Esports League of Legends DFS Playbook - May 18

Christopher Troeh - League of Legends DFS Playbook -  5/17/2021

Twitter.com/PrussianLoL

 

(-115) Damwon KIA v Royal Never Give Up (-115)

(+450) Pentanet GG v PSG Talon (-750)

(+225) MAD Lions v Royal Never Give Up (-310)

(-105) Cloud9 v PSG Talon (-125)

(+900) Pentanet GG v Damwon KIA (-2000)

(-155) MAD Lions v Cloud9 (+120)

 

MSI Rumble stage concludes on Tuesday. RNG and Damwon are battling for the #1 seed, whereas Cloud9, PSG, and MAD are each fighting for their lives; particularly Cloud9 who currently are out of berth in play-offs. PSG Talon has shown remarkable signs of a resurgence, whereas Cloud9 have just come off a loss to last placed Pentanet GG. Let’s check out the picks.

 

The PSG mid laner has been on a tear this event, claiming 2nd in KDA for mid laners behind Damwon’s ShowMaker. Maple’s Zoe led PSG to triumphing over RNG in their first meeting; but the real advantage PSG have over every other team is their schedule: all they need to do is beat the two last placed teams in the tournament in PGG and Cloud9; unfortunately, both of these teams have remarkable mid laners in Perkz and Chazz, but that hasn’t stopped PSG from crushing them the first time. If you’d rather target a bit of a more susceptible role, I’d select River as captain, since both Blaber and Pabu have been weak points on the rosters.

 

I cut away from PSG in two locations: top and support; for top lane, I prefer a premium option of either Xiaohu or Khan, and I lean towards Khan since the price point of RNG’s Xiaohu is much too steep of me. While I desire a stable presence in the top lane, and I expect RNG to win versus Damwon, Damwon does have the advantage of playing versus last placed PGG to make up points that they would have otherwise lost against RNG. Meanwhile, RNG have two relatively challenging opponents in DWG and RNG. Khan is a great top laner, and his match-up spread is superior relative to Xiaohu, who also needs to play against Armut.

 

Our two jungle selections are #2 and #1 for KDA, respectively. In my opinion, River is slightly more carry oriented, whereas Canyon has done a good job playing to his lanes relative to how DK played at the world championship last year. I prefer River because of his fantastic match-up spread, but Canyon has shown up well for DK in spite of their bottom lane slightly falling in form. If River is your captain, you could try taking Canyon here, grabbing Kaiwing, and pairing Canyon with our next player selection.

 

Mid and jungle are the two positions that, in my opinion, DK find most of their success through. I think ShowMaker is the best mid laner at the tournament bar none, and he’s developed himself into having a champion ocean, comfortably swapping between melee and ranged, or assassin and control mage champions in order to maximize his effectiveness in game. ShowMaker’s versatility allows him to be a consistent point generator that’s deserving of his high price tag. For a secondary pick up, he’s overpriced, but Cryin has a team that lets him win. He’s a good mid laner, works well with Ming and Wei, and while he’s not quite at ShowMaker’s level, I’d cautiously call him #2 with Maple on his heels.

 

While Doggo earned my ire early in the tournament due to his throw against MAD Lions, as he’s gotten comfortable with the rest of PSG, for whom he is the emergency substitute for, Doggo has adapted respectfully and I have admired his performances so far. He gets to smack around two weaker bottom lanes on Tuesday, and he holds a respectable #3 in KDA across the tournament for ADCs only behind the top two performers in Ghost and GALA. He’s worked well with Kaiwing, who’s looked as strong as ever at MSI. For a secondary choice, either shell out a bit more for Ghost, though he has a harder match-up spread, or go for cheap on Carzzy, due to who you can pair him with.

 

Kaiser has the potential to be one of the best supports in the world, easily. However, he can also be one of the worst supports at international events, it changes frequently game by game. Fortunately, he’s looked alright throughout MSI and has occasionally hit the high notes he’s known for. While I think RNG will be a tough battle for MAD, I think they can take the game provided they’re paying attention- and I definitely think Kaiser will get the better of Cloud9 later in the day. Alternatively, Kaiwing and Ming are both fantastic choices, although they will run you extra.

 

Talon will certainly win both of their games tomorrow, unless Cloud9 embark on a miracle run and somehow escape groups and pull a switcheroo on MAD. Talon, however, are mostly safe on their pedestal after stomping all the teams they need to stomp. All that’s left are the two bottom placed teams at the tournament. For an overkill option, just pick up the best performers at the event at RNG; despite their loss to C9, they are still on top of the world and are favorites to snatch the event.

 

The carries for PSG are my favored stack; they are individually mechanically competent players, and jungler River has delivered them plentiful gold to generate consistent points. Maple in particular has surprised me after his underwhelming stint in LPL, he’s certainly proved he’s still got it.

 

The bottom lane for MAD has been impressive to me, alongside jungler Elyoya. Kaiser presents strong map control and enables Elyoya to pursue otherwise risky plays, whereas Carzzy has done remarkably well while Kaiser leaves lane to snowball and defend the rest of MAD Lions. These two are a great value pick-up if you’re looking to build a superteam.

 

The mid-jungle 2v2 of DK is their primary win condition. ShowMaker can outlane anyone at this tournament, and Canyon is capable of matching Wei consistently in the jungle. The real final “piece” missing for DK is a strong bottom lane since Beryl hasn’t looked as great as he did at worlds, but their bottom lane having a rough time just makes the mid jungle for DK shine even brighter.

 

Two PSG players and the best support at the event make-up the top picks for Tuesday: Doggo and Maple have little competition, whereas Ming has proven himself time and time again to be #1, he is the ultimate X-factor and is the player that sets RNG apart from FPX and EDG domestically in the LPL.

 

MAD’s bottom lane and one of the last pieces of PSG make up the value spots, Kaiser and Carzzy are a great pairing that accurately match each other’s needs as far as resources are concerned, and River has been a pleasure to watch as he is capable of expediting PSG’s strong carries and working alongside Kaiwing.