• (+475) ThunderTalk v Suning Gaming (-800)
  • (-2500) FunPlus Phoenix v Victory 5 (+1000)

Wednesday’s LPL slate features two decisive match-ups: first placed FPX faces off against the last-locked squad of Victory 5, whereas Suning Gaming looks to stop the 2nd-to-last ThunderTalk gaming. Both of these games are projected to be hard stomps in the favor of the higher rated team, as their opponents are the dead bottom teams.

Captain

Nuguri ($9,600)

Aside from Xiaopeng, there is literally no one worth saving on the opposing teams. It’s this reason why a top laner captain is preferred- not because the role is good to have as a captain, it’s that you do not want to grab a player who will be obliterated by their opposition- which is likely for each player both on ThunderTalk and Victory 5. Save your money, go top lane.

Alternatives to consider: Bin ($9,900)

Top Lane

Bin ($6,600)

Bin and Huanfeng are the two players on Suning that consistently put in work throughout the entire season in every single game. Bin’s top lane dominance is not to be understated on a weak(er) team like Suning, and it’s admirable that he’s come this far. Whether TT start Xiao7 or Langx is irrelevant in my eyes- both players are underwhelming.

Alternatives to consider: Nuguri ($6,400)

Jungle

Tian ($7,400)

Tian is the best option for Wednesday for multiple reasons: not only is he an experienced player, with fantastic mid-jungle synergy with mid laner Doinb, but more importantly, SofM has been having a very weak split as of late, and his opponent in Xiaopeng is the only good player on ThunderTalk, often finding some sort of lead for himself even against relatively decent squads through his great mechanics. SofM is likely to win the game in the aftermath, but Tian should be winning from start to end. 

Alternatives to consider: SofM ($7,200)

Mid Lane

Doinb ($7,800)

FPX’s leader and star mid laner Doinb has led the team to a worlds victory in the past, and FPX’s resurgence this year has been partly due to Doinb refinding his form. Doinb is by nature a selfless player, which is actually fantastic. Doinb primarily aims to make plays across the map with his priority which he actively plays for, and it’s this initiative that allows Doinb to mop up massive amounts of kills throughout the game. Angel is a solid mid laner, but Doinb is up in MVP contention for great reason.

Alternatives to consider: Angel ($7,400)

ADC

Huanfeng ($8,000)

TT’s bottom lane is the worst one in the entire league. SamD and Pudding often solo lose their squad the game time and time again, whereas Huanfeng is far and away the best player on Suning Gaming. There’s no contest for me- $400 is worth the match-up upgrade, despite the fact that Lwx overall is the better ADC, SamD and Pudding are just that bad.

Alternatives to consider: Lwx ($7,600)

Support

Crisp ($5,800)

Crisp is one of the best supports playing in the league, and his legacy has lasted throughout the entire existence of the LPL. His opponent in Zyf/Reheal and Kelper are one of the worst bottom lanes in the league- second to only TT’s in that regard, and while ON has the better match-up, Crisp is far and away the better player, and I therefore favor him as support.

Alternatives to consider: ON ($5,600)

Team

Suning Gaming ($5,000)

Team slot is not a place worth overinvesting in, and on a day like Wednesday, your actual team choice is likely superfluous. FPX is begrudgingly worth the $200 upgrade with the caveat that you don’t sacrifice in a role that matters (basically anything aside from top lane) in this slate. FPX is both the better team, and the easier opponent, but this combination of players can’t function without Suning: take your choice; it likely doesn’t matter.

Alternatives to consider: FunPlus Phoenix ($5,200)

Stacks

Doinb & Crisp

Mid-jungle combo. Angel is a pretty good player with clear weak points, and Crisp is a straight, and massive, upgrade relative to ON. Not only are these two some of the best in their roles, they’re also massive upgrades relative to their respective alternatives, making these guys a productive stack to pursue.

Bin & Huanfeng

SN has been on and off, but these two have delivered some sense of consistency to the squad. Their support is weak, and SofM just doesn’t feel the same without SwordArt backing him up consistently, and that rings likewise with Angel. That has allowed these two to step up and take on roles as more primary carries relative to the rest of their teammates, which is ideal against a weak opponent like TT.

Tian & Nuguri

The top side of FPX is good for several reasons to pair together: not only are both great players, but Xiaopeng vs SofM is the one match-up I’d prefer to dodge- TT’s only good player is Xiaopeng, so I’d rather take advantage of an easier match-up with Tian vs PZX. Likewise, V5’s top laners are easily abused by Nuguri throughout the game.

Top Picks: Doinb, Huanfeng, Crisp

Easy options: Huanfeng plays against the worst ADC in the league in SamD, and the worst support in Pudding. Doinb gets to use his roaming style to devastating effect against a weak squad like V5 and is likely to hit big, and Crisp is just the only good support playing on the entire day.

Top Value: Angel, Lwx, Xiaopeng

While Huanfeng and Doinb are worth their price over their alternative, I can’t deny that picking Angel or Lwx can be worth it to allow picks for elsewhere, or for a captain upgrade. Xiaopeng is a middle tier jungler at least on a dead weak team, he’s the only good player playing on Wednesday outside of the Suning and FPX players.