LPL/LCK Friday

  • (-210) GenG v T1 (+165)
  • (-250) Suning Gaming v Oh My God (+180)
  • (-120) Liiv SANDBOX v Afreeca Freecs (-110)
  • (+190) LGD Gaming v FunPlus Phoenix (-260)

Friday’s LPL and LCK slates feature what should be a one sided affair between GenG and T1, alongside an underrated OMG taking on Suning. Afreeca Freecs and SANDBOX are two similarly matched teams figuring out which is the imposter, while FunPlus Phoenix with a controversial top lane substitution take on LGD Gaming.

Captain

Creme ($10,200)

For my money, Creme is likely the next big LPL mid laner alongside names like Knight, Rookie, Doinb, amongst others. He’s consistently shown strong performances with a relatively weak top side, and he alongside Able and Cold comprise the unit that is OMG. He’s the most cost efficient player in the slate, and his opponent in Angel isn’t a serious challenge for him- Suning doesn’t have pieces in the right places to deal with OMG, and for that reason, I favor him as captain. Otherwise, you can spend big picking up Lwx here and choose Able and Creme later on.

Alternatives to consider: Lwx ($11,400)

Top Lane

Rascal ($6,400)

Despite GenG dropping their season’s perfect record to Damwon KIA last week, Rascal still looked solid throughout the game on weak side picks. Canna shouldn’t be an issue at all for the strong top laner, who has continued his improvement throughout the season. T1 look to be just on the periphery of play-offs with a steady improvement, but #6 is far away from #1, and the biggest gap is on the top side. For a different option, you can either take Xiaolaohu in his debut- a player who should be relatively solid, or you can take Kiin versus Summit- I favor Afreeca to take the win versus SANDBOX on Friday.

Alternatives to consider: Xiaolaohu ($6,600)

Jungle

Clid ($6,400)

Two Korean junglers round out the picks: Dread versus Croco is a strong match-up; he’s the ace of Afreeca Freecs and SANDBOX lack the strong solo laners to contend or punish with Afreeca’s- both teams hold strong bottom lanes, but Lehends being such a powerful support to help Dread makes him the better option. An even better choice is Clid, who gets to play against Cuzz- GenG have the stronger solo laners, and look like a more complete team relative to T1 this far into the LCK.

Alternatives to consider: Dread ($6,600)

Mid Lane

Bdd ($7,000)

I feel bad for Faker, but he can’t compete in this meta, ironically, his counterpart in Bdd- even more of a control mage player than he is- can. Granted, Bdd’s Akali is very strong, and he’s very flexible for his team. Faker is a good player, and still an upper tier LCK mid after playing for over 7 years, but time has taken its toll on him. Bdd should handedly dispose of Faker. Creme is a solid value option if you want a more expensive captain, too.

Alternatives to consider: Creme ($6,800)

ADC

Lwx ($7,600)

LGD’s bottom lane is whelming. Kramer and Mark are lower tier but have been luckily carried by a strong mid-jungle in Shad0w and Xiye. FPX have a comparable mid in Doinb and Tian, alongside an insane bottom lane with Lwx and Crisp. Lwx coming around has been what FPX needs to regain their crown, alongside a strong top laner (who is unfortunately absent) in Nuguri. Xiaolaohu is a fine stand-in though. Your other option is Ruler, who is a strong ADC, but Teddy and Keria are the strong pieces on T1.

Alternatives to consider: Ruler ($7,200)

Support

Crisp ($6,000)

Crisp is a veteran presence on FPX, and one of the best supports in the league. Mark has been underwhelming and barely “good enough” for LGD for as long as I can remember, even after he returned for summer. I highly recommend either Crisp or Life for support, it’s worth spending big on Friday.

Alternatives to consider: Life ($5,400)

Team

FunPlus Phoenix ($5,400)

One of the best teams in the league; FPX’s roster is relatively comprehensive, aside from maybe Tian’s occasionally off games. However, even with Xiaolaohu in for top lane, they should be enough to crush LGD- fearness should be left unable to punish the new player, while FPX’s bottom lane does the work.

Alternatives to consider: GenG ($5,000)

Stacks

Creme & Able

Premier carries for OMG, Creme is likely to be the rookie of the split for the LPL, and Able’s return has heralded a triumphant return for the toxic prodigy, and foreshadows a healthy future for LPL’s ADC talent.

Crisp & Lwx

FPX’s bottom lane outmatches LGD’s by a mile- Kramer has been better recently, but even an on form Kramer is narrowly upper tier, whereas LWX is within the top 3 best ADCs of LPL. Crisp has been on the team for a long time, and his presence is welcomed as a stable veteran on the roster.

Life & Ruler

T1’s bottom lane is typically solid, but Life and Ruler are well known for acquiring high point totals by virtue of mitigating their deaths. LCK is already a slow league, so these two are sure to have high points against T1 due to their likelihood of winning, alongside that slow pace.

Top Picks: Lwx, Creme, Rascal

A myriad of players: Creme is outstanding, and matches great into Angel, a player who hasn’t laned well throughout his career. Rascal is a great top laner, and has improved throughout his time in the LCK, whereas Canna’s talent has slowly dwindled. Lwx matches up nicely into Mark and Kramer too, and leverages Crisp against the weak LGD bottom lane.

Top Value: Creme, Able, Life

OMG’s carries are undervalued by a long shot- Able is a massive carry threat alongside Creme, they’re both great players and capable of delivering big wins (and big points) against teams that should on paper have better pieces. Life is a solid support that comes in cheap, and keeps his deaths low while his points remain high.