League of Legends Professional League/League of Legends Champions Korea
January 21st, 2022
(+105) Liiv SANDBOX v Kwangdong Freecs (-135)
(+126) KT Rolster v NS RedForce (-165)
(-360) Ultra Prime v LGD Gaming (+245)
(-650) Royal Never Give Up v Anyone’s Legend (+400)
(+800) ThunderTalk Gaming v Weibo Gaming (-1800)
With new kings appearing in both the LCK (Gen.G and T1) and the LPL (OMG), every slate feels like the chance for a new team and new players to make names for themselves. On Friday morning, we see a slate of close matchups and the possibility of some crazy upsets. We look into projected slam dunks and possible sneaky picks that could swing the lobbies in your favor. Let’s dive in!
Game #1: Liiv SANDBOX v Kwangdong Freecs
Cann’s Pick: Kwangdong Freecs (2-1)
Game #2: KT Rolster v NS RedForce
Cann’s Pick: NS RedForce (2-1)
Game #3: Ultra Prime v LGD Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Ultra Prime (2-0)
Game #4: Royal Never Give Up v Anyone’s Legend
Cann’s Pick: Royal Never Give Up (2-0)
Game #5: ThunderTalk Gaming v Weibo Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Weibo Gaming (2-0)
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: GALA (RNG; $12,000) Of the top tier ADCs, GALA Is one of the more death prone ones averaging over 1 a game. In that same time, we see him drop over 4 kills a game and almost 6 assists per game as well. These production numbers are great because it indicates a level of consistency which is the biggest factor in picking a captain, especially one at such a high price point. AL is much stronger on the top half of the map so I would imagine we will see RNG look to pressure Betty and QiuQiu early and often.
Value Pick: TheShy (WBG: $10,200)
Top
Favorite: Canna (NS: $6,600) Canna’s numbers don’t jump off the page at you with an average of over 4 kills and 3 assists per game. What makes me lean into this pick is the fact that in 4 games, they have never used a counter pick (you pick a specific champion in a role AFTER the opponent has already chosen their champion in the given role. This is to give you a strategic advantage) and he still has a top 5 KDA (3.3) and one of the best team kill participation rate (63%). He is a great team fighter and ensures his laning does not lead to a team loss.
Value Pick: zs (UP: $6,400)
Jungle
Favorite: SofM (WBG: $7,200) The start of the Spring Split in 2022 has not started in the way they anyone on Weibo Gaming had imagined. This team was seen as one of the strongest teams in the LPL and they lost a heartbreaker of a series to Bilibili Gaming in week 1. That being recognized, we have seen flashes of what they could be in the first 5 games they have played. SofM’s hunter mentality has been on full display and his aggression has translated to a 2 kill and 5+ assist average thus far. We have seen him help get his lanes wildly ahead which in time will lead to bumps in those averages. This game could very well be the beginning of that bump.
Value Pick: Dread (NS: $6,600)
Mid
Favorite: Xiaohu (RNG: $7,800) The Xiaohu switch is looking more and more of a great decision by RNG. Cryin had seemed too passive for the playmakers that was on this team in 2021. With Xiaohu in control of the middle lane, we see a far more active mid laner. He has 33 kills and 46 assists through the first week and a half as well as 71% team kill participation. He is currently at 30% kill share rate which is nearly perfect for a designated carry on a team. He faces either Forge or Maple, who both have greatly struggled in 2022 and AL doesn’t appear to have a clear idea on who they want to truly step into the mid lane role.
Value Pick: FATE (KDF: $7,000)
ADC
Favorite: huanfeng (WBG: $7,800) When comparing ADCs in the LPL, huanfeng is performing at a level that he hasn’t since 2020. He is in the top 10 in terms of kills (24), team kill share percentage (38%), and team death share percentage (14%). He is safe, he plays teamfights well, and he can navigate the laning phase well. The matchup is favored for the WBG team but it can devolve into madness. If it does get sloppy, huanfeng’s ability to stay alive and output damage; huanfeng can find opportunities to pick up serious points.
Value Pick: Aiming (KT: $6,800)
Support
Favorite: Peter (NS: $5,400) This pick comes with an asterisk with it. Nongshim technically has both Peter and Effort as available supports for Friday. Why I give the nod to Peter is because of his performances in the matches he has played in. He has played in two games, won both of them, and only died twice. Who did he play? Damwon Gaming. He had 18 kill participation and racked up a 9.0 KDA against the 2020 World Champions. If I am at NS, I would roll with him for a while.
Value Pick: Life (KT: $4,800)
Team
Favorite: Royal Never Give Up ($5,600) There is too much of a gap between RNG and AL for Friday not to feel comfortable with this pick. AL has 30 more deaths in one less game played and has a tendency to fall behind early. We see AL then turtle through most of the game, picking objectives if they can but will struggle when forced into serious teamfights around those late game objectives.
Value Pick: Nongshim RedForce ($5,000)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic – $50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Cryin (UP: $10,800)
- Alternate: Ghost (NS: $10,500)
Top: zs (UP: $6,400)
- Alternate: Rascal (KT: $6,000)
Jungle: H4cker (UP: $7,000)
Mid: Bdd (NS: $6,800)
- Alternate: Forge (AL: $5,800)
ADC: huanfeng (WBG: $7,800)
- Alternate: Teddy (KDF: $7,200)
Support: Peter (NS: $5,400a
Team: Royal Never Give Up ($5,600)