LoL Grind Down: NA Week 1 Day 2
Welcome to the RotoGrinders League of Legends Grind Down. In this all-encompassing preview of the upcoming NALCS action, every game will be broken down statistically, with several key elements highlighted in our charts.
We provide Defense versus Position data for each team, along with the RotoGrinders original stat, Pace.
Every game is also broken down, providing an overview of the game and a selection of players to consider from each match.
The NA LCS has already begun but the fantasy fun for us gets started on Saturday and while the headliners of TSM and CLG have already played, there are still some great matchups to catch on this slate. Make sure to note that the games will now be played in best-of-three format as opposed to the single games we saw in the spring. This means if a team win’s 2-0, all winning players are awarded bonus points (which vary depending on the site) for the games unplayed. With that said, lets jump onto the rift.
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Cloud9 vs. Immortals
| Cloud9 | Immortals | ||||||||||
 | Record |  | Record | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | +255 | Vegas Sprd | -327 | ||||||||
| Avg. KP | Avg. KP | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | Team Pace | ||||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | ||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Impact | Meteos | Jensen | Bunnyfufu | Sneaky | Players | Huni | Reignover | Poebelter | Adrian | WildTurtle |
| Opp. Season | Opp. Season | ||||||||||
In many ways, it’s easy to see why Immortals come into this series as the favorite. They were the top regular season team last split, they have talented played like Huni and Reignover, and they didn’t make any roster changes so synergy issues won’t be a factor. With all that being said, I think there are some important factors that favor C9 in this matchup. For one, they added one of the most versatile top laners in the region with Impact who will be up against Huni who has yet to perform to his typical standard on a tank-style champion which is basically all we see at this point. Also, the move to series play is right up C9’s alley as Lemonnation has been widely regarded as a good coach when it comes to pick and bans and adapting to the other team. Meanwhile IMT has been criticized for failing to adapt and that was on full display during the playoffs last split. Speaking of coaching, C9 has an even greater edge with the addition of legendary coach/top laner, Reapered who has spent most of his career in Korea and China. I’m not saying C9 should be the favorite here as they are not short on their own deficiencies, but I do think we have a very tight series on our hands. From a fantasy perspective this matchup looks like a juicy one. C9 and IMT sat atop the tables when it came to combined kills last split so I’m going to be looking at stacking this game, especially on the C9 side where salaries on DraftKings are dirt cheap.
Cloud9
Elite Plays
-Jensen (DK $5,500 Only) – It’s hard to ignore a player like Jensen at this salary. The primary concern stated by many is the loss of Rush and the shotcaller Hai for this team but I’m not ready to concede just yet. Is it a risky play with Meteos back after being gone for a full year? Yes, but I’m willing to take it and bet on his talent and what C9 has put together coming into this split.
Secondary Plays
-Impact (DK $4,900, AD $7,400) – The top lane pool isn’t the strongest in NA especially on a slate without Darshan and Hauntzer so I’m comfortable punting on the position. What I like about this selection is I don’t even consider a total punt play because of how good Impact is. Despite his low kill total in the spring, he had the highest kill participation (78%) at his position among players with more than 10 games played. On C9 that will likely translate to more points than a slower paced team like NRG.
Immortals
Elite Plays
-Reignover (DK $7,200, AD $8,100) – Reignover is the clear cut best jungler on the board and the dropoff is pretty substantial with so many inexperienced junglers playing in NA at this point. His opponent Meteos has been out of the LCS for a year now and while Reignover may not just abuse him individually, he will likely be more comfortable making plays early on in the set. He’s a must-grab player in cash games.
Secondary Plays
-WildTurtle (DK $8,200, AD $8,000) – While I don’t love WildTurtle in this slate (and I don’t even mind his opponent Sneaky as a flex) he just generates too much volume to ignore. The team and his support in particular, have a knack for keeping him alive and feeding him kills. Even if Immortals doesn’t look quite as dominant as they did in the spring, the stats should still be there for Turtle to hit value.
Echo Fox vs. Phoenix1
| Echo Fox | Phoenix1 | ||||||||||
 | Record |  | Record | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -280 | Vegas Sprd | +222 | ||||||||
| Avg. KP | Avg. KP | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | Team Pace | ||||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | ||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | KFO | Hard | Froggen | Big | Keith | Players | Zig | Zentinel | Pirean | Gate | Mash |
| Opp. Season | Opp. Season | ||||||||||
This is an exciting split for Echo Fox simply because they get to start the season and play with the full lineup for the forseeable future, a luxury they were not afforded during the spring split. Froggen and company have some good pieces but it’s still yet to be seen if they can contend for a top spot. Phoenix1 looks eerily similar to the Team Impulse we had coming into the last split. A squad thrown together with questionable talent and synergy, they will look to simply avoid the cellar by summer’s end. In this particular matchup, Echo Fox is the safe team of the slate. Basically everyone should be under consideration for your lineup but I’ve highlighted a few players that I will target specifically. To put things bluntly, Phoenix1 will struggle to take individual games let alone series’ this summer.
Echo Fox
Elite Plays
-Keith (DK $7,500, AD $8,200) – The Phoenix1 bot lane duo combined for 85 total deaths last split playing for TiP which wasn’t the worst stat until you consider how few kills they were generating. Meanwhile, Keith is a quietly strong ADC who really performs well in teamfights, and area where a new team like Phoenix1 will likely struggle due to communication. I’m willing to pay top dollar for Keith especially because I’m confident he will snag the bonus for closing out the series early in a 2-0 sweep.
