the game. From there on, Liquid lost control of the game that eventually went down to.

Last week CoreJJ was once again absent from the starting line-up after just two games. However with Eyla stepping up, they were able to put together a formidable opposition despite the loss to Golden Guardians. Hans Sama has proven to be an able player in the bottom lane. In week four, the Eyla and Hans bottom lane made up a combined 5.4 KDA while both averaged 66.7-percent kill participation.

They have proven they are a side with enough resources and depth to remain pack leaders even if not playing to full strengths.  Teams will have to pull above their weight to challenge their might.

How to Watch LCS 2022 Spring Split