(+140) Evil Geniuses v Team Liquid (-180)

(-325) 100 Thieves v Team Dignitas (+230)

(-550) Cloud9 v Golden Guardians (+350)

(-120) Immortals v Counter Logic Gaming (-110)

(-300) Team Solomid v Flyquest (+220)

Massive news in the LCS world that should shake up the performances that we see from a handful of teams. Team Liquid’s head coach (Jatt) stepped down amidst the League of Legends community continuing to question why TL’s superstar top laner Alphari is still benched and Cloud9 has decided that they have spotted the LCS enough wins to start trying again. They bring back Zven back this weekend and I expect big numbers out of them. It will be interesting to watch out for the Immortals/Counter Logic match on this slate. Both are resurgent teams and both are looking dangerous this split. A lot of angles on this slate for you to pull down green! Let’s dive in!

Game #1 Evil Geniuses v Team Liquid

Cann’s Pick: Evil Geniuses

Game #2: 100 Thieves v Team Dignitas

Cann’s Pick: 100 Thieves

Game #3: Cloud9 v Golden Guardians

Cann’s Pick: Cloud9

Game #4: Immortals v Counter Logic Gaming

Cann’s Pick: Immortals 

Game #5: Team Solomid v Flyquest

Cann’s Pick: Team Solomid

Fantasy Value Breakdown

Captain

Favorite: FBI (100T: $12,600) - Side note, this price is BANANAS. This may be the most expensive League pick I have ever seen. It is for a pretty good reason though. Through 2021, 100 Thieves are 3-0 against Team Dignitas and FBI is in the top 5 for kills in summer (40 kills). Team Dignitas had to shake up their roster because of attitude issues and they have looked desperate in their last 3 games. This is a LOT to spend on a captain but I think this should be relatively safe. 

Value Pick: Jizuke (EG: $10,200)

Top Lane

Favorite: Fudge (C9: $7,200) Fudge has really been a bright spot for this team in the last few weeks. While Cloud9 has been dropping games that they had no business losing, Fudge has quietly been getting better and better. In 9 games he has 24 kills (T-3rd in the LCS) and 44 assists (T-6th). He needs next to no resources now, which is a stark contrast to how he was seen at the beginning of the Spring split. He is playing against Solo, who has looked a little more impressive as of late, but I don’t expect much of a struggle for Cloud9, especiall with  Zven returning to the starting lineup. 

Value Pick: Ssumday (100T: $6,200) 

Jungle

Favorite: Xerxe (IMT: $6,600) - I was really down on Xerxe when he came to the Immortals lineup. I loved this team and missed the days with Huni and Reignover so seeing Xerxe come over after his pretty lackluster end to his LEC career, I was upset. Something about this last break has reinvigorated Xerxe and the rest of Immortals. They are 5-4 in their last 9 games and a lot of it stems from Xerxe’s ability to get his team ahead. In 9 games he has 63 assists and an overall kill participation rate of 73%. IMT’s opponent for Friday (CLG) is a much slower team which will mean Xerxe can get through the early game without much pressure which I love even more. 

Value Pick: Svenskeren (EG: $6,200) 

Mid Lane

Favorite: Abbedagge (100T: $7,400) - I honestly think this pick should be an honest consideration for captain in your lineup. We have seen Abbedagge absolutely bodybag almost every mid laner he has faced so far. In this split alone he has had 3 different matches where he has picked up over 6 kills and 4 games with a KDA of 9+. If 100 Thieves don’t revert to putting him on a control mage but instead keep him on the aggressive assassins mid, this will be huge value at the price point. 

Value Pick: Ablazeolive (GG: $5,800)   

ADC

Favorite: Zven (C9: $8,000) - All Cloud9 fans rejoice! Your losing should be done! I really don’t understand what LCS coaches think they will get from benching superstar players. I am sure there are some attitude issues (this is the suspected cause of the menching) but it never works out. Zven is a core member of this team and his consistency in late game team fights is exactly what Cloud9 has been missing in the last three weeks. Look for some pretty convincing wins out of this squad this weekend and a renewed pressure on TL to get Alphari off the bench. 

Value Pick: Raes (IMT: $7,200)

Support

Favorite: CoreJJ (TL: $6,000) - CoreJJ is just too good of a player not to pick up. $6K is about as much as I would pay for a support but CoreJJ is worth it. In 9 games Core has 87 assists and only 20 deaths. He is the leadership voice they need with no Alphari and now no Santorin (OUT with health concerns). Core will need to guide this young lineup and push TActical to be the carry that we see him be so inconsistently. 

Value Pick: Destiny (IMT: $5,200)

Team

Favorite: 100 Thieves ($5,400) - With the return of Zven to Cloud9, my next take may need to be reevaluated. I think that at this point, 100 Thieves is the best team in the LCS. They have the ability to win in each lane if they want to as well as some of the most creative late game team fighting strategies that I have seen out of a North American team. They are playing Dignitas who have lost 4 in a row and struggling to find the right lineup for them. Love 100 Thieves for Friday’s slate. 

Value Pick: Evil Geniuses ($4,200)

Cann’s Example Lineup

DraftKings Classic 

$50,000 Salary Cap

Captain (x1.5): FBI ($12,600)

Alternate: Tactical ($11,700)

Top: Impact ($5,600)

Jungle: Closer ($7,200)

Alternate: Spica ($6,400)

Mid: Abbadage ($7,400)

ADC: Raes ($7,200)

Alternate: Zven ($8,000)

Support: Destiny ($5,200)

Team: Immortals ($4,600)