LCS concludes on Sunday: TSM look to close out a 3-0 week against FlyQuest, Cloud9 tries to knock a relatively weak looking 100 Thieves off their 2nd place spot, TL look for payback from the first round robin against IMT, EG will likely get their free win versus GGS, and likewise for DIG vs CLG.

Captain

Soligo ($11,100)

Dignitas’ biggest surprise, in my opinion, has actually been mid laner Soligo. Far cry from his 2019 LCS appearance, Soligo has shaped up to be a strong mid laner in the LCS, and plays well with Dardoch. His opponent Pobelter has posted back-to-back unremarkable games for CLG on Azir, falling on his face both times. Soligo is a player to keep your eyes on, and he has a very easy game on Sunday. Similarly, I think Lost has performed well enough to earn a captain spot: he doesn’t break the bank, and has a fantastic match-up versus FLY’s bottom lane.

Alternatives to consider: Lost ($11,100)

Top Lane

Huni ($6,400)

Licorice looks completely washed, whereas Huni looks like he’s sapped the talent out of the other LCS top laners. Huni has been flipping heads consistently and shows no sign of really stopping. I consider himself one of the most enigmatic players in the league, but I can’t deny that he’s playing well right now, and it’s a big factor of why TSM has been succeeding. Huni versus Licorice is extremely weighted towards Huni. Otherwise, I’d grab Impact who will smash Niles on Sunday for a premium option.

Alternatives to consider: Impact ($7,000)

Jungle

Dardoch ($6,600)

Dardoch is likely a top 3 jungler in the league, he’s a strong play maker and leads his solo laners through the early game, he has a champion ocean and synergizes fantastically with fellow superstar Aphromoo. Dardoch completely 180d his career once DIG put him on the starting roster, and he’s had one of the best splits of his career so far. Meanwhile, Broxah looks like he could potentially be a dead last jungler alongside Iconic. For a different option, I’d recommend the absolute best jungler: Blaber, who plays against a Closer who had a bit of a resurgence on Saturday, but has looked otherwise underwhelming this split so far.

Alternatives to consider: Blaber ($7,200)

Mid Lane

PowerofEvil ($7,000)

Palafox is likely to crush under the pressure of PowerofEvil- or, more likely, he will be incapable of stopping the steamroller that is PoE from slowly farming, scaling, and taking over the game by utilizing his leads. PowerofEvil’s stable, slow style allows him to rack up points while avoiding deaths, causing him to consistently be a great pick, especially against a team like FlyQuest with mid laners that are unable to match him in lane. If you prefer the loose cannon, high risk high reward type, look no further than Jiizuke, who has a great match-up versus Ablazeolive.

Alternatives to consider: Jiizuke ($8,000)

ADC

Neo ($7,800)

While CLG’s WildTurtle has been a decent player, Neo+Aphromoo looks like a top 4 bottom lane in the league. Smoothie and Turtle will likely just be incapable of setting them far behind in lane, and Neo’s versatility alongside his strong teamfighting will make DIG’s game against CLG a cake-walk. Neo has the highest KDA out of every single ADC in the league, while WildTurtle (the GOOD player on CLG) is 2nd to last. Otherwise, I think Deftly versus Stixxay is free money too: Deftly is quite good at laning, whereas Stixxay is good at… losing?

Alternatives to consider: Deftly ($8,200)

Support

Aphromoo ($5,600)

Dignitas’ support is the lynch pin that ties the team together. While I may believe that CoreJJ is a better support compared to Aphromoo, I don’t think Dignitas would necessarily have the success they currently have with CoreJJ. Aphro’s role in Dignitas is idiosyncratic: he is the leader, the veteran presence. He’s cool headed and a capable captain for the roster, which pays well into a team like CLG. If you want a cheaper option, I think SwordArt will smack Diamond, who has looked like the worst support in the league.

Alternatives to consider: SwordArt ($5,000)

Team

Team SoloMid ($5,400)

There’s no bad choice between TSM, EG, and Dignitas; Cloud9 too isn’t even a bad one. I prefer TSM since I think FlyQuest doesn’t have much left to offer, although I was initially hopeful. Josedeodo and Johnsun still have potential, but their solo laners, and especially Diamond, look underpar. Dignitas versus CLG is another classic, with it becoming more and more unlikely that CLG win another game.

Alternatives to consider: Dignitas ($5,200)

Stacks

Dardoch & Soligo

The best thing about DIG’s mid jungle 2v2 is their solid price point, great match-up against CLG, and strong synergy. They both have relatively wide champion pools and have matched up and shown promise against the top teams in the league. Soligo throughout his tenure in academy actively played for middle lane priority, and Dardoch does a fantastic job at utilizing that priority and converting it into advantages for Dignitas.

Huni & PowerofEvil

Fire and ice, black and white, yin and yang. Huni is a complete loose cannon wildman, he will either end the game 8-0 and 0-8: with no jungle intervention at all. Luck has been on his side, and he’s been consistently performing well throughout the last few weeks for TSM. By contrast, PowerofEvil is the face of consistency throughout his time in the LCS, but he’s still been fantastic around the way. FLY has weak solo laners, and these two are worth looking at to pick up.

Neo & Aphromoo

DIG’s bottom lane has been crushing the competition, while DIG fumbled against 100 Thieves in a really close game, I’d go as far as to say that only Tactical and CoreJJ, and Zven and Vulcan are clearly better than them. WildTurtle and Smoothie just don’t have what it takes to stop these two in their tracks. Aphromoo is a genius support player, the “rookie whisperer” and Neo is a mechanical prodigy with a good head on his shoulders.

Top Picks: Soligo, Dardoch, Impact

CLG’s Broxah and Pobelter work together about as well as chocolate with hot sauce. Neither player stands out as remarkable, whereas Dignitas are the inverse: each player has shown promise and together they look that much better. Impact is the odd man out, but I think Niles and Golden Guardians in general are particularly crushed by the more veteran teams, which EG and Impact in particular has in spades.

Top Value: Neo, Huni, Soligo

DIG’s players being undervalued makes sense due to their novice-ness on the scene, thankfully they have capable leadership. TSM is still relatively cheap despite their rapid climb through the standings, and Huni should be very worth his price against a weak top laner like Licorice.