LPL Monday


(+475) Rogue Warriors v Invictus Gaming (-800)
(-135) Rare Atom v JD Gaming (+105)


Monday only features two contests as LCK is on recess; the second to last placed Rogue Warriors play against the lower mid tier Invictus Gaming who face perpetual bottom lane issues. Meanwhile, a falling JD Gaming is pitted against a young, surging Rare Atom- with a particularly interesting bottom lane match-up.

Captain
FoFo ($11,100)
FoFo is the star, alongside ADC iBoy, of Rare Atom. He is extremely strong in lane and hardly ever loses, going even at the very least. It’s this stable middle lane threat which allows Rare Atom to excel. Furthermore, alongside his consistency, your other option of iBoy doesn’t have a good second ADC on Monday: it’s not clear who will start between Wink and Puff (they’re both bad), and there are few other captain options for Monday. Therefore, the only argument I can see is that you think Rookie will smash Forge so hard that it is worth placing him as captain as opposed to FoFo, but I think the closer match-up between Yagao will allow FoFo to play to his limits, and push him to play his best whereas Rookie can basically play with his eyes closed and score a win.
Alternatives to consider: Rookie ($11,400)

Top Lane
neny ($6,400)
Top laner neny has been one of the few bright spots for IG. XUN gets ran by most junglers that know what they’re doing, and their bottom lane is nonexistent and constantly changing. Neny has consistently had at least a few good games, and is usually a stronger player for the squad. Your other option is between Cube and Zoom: Zoom is one of the best top laners in the league, and the ace for JDG- I expect JDG to lose, but Zoom shouldn’t be underestimated, especially since Cube is one of the weaker members on RA.
Alternatives to consider: Zoom ($6,000)

Jungle
XUN ($7,000)
Despite saying that XUN gets ran by the stronger junglers in the league, he’s the type of player that absolutely obliterates his lower tier opposition. IceCoKe fits the latter pretty well; he’s one of the stronger players on RW, but he is nowhere near good enough to punish XUN effectively. Furthermore, his teammates don’t have the laning power to prevent players like neny and Rookie exerting their force over their jungle. Kanavi vs Leyan is too close of a match-up: Leyan has improved exponentially, and I favor him with stronger carries versus Kanavi.
Alternatives to consider: Leyan ($6,800)

Mid Lane
Rookie ($7,600)
Rookie hasn’t been having the time of his life this split in the LPL, but he does still show glimpses of his former glory. Rookie used to be the best middle laner in the world bar none, and his team slowly atrophied and decayed all around him, leaving him with not much to work with. His opponents on Rogue Warrior are weak; Forge is one of their better players, but still mostly bottom tier. I highly recommend selecting Rookie here since he’s one of the most consistent IG players, and keep FoFo as your captain.
Alternatives to consider: FoFo ($7,400)

ADC
iBoy ($7,600)
iBoy was the original EDward Gaming prodigy ADC, and he still shows his high ceiling years after his debut. Alongside the youngbloods on Rare Atom, iBoy has once again found himself at the top of the standings, although much more experienced this time. His opponents in Loken and LvMao are amongst the worst bottom laners of the middle tier teams, meanwhile their strength, alongside mid laner FoFo, is a massive reason for the continued success of Rare Atom.
Alternatives to consider: Wink ($7,800)

Support
Hang ($5,400)
Accompanying iBoy is support Hang, a support who has came a long way from his time on Vici Gaming. Despite being in the LPL for nearly two years, Hang is only 18 and has yet to have experience with a strong ADC like iBoy. Alongside his ADC, he forms Rare Atom’s powerful bottom lane, which is easily capable of dismantling JDG’s weak bottom side. The alternative on Monday is Lucas; an underwhelming support on a poor IG, although he is likely better than the pickings on Rogue Warriors.
Alternatives to consider: Lucas ($5,800)

Team
Rare Atom ($4,800)
Rare Atom is one of the strongest teams in the LPL due to their commitment towards long term talent development. Cube, Hang, Leyan. None of these players entered the team with any prior degree of success. However, RA was capable of shaping them into solid roleplayers for great carries like FoFo and iBoy.
Alternatives to consider: Invictus Gaming ($5,200)

Stacks
iBoy & FoFo
The carry core of RA are some of the strongest players in their respective positions in the league. FoFo overcame his weak Taiwanese region and showed up well on the mainland in LPL, and iBoy shattered the expectations that he was all hands no brain, and continued to develop without the resources of EDward Gaming.

neny & Rookie
IG’s solo laners are consistently the only ones with any potential. Neny has shown to be capable of carrying games for the team despite being a fill-in for TheShy. Rookie has had a few decent games too, although it can be difficult with a jungler like XUN. Thankfully, Rogue Warriors is such a weak team, these two should be able to operate independently of their team.

Zoom & Kanavi
While JDG is expected to lose on Monday, their players can be better than a few of Rare Atom’s: namely, Zoom and Kanavi are likely better than their counterparts in Cube and Leyan. Nothing against the latter, but the former are some of the better players in their position in the league- Zoom could even be the best, potentially even. If JDG is to pose a threat to RA, expect these two to show up big.

Top Picks: FoFo, iBoy, Rookie
RA’s carries alongside one of the biggest gaps in IG vs RW comprise the top picks. Yagao is a decent mid laner, but FoFo is above and beyond strong, his laning phase is fantastic and he’s not slouch in teamfights either- the same can be said for the remaining players here, too.

Top Value: neny, Zoom, Hang
Zoom, despite losing, is one of the strongest top laners in the entire league- unfortunately for him, his role isn’t stupendously impactful relative to the bottom side of the map. Hang is a cheap support player with massive upsides, and simile words can be said for neny alongside Zoom.