League of Legends Champions Korea & Pro League
Friday, March 18th, 2022 (Starts @ 4 AM ET)
(-1600) T1 Esports v Liiv SANDBOX (+775)
(+250) KT Rolster v Gen.G (-360)
(-700) TOP Esports v LGD Esports (+400)
(-415) Weibo Gaming v Invictus Gaming (+280)
Of all eight teams on the slate, only KT Rolster is still in a fight to secure a playoff spot. Every other team playing, in both the LPL and LCK, is either firmly sitting in a playoff spot or already eliminated from playoff contention. The main storyline for the day, though, circles around LCK’s league leader in T1 Esports and its quest to achieve history by going undefeated in series play for Spring 2022. Friday’s matchup is by far the easiest of its two remaining matches, but we have seen heavy favorites falter throughout the year – so anything can happen! Let’s dive in!
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Series #1: T1 Esports v Liiv SANDBOX
Game Breakdown: The entirety of the League of Legends world is watching with bated breath as T1 moves into their final two series of the Spring Split. There is a consensus that T1 may be having an amazing split but they have caught some breaks (like Gen.G having COVID issues in both of their matchups) and the LCK as a whole not being as competitive in years past. This matchup for Friday, though, shouldn't be the risky matchup where they could find their first series loss. In Spring 2022, LSB has been the worst team in the LCK and there aren’t many team/individual stats that paint a different picture. They are the worst early-game team (37.2 EGR), compared to T1 as the best team in the early-game (65.2 EGR).
Gumayusi has a legit chance at the MVP of Spring 2022 with 204 kills (leads LCK), 203 assists, and a 34% team kill share rate. Locking up Oner should also be a high priority for you in your lineup as he leads LCK junglers in kills (130+) and assists (290). He is active and loves putting early pressure on the lanes. This should be a relatively clean game for T1 with their only real threat being Clozer in the middle lane for LSB. Clozer is an aggressive mid laner and he could find some early kills in small-sided skirmishes, but I do not expect him to push Faker by any means.
Favorite Picks: Gumayusi (T1: $11,700/$7,800), Oner (T1: $7,200), Keria (T1: $6,000) T1 Esports ($5,600)
Value Picks: Clozer (LSB: $6,000)
Cann’s Match Pick: T1 Esports (2-0)
Series #2: KT Rolster v Gen.G
Game Breakdown: While KT Rolster is a current playoff team, I think you are getting huge discounts on these Gen.G numbers. In most roles, Gen.G has the highest-producing players, and their ability to team fight is second to none. Their jungler, Peanut, has amazing mechanical control and has made his professional career off of the ability to play champions like Lee Sin. The high-risk/high-reward playstyle by this team almost always pays off because of the individual skill. You should expect KT Rolster to throw everything they have into supporting their ADC, Aiming, in an attempt to get him ahead. He is the carry for KT and he leads all players in this series with 178 kills. Ruler and Lehends have to play safely in the bottom lane for Gen.G to make sure that the game doesn’t spiral out of control.
Favorite Picks: Chovy (GEN: $11,400/$7,600), Peanut (GEN: $6,800), Lehends (GEN: $5,400)
Value Picks: Rascal (KT: $5,400), Aiming (KT: $10,800/$7,200), KT Rolster ($4,600)
Cann’s Match Pick: Gen.G (2-0)
Series #3: TOP Esports v LGD Esports
Game Breakdown: TOP Esports was sitting near the bottom of the table in the earliest weeks of 2022. JackeyLove looked like he couldn’t influence a game anymore and they couldn’t figure out their top lane issues. In their last month of play, we have seen this team hit a form that we haven’t seen in a long time. Knight is fitting in great with the current meta and is excelling in the longer-range mages in the middle lane. I think it should be highlighted that TES has found their stride in the top lane with Wayward. Wayward is averaging over 3 kills and 4 assists per game. He has a diverse champion pool and we are seeing him gain leads on his own which is changing the appearance of this team entirely. Tain, TES jungler, doesn’t have to go put out fires in the top lane anymore and instead can transfer pressure elsewhere.
As always, Eric is a player to watch for from the LGD squad. He has 140 kills in 38 games and a team kill percentage rate of 63%. I think a player you could also watch for is shad0w. He has played with urgency and I think has turned the view that others have of him around. Through 38 games he has 220 assists and a team kill participation rate of 68%. He is active around objectives and that is the best measuring tool on how many points you can expect out of a jungler in a matchup.
Favorite Picks: JackeyLove (TES: $12,000/$8,000), Knight (TES: $7,800), Wayward (TES: $6,600), TOP Esports ($5,400)
Value Picks: Eric (LGD: $6,800), shad0w (LGD: $6,000)
Cann’s Match Pick: TOP Esports (2-0)
Series #4: Weibo Gaming v Invictus Gaming
Game Breakdown: I am going to mark this as my possible upset for the slate. I know Weibo Gaming have had impressive wins on their resume this year but I also feel like when watching their games, they play on a knife’s edge most times. When comparing the two teams, it is easy to give a fast advantage to huanfeng (ADC) and Angel (MID) which I think are both fair. In the jungle (XUN-IG and SofM-WBG) and the top lane (Zika-IG and TheShy/neny-WBG) are both positions I give the IG squad the nod in terms of advantage. If WBG fall too far behind in either of these roles and IG can snowball early enough, you can see a series loss for WBG on Friday.
Favorite Picks: huanfeng (WBG: $7,600), Angel (WBG: $7,200), Weibo Gaming ($5,200)
Value Picks: XUN (IG: $6,200), Zika (IG: $5,800) Invictus Gaming ($4,400)
Cann’s Match Pick: Weibo Gaming (2-1)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic – $50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Gumayusi (T1: $11,700)
Alternate: Angel (WBG: $10,800)
Top: Wayward (TES: $6,600)
Alternate: Zeus (T1: $6,400)
Jungle: Xun (IG: $6,200)
Mid: Faker (T1: $7,000)
ADC: Ruler (GEN: $7,400)
Alternate: Aiming (KT: $7,200)
Support: Lehends (GEN: $5,400)
Team: T1 ($5,600)
Alternate: TOP Esports ($5,400)
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