(-130) 100 Thieves v Cloud9 (EVEN)
(-125) Team Solomid v Evil Geniuses (-105)
(+180) Flyquest v Team Liquid (-240)
(-155) Golden Guardians v Counter Logic Gaming (+120)
(-165) Immortals v Team Dignitas (+125)
Friday’s slate marks one of the last times we will see some of the top teams square off before playoffs. We will be able to get a clearer picture of which teams will be the top of the LCS in the summer playoffs and which teams will fail to make the final cut. Who is hitting their stride? Who is getting outpaced? Let’s dive in and find out!
Game #1: 100 Thieves v Cloud9
Cann’s Pick: 100 Thieves
Game #2: Team Solomid v Evil Geniuses
Cann’s Pick: Evil Geniuses
Game #3: Flyquest v Team Liquid
Cann’s Pick: Team Liquid
Game #4: Golden Guardians v Counter Logic Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Golden Guardians
Game #5: Immortals v Team Dignitas
Cann’s Pick: Immortals
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Stixxay (GG: $11,700) The resurgent Golden Guardians are looking more and more like a team that no one are going to want any part of if they secure a playoff spot. They have issues with strong macro planning as well as conducting those late game team fights which one mistake will just end the game for you. Where GG thrive is in the early aggression and using that to take advantage of map control. Stixxay maximizes these early leads and uses the vision across the map to determine when and where he can be more aggressive in trades. The addition of Licorice in the top lane has actually unlocked this bottom lane. Stixxay and Chime push the limit on what they can do in trades and have found more kills in the 2v2 which translates into more points for you. It also helps that they are into CLG who are just an absolute broken shell of a team at this point and this is probably one of the more one sided matchups of the weekend.
Value Pick: Abbedagge (100T: $10,800)
Top Lane
Favorite: Alphari (TL: $7,200) There is no question that TL are in full panic mode. The only possibility for this team who was a win away from going to MSI to get back on track is to lean into their imported top laner. Alphari outclasses every laner in NA and in most cases only loses lane when he is under heavy jungle pressure from the enemy team. He has one of the highest KDA’s among top laners (3.4) and a staggering team kill participation rate of 81%. TL success goes through Alphari so locking him down is a solid idea, regardless of if they win or not.
Value Pick: Impact (EG: $6,000)
Jungle
Favorite: Xerxe (IMT: $7,400) I am glad that Xerxe is getting the attention he deserves. He is at the core of the Immortals success and there is going to be a pretty big jump for this team next year when they replace their bottom lane (I am really hoping they address this need). Xerxe has excellent pathing and gets involved earlier than most junglers in helping his lakers get ahead. Xerxe has 62 kills and 134 assists and an almost 75% team kill participation. TReam Dignitas had more of a pulse in Week 7 but still are very soundly at the bottom of the LCS in terms of overall team power.
Value Pick: Nxi (FLY: $5,600)
Mid Lane
Favorite: Ablazeolive (GG: $7,600) The mid lane is by far the weakest role for CLG which makes me LOVE this pick. CLG went from Pobelter to Demonte. Both players are very limited in their playstyle and champions they can play. Ablazeolive has a wider champion pool and ability to fill the needs of the team. Ablazeolive leads LCS mids with 87 kills and has a respectable 97 assists. Decent price for a mid who is into a great matchup.
Value Pick: Jizuke (EG: $6,800)
ADC
Favorite: Tactical (TL: $8,000) This seems like Team Liquid like doing things the hard way. They cannot seem to string good wins together and especially not against good teams. Luckily for them, they are playing a pretty flawed Flyquest team on Friday. Flyquest were able to take a lot of early wins with over aggression. Since teams are now able to plan for this and absorb their aggression better. Tactical is one of the best ADCs for absorbing pressure and turning it back on the enemy team. In fact, he has 88 kills and almost 100 assists in Summer and is possibly having one of his best stretches of performances ever. With TActical playing a more supportive role, I actually expect his numbers to go up overall with more attention being given to Alphari in the top lane. The risk here is if TL have another horrific draft and they don’t play into any of their strengths.
Value Pick: Danny ($6,800)
Support
Favorite: Destiny (IMT: $5,800) While I believe Destiny and Raes are a bit responsible for holding IMT back, it is hard to deny the individual production of Destiny. While his laning isn’t good, there is no denying the impact that Destiny has on the late game teamfights. He has teh fourth most assists (187) and he is playing into one of the most uninspiring teams in the LCS in Team Dignitas. I respect their support (aphromoo) and I think they may even get ahead in the early laning phase, but IMT will explode in later teamfights and Destiny will be the primary engagement in those fights.
Value Pick: Vulcan (C9: $4,800)
Team
Favorite: Golden Guardians ($5,200) A redefined team playing a team with no direction. This is a recipe for big success for Golden Guardians. They are not a perfect team but the Golden Guardians play a very basic game. They focus on fights around dragons and towers which will result in huge points for you as they rack up those neutral objective points.
Value Pick: Team Solomid ($4,800)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic
$50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Zven ($9,300)
Alternate: Nxi ($8,400)
Top: Alphari ($7,200)
Jungle: Xerxe ($7,400)
Alternate: Spica ($6,600)
Mid: Abbedagge ($7,200)
ADC: Tactical ($8,000)
Alternate: Danny ($6,800)
Support: huhi ($5,600)
Team: Golden Guardians ($5,200)