(-120) FC Schalke 04 v exceL eSports (-110)
(+115) Team Vitality v Misfits Gaming (-150)
(-360) MAD Lions v Astralis (+255)
(+255) SK Gaming v G2 Esports (-360)
(-135) Rogue v Fnatic (+105)
Five more matches will determine which LEC teams can vie for a spot in the 2021 World Championships in China. G2 is surging through the ranks while XL cannot stop their free fall right out of playoff contention. With no team officially knocked out of playoffs yet, it is all on the line. Let’s dive in!
Game #1 FC Schalke 04 v exceL eSports
Cann’s Pick: FC Schalke 04
Game #2: Team Vitality v Misfits Gaming
Cann’s Pick: Misfits Gaming
Game #3: MAD Lions v Astralis
Cann’s Pick: MAD Lions
Game #4: SK Gaming v G2 Esports
Cann’s Pick: G2 Esports
Game #5: Rogue v Fnatic
Cann’s Pick: Fnatic
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Rekkles (G2: $12,300) I am going to say it, Rekkles can’t be getting paid enough. I don’t even know how much he is getting paid but it cannot be enough. G2 has been uninteresting and uninspiring for the majority of the Summer Split and match after match Rekkles pulled them out of a defeat with his excellent team play. You aren’t going to pull a ton of points early in matches with Rekkles picking massive damage, kill participation, and almost being a complete non-threat for dying which sets him apart than almost any other pick. There are a lot of good picks for captain in the LEC, but Rekkles is so key to his team winning that you know there is going to be a payoff for the big salary on this pick.
Value Pick: Upset (FNC: $11,100)
Top Lane
Favorite: HiRit (MSF: $6,600) This may be the biggest skill gap on the lineup if we are taking names and records out of the equation. Team Vitality has been trying out a few players in the top lane and it isn’t working. Misfits can legitimately play through HiRit in the top lane. He has 49 kills and 81 assists in his 13 games played this split. His play on Viego, Gwen, and Gangplank are all electric and increases your chances of getting maximum points for this pick.
Value Pick: BrokenBlade (S04: $6,200)
Jungle
Favorite: Elyoya (MAD: $7,600) Elyoya has been one of the most consistent pieces in the MAD Lions lineup over the course of the Summer Split. Elyoya has the second best KDA among junglers (4.7) and a 71.9% team kill participation. This team pivots through Elyoya’s play and his ability to track the enemy jungler through the early and mid game. Elyoya will put overwhelming pressure on Zanzarah (AST) throughout the early game and curb the constant fighting style of Astralis.
Value Pick: Macaron (XL: $6,000) *There are two junglers for XL, double check lineups before picking*
Mid Lane
Favorite: Vetheo (MSF: $7,400) Vetheo is my leading pick for MVP for the LEC in the Summer Split. He has 60 kills and 80 assists and is the core to Misfits recent success. Vetheo plays mainly assassins and high damage dealers which makes him a good pickup in most lineups. Team Vitality’s mid (LIDER) is a strong laner but Vetheo has been the top of his class and as an added bonus, he is relatively safe. In 13 games played Vetheo only has 19 deaths which gives him a KDA of 7.4.
Value Pick: Nisqy (FNC: $6,800)
ADC
Favorite: Carzzy (MAD: $8,000) Carzzy is up and down at times, but his upside makes him worth it. Carzzy ranks in the top four in the LEC in terms of kills (57) and possesses almost 33% of his team’s kills. Astralis has some talent on their roster but their bot lane (Jeskla and promisq) have not performed anywhere near the level as Carzzy and Kaiser. I can see this game racking up massive kill numbers and Carzzy will be at the heart of it for the MAD Lions.
Value Pick: Neon (S04: $7,200)
Support
Favorite: Mykyx (G2: $5,800) A lot of the reason behind this pick stems from the power of this G2 bot lane. Rekkles and Mykyx are dragging this team through the Summer Split whether they like it or not. He has 119 assists on the split (This is third most in the LEC) and a 67% team kill participation rate. G2 should have a pretty wide gap in skill versus SK Gaming and both teams will rely on fighting to find advantages. Mykyx should be involved early and often in the fighting which should pay off for you in your lineup.
Value Pick: Hylissang (FNC: $4,800)
Team
Favorite: MAD Lions ($5,600) This pick can seem interesting looking at the MAD Lions’ stats. They rank in the middle of pack for almost every metric including early game rating (58.5), gold differential at 15 (+319), and dragon control rate (56%). I like the MAD Lions in this matchup though which overrides the previous numbers. First, they lost to Astralis in their last meet up, and the MAD Lions are tough to sweep. Secondly, Astralis has been struggling as of late to pick up any momentum going 0-2 last weekend. This is a scrappy matchup so there is a good chance that MAD Lions will snowball this game out of control.
Value Pick: Rogue ($5,000)
Cann’s Example Lineup
Captain (x1.5): Upset ($11,100)
Alternate: Larssen ($10,800)
Top: BrokenBlade ($6,200)
Jungle: Bwipo ($6,600)
Alternate: beishang ($7,000)
Mid: Vetheo ($7,400)
ADC: Carzzy ($8,000)
Alternate: Kobbe ($7,600)
Support: Hylissang ($4,800)
Team: MAD Lions ($5,600)