(-190) Team Solomid v Immortals (+150)
(-195) Evil Geniuses v Counter Logic Gaming (+155)
(+110) Team Liquid v Cloud9 (-140)
(EVEN) Golden Guardians v Team Dignitas (-130)
(+340) Flyquest v 100 Thieves (-525)
With only one real upset yesterday, Saturday looks to be very chalky as well. With only one real upset that I could see (IMT over TSM), this slate looks like it will be trying to find the best value possible. It is curious that a team like Team Liquid will continue to play these important head to head games without their best player in Alphari while Cloud9 continues to put the pressure on the top of the table with the return of Zven into the lineup. Look for big performances out of Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves as both teams take on the bottom of the table opponents. Let’s dive in!
Game #1 Team Solomid v Immortals
Cann’s Pick: Team Solomid
Game #2: Evil Geniuses v Counter Logic Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Evil Geniuses
Game #3:Team Liquid v Cloud9
Cann’s Pick: Cloud9
Game #4:Golden Guardians v Team Dignitas
Cann’s Pick: Team Dignitas
Game #5: Flyquest v 100 Thieves
Cann’s Pick: 100 Thieves
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Abbedagge (100T: $11,400) There is really little argument that can be made at this point that Abbedagge isn’t the best mid lane player in the LCS right now. While players like Jensen and Jizuke have had their moments of shining, they both have had very bad games as well. Abbedagge just feels like he doesn’t miss. Even on games where he is in a more supportive role (like of Friday where he played Karma) he won’t get many kills but he will drop 10+ assists. Flyquest doesn’t stand a chance in this matchup and 100 Thieves with Abbedagge are my strongest lock of the weekend to get a win.
Value Pick: Raes (IMT: $9,300)
Top Lane
Favorite: Impact (EG: $7,400) The steady production of Impact is currently solidifying him as probably the most successful import into the North American league. On Friday he posted 7 kills and 7 assists to 1 death and this wasn’t a rare performance out of the Korean import. Impact has the lead among LCS top laners in kills (46) and assists (86) as well as an almost 67% team kill participation rate. I am excited for him playing into Finn on Saturday and expect that will translate into some good points for your lineup.
Value Pick: Ssumday (100T: $6,800)
Jungle
Favorite: Closer (100T: $7,600) During the 100 Thieves current hot streak Closer has shot to the top of the jungler list. He is the current kill leader (44) for junglers as well as leading in assists (92). I love the picks that 100 Thieves have put Closer on with the Rumble, Xin, and the newly added Diana pick. Josedeodo has not been able to have the same impact on Flyquest as they had hoped. Look for Closer to have a lot of agency in this game because of all of his winning lanes and he will be able to use that agency to rack up some serious points through high kill participation.
Value Pick: Spica (TSM: $6,600)
Mid Lane
Favorite: Jizuke (EG: $7,800) I am all in on this redemption arch that Jizuke seems to be on. For years the narrative surrounding him has been that he is some volatile liability for any team he plays for. This split, Jizuke has been a rock of consistency for Evil Geniuses and I am loving it. He has a 3.5 KDA and has picked up 55 kills in 13 games played. He still has one of the highest death counts which is why I think he is better suited here rather than in the captain role, but his KDA shows us he is still making a positive impact in the score sheet.
Value Pick: Perkz (C9: $6,600)
ADC
Favorite: FBI (100T: $8,000) There is a lot of love for FBI (I have been part of it) but I think it is more about how FBI fits into 100 Thieves. In the same way I think this is a good piuck not just because of the player but because of the larger team. FBI takes very little intervention or resources to be a factor in the late game. 100 Thieves can juggle threats in the mid lane, top lane, and jungle which take a lot of pressure off of FBI. With this FBI usually picks up a lot of kills and assists in the back end of fights and normally doesn’t get focused down. This has lead to his 7+KDA and almost 90 assists in 13 games. Safe pick here into Flyquest and I have less of a concern for the dropping of a game here.
Value Pick: Tactical (TL: $6,800)
Support
Favorite: IgNar (EG: $6,000) The success of the Rookie ADC for EG should really be attributed to the quality of their support in IgNar. He has 116 assists on the split and a 4.4 KDA. He also has one of the lowest death totals (29) in the LCS for supports which tells me he is maximizing his ability to initiate without sacrificing his life over and over again. I am looking for a big performance out of IgNar into Dreams in the support role from Flyquest. This is a heavy favorite for a reason.
Value Pick: Vulcan (C9: $5,000)
Team
Favorite: 100 Thieves ($6,200) Best team playing one of the worst teams. Even with Golden Guardians being at the very bottom of the standings, I think Flyquest is in the worst shape overall. If 100 Thieves continue to play their aggressive style and move around the map quickly and as a team, I don’t see Flyquest being able to keep up over the course of the match.
Value Pick: Team DIgnitas ($5,400)
Cann’s Example Lineup
Captain (x1.5): Abbedagge ($11,400)
Alternate: Jensen ($10,800)
Top: Impact ($7,800)
Jungle: Xerxe ($6,000)
Alternate: beishang ($7,000)
Mid: Perkz ($6,600)
ADC: Zven ($7,000)
Alternate: LokeN ($7,400)
Support: Vulcan ($5,000)
Team: Evil Geniuses ($5,600)