LPL Monday

  • (+400) LGD Gaming v EDward Gaming (-650)
  • (-105) Rare Atom v FunPlus Phoenix (-125)

Monday’s LPL features a strong EDG against a mid tier LGD, who have weaknesses in bottom and top lane. Rare Atom and FPX face off in a close match, but I believe FPX will have the edge due to their new, strong top laner and a more complete mid-jungle 2v2 relative to FoFo and Leyan.

Captain

Jiejie ($10,500)

Both money and positions are tight on Monday: I’m predicting FPX to narrowly beat out Rare Atom by virtue of their stronger top side, even with the rookie Xiaolaohu stepping in for Nuguri- that being said, I consider Jiejie to be a consistent choice for captain; I think both junglers will be instrumental in their team’s success. While Shad0w is a great jungler, he can often rack up deaths by virtue of his weaker laners relative to his opponents. Doinb is my second option, as he can evade FoFo’s strong laning by impacting other lanes.

Alternatives to consider: Doinb ($10,800)

Top Lane

Flandre ($6,600)

While Xiaolaohu stepped up massively against fearness in FPX’s match against LGD, I’d rather run the match-up back again with Flandre than try XLH’s odds versus Cube. While I’d imagine the results would be similar, I think it’s worth exploiting LGD’s weak top lane with EDG’s veteran. I like XLH, but I still think he’s unpredictable at this early in his career.

Alternatives to consider: Xiaolaohu ($6,400)

Jungle

Tian ($6,800)

Leyan is one of the weak points for RA, despite his improvement. It will take a longer period of consistency for me to fully forgive and forget his time on IG, and his early days on Vici/Rare Atom- he’s had the same issues as someone like XUN for much of his career. Clearly talented mechanically, but didn’t always have the right amount of grey matter between his ears to be a consistent jungler. Tian has been the best jungler in the world in the past, and while he’s not in top form, he can still hang with the absolute best.

Alternatives to consider: Jiejie ($7,000)

Mid Lane

Doinb ($7,200)

I have a lot of respect for Rare Atom’s FoFo- he’s consistently strong in lane and can contend with the best, alongside being capable in teamfights. However, his low KP% is indicative of his fault- he often can have a hard time escaping middle lane, which is something Doinb absolutely excels at. FPX’s mid laner is excellent at impacting the map, which I predict will be FoFo’s downfall on Monday. Scout is a great option too, but I don’t think Xiye will be a weak opponent at all.

Alternatives to consider: Scout ($7,400)

ADC

Viper ($7,600)

Kramer and Mark are one of the weaker bottom lanes amongst the mid tier teams- Kramer has regained a portion of his form, but the side lanes are the weak points of LGD which their mid-jungle typically makes up for. Therefore, an extremely strong bottom lane in Viper and Meiko should be capable of dismantling LGD’s bottom lane. Alternatively, I’d grab Lwx to match iBoy- not ideal, but he does come in much cheaper than Viper.

Alternatives to consider: Lwx ($7,200)

Support

Meiko ($6,000)

Hang is a solid support, but Crisp and Meiko both comprise the S-tier supports. Either of them work great, Crisp is strong both in lane and moving around the map, with the latter aspect being essential to how FPX should aim to crush Rare Atom; by punishing their weak top side with Cube and Leyan. Meiko is an excellent choice too, and will likely deliver you a comparable amount of points. These options are interchangeable, I narrowly favor Meiko due to the power of the EDG bottom lane as a pairing. However there is no guarantee that Crisp will play due to health issues so play at your own risk- it will be impossible to tell until the players step up on stage on Monday.

Alternatives to consider: Crisp ($5,600)

Team

FunPlus Phoenix ($5,000)

While EDG is the more reliable option, their players are innately more useful, which causes me to favor FPX for the team pick. Four EDG players > Three EDG players, it’s simple math from my viewpoint. Furthermore, FPX is the cheaper option too, and the team option doesn’t matter as much as players.

Alternatives to consider: EDward Gaming ($5,400)

Stacks

Doinb & Tian

The mechanism for how I believe FPX will defeat RA; Leyan is a good jungler, but he is haunted by the demons of his past- he’s still inconsistent to a degree, and prone to throwing the game randomly. FoFo is a strong mid laner, but what will he do when he’s faced with the king of dodging lane?

Viper & Meiko

EDG’s bottom lane is faced with Kramer and Mark, an underwhelming pairing that is just “good enough” for a team like LGD without being an outright liability. EDG’s bottom lane rules the team, and the squad plays for their success.

Flandre & Jiejie

EDG’s top side is no slouch either- I have a lot of respect for Shad0w, but with a top laner like fearness, there’s a horrendous weakness in their roster; even more so than Mark and Kramer. While EDG’s bottom lane is the star of the show, they should look to punish LGD’s top laner as much as possible, also.

Top Picks: Jiejie, Viper, Flandre

EDG is on fire, only dropping a set to a hot-again, cold-again TES. All of their players are stars to varying degrees, and they fit together nicely and play for each other’s success. I’d include Meiko here too if I could- mid lane is the only one I’d favor RA v FPX for.

Top Value: Doinb, Crisp, Xiaolaohu

FPX’s players do come in cheap though. Crisp is comparable to Meiko, and XLH shouldn’t have a massive challenge against Cube. Doinb will be instrumental if FPX is to defeat Rare Atom, which they should be capable of doing due to their strength. Just be warned, play Crisp at your own risk.