This year's LCS Summer - the latest split in North America's elite League of Legends division in esports - continues on Wednesday with a double-header of matches on the cards.

With a prize pool of $200,000, the LCS Summer 2023 is taking place in Los Angeles and begins with 10 teams in a double round-robin format during the regular season.

At the end of the regular season, the top eight teams will progress to the playoffs, otherwise known as the LCS Championship.

That is when things get interesting as the top three teams will qualify for the end-of-season League of Legends World Championship.

For now, though, the focus is on the regular season with TSM gearing up for a clash with Evil Geniuses and FlyQuest facing Team Liquid.

Expect high kill count when Evil Geniuses clash with TSM

Not a lot has separated TSM and Evil Geniuses in North America's LCS this year but it is fair to say one side look a little ahead of the other ahead of their clash on Wednesday. 

There were only two places between the teams in the regular season of the LCS Spring 2023 with Evil Geniuses edging into the playoffs with a 10-8 win-loss record and TSM just missing out with a reverse 8-10 win-loss record. 

Evil Geniuses won their first playoff match against Counter Logic Gaming before a 3-0 thrashing by Golden Guardians, so finished the split only three places better off than opponents TSM. 

In the LCS Summer, however, Evil Geniuses have stepped things up a bit with five wins from their opening six matches putting them joint-top of the regular-season standings with Cloud9. 

TSM, meanwhile, have been patchy with three wins and three defeats to their name, so it is no surprise to see Evil Geniuses rated favourites at -250. 

There is naturally little value in backing them to win this one so punters should look at other markets. 

One which could make an appeal is over 23.5 total kills in the match with TSM averaging 13.3 kills per game in the LCS Summer, while for Evil Geniuses that figure sits at 16. 

At -138, Evil Geniuses could also be worth a bet to record first blood in the match, having done so in 67% of their LCS Summer assignments.

Struggling FlyQuest could defy expectations

Make no mistake, it has been a disastrous LCS Summer for FlyQuest. 

Earlier this year, they had laid down a marker in the LCS Spring, topping the regular-season table with 14 wins from 18 matches. 

They went on to beat 100 Thieves 3-0 in the upper bracket of the playoffs before succumbing to successive losses to Cloud9 and Golden Guardians but they pushed the latter close in a 3-2 loss and finished third overall in the split. 

That should have put the team in high spirits heading into the LCS Summer, knowing a repeat of that LCS Spring performance would land them a place at the League of Legends World Championship. 

But instead they have gone 0-6 so far in the LCS Summer, leaving them bottom of the standings and with little hope of making the top eight. 

Despite that, they are +150 to record their first win of the split against Team Liquid and that could be worth consideration. 

Liquid have a 4-2 record in the LCS Summer but both of those defeats came in the previous gameweek as they lost to Dignitas and Evil Geniuses. 

Team Liquid finished with a negative win-loss record in the LCS Spring (8-10) and are not considered big hitters in the division, so punters should not rush to back them -200 and struggling FlyQuest could indeed be the better selection. 

Despite their struggles, FlyQuest have recorded first blood in half of their matches in the LCS Summer this year and are +100 to do so against Team Liquid, who are priced at -138 in the same market.

bet365 News Team

• • 
  •