• (+220) LNG Esports v Top Esports (-300)
  • (+175) Bilibili Gaming v Team WE (-210)

The LPL Play-offs proceeds into its 2nd round, with the victorious LNG and Team WE facing off against Top Esports and Bilibili Gaming respectively. I foresee TES and WE taking their wins against their respective opponents, with eyes on the middle lane for both of the squads.

Captain

Shanks ($10,500)

One of the most contested match-ups in WE vs BLG is in the middle lane. Zeka is a decent enough middle lane, but Shanks has shown that he’s more than capable of being a top tier mid laner by usurping Mole’s spot. Similarly, your other option is Knight: a strong mid laner with an even better match-up against the relatively poor Icon.

Alternatives to consider: Knight ($11,100)

Top Lane

Breathe ($6,600)

Breathe has turned out to be a top tier top laner, living up to his potential as Curse; a player who showed a degree of potential on OMG, but not anywhere near the level he’s displayed this split. Biubiu is a decent enough top laner, but nowhere near the extremely strong level Breathe has shown throughout the LPL split. Your other option is 369, although he has a tough opponent against Ale, and he himself may be subbed out for Qingtian at a moment’s notice.

Alternatives to consider: 369 ($6,400)

Jungle

Beishang ($6,800)

Likewise, a major advantage WE have is a more consistent jungler in Beishang versus Weiwei. While Weiwei has shown growth across the split, and a tremendously high ceiling after BLG crushed RNG in one of the final few games of the season, the overall level of Beishang has been higher than the BLG jungler, and he’s deserving of praise. Weiwei is a good player, but Beishang’s track record has been strong. I’d do my best to avoid betting against Tarzan directly, but I have to give it to Karsa: he’s up to the task to take down Tarzan.

Alternatives to consider: Karsa ($7,000)

Mid Lane

Knight ($7,400)

Knight may be the best mid laner in the LPL, aside from someone like Doinb. The amount of hoisting he’s done for his squad is undeniable: with almost any other mid laner, TES likely wouldn’t be able to make play-offs. However, the stars are aligned for Knight: throughout his bracket until round 4, the mid laners he faces are weak, so he may be able to once again claw his team to a nearly top spot in the league. Icon is a weak laner, and Knight is likely to crush him.

Alternatives to consider: Shanks ($7,000)

ADC

Jackeylove ($7,800)

While Jackeylove may not have had the series of his career, he’s still a great ADC who is known to be able to play up to the situations he’s put in: and play-offs is a good example of an occasion he can rise to. He was a world champion back in 2018, and it’s clear he still has a strong fire inside him to push forward. Light and Iwandy are a decent bottom lane, but for a player like Jackeylove, “decent” doesn’t really cut it.

Alternatives to consider: Elk ($7,600)

Support

Missing ($5,600)

Support is by far the weakest point in TES, so picking up Missing is a no-brainer. The Team WE support is one of the best supports in the league, and he works well with his ADC in Elk too. Aiming is the strongest player on BLG, however, Missing should be able to evade him and play to his strong top side throughout the game, since he himself is an intelligent support.

Alternatives to consider: Zhuo ($6,000)

Team

Top Esports ($5,200)

While TES may not reach the greatness they’ve had last year, they may yet still be capable of grabbing a precious world’s spot. Their competition is fierce, but they have an easy start against LNG. Their carries outshine their counterparts on LNG, despite having a weaker top side and support compared to the opposing squad. Team WE is also likely to smash BLG, although if BLG is on tip top shape, it could be hard to call.

Alternatives to consider: Team WE ($5,000)

Stacks

Shanks & Breathe

The solo laners for WE are a solid choice for your roster: Breathe is a strong top laner regardless of match-ups, and he can play both strong and weak side. Shanks is a good mid laner too, and he works well with the rest of his roster to control the map.

Beishang & Missing

The support and jungle, also, is a great pairing on WE. Missing is a great support who controls lane with Elk and scales well into teamfights- he also is a massive factor in WE’s aggressive early game when he links with jungler Beishang to create chaos across the map.

Knight & Jackeylove

The carries for TES are a good option on Saturday: Knight gets the lionshare of resources from his team and for good reason, he’s the best player on the squad and the primary carry. Jackeylove is a good player too, but is encumbered by an underwhelming support: together, however, these two are likely to do much of the heavy lifting for TES.

Top Picks: Breathe, Knight, Jackeylove

Breathe and Knight are amongst the best solo laners in the league: Knight himself was in contention for MVP selection. Breathe is an all around fantastic and versatile top laner. Jackeylove is known for showing up massively to high pressure situations, and these play-offs should be no different.

Top Value: Shanks, Beishang, Aiming

The value bin: Shanks and Beishang may not be the best overall players on Saturday, but they have some of the best match-ups. Tarzan and Knight are either too expensive (Knight) or have poor match-ups (vs Karsa) for serious consideration. Aiming is the star of BLG: it’s unlikely they beat WE, but they can if he shows up big.