League of Legends Champions Korea & Pro League

February 10th, 2022 (starts @ 3 AM ET)

 

(-750) Damwon Gaming v Kwangdong Freecs (+450)

(-1000) Gen.G v Liiv SANDBOX (+575)

(+185) Invictus Gaming v Rare Atom (-250)

(-280) JD Gaming v Team WE (+212)


 

Wednesday saw the return of the LCK with electric matches between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports, plus the upset of DRX over KT Rolster. On Thursday, we have two heavy favorites in Damwon and Gen.G taking on serious underdogs in Kwangdong Freecs and Liiv SANDBOX. 

The LPL returns on Thursday with high-flying action as players like Yagao, iBoy, and XUN take to the rift to make their push to the Spring Split playoffs. There are plenty more players to watch for on this slate, so we will have to break down some matchups and how teams have played thus far to get a clearer view of who to play on Thursday. Let’s dive in!

 

Series #1: Damwon Gaming v Kwangdong Freecs

Cann’s Pick: Damwon Gaming (2-0)  

 

Series #2: Gen.G v Liiv SANDBOX

Cann’s Pick: Gen.G (2-0)

 

Series #3: Invictus Gaming v Rare Atom

Cann’s Pick: Rare Atom (2-1)

 

Series #4: JD Gaming v Team WE

Cann’s Pick: Team WE (2-1)


 

Fantasy Value Breakdown

 

Captain

Favorite: Ruler (GEN: $12,300) The price associated with this pick is pretty intimidating, but the payoff could be a game-changer. Ruler has a 6.2 KDA and is an absolute menace through his first seven series played in 2022. He has over 60 kills and is averaging 1.5 deaths per game, which includes their last ugly loss to T1. I would fully expect that Gen.G comes out of the gate swinging to re-establish themselves as a favorite to make it to the LCK Spring Split finals – as well as take out a little bit of frustration from that loss on KDF.

Value Pick: iBoy (RA: $11,100) 

 

Top 

Favorite: Doran (GEN: $6,800) It is rare to find a high-performing top laner in today’s pro League of Legends landscape. Because of this, paying more for Doran does make sense. I love Gen.G against Kwangdong Freecs and especially the matchup of Doran versus Kiin. Kiin can be aggressive in lane, which Doran will know going into the matchup. I fully expect Doran to call Peanut up to the top lane to exploit Kiin being too far pushed up out of position. This could be a great place for Gen.G to pick up a first blood kill if it has the right champions picked. 

Value Pick: 369 (JDG: $6,400) 

 

Jungle

Favorite: Canyon (DWG: $7,400) There is too much talent on this squad for them to continue to struggle. Over the next few weeks, we will watch this team start to find its stride and reach its old form. Canyon will be the driving force behind this resurgence. With the struggles they have had this split, Canyon still has almost three kills and six assists per game. DWG has faced the majority of difficult teams in the league, so it should have a decent stretch of easier games. 

Value Pick: Leyan (RA: $6,800) 

 

Mid

Favorite: Chovy (GEN: $8,000) I have almost no faith in LSB and its mid laner, Clozer, in this spot. Chovy is averaging almost three kills per one death through his first 14 games. Clozer, meanwhile, is averaging less than one kill per death in that same span. Chovy is one of the strongest laners in the world and he does it by forcing his opponents into bad damage trades. He will look like he is starting slow if you watch his stat line during the game. In reality, though, you will see his gold difference grow wider and wider – ultimately turning into a snowball the enemy team cannot stop. 

Value Pick: Yagao (JDG: $7,600) 

 

ADC

Favorite: deokdam (DWG: $7,800) I will be the first to admit that I thought DWG won the trade of bottom laners when they got deokdam from Nongshim. In 2022, deokdam has a decent kill total (55) but has a lackluster KDA (3.8). DWG has not worked on making their bottom lane a priority but for them to see some serious success they need to put more eggs in this basket. KDF is a great series to “get right”.

Value Pick: Stay (WE: $6,800) 

 

Support

Favorite: Missing (JDG: $5,800) There is a reason why Missing is the only LPL player to get above a Gen.G or Damwon Gaming player on the slate. There may not be another support with the same production output. Missing is averaging a 77% team kill participation rate which is one of the highest in the LPL, which will lead to massive numbers as they transition into easier competition. 

Value Pick: Kellin (DWG: $5,400) 

 

Team

Favorite: Damwon Gaming ($5,600) The price for Damwon is about what I am looking for in a team. I also think their playstyle translates better to how DraftKings is scored. Gen.G is wild and chaotic and tend to focus on fighting. DWG is a more structured team in terms of how their coaching staff approaches the game. They are a little slower but focus on making smart trades in terms of objectives. This has huge payoffs when measuring fantasy points earned per game. 

Value Pick: Rare Atom ($5,200) 


 

Cann’s Example Lineup

DraftKings Classic – $50,000 Salary Cap
 

Captain (x1.5): Ruler (GEN: $12,300)

  • Alternate: LPC (JDG: $11,700)

Top: Cube (RA: $6,000)

  • Alternate: Biubiu (WE: $5,600)

Jungle: Leyan (RA: $6,800)

  • Alternate: ()

Mid: Yagao (JDG: $7,600)

ADC: xiaoyueji (IG: $6,600)

Support: Kellin (DWG: $5,400)

Team: Rare Atom ($5,200)