LCK/LPL Spring Split

January 13th, 2022 (Starts @ 3 AM ET)

 

Game 1: Hanwha Life Esports (+450) v NS RedForce (-800)

Game 2: KT Rolster (+290) v Damwon Gaming (-425)

Game 3: Invictus Gaming (-460) v TT Gaming (+305)

Game 4: Weibo Gaming (-260) v Team WE (+190)

 

The League of Legends 2022 season is underway! We have had a few days of LPL and LCK action and LEC/LCS matches will begin this weekend. With stars across all of the leagues in new homes, the question on everyone’s mind is, “Who will win it all?” Every journey begins with a first step, so let’s dive in! 

 

Cann’s Picks:  

Game 1: Hanwha Life Esports v NS RedForce

Cann’s Pick: NS RedForce 2-0

 

Game 2: KT Rolster v Damwon Gaming

Cann’s Pick: Damwon Gaming 2-1

 

Game 3: Invictus Gaming v TT Gaming

Cann’s Pick: Invictus Gaming 2-1

 

Game 4: Weibo Gaming v Team WE

Cann’s Pick: Team WE 2-1


 

Fantasy/DFS Value Breakdown

 

Captain

Favorite: Bdd (NS: $11,400) All eyes are going to be on the superstar mid laner. In his trip to the World Championship with Gen.G in 2021, Bdd posted a 3.8 KDA (against the best players in the world) and had the third highest amount of kills for a mid laner (52). Nongshim has some serious names on the roster and Bdd will not need to be the only source of aggression on the team, which I think will help him unlock better numbers. With more threats to worry about, teams won’t be able to focus him out. 

Value Pick: SofM (WBG: $10,200)

 

Top 

Favorite: Burdol (DWG: $6,800) At some point in Summer of 2021, Gen.G decided to move off of Burdol and use Rascal instead. While I think Burdol struggled some in the Summer of 2021, I don’t actually think Rascal was all that much better of a choice. I believe with the skill of DWG and the overall control they will have on games this split, we will see less of the mistakes out of Burdol. Look for Canyon to get him ahead early, and the Burdol to be able to snowball that lead throughout the match. 

Value Pick: Biubiu (WE: $6,000)

 

Jungle

Favorite: XUN (IG: $7,400) I think Invictus holding onto XUN was probably the smartest thing they could have done (yes I know that they let Rookie go). XUN is a player you can build around and someone who can carry a game. He had a 75% team kill participation which was 5th highest amongst all junglers (with over 10 games played). The IG lineup is much weaker this year, but XUN should still have relatively decent production in the LPL. 

Value Pick: beishang (WE: $6,400)

 

Mid

Favorite: ShowMaker (DWG: $7,600) This is the king of the LCK in the mid lane. Yes there are players like Faker, Bdd, and Chovy who are also really good at this role. ShowMaker has a different winning quality about him though, much like a Tom Brady or Michael Jordan gene within him. ShowMaker can be drafted into any matchup and he can contribute to the team’s win condition. Aria is untested and he is in for a rough first match of 2022. 

Value Pick: Angel (WBG: $7,000)

 

ADC

Favorite: deokdam (DWG: $7,800) This was probably one of the biggest pick ups by any team across the entire world. I had advocated for deokdam in 2021 and the skill he brought to a flawed NS team. Now he is surrounded by legitimate talent and he can contribute rather than be forced to carry. Look for a lot of attention in the bottom lane by Canyon and DWG to put a lot of resources into deokdam to get him ahead. 

Value Pick: huanfeng (WBG: $7,600) 

 

Support

Favorite: Lucas (IG: $5,400) I think Lucas got a pretty rough shake having to support Puff last year. You could tell that they never really gelled and there were so many times the IG bot lane was disjointed. Lucas has a deep understanding of laning matchups and it shows in his stat lines while on a struggling team. He had a 3.1 KDA and less than 100 deaths in 33 games for Summer and actually had the fifth best KDA among supports (3.5) in the Spring Split. He and his new ADC (Xiaoyueji) seemed to have pretty solid chemistry. They will struggle against the best teams, but it appears that TT will not be one of those teams. 

Value Pick: ON (WBG: $4,600)

 

Team

Favorite: Nongshim RedForce ($5,800) Nongshim made serious moves over the offseason break and there is no reason for them not to perform. This may be a little high of a cost based on how little they have played together versus how clean they will look but I think it is the safest bet on the slate. 

Value Pick: Team WE ($4,800) 


 

Cann’s Example Lineup 

DraftKings Classic ($50,000 Salary Cap)

 

Captain (x1.5): deokdam (DWG: $11,700)

  • Alternate: XUN (IG: $11,100)

Top: Biubiu (WE: $6,000)

Jungle: Canyon (DWG: $7,000)

  • Alternate: SofM (WBG: $6,800)

Mid: Bdd (NS: $7,600)

ADC: Ghost (NS: $8,000)

Support: ON (WBG: $4,800)

Team: Team WE ($4,800)