• (+125) ThunderTalk v Ultra Prime (-165)
  • (+275) Fredit Brion v Damwon KIA (-400)
  • (+255) LNG Esports v EDward Gaming (-360)
  • (+120) Hanwha Life Esports v Liiv Sandbox (-155)
  • (+160) Invictus Gaming v Rare Atom (-200)

Thursday’s LPL and LCK slates features Liiv Sandbox likely to beat down the relatively mediocre Hanwha Life, while EDG and LNG face off against one of the most pivotal match-ups the league has faced yet. Damwon KIA looks to stomp out Fredit BRION, and likewise with Rare Atom versus Invictus Gaming. ThunderTalk and Ultra Prime face off in a low tier match-up, which is favored towards Ultra Prime.

Captain

FoFo ($11,100)

Rare Atom’s mid laner is one of the best laners in the league, and he is capable of transitioning that lead into teamfights masterfully, which is fantastic against a Rookie in a poor form. FoFo should be able to score big by abusing IG’s weak jungle. For a different option, you can stack two ADCs by picking up UP’s best player in Smlz against the worst bottom lane in the league- ThunderTalk’s, to be precise.

Alternatives to consider: Smlz ($11,400)

Top Lane

Summit ($6,200)

Top lane is a close role on Thursday: many teams actually feature extremely strong top laners aside from BRO, HLE, and the two bottom tier teams. Between Khan and Summit, I don’t think there’s much of a difference. However, Summit is $400 cheaper, and overall his form is better than Khan as of late, which is why I favor him for the top lane- both of HLE’s top laners are inconsistent, and for the most part underwhelming, allowing Summit to rule the lane.

Alternatives to consider: Khan ($6,600)

Jungle

Croco ($6,400)

While Croco hasn’t yet become one of the best junglers in the world yet, there are some things to consider: he’s cheap, he’s against a brand new Willer, and he has improved massively game to game, which is a fantastic attribute to have. Croco is clearly a smart player who will one day be an upper tier jungler in the LCK, and maybe even championship caliber, but right now, all he needs to do is play versus the newest jungler in the LCK.

Alternatives to consider: Canyon ($7,200)

Mid Lane

Scout ($8,000)

Icon is the weakest player on LNG, whereas Scout is a strong mid laner who is variable in how he can play the game. In contrast, Icon has mostly just found success on Viego, and a few other champions, not much else. Icon exclusively plays for Tarzan (which makes sense, Tarzan is great) but doesn’t have much carry capacity by himself- on the other hand, Scout is a versatile player, which is to his benefit on Thursday.

Alternatives to consider: ShowMaker ($7,600)

ADC

iBoy ($7,400)

IG’s bottom lane is the primary reason they lose games. Rookie is playing poorly, and XUN certainly isn’t great, but for a role that is literally an acronym for “Attack Damage Carry”, both Puff and Wink don’t attack often, or do a lot of damage, and they certainly don’t carry. iBoy is known for playing on the knife’s edge, which is great when he won’t be punished against IG’s weak bottom lane. Alternatively, grab Smlz here against Pudding and SamD, the weakest bottom lane the LPL has to offer.

Alternatives to consider: Smlz ($7,600)

Support

Beryl ($5,200)

Damwon’s Beryl hasn’t had the split of his life, but thankfully, BRO’s Hena and Delight are one of the worst bottom lanes in the LCK. Despite having a relatively decent mid laner in Lava, and a jungler who can coinflip in UmTi, BRO’s bottom lane will likely roll over and allow Beryl to make any play he wants across the map. Your other support option is ShiauC, who can combine with Smlz to form a capable bottom lane against a terrible ThunderTalk lane.

Alternatives to consider: ShiauC ($5,400)

Team

Damwon KIA ($5,600)

DK is likely to come back around by the time playoffs commences, and it’s a good start to take down the 2nd-to-last-placed BRO to set them up for their comeback. DK isn’t dead in the standings, although they are performing slightly under expectations. BRO likely pose no challenge to the squad though. Alternatively RA have one of the more one sided match-ups on Thursday.

Alternatives to consider: Rare Atom ($5,400)

Stacks

FoFo & iBoy

RA vs IG is one of the most decisive match-ups on Thursday. The actual carries of IG (eg: not TheShy) are practically worthless at this point, and now that IG are out of playoffs, the roster likely has nothing to play for. FoFo and iBoy are some of the best players in their role, so pairing them is logical.

Canyon & Showmaker

The mid and jungle of Damwon KIA are the only redeemable aspects of the squad following their rough patch. Luckily, against a weak opponent like HLE, that’s all they truly need. Chovy is a fantastic mid laner, but Showmaker is more than good enough to match him. Willer is also a great, young addition to the roster, but his inexperience is likely a hindrance against Canyon.

Summit & Prince

Finally, Summit and Prince are two of the strongest performers on the rising LSB squad. Summit has at long last awoken out of his slump and returned as a premier top laner in the LCK. Prince is a capable ADC well deserving of the resources he’s granted, and he is an excellent carry for the Sandbox squad.

Top Picks: FoFo, Summit, Prince

Both Summit and Prince appear as some of the most valuable picks: Summit is a strong mechanical top laner, and Prince is a great ADC who was essential in taking down the #1 team in the league in Nongshim. Finally, FoFo is an ideal option against a Rookie who has lost his form this split.

Top Value: iBoy, Prince, Canyon

Three players, three different teams: DK is likely to make a brief resurgence near the end of the season, especially against a weak team like BRO, with Canyon being one of the most consistent players on the squad. iBoy is a star of his team, and IG’s bottom lane is a well known weakness for them, finally, Prince is the piece that allowed LSB to make a resurgence, and their opponents in HLE are not known for being punishing through their bottom lane.