Sunday’s big match-ups involve a surging EG trying to take down 9th place Dignitas, and TSM attempting to bury CLG in the standings, and potentially out of play-offs. The first and second place teams face off in TL vs C9, and GGS vs 100T features mid table teams trying to scrap their way into the upper play-off placings.

Captain

Doublelift ($12,000)

TSM is a streaky team. Just at the second you think they’re ready to contest Cloud9, they shatter and lose their direction; on the other hand, right as you count them out, they surge forward on a hot streak. This vicious cycle has mostly been due to their draft volatility, and their top lane’s inconsistent performances. Doublelift alongside Bjergsen have been able to do a lot for TSM this split however, and while Bjergsen is likely the most influential player on the team, we can’t knock Doublelift. Pobelter is a higher mountain to climb than the mi dtable Stixxay, and with Doublelift’s recent performances, we believe that this may finally be the time that TSM is ready to make their final ascent. Who knows though, if you are concerned with TSM’s streaky performances, we’d recommend another flippy player in Huni. Huni is up against one of the weakest top laners in the league in V1per, and Huni’s recent performances against both IMT and C9 primes him for a smashing game.

Alternatives to consider: Huni ($9,600)

Top Lane

Huni ($6,400)

I can’t believe I am recommending Huni. LCS is wacky in the regard that a player that will simply look awful in academy will enter LCS and just start smashing the competition: and a perfect player that’s indicative of this is Huni. Huni’s performance on Gangplank allowed the new EG roster to take down first place Cloud9, and he performed again against Allorim on Friday. V1per isn’t a Gangplank player himself, so they’ll either have to ban the pick or find something to play into Huni’s GP, which is unlikely since he’s shown no sign of slowing down from anything the enemies have picked against him. If flippy top laners aren’t your style, we’d recommend Ssumday, who’s consistently been playing well on 100 Thieves. While Ssumday had a rough game against TL, there were much bigger issues around the map. Ssumday has been the player to watch on 100 Thieves as he struggles for yet another split to push his team to success. His once brilliant glow is beginning to dim, but he’s still a star among the relatively mediocre North American pickings.

Alternatives to consider: Ssumday ($5,800)

Jungle

Closer ($6,400)

Closer has only gotten better as the split has progressed, we’ve spent the last several articles praising his willingness to confront the enemy jungler directly. Closer is the player his team plays for, and is the clear best player on the roster. His opponent in Contractz is similar, but Contractz is more of an independent operator in a greater whole while Golden Guardians could be convincingly renamed as “Team Closer & co.” His teams support gives him availability to resources Contractz simply isn’t offered, and this focus on their jungle can allow Golden Guardians to have a stylistically favored match-up into 100 Thieves. If this analysis does not convince you, we would recommend picking up Spica in the jungle. Wiggily has been on the struggle bus this split and his 2019 Summer form seems far departed from the shell of the jungler we are currently observing. Spica hasn’t been as fantastic jungler, but he has definitely been head and shoulders above Wiggily.

Alternatives to consider: Spica ($6,800)

Mid Lane:

Bjergsen ($8,000)

Bjergsen has been the best player on the TSM roster, doubtlessly. He’s flexible in his pool, he’s flexible in his role in the team, and he’s just a generally well rounded player. His veterancy shows in each game he plays as he’s a consistent, levelheaded force for TSM. While Pobelter has been a bright spot for CLG, he is prone to “overplaying” which results in him chain feeding kills as he struggles to push CLG to victory. Against TSM, it’s expected that Pobelter will rack up deaths in a vain attempt to push CLG to victory: or maybe he won’t, it’s hard to say. Either way, Bjergsen is a great mid lane option and is highly favored to win hard against CLG. If you’re looking for a cheaper pick, it’s a tough sell but we’d recommend Damonte. Damonte hasn’t been the insane assassin player we’ve known him for, but his supportive style to Closer allows Closer to execute performances that are off limits to other junglers in the league aside from perhaps Blaber. While Damonte doesn’t knock it out of the park each game, he’s a stable force. Ryoma has been on a hot streak, but this brief glimpse of success does not invalidate his legacy of mediocrity in LCS.

