Next on the block for worlds groups is group B, where Damwon, JDG, Rogue, and PSG try to progress in the tournament: the circumstances appear dire for both PSG and Rogue, but Rogue has a chance to squeeze through the cracks. On the other hand, DWG look indomitable, and are championship contenders in their own right.

Captain

Showmaker ($11,400)

The picks for who will win are easy, this is the group least likely to have any upsets. Damwon will assuredly progress as first, JDG second, Rogue and PSG third and fourth respectively. The biggest question is: who gets captain? It has to be someone from Damwon Gaming, and the question you need to ask is: wide, or tall? Tall would necessitate a pick like Showmaker or Ghost while you fill your roster with JDG players, or you can pick Canyon or Nuguri and fill your roster with JDG players. This article will cover a “tall” strategy, with Showmaker as captain- Ghost is simply too expensive. Showmaker is a superstar mid laner who’s shown his worth against legends such as Faker, BDD, and Chovy, and he’s worthy of a captain spot. If you’re looking elsewhere, I’d recommend Canyon for a wide strategy.

Alternatives to consider: Canyon ($10,500)          

Top Lane

Zoom ($6,400)

Zoom versus Nuguri is a matter of preference. It’s entirely possible that Zoom is the best top laner in the world, but it’s equally as likely that Nuguri is actually the best top laner; they’re interchangeable depending on the day. Our desire for Zoom comes from his low price tag; we can invest that $400 for other pieces on the roster. Zoom himself has a respectable 4.6 KDA across the worlds event with a ~+25 CSD per game. While Nuguri may be a better player, the well roundedness of Zoom is desirable, and JDG as a stylistically top side team further lends additional resources into Zoom, and therefore more points. If this can’t convince you, feel free to go for Nuguri- the other two choices in the group aren’t really worth anything past a cursory glance.

Alternatives to consider: Nuguri ($6,800)

Jungle

Kanavi ($6,800)

Kanavi has quietly been having a really solid group stage: a 6.5 KDA across the event (only slightly short of Canyon’s 6.8) and his willingness to pull out picks like Sylas jungle lends him a strong degree of flexibility in draft: he’s unlikely to be pidgeon-holed into a bad match-up. Kanavi was the LPL MVP in spring in his first split of premier competitive play. His further experience in summer has shaped him into a well-rounded, aggressive jungler, who is capable of snowballing games quickly while racking up points through well timed ganks and skirmishes. There’s nothing wrong with Canyon, but like with Nuguri, you’re paying $400 for a pretty marginal increase of +.3 KDA.

Alternatives to consider: Canyon ($7,200)

Mid Lane

Larssen ($7,000)

Larssen is the only player on Rogue worth a look. While his performance so far has been solid, I anticipate Rogue in their next 3 matches to look to play heavily around the mid laner. Their sides are too weak, and Larssen has already shown capabilities of matching the threat posed by the Chinese and Korean mid laners. In the same way that M1ssion was a solid pick-up on Thursday, Larssen is highly likely to accrue a disproportionate share of Rogue’s resources, and therefore picking up Larssen will let you get in on any points Rogue can get. All of this is assuming Showmaker is your mid lane, but Larssen is a solid pick to further lend you money to buy elsewhere. Yagao is an all-around better player, but Rogue will know they need to play through their mid laner to achieve victory.

Alternatives to consider: Yagao ($7,400)

ADC

Loken ($7,600)

Loken’s performance in JDG and at the worlds stage has been refreshing considering his willingness to sail to a victory in the spring split. Across the 2020 Summer finals, Loken posted consisted, although small, CS differentials game from game. At worlds so far, he’s acquired a 8 KDA with around a +17 CSD per game. To be kurt, Ghost is likely the better option, but he is only achieving his highs due to having a superior team. It’s easy to argue that Ghost is actually the worst ADC from LCK at worlds, but results are the only thing that matters here. Either choices are a gamble, but if they’re equally as likely to achieve the same results, it’s better to just spend less on Loken as opposed to cashing out big on what’s a relative weakpoint for DWG. Don’t let Ghost’s flashy stats fool you, he’s very exploitable for DWG. Ultimately, it’s up to JDG (and other teams) to exploit him, however.

