Michael Lee is back to kick off the week in esports with a massive article featuring three of his best bets for this Monday, the 10th of May! In this edition, he focuses in on the League of Legends 2021 MSI tournament for all three of his bets.
Esports Betting Tips: Monday, May 10th
Istanbul Wildcats vs MAD Lions
2021 MSI
MAD Lions are taking over Group B by storm and enter the final day of group play with a perfect 3-0 record. I was a bit sceptical about MAD Lions heading into this tournament and continue to have doubts about this team and the longevity of their winning streak.
Although MAD field very solid players, this team is notorious for coin-flipping their games, which is something that anyone could have spotted in any of their three games so far. In their last match MAD beat paiN Gaming fairly convincingly, however, the European representatives have had moments where they nearly threw the game away.
In this match, it will all come down to whether Istanbul Wildcats are good enough to take advantage of MAD Lions' mistakes. However, based on what the Turkish side have shown so far I don't believe they are.
This could still turn out to be an exciting match, which has been the theme for all MAD Lions bouts so far. The kill line is set at 28.5 which is a bit too high for my liking, especially since there is a good chance MAD will take over the match and blow Wildcats out of the Summoner's Rift - like PSG Talon did. Under is the play.
PaiN Gaming vs PSG Talon
2021 MSI
I am a big fan of paiN Gaming and their approach to their games, however, I wouldn't dare to say that they're better than PSG Talon. The latter had a poor start of the tournament when they lost to MAD Lions, but I wouldn't overreact to that one performance.
That is mainly because PSG Talon lost that game only five minutes after connecting. They gave MAD free early kills in the bottom lane and from there the match spiralled out of control. Talon have since swept aside both paiN Gaming and Wildcats with relative ease, so they’re clearly playing much better now.
PSG Talon are slowly finding their form and as long as they can keep playing this way, they just might win the group. PaiN Gaming were no match for Talon last time out and I don't believe that will change here.
PSG Talon -9.5 Kills
$1.83
Istanbul Wildcats vs PSG Talon
2021 MSI
A similar story to the match between paiN Gaming and Talon PSG, only that we are getting slightly better odds on this one. PSG Talon crushed Wildcats on Saturday and there is nothing that would lead me to believe this match will end any differently.
Istanbul Wildcats might hail from a strong region that historically does well on the international stage, but this team isn't very good. That is mainly because the 2021 season in the Turkish Championship League (TCL) hasn't featured any team that was a clear cut above all others - like SuperMassive in 2020.
While the league is still strong, their biggest talents are spread across several teams. That makes TCL more competitive, but it fails to produce a team capable of making an impact on the international stage.
The betting odds show Wildcats as clear underdogs, but even at this price, they seem a bit overrated. The younger players on this team are clearly struggling to compete on the big stage, and while Wildcats can have their moments, this team fails at basics, which includes poor macro play, questionable engages, and most of all their inability to take advantage of their leads.
If Wildcats lose against MAD Lions in game one of the day, they'll be locked out from advancing into the Rumble Stage, so we could see some for-fun picks from them and a bit more volatile playstyle. That, however, can only work against Wildcats since they'll be facing a squad that have not come to Iceland to clown around.
PSG Talon -9.5 Kills
$1.90
