In China on Tuesday, the star-studded squad of EDG faces off against an underwhelming LGD line-up. Meanwhile, FPX look to prove that they’re still a title contender against a relatively underrated Rogue Warrior’s roster. Let’s get into the picks.

Captain

Jiejie ($10,800)

Jungler Jiejie is the perfect choice to get a solid mix of volatility into your roster to set you over the edge; junglers are generally lower tier on the day, allowing Tian and Jiejie to pick up the pieces and dominate for points. Jiejie on EDG has been surprisingly solid and an upper tier jungler throughout the event; but you’re putting your faith in Tian to show up on the day, which is difficult considering his inconsistent nature. If you’re skeptical of Tian, I’d recommend picking up the more consistent Scout as your mid laner; he’s on the cheaper side relative to his role, and he’s great for racking up points against the “good, but not great” Uniboy.

Alternatives to consider: Scout ($11,100)

Top Lane

Nuguri ($6,200)

There’s literally no bad choice between Nuguri and Flandre. I definitely like both of them; I only slightly favor Nuguri since with jungler Jiejie as captain, you’re basically playing for EDG spots as opposed to money concerns. Flandre is an amazing player, but I just favor EDG spots elsewhere on the line-up, since Nuguri and Flandre are both great top laners and shouldn’t perform substantially apart from each other. Of course, this goes without saying: there’s nothing wrong with picking up Flandre here, but you may be stuck with FPX members in slightly less desirable roles.

Alternatives to consider: Flandre ($6,400)

Jungle

Tian ($6,800)

Tian is sort of the “great evil” of this line-up. He’s more than capable of being an absolutely fantastic jungler, but his performance against EDG was underwhelming. Thankfully though, he looked great versus OMG and Rogue Warrior’s jungler Haro isn’t a strong point on their roster. Tian is typically an uncertain pick-up that I usually try to avoid, but he has a strong stylistic advantage into his opponent jungler, so I feel comfortable picking him up on Tuesday. If you chose a different captain, I’d definitely recommend to select Jiejie here, however.

Alternatives to consider: Jiejie ($7,200)

Mid Lane:

Scout ($7,400)

Like with top lane, I appreciate both Doinb and Scout here, but I favor Scout due to him being on fire recently. Crushing the latter half of the 2020 Summer split, and dominating in EDG’s game against OMG. He was instrumental in taking down FPX, and he’s an evergreen player who is consistently at the top of his class in what’s considered the most competitive region internationally. His opponent in Uniboy isn’t bad, but coming from an inferior region is a massive hindrance in his development as a player. Scout dwarfs the Taiwanese mid laner, and he’s an easy choice for Tuesday.

Alternatives to consider: Doinb ($7,600)

ADC:

LWX ($7,600)

ADC will by far be the most difficult choice you’re forced to make on Tuesday. You have two options, and they’re easy to understand: LWX has an insanely high ceiling, and recently has been performing relatively well. Unfortunately, he’s inconsistent and has a propensity to single handedly throw games. Viper is much more consistent, and has a legacy of being one of the best ADCs in the world. Unfortunately, he’s slightly washed already and his star has been dimming, although he’s still relatively consistently “good”, he just hasn’t shown the highs he’s demonstrated in the past. Will Viper turn it around against weak ADC Kramer? Will LWX lose his nerve against a stronger point of Rogue Warriors relative to the rest of their roster: their bottom lane? This is the decision you need to make. I prefer LWX here due to the fact that he adds the volatility you need to get those few last extra points if he shows up. If you want to sit on your points, select Viper.

Alternatives to consider: Viper ($7,800)

Support:

Meiko ($5,800)

Meiko is a fantastic support and while he’s less consistent than he once was, he definitely looks rejuvenated alongside ADC Viper. To keep it short, I see Crisp vs Meiko as Flandre vs Nuguri: it doesn’t matter that much, although I think as a unit, Meiko tends to play safer than Crisp and will therefore generate more points. I think support as a position is a role you want to pick more conservatively on, so I prefer Meiko to Crisp. Nothing wrong with either, however.

Alternatives to consider: Crisp ($5,600)

Team

EDward Gaming ($5,400)

Between FPX and EDG, the writing is on the wall: FPX may have the higher ceiling, but they’re woefully inconsistent. Meanwhile, EDG lack an X-Factor aside from Scout and perhaps Jiejie with more consistent players in Viper and Flandre. The more I think about it, the more I realize the waning of Viper is a result of this absence of an X-Factor and his losing of his “killer instinct”. Either way though, EDG don’t need an X-Factor to triumph over LGD, whereas FPX can slip against RW if they don’t tie their shoelaces before playing.

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

Stacks:

Scout & Jiejie

The mid-jungle for EDG tops the list from stacks you should look out for. I can’t sing the praises of Scout enough; it’s entirely likely he may have been the best mid laner at some point, but he’s overshadowed by flashier players like Caps or peak Rookie. Scout is still on top, and it feels like he’ll never slip. Jiejie has been a pleasant surprise on picks like Olaf or even Graves, junglers are overpowered and he’s a great selection for yours on Tuesday.

Tian & Crisp

I’ve said it before: I don’t like choosing Tian, but I think he’s a great player. FPX is a team that’s literally only X-Factors, and unfortunately that has the consequence of being too volatile for their own good. Tian and Crisp are always “capable” of showing up big, but you’re relying on flipping several coins and them all landing on heads. I always say: you’re gambling anyway, so why not bet big?

Meiko & Viper

I like Viper, but he just hasn’t hit the ceiling he’s demonstrated on Griffin. This bottom lane is consistently good, easily top 6 but just lacks that “something” to really place them over the edge from what I’ve seen. It may be Viper’s inexperience in a Chinese dominated environment, and he may yet be capable of reclaiming the glory he’s shown in Korea, but so far, “consistent” is a double-edged compliment people will likely raise against him at this point.

Top Picks: Jiejie, Scout, LWX

Each of these guys are explosive, and have that “something” that I was talking about earlier. They’re capable of racking up massive amounts of points by virtue of the risks they’re willing to take. LWX in particular goes way too far at points, but there’s no real argument whether he’s a KDA player, I’d go as far as to say he plays for content at points, and does whatever is the most entertaining for the viewer experience.

Top Value: Nuguri, Scout, Crisp

I find it hilarious that FPX players are generally cheaper than EDG aside from mid laner Scout, who I’d argue is the biggest name on the roster. In any case, I think Nuguri and Crisp will mostly play similar and gain similar points to their EDG counterparts. Doinb has a higher ceiling than Scout, but with a better supporting cast, I think Scout is more likely to win big as far as points are concerned, as Doinb is usually left to pick up the pieces of his rather inconsistent team. Each of these guys are solid choices, and come in cheaper than the max-price option.