• (-350) GenG Esports v Fredit BRION (+250)
  • (+400) DRX v Nongshim RedForce (-650)

The LCK continues on with its final week on Friday, featuring two match-ups: a top tier team takes on the dead last DRX with first place implications on the line for Nongshim RedForce, while GenG likewise try to scrape together some form of consistency before play-offs by taking on the bottom tier Fredit BRION.

Captain

Bdd ($10,800)

Bdd is a capable mid laner, and still one of the best in the league. Despite GenG’s routine underperformances, Bdd is dependable: his Azir is a hallmark of his pool, despite the meta not favoring the pick, Bdd finds success on the pick, which is a powerful advantage and shows what a strong mid laner he is, especially on a champion that is known for being played around. Otherwise, if you want to bet big on GenG’s demise, you can grab Gori and grab money off of Fredit players.

Alternatives to consider: Gori ($11,700)

Top Lane

Rich ($6,400)

While Rich isn’t an outstanding top laner, GenG is currently swapping between Burdol and Rascal, making it unclear which top laner they’ll actually start: which is why it’s way more reliable to select the budget option- Rich is guaranteed to start for Nongshim against DRX, and has a great match-up against Kingen and/or Destroy.

Alternatives to consider: Rascal ($6,600)

Jungle

Peanut ($7,000)

The return of Peanut has been a huge storyline in the LCK, his homecoming from China has been remarkable, and he’s likely the best jungler in the league right now. His opponent in Pyosik is the only decent player on his squad, but Peanut obviously has the advantage around the map: NS is likely to dominate in every single game, and spread that advantage towards their jungler in Peanut.

Alternatives to consider: Clid ($6,800)

Mid Lane

Gori ($7,400)

One substitution turned Nongshim from the 6th place team to nearly the 1st: Out with Bay, in with Gori. The mid laner didn’t show much while he was in China- he didn’t play a singular game in the regular season, but upon his return to Korea, he has surprised on an assortment of champions: Sylas, Lee sin, Yasuo, amongst others. Gori is a mid laner with a diverse selection of champions, which is great into a wildcard like Jett across the rift.

Alternatives to consider: Bdd ($7,200)

ADC

Deokdam ($7,600)

ADC is actually a hard role to pick between on Friday, but I find it easier to select the player with the better match-up: Ruler is playing against Hena and Delight, a terrible bottom lane, but one that is roughly discernibly LCK caliber. However, Deokdam and Kellin get to play against DRX’s bottom lane; Taeyoon and Jun, two players who were thrown in last minute for experience and not LCK caliber at all. Both players are great, but Deokdam’s more aggressive support alongside having the better match-up causes me to favor him.

Alternatives to consider: Ruler ($7,400)

Support

Life ($5,600)

Likewise, though, while I like Kellin with Deokdam I prefer Life on his own in support. Kellin is a great support player, and better than life, but for the purpose of DFS, I prefer the player with point-winning behavior: which is exactly what Life has, while Kellin is aggressive, Life is way more defensive, which is actually good in DFS as a support, since it mitigates their point loss. Both supports are great, but Life’s low death count causes me to prefer him over Kellin. 

Alternatives to consider: Kellin ($6,000)

Team

GenG Esports ($5,200)

GenG, despite taking a massive fall, is still a decent team all together. Bdd and Life are two players worth keeping your eyes on. Life generally holds a high KD across the games he’s in, and is a major factor in GenG having such a defensive playstyle. Bdd and Ruler are strong mechanical players, and Clid and Rascal have been the best players in their positions in the past.

Alternatives to consider: Nongshim RedForce ($5,400)

Stacks

Peanut & Gori

The mid-jungle for Nongshim is the primary force they utilize to translate leads to their bottom lane, specifically their ADC Deokdam. Peanut and Gori work well together, and utilize underrated pairings like Diana-Yasuo and the like to aggressively rack up big points.

Bdd & Life

GenG is a stylistically slow team, despite their jungler Clid being shown to be willing to be aggressive in the past on squads like JDG or T1. This is mostly due to Bdd and Life- controlled squads like GenG are good for DFS, as low deaths- especially in lower yield roles like support, result in larger point outcomes.

Deokdam & Kellin

While Life is a good support, I can’t also deny that there is a good degree of healthy volatility with Kellin. Life is way more controlled, while the Nongshim bottom lane isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty- a real double edged sword, but Kellin could be the spice needed to push a squad that extra distance over the edge.

Top Picks: Gori, Peanut, Deokdam

The 3-core for Nongshim are your best bet in scoring big on Friday. Gori and Peanut aim to use their leads to feed Deokdam, and by pairing all 3 of them together, you basically cash in on the whole supply chain that is Nongshim.

Top Value: Rich, Life, Bdd

Life and Bdd hold great KDAs consistently, a major factor in point value. Likewise, Rich being cheaper than the GenG options alongside being guaranteed a full berth of games in their match against DRX is priceless relative to the uncertainty posed by GenG’s top laners.