Alternatives to consider: Ghost ($7,800)

Support

LvMao ($5,400)

In addition, Beryl isn’t even a great support. He’s alright, and is likely better than fellow LCK representative Life, but LvMao is perhaps the best support in the world. His bard was seriously impressive in the LPL spring play-offs, and led them to a victory over TES. So far at worlds, he’s accrued a 5.2 KDA which is very high for a support; and is the highest out of all supports in group A! Beryl is a money trap, and his wins don’t even reflect well on his statistics. LvMao is objectively the best selection for the day, but if you want a different support, I’d actually just save money and go with Vander. Vander is known for having extremely low deaths during his run in LEC, and he can let you pick up better players elsewhere.

Alternatives to consider: Vander ($5,000)

Team

Damwon Gaming ($5,400)

We said this all the way back in the captain section: JDG are a good team, but Damwon are potential winners for the championship title. While I am still skeptical of Damwon’s bottom lane, they’re a more complete team relative to JDG, who struggle with mid lane pool issues, inconsistent Kanavi, and their ADC’s lack of firepower. Meanwhile, Damwon only has to deal with a medicore, but world class, bottom lane. The geographic concentration of their weakness is a positive for them, as they always know where to play through. Meanwhile, JDG simply do not have that luxury.

Alternatives to consider: JD Gaming ($5,000)

Top Stacks

Nuguri & Showmaker

I’m pretty tired of talking about these two: they’re the Korean counterpart of 369 (or I guess Zoom) and Knight. They’re the best solo laners in Korea and they work together alongside Canyon to create the unstoppable force that is Damwon. Like their Korean heritage would suggest, they are solid laners, and are capable of out teamfighting their opponents as opposed to relying on the risky skirmishes that are stereotypically in the style of Chinese teams.

Kanavi & LvMao

Kanavi is the lost child of Korea, in a poetic sense. His highly aggressive style would be unlikely to fly with how Korean teams prefer to treat their junglers; however, he fits in perfectly in China alongside big names like XLB, SofM, Tian, and Beishang who are more stylistically similar to himself. Alongside this honey badger (I miss MLXG) of a jungler is LvMao, one of the best supports in the world. He pairs very well with Kanavi’s scrappy way of playing as his ability to read and traverse the map is unparalleled: he’s always right where he needs to be. Together, these two create a global threat for any team JDG is facing.

Larssen & Vander

Cheap, cheap, cheap. Larssen is a solid choice and while both Yagao and Showmaker are worth their money, Larssen on an individual level is not absurdly behind the two eastern mid laners. The real issue comes from the relative weakness of his team. Vander is a different case; although similarly cheap, he is more so valuable due to the fact that he’s a KDA player who is good at… not dying. Not a fantastic claim to fame, but it is never the less useful.

Top Picks: Showmaker, LvMao, Nuguri

The three best picks are the Damwon solo laners and JDG’s superstar supports. Beryl isn’t even worth a look, and while JDG’s solos are good, they don’t necessarily compare to the star power and resources that are diverted to DWG’s players. It’s like what I said before: the geographic concentration of talent that DWG has allows them to effectively coordinate where they want their pressure to be.

Top Value: Larssen, Vander, LvMao

I’ll restate one final time: Beryl for $5,800 is highway robbery when LvMao is right there with superior statistics for $400 cheaper. Other than that, the Europeans are appropriately cheap, but they aren’t massive holes in your roster. Larssen can put up a fight against most mid laners in the tournament, but loses out due to having poor sides which his opponent can farm for free gold. Vander is pretty inert, but he comes cheap and you can stack your team with more expensive players if you decide to pick him up; and he isn’t from a valuable team which would further cost you slots.