League of Legends European Championship
February 17th, 2022
(-145) Misfits v Excel Esports (+110)
(-260) Vitality v BDS Esport (+185)
(-750) Fnatic v Astralis (+450)
(+240) SK Gaming v G2 (-350)
(-185) Rogue v MAD Lions (+137)
Buckle up folks, we are at the weekend again. That means we get the wild ride called the LEC. While Rogue sits atop the table, they went 0-2 in their matches in week 5 against Misfits and Astralis. Teams like G2 and Misfits seem to be surging to the top of the table while Team Vitality and the MAD Lions cannot seem to find a consistent stride in 2022. Huge matchups for these teams, especially with only 7 more games left in the Spring Split. It is all or nothing for these teams and they have no room for error. The playoffs are on the horizon, every team needs to find their form now.
Game #1: Misfits v Excel Esports
Cann’s Pick: Excel Esports
Game #2: Vitality v BDS Esport
Cann’s Pick: Vitality
Game #3: Fnatic v Astralis
Cann’s Pick: Fnatic
Game #4: SK Gaming v G2
Cann’s Pick: G2
Game #5: Rogue v MAD Lions
Cann’s Pick: MAD Lions
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Flakked (G2: $11,400) The rise of European rookies has been a really fun narrative to watch through the course of the Spring Split. G2’s rookie ADC has picked up 47 kills (3rd in the LEC) and has a KDA of 6.1 through 10 games played. I love his matchup into SK Gaming on Friday, a team who has shown that they just cannot find ways to win late game fights. The G2 bottom lane can hold their own and jump on the opportunities that Jankos makes for them.
Value Pick: Vetheo (MSF: $10,800)
Top
Favorite: BrokenBlade (G2: $6,800) I have a short list of top laners across all regions who I find to be a a legitimate carry possibility. BrokenBlade not only makes this list, but the argument can be made for him topping it. He is top 10 in the LEC in kills (41) and has the second most assists among all top laners with 60. He has a 10 KA per game average and he is a lane that G2 will work to win through. He is worth the price investment!
Value Pick: Finn (XL: $5,800)
Jungle
Favorite: Selfmade (VIT: $6,600) VIT had one of the slowest starts that I can remember for an LEC team with the expectations that they have on them. Where are they at now going into week 6? They are tied for 6th and sitting at 5-6 despite them just dropping two games last week. Take these struggles and then see that Slefmade still has almost a 20 FPPG average? The ceiling is here for this team and as they hit their stride, you will get massive returns on the investment.
Value Pick: Elyoya (MAD: $6,200)
Mid
Favorite: Humanoid (FNC: $7,800) It hurts me to talk about Humanoid. Riding the performance roller coaster with him makes me want to puke but there are arguments to make for him. He has a 2.7 KDA which is kind of meh, but he has a great assist number (56). Astralis has a very volatile playstyle. This can lend itself to Astralis running it down and feeding a ton of kills to their opponents which does give Humanoid an opportunity to have a bounce back performance on Friday.
Value Pick: Nuclearint (BDS: $6,400)
ADC
Favorite: Upset (FNC: $8,000) I would love to start this by saying, I hate this price. If it were not for the consistent production out of Upset as on of the highest average FPPG players in the LEC is the only reason I entertain this pick. His nearly 30 points per game and the focus of FNC success is why I slot him as the favorite. His opponent, Kobbe, is seemingly falling from grace and Astralis haven’t had the success they wanted in 2022 and their late game decision making is pretty terrible. This is going to be Fnatic’s path to victory, drag the match out as long as possible and let AST make a mistake.
Value Pick: Unf0rgiven (MAD: $6,800)
Support
Favorite: Targamas (G2: $6,000) The biggest place where SK gets exposed is in their jungle and support roles. We find that these two roles are the core of a team’s set up around objectives and have the ability to set the pace in a game. SK have been passive participants in their most recent matches and Jankos and Targamas have looked pretty well in sync with each other through the first half of the Spring Split.
Value Pick: Kaiser (MAD: $5,000)
Team
Favorite: G2 Esports ($5,400) Take SKs last win against the MAD Lions, SK mad dropped 8 of their previous 10 games, most of which was in horrific fashion. G2 on the other had have gone 5-1 in their last 6 and have shown a little more depth to their playstyle. After a slower start to the split, G2 are now 7-3 and have one of the lowest average game times at 32 minutes. They are a fighting heavy team with a positive KD ration (1.3). There are no guarantees in the LEC, but this feels like a winnable matchup for G2.
Value Pick: Excel Esports ($4,600)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic
$50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Patrik (XL: $10,500)
Alternate: Carzzy (VIT: $10,800)
Top: BrokenBlade (G2: $6,800)
Alternate: Finn (XL: $5,800)
Jungle: Elyoya (MAD: $6,200)
Alternate: Markoon (XL: $6,400)
Mid: Humanoid (FNC: $7,800)
Alternate: Vetheo (MSF: $7,200)
ADC: Flakked (G2: $7,600)
Support: Mikyx (XL: $5,200)
Alternate: Kaiser (MAD: $5,200)
Team: Team Vitality ($5,200)