Dean Etheridge
The LPL 2022 Spring Playoffs come to an end this Saturday when Top Esports and Royal Never Give Up meet in the final to decide who is this year’s LOL Champion side.
If you include the round-robin section, this competition has gone on for what seems like an entire soccer season. The first blows were traded early in the new year, and except for a mid-term break, the action has continually flowed since January 10th.
At the end of the marathon the two teams to emerge are the 2021 Spring Playoff Champions Royal Never Give Up, and last year’s 4th place finishers, Top Esports.
Lose early but come back and win the series. @TOP_Esports_ take over the later games en route to a rematch against @RNG in the Grand Finals!
You won't want to miss it!
RNG vs TES 4.23 11:30 CEST | 2:30 PDT pic.twitter.com/B6luTCjwUS
— LPL (@lplenglish) April 20, 2022
LPL Spring 2022; The Story So Far
As I’ve already alluded to, the season is a bit of a marathon stretch. To get here, Royal Never Give Up (also known as their abbreviation of RNG), has played 16 round-robin matches, and a further two playoff matches.
Due to finishing second in the round-robin table, RNG didn’t enter the playoffs until Round 4, meaning they’ve had fewer matches in the run-up to the final than Saturday’s opponents.
In the round-robin section, RNG had a 12-4 win/loss record, giving them a series percentage of 75%. Their games record was 25-14, giving them a record of +11 at a win rate of 64%.
As for Top Esports (also known as TES), they weren’t as dominant in the round-robin section.
The relatively new (they only formed in 2019) Chinese outfit finished with a record of 11-5, at a 69% win percentage. There were four teams (3rd to 6th) with the same win percentage, meaning Games Difference and head-to-head were required to sort out the finishing positions.
Top Esports had the joint third-best Game Difference at +7 (24-17), 59%. They ended up taking the 5th spot ahead of Weibo Gaming on the head-to-head, having beaten their rivals 2-0 in Week 8 of the competition. It didn’t make a huge difference in the end, as both TES and Weibo had to enter the playoffs in Round 2.
To get to the final, Top Esports has played 16 round-robin matches and five playoff matches. They won four of their playoff matches and lost one. The loss? Quite tellingly, it was to Royal Never Give Up. RNG beat TES 3-1 in their semi-final match, with TES getting a second chance in the Losers’ Bracket, where they defeated Victory 5 (3-1) to claim their place in the final.
TES 3:1 V5
MVPs went to knight,@Gao_Tian_Liang and Wayward.
Take what we love to the extreme.#TESWIN #ToTheTop pic.twitter.com/gRURAErwrh— TOPESPORTS (@TOP_Esports_) April 20, 2022
LPL Spring 2022; The Final
The LPL Spring 2022 has taken place in its entirety in China. So as you will no doubt have already guessed, this is also where the final will be taking place.
For anybody in the ET zone, it’s an early start I’m afraid. The 5.30 am ET start time will ensure it’s an event for the loyal Esports fanbase only.
- Match; LPL Spring 2022 LOL Playoffs Final (best of 5)
- Who; Royal Never Give Up (RNG) v Top Esports (TES)
- When; Saturday, April 23rd, 2022
- Time; 5.30 am ET
Any early risers can watch the game on Twitch.
Who is the Betting Favorite to Win?
The top Esports betting sites are struggling to separate the two teams. At the moment, RNG is the marginal favorite on the Moneyline, but as you can see there is not a great deal between the two sides with the top sportsbooks.
| LPL Spring 2022 LOL Playoffs Winner |  |  |  |
| Royal Never Give Up (RNG) | -135 | TBC | -145 |
| Top Esports (TES) | -106 | TBC | Evs |
I have to admit, I find this a bit strange as RNG has consistently been the better performing team throughout the competition, and convincingly won their recent match-up in the semi-final.
This could be down to the form of Top Epsorts’ Mid Lane player Knight, who has been the MVP in the playoffs with 6 wins. That’s two wins ahead of his closest rivals, of which his teammate, Wayward, is one of them.
For the record, RNG’s highest performing player in the playoffs is Wei with 3 wins. But bear in mind that the defending champions have played 3 playoff games less than TES.
RNG v TES Betting Picks
Anyway, onto our free Esports Picks for the final.
On the Moneyline, I can look past Royal Never Give Up. They are the defending champions and have already beaten TES twice at this event.
As well as defeating Saturday’s opponents 3-1 in the semi-final, RNG also defeated them 2-0 in Week 4 of the round-robin competition.
So my betting picks to win the LPL Spring 2022 is Royal Never Give Up at -135.
Elsewhere, I’m not going to bet on the Handicap market, as I don’t see much value there. But in over/under games (maps) betting, over 4.5 is +160, with under 4.5 at -225.
If Top Esports are to win, the chances are it will be 3-2. At odds of +160 on over 4.5 games, I think a small cover wager is worthwhile.
That way if the match does go down to the wire, as a final could, then at the very least we will break even.
If you use a sportsbook sign-up bonus to place this bet, you will also have more chances to make a profit.
