LPL, LCK Thursday

(+115) KT Rolster v NS RedForce (-150)

(+650) ThunderTalk v JD Gaming (-1200)

(-450) GenG v DRX (+300)

(-600) Rare Atom v LGD Gaming (+375)

Captain

iBoy ($11,400)

Two of the best ADCs in the world start on Thursday between iBoy and Ruler, and their opponents in Kramer and BAO respectively are seriously underwhelming. I prefer iBoy as captain due to his low cost combined with reliability against Mark and Kramer; Hang is a decent enough support, and iBoy will run circles around the aging Kramer. For a different option, Zoom is well worth a spot on your squad despite his high price tag relative to other top laners, so he makes a cheap, but effective captain.

Alternatives to consider: Zoom ($10,200)

 

Top Lane

Rascal ($6,400)

The biggest surprise out of GenG 2021 spring was hands down the coming up of Rascal, a relatively mediocre top lane throughout his career until the new year rolled around. Rascal couldn’t crack Khan come play-offs, but Damwon’s unchallenged and unprecedented domestic dominance is an excusable smudge on Rascal’s 2021. I’m excited to see more from Rascal, especially since their opponents in DRX- particularly Kingen- seems like an easy match-up for Rascal. Alternatively, if you have the cash, feel free to splurge on Zoom- he’s one of the best top laners in the world.

Alternatives to consider: Zoom ($6,800)

 

Jungle

Leyan ($7,000)

Rare Atom’s jungler showed up well on Tuesday, posting a 16 KDA across the day. While LGD may pose a bit of a more difficult match-up relative to OMG (hopefully), it’s likely irrelevant compared to Rare Atom’s superior lanes. This is much to the advantage of Leyan, and will allow him to similarly take control of the game just like he did versus OMG. Otherwise, Kanavi is the best jungler playing on the day, and he has an easy game against TT, no questions.

Alternatives to consider: Kanavi ($7,400)

 

Mid Lane

BDD ($7,200)

I expected a lot more out of Solka coming into 2021, being hyped up from the challengers series of Korea. BDD once again held a consistent season domestically in Korea, 3rd mid laner only behind Chovy and Showmaker; on Wednesday, he should find it easy to face off against the novice Solka and continue his tenure as a strong domestic Korean mid laner. It’s likely for Gen.G to find their way to worlds once again with BDD and Ruler in tow. Otherwise, Yagao is a fine option versus any one of ThunderTalk’s mid laners, and he holds a strong team behind him.

Alternatives to consider: Yagao ($7,600)

 

ADC

Ruler ($7,200)

In spite of winning the world championship an entire 4 years ago, Ruler is still one of the best ADCs in the world, although he hasn’t been able to recapture the international title since. Ruler’s opponent in BAO is weak, as described above, and I recommend trying to grab both iBoy and Ruler for their extreme talent and relatively weak opponents. It’s rare- if ever, that you can go wrong with Ruler on your team somewhere, and he’s an easy option on Wednesday.

Alternatives to consider: iBoy ($7,600)

 

Support

Hang ($5,600)

While I’m still not super hot on Hang, support is generally weak on Thursday: Life, LvMao, amongst others are some of the best, and I still consider Hang the best. Furthermore, selecting Hang allows you to combine RA’s powerful bottom lane for your team. LGD’s Mark shouldn’t be a tough match-up for Hang, either. For a different option, I’d recommend LvMao: he hasn’t looked strong lately, but he has a legacy of success for a good reason.

Alternatives to consider: LvMao ($5,800)

 

Team

GenG ($5,200)

By far, the most complete team on Thursday is LCK’s GenG, their only weak points are in support, and occasionally jungle when Cuzz has an off game. Even then, their weak support is remedied by a strong ADC in Ruler. The other teams in JDG and RA are alright, but JDG can be inconsistent, and RA is a bit more pricey; there’s nothing wrong with selecting Rare Atom, but I still feel as though they have a rougher match-up relative to GenG.

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

 

Stacks:

Ruler & Rascal

Feel free to include BDD in here too; the two Rs of GenG are head and shoulders above their competition in Kingen and BAO, two players that have yet to seriously impress me. DRX was carried last season by their jungler Pyosik, and with no roster changes, I don’t expect anything to change. GenG looks like a strong contender to make 2nd seed of LCK to worlds, just behind Damwon KIA.

 

iBoy & Hang

Rare Atom’s bottom lane is a solid pairing, although you’ll want to also grab Ruler. Hang is one of the more cost efficient supports on Thursday, and iBoy is similar with the ADC role. Furthermore, LGD’s bottom lane is one of their weaker points on the map, and with older players, are unlikely to make a resurgence.

 

Kanavi & Zoom

JDG’s top side is their saving grace with a mediocre bottom lane. Zoom stands as one of the best top laners in the world, despite JDG’s relatively mediocre exit in 2021 spring. Kanavi similarly still has demonstrated flashes of brilliance, such has his recent Graves performances. JDG has a really easy match-up, so it’s great to pick up the strongest portions of JDG.

 

Top Picks: iBoy, Ruler, Zoom

ADCs always score big, so it’s always to your advantage to grab two if possible, Zoom is just a fantastic top laner all around and is easily worlds class, and in contention for #1 if he had a capable team behind him (cough cough, EDG?)

 

Top Value: Peanut, Rascal, BDD

GenG is highly undervalued on Thursday, despite having an easy match-up. Rascal and BDD are likely big scorers next to Ruler, and they occupy less contested roles. Peanut is an underrated option on Nongshim, and he may have a place as a sac pick on a winning team, since it’s possible for NS to defeat KT, although I don’t favor the gamble.