• (-275) Top Esports v Oh My God (+200)
  • (-250) Royal Never Give Up v Team WE (+185)

Tuesday’s LPL slate features OMG versus Top Esports, both teams are relatively strong on the upswing, but TES has a higher ceiling by far- but also a lower floor. RNG is facing off against Team WE, with both teams on a tremendous hot streak; an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Captain

Knight ($11,400)

While Creme is a strong mid laner on OMG, Knight is in MVP contention for good reason: he’s experienced a meteoric resurgence this season that leaves him unparalleled in the mid lane except for by Doinb. Creme has the makings of a great player, however his inconsistencies against players like Angel leave me wanting a more experienced mid laner, which is granted by a player like Knight. For a different captain, I’d grab Elk against RNG for reasons to be explained later.

Alternatives to consider: Elk ($10,800)

Top Lane

369 ($6,400)

TES bringing back 369 over Qingtian was a good choice. While Qingtian wasn’t an awful liability in most of TES’s games, it’s undeniable that 369 has a good shot of retiring as one of the “great” LPL top laners throughout his career. Likewise through, Breathe has slowly been making a name for himself also, and he finally gets his shot against Xiaohu, one of the best tops in the league.

Alternatives to consider: Breathe ($6,800)

Jungle

Karsa ($7,000)

Karsa against AKi is firmly in Karsa’s favor, and likely the biggest mismatch that TES vs OMG has to offer. AKi can be a decent jungler, but often falls short of the top dogs in the league, of which Karsa is almost certainly a member. Team WE’s Beishang isn’t to be underrated though- he’s a fantastic jungler, and one of the best in the league, and he has a solid match-up against Wei too.

Alternatives to consider: Beishang ($6,400)

Mid Lane

Shanks ($6,800)

With Knight as a captain, you have to take a choice: Shanks, or Cryin? For me, I’d prefer Shanks. Cryin doesn’t receive a ton of resources from his team typically, and compared to last season, I think he’s the weakest link on RNG, whereas Shanks coming back into the starting roster of WE has led them to a complete 180 in trajectory to the point where he’s skyrocketing towards the #1 place. These two face each other, so choose wisely, but I prefer Shanks myself.

Alternatives to consider: Cryin ($7,200)

ADC

Elk ($7,200)

While RNG’s bottom lane is strong, Elk and Missing are psychopaths and always look for angles to get aggressive in the bottom lane. I think Gala is a great ADC, but I frequently believe that he can have a hard time against a bottom lane that directly chooses to confront them, as we had seen during a few of RNG’s slip ups at MSI. I would do my best to avoid the TES bottom lane, since they’re up against OMG’s strongest side of the map in their own bottom lane, but Jackeylove would be my secondary option.

Alternatives to consider: Jackeylove ($7,600)

Support

Missing ($5,000)

A lot of the previously described aggression is directed from WE’s support, Missing. Missing is in contention for one of the best supports in the league following the massive win streak WE is on, alongside being their franchise player. The LPL is a league known for weak supports, but Missing has avoided the accusations throughout his career. He’s a strong player, and should match up well against Ming.

Alternatives to consider: Zhuo ($5,600)

Team

Top Esports ($5,000)

TOP is just a more well rounded team compared to their opponents in OMG- while they’re matched in the bottom lane, Knight is an absolute monster, and Karsa and 369 outclass their opponents. It may be controversial, but I can see Team WE defeating RNG due to the fact that RNG is likely resting on their laurels following their win streak, whereas WE is hungry for as many victories as they can.

Alternatives to consider: Team WE ($4,600)

Stacks

Karsa & 369

As stated before, the top side of TES is their biggest advantage over two relatively mediocre players in New and AKi. OMG’s jungle and top are frequently exploited in their losses, and I can expect TES to target these weak links, especially since 369 has just recently re-entered the starting roster.

Missing & Elk

The choice of WE over RNG is a stylistic one- WE is always looking for fights, and advantages, in the early game, which if can be acquired fast enough, can absolutely blitz RNG. A lot of these advantages come from their powerful bottom lane, and I’d imagine WE once again can look to these two in order to find a lead against a Gala and Ming who aren’t as used to being contested in the laning phase.

Creme & Able

While I don’t see OMG winning, if you think that TES may run into a patch of rough luck, these two are by far the ones to deliver OMG the upset. Able and Creme are at the top of their class despite coming from very different backgrounds. Able in particular has an easier time against Jackeylove and Zhuo, whereas Creme may find Knight a difficult opponent.

Top Picks: Shanks, 369, Knight

Rightfully so, Knight is one of the most valuable players on the day: he’s in contention for player of the split, and dragging his team to victory after victory. Thankfully, though, the reintroduction of 369 should be able to support his play and ease the load on him. Shanks against Cryin is a stylistically strong match-up as explained before, and he’s a strong player all around.0

Top Value: Shanks, Elk, Able

Team WE are disgustingly undervalued, especially since they’ve shown they can practically contest with anyone in the world on a good day. Elk and Shanks are two carries to watch out for going into play-offs. OMG’s Able completes the value list, although I don’t suggest going cheap on AD- nevertheless, he’s a great player if you’re looking for something cheap.