LPL Tuesday

  • (+1000) Ultra Prime v EDward Gaming (-2500)
  • (0) Invictus Gaming v LGD Gaming (-130)

Tuesday’s LPL features a one sided affair between Ultra Prime and the second #1 team, EDG. On the other hand, Invictus versus LGD appears to be much more close, although I personally favor LGD due to their stronger bottom lane, alongside an aggressive mid-jungle duo. Let’s check out Tuesday’s picks.

 

Captain

Scout ($11,400)

There are three practical choices for captain on Tuesday, and between them, I think Scout is the best. Xiye and Viper are some other solid options, although they each come with some issues: I favor LGD to win against IG, but the volatility of having their mid laner as captain can seriously wreck this contest if the games are just a little too bloody. If you grab Viper, you need to take Kramer, and you’ll miss out on one of the two powerful mid laners on Tuesday; not ideal. I prefer two mid laners, Scout is a good player with great upside, and I’m happy with him as captain.

Alternatives to consider: Xiye ($11,700)

Top Lane

Flandre ($6,600)

One of the weakest roles on Tuesday is top lane, IG’s neny being one of the only decent players, and he’s stuck with a weak bottom lane and jungle. Flandre is the only strong choice for top lane, and he has a fantastic match-up against Zs, the weakest top laner on Tuesday. Between fearness and neny, I’d take fearness due to his stronger team around him.

Alternatives to consider: Fearness ($6,200)

Jungle

Shad0w ($6,600)

Shad0w’s aggression is exactly what LGD needs to crack IG, alongside a stronger bottom and and a solid mid lane. Shad0w has been remarkable in the LPL so far, where he fits in nicely with the domestic style of fast paced junglers. XUN is what I regard as “the bar” of junglers; he can usually run down the lower tier players well enough, but consistently struggles against teams with a good idea on how to play the game. Shad0w is a strong player; save your EDG spots for other roles. Jiejie is a good jungler, but Shad0w is a highlight on LGD.

Alternatives to consider: Jiejie ($7,200)

Mid Lane

Xiye ($6,800)

Speaking of highlights, with Scout as your captain, Xiye is a sensible and smart choice for mid lane. He’s completely back in form and looks amazing; he played great against Yagao, Angel, and decently enough against Knight. Rookie can be a fantastic mid laner, but he’s had a poor split so far and hasn’t picked it up lately. Scout is another great player if you have an AD as your captain.

Alternatives to consider: Scout ($7,600)

ADC

Viper ($7,800)

EDG’s ADC was the most valuable player last split, and he’s likely to repeat that run (unless Tarzan has something to say about it) this split too, he’s a consistent threat on EDG game after game, and he’s the strongest player on the roster. Smlz is a good ADC, but Ultra Prime is completely outshined position to position by EDG. Kramer is a good choice too; both IG ADCs are extremely weak, but I am not too high on Mark.

Alternatives to consider: Kramer ($7,200)

Support

Meiko ($6,000)

Speaking of which, between Meiko and Mark your choice is obvious: Meiko is the second most successful support in the LPL, behind only Ming. He’s been to worlds nearly every single year since he started playing professionally, whereas Mark has been mediocre much of the time. Kramer and Mark are a decent duo, but beyond “mid tier” they don’t excel higher. That being said, Mark is still better than both Lucas and Baolan.

Alternatives to consider: Mark ($5,600)

Team

LGD Gaming ($4,600)

I think LGD has a good chance of winning against IG: Rookie has looked disheartened throughout summer, XUN is not super useful, and their bottom lane is absolute garbage. Xiye is a good enough player to grant LGD a healthy lead, alongside Shad0w and their mid tier bottom lane. EDG is a more confident choice, but I’d prefer to invest in their players.

Alternatives to consider: EDward Gaming ($5,200)

Stacks

Viper & Meiko

EDG’s bottom lane is the best in the league, enough said. Only LNG and FPX can come close to their power, and Ultra Prime, although upper tier, is absolutely not close to EDG’s bottom lane power.

Shad0w & Xiye

The mid jungle of LGD is extremely aggressive and actively play to each other. Rookie isn’t known to be an especially aggressive mid laner, allowing Xiye to operate alongside Shad0w in shutting down XUN, who usually melts when facing pressure- unshielded by the strength of his solo laners against lower tier competition.

Flandre & Scout

EDG’s solo laners are a great option into UP’s weak solos: Zs and irma are both not fantastic players relative to the other players on the day. EDG is a strong team with a strong bottom lane, but I think it will be their solos that will outshine on Tuesday; Smlz and ShiauC are both decent players after all.

Top Picks: Viper, Meiko, Scout

EDG’s carries are some of the best players on Tuesday. Viper has a more difficult match-up against UP’s solid bottom lane, but Viper is easily the strongest ADC in the LPL, and he has a great support behind him in Meiko too. Scout versus irma is a wash, UP’s mid laners don’t appear to be the next “great” generation of LPL mids, so Scout faces no pressure.

Top Value: Xiye, Kramer, Shad0w

All LGD players make up the top value: Xiye and Shad0w are great players in their own right, and Kramer, although not the best of the best, targets a weak point on IG in their weak bottom lane. These three grant you funds to pick up EDG players.