Secondary Plays
-Froggen (DK $7,400, AD $8,300) – Because you can get some really good value out of several other mid laners, I don’t consider Froggen an “elite” play with considerably more value than the players in that price tier. Having said that he is the safe pick. If you take some risks with C9 or nV players, Froggen should be a solid lock in the mid lane.
Phoenix1
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Apex vs. NRG Esports
| Apex | NRG Esports | ||||||||||
 | Record |  | Record | ||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | +137 | Vegas Sprd | -167 | ||||||||
| Avg. KP | Avg. KP | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | Team Pace | ||||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | ||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Players | ||||||||||
| Opp. Season | Opp. Season | ||||||||||
This has the makings of the most interesting series of the day simply based on the amount of unknowns surrounding these teams. Apex is emerging from the Challenger scene with some LCS veterans while NRG made major changes and only kept the staple in the mid lane, GBM. I don’t think this matchup will be extremely lucrative as far as fantasy is concerned although the bottom lane of NRG is the real wildcard. Ohq and Kiwi are both known for hyper-aggression and if they start making plays, things may get wild very quickly. The Apex players are decently priced for the talent, but we haven’t seen them playing as a unit so it’s a little too early for me to go all in on Apex. I like what I see in Keane and Xpecial who are both former LCS players but the secondary players will need to step up to make either of those players serious considerations on a regular basis.
Apex
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Shrimp (DK $5,600, AD $6,900) – Jungle pressure can change a game right now and Shrimp can create that in ways I’m not confident Santorin can. Santorin has been known for his overly-passive play style and that could put NRG in an early hole especially as this entirely new squad hits the stage for the first time. With Jungle being this weak, Shrimp may be worth picking up as a cheap play in cash and GPP lineups.
NRG Esports
Elite Plays
-GBM (DK $7,200, AD $8,100) – There are several strong options at the mid lane position and the experience of GBM is invaluable at this point especially against a Challenger team that has some experience, but not enough to match that of the former Korean mid laner for NRG. Keane may be known for his off-meta niche picks but GBM is no slouch with his champion pool and I expect him to have an answer for everything Apex throws at him. He’s the staple on this team that will likely be the driving force behind NRG’s chance at victory.
Secondary Plays
-KiWiKiD (DK $5,500, AD $7,200) – Aggression is the name of the game for KiWiKiD which actually works out now that his new ADC is known for the same trait. Ohq and KiWi could be a volatile duo but they may be ripe for fantasy value although the valleys may be as drastic as the peaks. This is the best ADC KiWi has played with in his career and there should be plenty of fireworks in the bot lane to make KiWiKiD worth the price. I like Ohq as well but I’m more keen on safer picks at that position and this duo has a little more risk than other, more enticing options.
Team Envy vs. Team Liquid
| Team Envy | Team Liquid | ||||||||||
 | Record | Record | |||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | +237 | Vegas Sprd | -301 | ||||||||
| Avg. KP | Avg. KP | ||||||||||
| Team Pace | Team Pace | ||||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | ||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Players | ||||||||||
| Opp. Season | Opp. Season | ||||||||||
What a difference a few weeks can make. As we rolled into the offseason, Team Liquid looked like they would be keeping that young core together and all signs were pointing towards them as a serious contender for a top 2 spot in the region. Fast forward a month and we are talking about Dardoch being suspended and serious internal issues are to blame. This is pretty huge. Not only was Dardoch the second best player on the team, but he was also the primary shotcaller. I have some major concerns about this team’s functionality and it’s something to consider when looking at rostering their players. The only one I trust at this point is Piglet and maybe his lane partner, Matt. EnVyUs is not an unfamiliar name to the competitive gaming scene but this is their first League of Legends squad and I think they did a decent job putting it together. This team will live and die by their Korean solo laners who have considerable talent, but it’s still a question of how this entire team will function as a unit after forming just less than a month ago. For my money, this matchup is wide open and I’m leaning a bit towards nV for fantasy but TL still has some of their core intact and will look to prove they belong in the conversation of top teams.
Team Envy
Elite Plays
-Seraph (DK $5,100, AD $7,100) – There is almost no scenario in which I like Lourlo in this matchup even though his primary strengths has been playing tanks. Seraph will likely be my guy in the top lane for this slate. Not only is he the primary carry on his team, but he will now be working with 2 Korean speaking solo laners in Procxin and Ninja, a luxury he has yet to have since coming to North America. With Dardoch out of the lineup, Lourlo being on an island against Seraph leans heavily in nV’s favor.
Secondary Plays
-Procxin (DK $4,800, AD $7,300) – Another beneficiary of Dardoch being held out of the lineup will be Procxin who now looks like he may just be the better jungler up against Moon. The solo laners for TL are all susceptible to falling behind and if Procxin can apply some early pressure, he may be able to snowball his way into a huge performance. While the bottom lane for TL is strong, jungle pressure may be able to turn the tides for EnVyUs.
Team Liquid
Elite Plays
-Piglet (DK $8,100, AD $8,100) – Clearly this matchup is strength vs weakness with the dominant bottom lane of Piglet/Matt up against a far weaker and less experienced LOD/Hakuho duo. Piglet was arguably the best ADC in the region last split and if his solo laners can just hold their own, Piglet can be a monster in the late game.
Secondary Plays
- None
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