League of Legends European Championship
January 28th, 2022
(-115) BDS Esports v Astralis (-115)
(-275) MAD Lions v Excel Esports (+200)
(-385) Team Vitality v SK Gaming (+265)
(+120) Rogue v Fnatic (-155)
(+125) Misfits v G2 Esports (-165)
Two teams remain unbeaten through the first two weeks and they square off on the Friday slate. Rogue and Fnatic look to see who will take sole control of first place while on the opposite side of the table Astralis will fight for their first win. A lot is left to be decided in the LEC landscape but we can expect no shortage of excitement in the third week of action.
Game #1: BDS Esports v Astralis
Cann’s Pick: BDS Esports
Game #2: MAD Lions v Excel Esports
Cann’s Pick: MAD Lions
Game #3: Team Vitality v SK Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Team Vitality
Game #4: Rogue v Fnatic
Cann’s Pick: Fnatic
Game #5: Misfits v G2 Esports
Cann’s Pick: Misfits
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Unf0rgiven (MAD: $11,700) As the LEC kill leader, a lot of pressure is riding on this rookie and frankly I have been shocked at how well he has performed thus far. The MAD Lions are 3-2 but look like the strongest team in the LEC thus far. Their two losses are from simple fixable mistakes and in both games MAD Lions looked as if they could win the match. The 6 kill and 5+ assist average from Unf0rgiven is just too much to pass up on this slate.
Value Pick: Vetheo (MSF: $9,600)
Top
Favorite: Alphari (VIT: $6,800) There is a bit of a waiting game with Team Vitality and when they will finally turn it around. There are too many good players across this lineup for it to continue to sputter. In their match against G2 last Saturday, Team Vitality ran over the competition and showed their potential. Alphari rolled over BrokenBlade and picked up a scoreline of 4 kills, 2 deaths, and 9 assists. I fully expect a similar scoreline on Friday.
Value Pick: Wunder (FNC: $6,200)
Jungle
Favorite: Elyoya (MAD: $7,000) I am quickly beginning to think that Elyoya is the best player in the West at this point. From rookie jungler in 2021 to the most dominant player in his position in 2022, Elyoya is the driving force for the MAD Lions. He has a staggering 77% team kill participation rate which is more enticing when you take into consideration that the MAD Lions are the most fight heavy team in the LEC. Keep riding the Elyoya train, especially in matchups where they are such heavy favorites.
Value Pick: Jankos (G2: $6,600)
Mid
Favorite: Perkz (VIT: $7,800) Fading this pick makes a lot of logical sense. Perkz has not looked himself for much of the last two years. He has a 2.2 KDA (tied for the lowest in the LEC among mid laners right now) and only is averaging 2 kills per game. What makes this a good pick up then? Perkz long history of being the biggest game changer in Western League of Legends. On Cloud9 he managed a massive turn around in the middle of the Spring Split and Cloud9 would eventually spring into the knockout stage of the World Championships later in 2021. I am hedging this pick on his historical pedigree and am looking past where he currently is performing now.
Value Pick: Dajor (AST: $6,800)
ADC
Favorite: Upset (FNC: $7,600) The success of FNC hinges almost solely on the production of their bottom lane. Watch for FNC to invest heavily into Upset and Hyli getting ahead. Upset has died twice in 5 games and is sitting at nearly a 27 KDA ratio. Rogue will be a tough out for FNC but at this time they have the best roster hands down. Rogue also has a tendency to struggle with top of the table teams so this will be their first real test.
Value Pick: Neon (MSF: $6,600)
Support
Favorite: Kaiser (MAD: $6,000) While I hate this price, you cannot discredit his overall value. Kaiser is the heartbeat of the MAD Lions and all success runs through him. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the MAD Lions can take a rookie ADC and turn him into a superstar in two weeks. He is tied for first in assists (61) and is sitting at a respectable 73% team kill participation rate. If MAD gets out to an early gold lead, Kaiser will rack up huge points against SK.
Value Pick: Hylissang (FNC: $5,800)
Team
Favorite: Fnatic ($5,000) This match won’t be as close as it seems on paper. Rogue haven’t seen the same quality opponents through the first two weeks and they run a real risk of that being exposed on Friday. I worry for the new bot lane for Rogue into the well oiled machine of Upset and Hylissang. Love this price point for the great potential upside.
Value Pick: Excel Esports ($3,800)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic
$50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Reeker (MAD: $11,100)
Alternate: Kobbe (AST: $10,500)
Top: Alphari (VIT: $6,800)
Jungle: Elyoya (MAD: $7,000)
Alternate: Jankos (H2: $6,600)
Mid: Vetheo (MSF: $6,400)
Alternate: Nuclearint (BDS: $7,000)
ADC: Unf0rgiven (MAD: $7,800)
Support: Hylissang (FNC: $5,800)
Alternate: Limit (BDS: $5,400)
Team: Fnatic ($5,000)