After a thrilling group stage, the knockout stage of the 2022 League of Legends World Championship is about to begin with LPL giants JD Gaming taking on western hopes Rogue in the first of four quarter-finals this week.
Rogue are the only side from outside of Asia remaining at this year's World Championship and will be hoping to keep the European dream alive.
But standing in their way is a JD Gaming team who ripped up the group stage and who are rated 15/8 to win this year's Worlds.
It is a real underdog story and there are plenty of ways to get involved in the contest from a betting perspective.
The remaining three quarter-finals at this year's World Championship take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the worlds best continue to battle it out for the lion's share of a prize pool of $2,225,000 and to be crowned as the best League of Legends team on the planet.
| What: | JD Gaming vs Rogue, LOL World Champs |
| Where: | USA |
| When: | 22:00, Thursday 20th October, 2022 |
| How to watch: | Riot Games Twitch channel / League of Legends Youtube channel / bet365 Live Streaming |
| Odds: | JD Gaming 1/20, Rogue 15/2 |
JD Gaming should have too much quality
Following their effortless performance at China's LPL Summer earlier this year, expectations surrounding JD Gaming were high going into Worlds.
In the regular season of the LPL Summer, they racked up 14 wins from 16 matches before blitzing through the playoffs and overpowering Top Esports 3-2 in the final.
They are the top seed from China - a region which has produced three of the last four League of Legends world champions - and many expect JD Gaming to go the distance.
They did not disappoint in the group stage, winning five of their six matches. Their one slip-up came against 2020 world champions DWG KIA but they made amends by then beating the LCK side in the tiebreaker for top spot.
JD Gaming managed an eye-watering 28 kills in that contest and they are understandably favourites to defeat Rogue given the gulf in class between the regions and the teams themselves.
The Chinese powerhouses have barely put a foot wrong in the tournament so far, have a strong core of carry players with the likes of Bai "369" Jia-Hao and Zeng "Yagao" Qi and they make themselves really tough to beat thanks to their variable drafting.
Indeed, with the exception of "Yagao", each player in the rest of the roster have played at least five unique champions. That is hard to play against and as much as European followers would love to see Rogue make life tough for their opponents, the more likely outcome is a whitewash victory for JD, who are worth backing to win 3-0 at 5/6.
Consistency evades Rogue
Obviously a team has to be playing at a certain level to reach the quarter-finals of the League of Legends World Championship and Rogue have most definitely had the look of a top-eight side at times in this tournament.
However, the LEC outfit failed to make the most of having started the event with a 3-0 record, capitulating somewhat in the second round robin in which they suffered defeats to DRX and Top Esports.
To make matters worse, they then went on to lose to DRX again in the tie-breaker and if they struggled against one of Asia's smaller sides, it does not take a genius to work out they could have a tough time of it against giants of the game like JD Gaming.
A lack of consistency has been their biggest flaw while, unlike JD Gaming, their drafts have become a touch predictable. Nonetheless, if they do fall to defeat, as expected, they can walk away from this year's Worlds with their heads held high.
Early game could provide Rogue with best chance of upset
If Rogue were to cause JD Gaming any problems, it would likely be in the early stages of the game. Unlike some of the other big-hitters, JD Gaming do not start their matches with much aggression and are often reliant on late teamfights to grind down their opponents.
This season they have averaged only +332 in the gold differential at the 15-minute mark, compared to +2050 for T1 and +2442 for DWG KIA.
JD Gaming have drawn first blood in just under 43 per cent of their matches this season and Rogue could represent value at 11/10 to claim first blood in this match, while the 3/1 on offer for them to be the first to slay a baron also makes appeal.
JD Gaming should feel confident of booking their place in the semi-finals of this year's Worlds but the key to success against them further down the line could well be a fast start.
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