Facing off in the quarterfinals, two of the LCK’s heavyweights will do battle, as T1 take on HLE on Friday, October 22. We look ahead to the match, with a preview from DJ Esports, breaking down all the important stats and predictions.
DJ Esports provides expert analysis ahead of some of the headline matches at Worlds 2021, to help you make your own predictions and check out some of the odds on offer.
In this year’s S11 World Championships group stage, both teams fought tooth and nail to advance. They also successfully entered the quarterfinals as the first and second seeds in the group. T1 lost to EDG in the first round of the group stage and ranked second with a 2-1 record, but they managed to go 3-0 in the second round and qualified as the first seed in the group.
T1 demonstrated their sophisticated playstyle in their most recent matches. They are usually able to suppress their opponents in the early stages of the game through excellent teamwork and focus on objectives to widen their gold lead and carry them into the endgame.
Compared to T1’s solid performance in the group stage, HLE was more of a mixed bag. They only managed a 1-2 record in the first round and ranked third. But, in the second round, they made some adjustments focused on strengthening their early offense. HLE is at the best they’ve been and have a real shot at defeating T1 in the quarterfinals.
In the second round of the group stage, both teams finished 3-0. DJ Esports puts the odds of HLE winning the game at 3.636. We like HLE in this match-up, as they’ve never been in a better position to show the world what they can do.
T1 has performed very well in recent games. Their first Rift Herald rate in the last ten games is an astounding 90%. They’ve also managed to score the first Turret in five of six matches during the group stage. T1 will have every opportunity to repeat this performance.
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In this round of the series, T1 is likely to continue their previous strategy of rotating around to the Rift Herald early, in turn forcing their opponent to either fight or abandon the objective. With odds of 1.497, T1 is our favorite to win both the First Herald and the First Turret in this match.
According to DJ Esports’ analytics matrix, T1’s First Blood rate is much lower than HLE’s. With a First Blood rate of 72 percent, HLE is obviously the stronger team with regards to early-game offense. In this match, HLE will be more likely to rely on a strong attack to suppress T1 early and take a lead. The odds of HLE getting the first five kills are 2.361, clearly giving them the more dominant early game of the two.
Considering that in the first game both sides are likely to choose a relatively conservative strategy, don’t expect a bloodbath. This game is likely to be slow and decided in the late game, so betting on under 24.5 kills might be a safe prediction here
This is the only LCK game in the quarterfinals, and both sides have a deep understanding of each other. HLE did not perform well in the league, but they still relied on their outstanding performance in regionals to secure a spot at the World Championships. They are also eager to beat T1 in the quarterfinals and go further. On the flip side, though, as the only team that has won three World Championships, T1 can never be counted out.
What do you think? Can HLE pull off an upset? Let us know over at DJ Esports’ Discord server. While you’re there, message the mods for your free 800 DJT and start playing for free.