EU Masters LoL 2019 is right around the corner! The competition is filled with rising stars and up-and-coming players from all over Europe, providing a grand battleground for some of the most action-packed League of Legends matches in the scene. This is a perfect environment for LoL esports gambling, and you’ll have a much easier time finding generous odds and value betting opportunities here compared to the regular League of Legends events.
Still, it can be difficult to know what to look for when you’re dealing with unknown teams and players, which is why we’ve created an in-depth European Masters LoL betting guide just for the occasion! We’ll present you with start dates, team descriptions, tournament format breakdowns, European Masters LoL betting tips, and other relevant information that will help you make sense of this League of Legends competition. The only thing you need to do is pick the right opportunity to use it!
EU Masters 2019 – Where to place your bets?
Other top bookmakers for betting on EU Masters available on our best esports betting sites.
When Does European Masters LoL Start?
European Masters LoL 2019 begins on April 4. The action kicks off with an online Play-In stage where seven teams participate in a single Round Robin group stage. All games are concluded in a Bo1 format, and the lineup with the best record automatically qualifies for the EU Masters 2019 LoL Main Event. Meanwhile, teams that finished in second to fifth place advance to the playoffs where they play two more Bo1 matches to decide which two teams qualify for the Main Event.
Alright, so what exactly is the Main Event? Well, it’s a full-blown battle royale between 16 up-and-coming lineups! Much like the Play-Ins, it starts with a Bo1 single Round Robin group stage. However, all 16 participants will be split into groups of four, and only half of them will make it to the playoffs mark. There, they will battle through Bo3 elimination matches until only two teams remain standing. Once the dust settles, these teams will clash in a thrilling Bo5 final on April 28, and the winner will get the trophy and an ample chunk of the prize pool.
If you’re not sure when to get in on the gambling action, one of our most useful European Masters LoL betting tips is to look at the playoffs. This way, you’ll get some much-needed time to study what most teams have to offer in the group stage matches, so it will be much easier to predict how they’ll fare in Bo3 series. Granted, group stage bets can be profitable too, but the risks are much higher since every other team here is an unknown variable.
How do Teams Qualify for EU Masters 2019 LoL?
If you want to know how your favorite League of Legends teams can qualify for EU Masters, the answer is simple: by playing in national leagues. Europe has a multitude of local LoL Esports competitions in Balkans, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, and other notable regions. These events are off-limits to the lineups participating in the LEC, so you won’t see Fnatic or Misfits Gaming suddenly qualifying for European Masters and smashing everyone at the event.
What you will see is a plethora of promising lineups fighting for the right to perform on the EU Masters stage—and yes, that includes Fnatic’s and Misfits Gaming’s academy teams. In theory, this means you can go back and watch all the national leagues to get a better feel for the event. In practice, there are 13 national leagues and regional tournaments, which is way too much League of Legends action for a single person to handle. With that, there’s a good chance you’ll have to assess everyone’s strengths and weaknesses on the fly.
Keep in mind that only the best-performing national teams can qualify for this tournament. Brands and resources hold little value here, and it’s not uncommon for a group of hungry up-and-comers to outpace a bunch of worn-out veterans. This is one of the reasons why EU Masters LoL is so popular, as you get to witness exactly how your favorite region measures up to other European countries.
Which Teams Qualified For European Masters LoL?
At the time of writing this European Masters LoL betting guide, the qualifications for the event are still ongoing. That being said, most Play-In seeds have already been decided, and you can expect to see Team LDLC (France), SK Gaming Prime (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), NYYRIKKI White (Nordic countries), MAD Lions E.C. (Spain), Rogue Esports Club (Poland), and Diabolus Esports (UK and Irelands) at the event.
Rogue Esports Club and SK Gaming Prime might seem like the clear-cut favorites because they’re backed by existing LEC organizations, but don’t be quick to write off other Play-In lineups. All of these teams dominated their regions to get here, so they have the tools to pull off a couple of upsets.
As for the Main Event seeds, the only team that’s qualified for it is Ventus Esports (Nordic countries). It’s worth noting that most national leagues will wrap up soon, so we’ll know much more about the EU Masters 2019 LoL participants by the end of March.
European Masters LoL Teams To Follow
The EU Masters tournament is filled with talented lineups from all over the globe, but even then, some teams have better chances than others. Telling the underdogs from the favorites can be difficult for someone not familiar with the European League of Legends scene. Fortunately, we’ve prepared a shortlist with the most notable teams at the event.
Rogue Esports Club
Rogue might be one of the worst organizations in the LEC, but their Rogue Esports Club team is a force to be reckoned with. This squad holds a remarkable 13-1 record in the Polish Ultraliga, which has always been one of the most competitive national leagues in Europe. If that wasn’t enough, two of its players—Finn and Vander—saw playtime on the LEC stage, and while Finn didn’t shine much, Vander was the main reason why the main Rogue lineup managed to get a couple of wins on the board.
Some EU LCS fans will also recognize Larssen, a young and talented mid laner that briefly subbed in for H2K in the 2018 Summer Split. Others will be surprised to see Woolite, a trigger-happy marksman from the 2015 iteration of Team ROCCAT lineup. These players give Rogue Esports Club a ton of firepower to work with, and they have a good chance of taking EU Masters by storm.
Team LDLC
Team LDLC is a big name in the French LoL esports scene. Coached by the former Fnatic captain Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim, this lineup dominated the 2019 LFL Spring Split and produced an impressive 12-2 record over the course of the regular season.
Of course, LDLC wouldn’t be able to do it without a capable roster. Djoko is well-known in the European pro circuit for his jungling on the 2017 Team Vitality and 2018 Giants Gaming lineups. He’s accompanied by Eika, a veteran mid laner that played for legacy teams like Elements and Unicorns of Love, and Steelback, a former Giants Gaming AD carry that recently swapped to the support position. Granted, this roster isn’t as impressive as that of Rogue’s, but it still has the potential to make a deep EU Masters run.
MAD Lions E.C.
MAD Lions are the kingpins of the Spanish League of Legends. Their previous lineup was so overwhelmingly dominant that four of its players were acquired by LEC organizations. Yet, that didn’t stop MAD Lions from rebuilding their roster around the only remaining member—FALCO—and climbing back to the top of the LVP SuperLiga Orange. The only high-profile player here is the former Unicorns of Love marksman Samux, so this lineup doesn’t have as much proven talent as other teams on our list. Don’t make the mistake of dismissing them, though, as Mad Lions are fully capable of becoming the dark horse of the EU Masters event.
European Masters LoL Betting Tips
This gambling guide wouldn’t be complete without European Masters LoL betting tips. We’ve already mentioned how advantageous it is to bet on the playoffs matches and how difficult it is to do research for this event. Another one of our European Masters LoL betting tips is to consider the total game time market. If your gambling provider gives you the option of placing wagers on the total game time being under or over X minutes, it’s almost always beneficial to go for the ‘over’ option. After all, most EU Masters teams don’t have a ton of experience playing together, and unless they completely outclass their opponents, they will have a hard time closing their matches.
Another thing to note is that Bo1 group stage games are bound to be volatile. With that, our European Masters LoL betting tip is to avoid making quick judgements based on the group stage win/loss records. Instead, pay attention to how teams navigate the laning phase, set up neutral objectives and coordinate in teamfights. And as long as you draw the right conclusions, you’ll have no issues finding favourable odds and excellent gambling opportunities at this League of Legends event.