LOL DK Fantasy Preview: EU Promotion Tournament
Now that the EU LCS regular season has come to a close and the Challenger teams have battled their way into the promo spots, we have the promotion tournament to see what teams will stake claim to those coveted LCS team slots. In this particular breakdown we have only a two-game slate, each game with one LCS team against one challenger team. Statistically, it’s a bit like comparing apples to oranges to the stats won’t be quite as relevant on this slate. That’s something to keep in mind when doing any research for this slate and these teams.
Slate Overview
Though the level of play is higher overall in the LCS, the teams coming from that league are playing in this slate for a reason: lack of success at the highest level. Meanwhile, these up-and-coming challenger teams are young, but still feature players with LCS experience. Not to mention, Challenger Series teams have had an extra week of prep for their opponents. It is also important to note that there is a bonus for the players and team slot for “games not played” which only applies to players from the winning team. This bonus is 20 points per GNP for each player and 15 points per GNP for each team. Again this bonus only applies to the winning team so if Giants wins in three games for example, each player will be awarded 40 total points for the two games that were not played out of a five-game set. Let’s take a look at our matchups:
Note: This slate is only available on DraftKings.
Giants Gaming (-107) vs Copenhagen Wolves (-114)
This promotion tournament is a bit different than that of year’s past. Previously we have had teams that were superior or at least very strong in Challenger making a run at this promotion. This year, Huma and CW both pulled off upsets and then finished with a sloppy 5 game series between themselves where Huma came out on top. This game not only has the lowest of the two Challenger teams involved, but the LCS 10th place Giants are no powerhouse either. The biggest between these teams is coordination and purpose in game and pre-game drafting. Despite not being great at it, Giants seem to know what they have to do to win the game and on occasion, they have the skills to pull it off. Copenhagen Wolves seem lost in that regard and I think they are a little overpriced to be honest.
The bottom lane for CW will likely be their bright spot as ADC P1noy had 28 kills and 27 assists over five games against Huma in the Challenger Finals. His opponent S0NSTAR has struggled adjusting to EU and the recent change at support doesn’t do him any favors. The top lane matchup will be interesting. I have been high on SmittyJ (maybe a little too high) and he finally had a breakout performance against Roccat. Wickd for CW is a very well-known top laner for his time in the LCS even at times being regarded as one of the best at his position. He’s fallen off from where he was but he’s still a mechanically sound player though his decision making leaves something to be desired. I think it’s a fairly even matchup there. I’m really keen on picking up xPepii and he has the best value on this slate in my opinion. He has been the one player on Giants with consistent upside and even when he doesn’t deliver for fantasy, he is still the Giants primary route to achieving victory. Caedrel for CW has shown impressive flashes but he’s too inconsistent to pay up for. I think xPepii is in for a strong fantasy performance.
Ultimately, I think Giants Gaming will win this series based on their ability to play the map better and a few positional matchups in their favor. One can’t count out CW as they will likely be able to win a game and maybe force a game 5, but they are a true wildcard with boom or bust value.
Players to Target
-xPepii – Giants Gaming – ($6,800)
-SmittyJ – Giants Gaming – ($6,200)
-P1noy – Copenhagen Wolves – ($7,200)
Roccat (-181) vs Huma (+148)
This matchup is a bit more one-sided than the first with Roccat being the favorite over unlikely Challenger Series victor, Huma. I don’t want to get into the details but Huma has been dealing with a lot of issues behind the scenes and even if they do qualify for the LCS there is a decent shot that the team sells the slot and disbands. Not only does this affect player mentality but it’s just not great for the league in general. In my opinion, I don’t think they have much to worry about because Roccat should be able to win this series. At the season’s start, I thought I’d be writing about Elements here but Roccat faltered late in the season despite having strong performances here and there. I like this team and the talent on Roccat probably surpasses everyone in this promotion tournament maybe with Splyce rivaling them at a few spots. I have harped on the additions in the bottom lane with Tabzz and NoxiaK and that is a duo that I will be targeting for my lineup. While his statistics put him towards the bottom of EU LCS players at his position, he is still the clear-cut best ADC among the teams in this tournament and he has the safest floor of anyone at the position as well. Worth paying up for Tabzz in cash games. The solo laners for Roccat are solid plays as well, especially Betsy, but I think you can get some lower salary value at those positions with Giants players or plugging in someone from CW or Huma.
On the Huma side of things, the turmoil behind the scenes shouldn’t directly be too alarming for daily fantasy, but they lack a general purpose when they play and they are prone to falling behind early. This is bad news against Roccat, who was shockingly one of the best teams in the EU LCS during the early phase despite their poor record. If you want to go cheap on a position, Rudy could be a decent play. His name may be recognizable as he was a jungler for UOL for a while and his aggressive style may create some plays that give Huma some early advantages. Generally speaking, you can make a very solid lineup with 1 or less Huma players and I think that is the optimal play as all the other teams have stronger value.
Players to Target
-Tabzz – Roccat – ($7,200)
-Betsy – Roccat – ($7,200)
-NoXiaK – Roccat – ($5,500)
-Rudy – Huma – ($5,600)