Alternatives to consider: Damonte ($7,000)

ADC:

Johnsun ($6,400)

Aphromoo and Johnsun are the architects behind Dignitas’ surging performance as of late. While they are unlikely to win against EG, A&J are by far the more proactive and “hungry” bottom lane. The onus is on them to carry, and Johnsun realizes this. Unlike Pobelter, Johnsun isn’t as prone to overplaying, he’s much more conscious of his limits and is pragmatic in the moves he makes. Bang has been a fantastic player, but Johnsun is a fantastic pick to save money and spend elsewhere. If your intention is to pick up Johnsun’s support in Aphromoo, we’d recommend to pick up FBI who has been a great secondary carry for Golden Guardians. While Cody Sun has been a great ADC historically, his recent performances have not been in line with his history of success.

Alternatives to consider: Tactical ($7,600)

Support:

Treatz ($5,400)

Treatz against Smoothie is not even remotely close to a competition. While Smoothie has been better than his form in Spring, he’s nowhere close to his 2018 Spring performance which put him in contention for MVP. Smoothie’s glow has been fading since his departure from Cloud9. On the other hand, Treatz is a player who has just began to grow. His earlier performances in LCS were slightly suspect, but as their synergy grows so has Treatz’s consistency as a support. The TSM substitution has been a success, and they’ve promoted a young support who has the potential to be among the best in North America. If you’re looking to save money, we’d advocate Aphromoo, who has been regaining his form this split. Bang and Zeyzal are not threatening in lane, and Dignitas’s few wins are off the back of their bottom lane’s great performances, particularly Aphromoo’s Bard.

Alternatives to consider: Aphromoo ($4,000)

Team

TSM ($5,600)

The liquid train has crashed. We are TSM fans now. There are two games that should be clear cut on Sunday, TSM vs CLG and EG vs DIG. There are merits to both EG and TSM, but we’d recommend to take TSM, as CLG typically goes down struggling in vain. Dignitas are usually a little more composed in defeat, so in order to earn the most points, we believe TSM to be the best choice over all; don’t let this stop you from taking Evil Geniuses if you see something we don’t and have the money to throw.

Alternatives to consider: Evil Geniuses ($6,000)

Top Stacks:

Bjergsen & Doublelift

These two have given life to TSM. Bjergsen is the more consistent rock in the middle lane that can consistently win lane given any match-up or degree of resources, while Doublelift is a more inconsistent X-Factor that sends TSM above the midtable LCS teams. Sure, TSM doesn’t have everything figured out yet, but their bottom side has been a consistent positive for TSM since Treatz’s substitution.

Damonte & Closer

The mid jungle for Golden Guardians is their engine of success. While Huhi and Hauntzer have been hit or miss throughout the split, Damonte is selfless in his commitment to his jungler. Closer has been a pleasant surprise and Damonte is the player which truly unlocks his potential. It may not be worth it to take Damonte due to his more supportive style, but there’s nothing wrong with picking him up to save cash for elsewhere.

Johnsun & Aphromoo

The two most relevant players on DIG. Johnsun and Aphromoo allow Dignitas to punch above their weight class (9th place, unfortunately), and have lent them the capability to win with players whose commitment to the very game they’re playing is dubious at best. The meta shift for supports has let Aphromoo salvage his career, and while Johnsun was hot and cold later last split and early this split, he’s definitely beginning to regain his stride.

Top Picks: Bjergsen, Huni, Doublelift

We’ve covered Bjergsen and Doublelift before, but Huni has been the carry top laner to watch this split. Ssumday and Broken Blade have not been able to have the overall impacted as they had earlier in their career, and most other top laners have been left with extremely low resources. On the other hand, Huni is the top laner that’s definitely stepped up and shown his ability to win games by himself. Ironically, the opposite was true last split in Dignitas, but as of recent, he’s been putting up great performances.

Top Value: Johnsun, Closer, Aphromoo

Each of these players we have talked extensibly about before: Aphromoo and Johnsun as the two players who give Dignitas any “punch” at all in game, and Closer as the hammer to Damonte’s Anvil. There’s not much more we can say: Bang and Zeyzal struggle punishing players in lane, and Contractz will not have the resources at his disposal that Closer will, which will likely result in Closer being able to dominate the enemy jungler who shares a similar style to his own. Each of these players are criminally cheap, especially Johnsun and Aphromoo who are the cheapest in their position.