The Mid-Season Invitational 2023 is set to kick off on Tuesday, May 2, welcoming the world’s top League of Legends teams who will compete for the largest slice of the $250,000 prize pool and the coveted trophy. And esports tipster Michael Lee is back with his top picks for Group A and B opening matches, including PSG Talon vs DetonatioN FocusMe, G2 Esports vs LOUD, and Golden Guardians vs GAM Esports.
Find our Esports betting tips below, and make sure to check out Picklebet - Australia's leading esports betting site!
Esports Betting Tips: Tuesday, May 2nd 2023
PSG Talon vs DetonatioN FocusMe
MSI 2023
PSG Talon and Detonation FocusMe will meet in the opening match of the MSI 2023 Play-In stage for the first time in history. As the winners of the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) Spring Split, Talon Esports entered the match as 1.44 favourites to defeat the Japanese LoL champions, which was expected mainly because PCS is a stronger league than the LJL.
But unless we’re talking about a major region team taking on a lesser squad, these implied differences rarely mean much. Moreover, this is a fixture between two rosters that have never met before and two teams that have completely different playstyles.
But this doesn’t change the fact that PSG Talon are by far the most dominant team in PCS, which features much stronger teams than the LJL. So even though DFM were just as dominant in their regional league, it simply comes down to the fact that PSG Talon had a chance to practice against tougher opponents and should be better prepared for this affair.
However, as much as we can defend PSG Talon as the superior team, betting on over 2.5 maps in this scenario and at the offered betting odds is the only right choice. DetonatioN FocusMe, while weaker, still have enough talent to go toe-to-toe with PSG Talon.
Over 2.5 maps
$2 (1 Unit)
G2 Esports vs LOUD
MSI 2023
G2 Esports didn’t win the European league, but they’re widely recognised as the strongest team from the LEC, and rightly so. With what G2 Esports have shown this season, it’s also fair to start believing that they can reach the semifinals of MSI 2023, and if we see G2 Esports play at full strength, there is a very good chance this will happen.
But first, they need to defeat the Brazilian champions, LOUD, which according to the odds, should be easily achievable. LOUD are considered one of the weakest teams at the MSI 2023, mainly because CBLOL has never achieved anything memorable on the international stage.
However, Brazilian teams have improved over the last few years and have proven difficult to deal with due to their aggressive playstyle. So what LOUD lack in talent, they more than makeup in their ability to perform in chaotic games.
Does this mean that LOUD have a chance to defeat G2 Esports? Not likely. The talent gap here is way too big for me to consider LOUD as live outsiders, but knowing how aggressive LOUD are in their games, I expect to see a bloody affair.
Even though I fully expect G2 Esports to win, I don’t like backing them to cover the map handicap at the offered betting odds – especially not since it’s the first round of the tournament. And knowing how chaotic LOUD’s games can be, I can see this series reaching map three.
Over 2.5 maps
$3.40 (1 Unit)
Golden Guardians vs GAM Esports
MSI 2023
Golden Guardians made quite a splash this season by reaching the finals of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and locked in the second seed for MSI 2023. But despite their success domestically, it’s fair to doubt Golden Guardians and their chances to do well internationally.
Historically, the LCS teams have struggled to deliver on the international stage, and we don’t expect that to change this season. The only LCS team that occasionally does well are the LCS champions – which are typically much stronger than the rest of the league, and that applies here.
GAM Esports return to the international stage for the second time in three years and will make their first appearance at the MSI since 2020. As the most successful Vietnamese team, GAM Esports enter MSI as one of the most exciting squads to watch, mainly because we never know what they’ll produce.
But most importantly, like CBLOL, the VCS teams are very aggressive and often make it extremely difficult for their opponents to play the game – as seen at Worlds 2022. At the World Championship, GAM didn’t make it far; however, they were put in a challenging group, and they still performed well.
Esports betting sites have Golden Guardians priced as the favourites, which likely has to do with the fact that the LCS is considered a stronger league than VCT. That might be true, but I have little faith in GG and their ability to justify their tag as the favourites.
Golden Guardians were fairly successful this season because they were able to create leads with early-game aggression. Now they’re set to face a team that excels in the same thing, so as much as we can compare the players’ individual quality, this match can go either way.
GAM Esports to win
$2.25 (1 Unit)
