?BT Excel emerged as the strongest team in the 2021 Northern LoL Championship (NLC), largely due to their incredible early-game power. The British esports organisation have averaged +3704 GD@15 and 1985 GPM, which are some of the highest marks at EUM.

Karmine Corp did well enough in their domestic league last split, but their early-game numbers (+1378 GD@15, +1887 GPM) were not nearly as impressive as BT’s. That said, the French side have proven to be far more effective in the mid/late-game with a rating of 7.6 compared to BT’s 6.6.

This game can go either way depending on which side manages to play around their strengths. Although Karmine Corp should be favoured if it goes deep into the late-game, BT’s early-game numbers are way too good for us to believe the French side will have a chance to show their prowess at the death.

?Even though Schalke 04 Evolution boast a +1383 GD@15, we have to note that their domestic league is very top-heavy, so that number is a bit misleading. Regardless, the Germans’ early-game rating of 64.6 is still much higher than Cream Real Betis’ 41.1 – the worst out of all teams at the European Masters.

Even though we don’t expect S04 to win the trophy, their early-game numbers are good enough for us to believe they can defeat Betis on Wednesday – even though their mid/late-game rating of -14.6 is significantly lower than the Spanish side’s 16.8.

For S04 to win this bout, they need to speed up the match and close it out before the 30-minute mark, at which point Betis should enter their comfort zone. Mario “Motroco” Martinez’s side might put up a fight, but it’s hard to trust a bad early-game team in the current meta.

?AGO Rogue are the most well-rounded team at the tournament, so we can’t argue with LoL esports bookmakers who have priced them as big favourites over G2 Arctic.

The reigning European Masters champions hail from a stronger region and also have an edge over G2 in both the early- and late-game stats. Rogue boast a 74 early-game rating and an 11.7 mid/late-game rating, whereas G2 are one of the weakest early-game teams (59.2) and aren’t exactly impressive in the mid/late-game (7.5) either.

The betting odds on AGO Rogue are not exactly high, but there is a good reason for that. Even at -181.82, AGO Rogue are a good bet against the SuperLiga’s third seed.

?The latest LoL betting odds on this match make a lot of sense, as ?AIM SE SuppUp come from a much weaker region. That said, there is a world where the Serbian squad can surprise Misfits Premier, solely due to their aggression.

SSU are the second-best rated early-game team (80.4) at the tournament, with some of the highest first blood (64%) and first tower (86%) rates. Misfits Premier, meanwhile, have one of the worst pre-15 minutes records in the league (58.9), but they tend to come online in the mid/late-game with a 9.5 rating.

Those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt since Misfits have had to play much stronger opponents throughout the season, whereas SSU were never properly tested in the Esports Balkan League (EBL). While we expect Misfits to secure a comfortable win and potentially fight for the European Masters title, there is some value in backing the underdogs to reach five kills first.

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