(-285) Team Solomid v Counter Logic Gaming (+210)
(-600) Cloud9 v Flyquest (+375)
(+375) Golden Guardians v 100 Thieves (-600)
(+110) Immortals v Evil Geniuses (-140)
(+210) Team Dignitas v Team Liquid (-285)
Everyone drop everything. The king of the top lane is back. Alphari is rejoining Team Liquid starting lineup for the first time since week 1 and I think there is a lot to be excited about that fact. The LCS has three World Championship spots available and 5 legitimate contenders for those spots with 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Team Solomid, Evil Geniuses, and now Team Liquid. How will these teams look this weekend? How will fringe teams like Team Dignitas, Immortals, and the retooled Golden Guardians look? All that and player breakdowns in this article! Let’s dive in!
Game #1 Team Solomid v Counter Logic Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Team Solomid
Game #2: Cloud9 v Flyquest
Cann’s Pick: Cloud9
Game #3: Golden Guardians v 100 Thieves
Cann’s Pick: 100 Thieves
Game #4: Immortals v Evil Geniuses
Cann’s Pick: Immortals
Game #5: Team Dignitas v Team Liquid
Cann’s Pick: Team Liquid
Captain
Favorite: Zven (C9: $11,700) While Zven has quite a way to go before he is up near the top of the league in kills due to his benching, he does have the second highest KDA among ADCs at a healthy 6.7. He is averaging only about 2 kills but over 5 assists per game but is at a healthy 5th of all team kills. Flyquest are full scrubbing it and bringing in their academy roster to see if there is a spark there. This could be a big stat padding game and my bet is that it will be Zven that will be the recipient of the bump here.
Value Pick: Spica (TSM: $9,900)
Top Lane
Favorite: Fudge (C9: $7,000) I said this last weekend but it stands to be restated. Cloud9 would not be in the position they are in if it wasn’t for the jump in the performance from their top laner (Fudge) they could be in 5th or 6th place at this point. Fudge has a 4.0 KDA and 71 assists. I think in terms of matchups this is the best one with a solid top laner who knows how to make plays (pray for another Lee Sin game) and he is into an Academy player on Friday. Should be a solid day with minimal risk for Fudge.
Value Pick: Alphari (TL: $6,600)
Jungle
Favorite: Closer (100T: $7,400) This should be a pick for MVP of summer split. 100 Thieves are on an 8 game winning streak and the top teams like Team Liquid and Cloud9 have been victims of this run. Closer has a 7.2 KDA and is leading junglers in kills (53) and assists (105) with a 24% kill share percentage to boot. Golden Guardians do seem scarier with the pick up of Licorice but 100 Thieves are the cream of the crop right now. If they draft Closer onto something aggressive like the Diana, you could be in for a windfall of points.
Value Pick: Xerxe (IMT: $6,400)
Mid Lane
Favorite: Jensen (TL: $7,400) The return of Alphari into the Team Liquid lineup will have huge implications for the Danish midlaner. A lot of pressure has been on him and Tactical to carry games for TL, especially when Santorin went out with health issues. Now with another legitimate threat in the lineup, Jensen will be able to play his more preferred role in the TL lineup. Jensen thrives in playing his role alongside his teammates rather than them funneling all of the resources into him. This will be a big shift for TL and Jensen will get the payoff.
Value Pick: PowerOfEvil (TSM: $7,000)
ADC
Favorite: Tactical (TL: $7,600) Tactical has done his best while Alphari has been away. He has 74 kills and 76 assists in his 15 games played this split. He has a 3.8 KDA with 39 deaths which I think is reflective of TL not having diversified threats. With Alphari in a sidelane absorbing pressure, Tactical will have less enemies focusing him out. I love picking up as many Team Liquid players that make sense as possible.
Value Pick: Danny (EG: $7,400)
Support
Favorite: huhi (100T: $6,400) The 100 Thieves bot lane can sometimes seem not as threatening but don’t confuse that for skill. FBI and huhi don’t rely on huge fighting leads in lane to win games. They look for small advantages in the early game byt crank up the pressure in the mid to late game. When you pick up the 100 Thieves bot lane, you are looking for the skirmishes to pick up your points.
Value Pick: CoreJJ (TL: $6,000)
Team
Favorite: Cloud9 ($5,800) I don’t trust Cloud9 as a team for the most part. The reason I am picking them as the favorite in this spot is because they are playing an actual Academy team on Friday. For those of you who don’t know, Academy is the developmental league for the LCS. If Cloud9 cannot beat the bench players from the bottom of the league team in Flyquest, they have no business playing in the LCS. Not my favorite bet, but it should be the safest one.
Value Pick: Evil Geniuses ($5,000)
Cann’s Example Lineup
Captain (x1.5): Jenkins ($10,200)
Alternate: PowerOfEvil ($10,500)
Top: Impact ($6,200)
Jungle: Closer ($7,400)
Alternate: Spica ($6,600)
Mid: PowerOfEvil ($7,000)
ADC: Danny ($7,400)
Alternate: Raes ($6,800)
Support: CoreJJ ($6,000)
Team: Cloud9 ($5,800)