LoL Grind Down: EU - Friday, July 8th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders League of Legends Grind Down. In this all-encompassing preview of the upcoming LCS 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.
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G2 Esports vs. Giants
| G2 Esports | Giants | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | -125 |  | Vegas Sprd | +800 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 16.6 | Avg. Pts. | 11.6 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 18.8 | Avg. Pts./W | 19.0 | |||||||||
| FB% | 43% | FB% | 61% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Kikis | Trick | PerkZ | Mithy | Zven | Players | SmittyJ | Maxlore | NighT | Hustlin | SONSTAR | |
| Opp. Season | 22.16% | 15.64% | 13.83% | 7.47% | 2.29% | Opp. Season | -16.94% | -12.60% | -8.27% | -7.71% | -12.32% | |
We now live in a universe where G2 vs Giants is the premier matchup of the day and I don’t think you will be able to find anyone who could have predicted that at the start of the summer split. Both teams are coming off of strong victories over Fnatic and this may be a good barometer to understand if these teams are legit, or if Fnatic was just having a really rough week. We sort of know what to expect from G2 at this point but Giants continue to surprise us on a weekly basis. At first it was NighT who has broken out as one of the most impressive EU LCS rookies thus far but SONSTAR has also been on the rise as well. I just don’t think they will be able to hang with a superior team like G2 who is firing on all cylinders right now. I wish I could say I think this will be a closely contested matchup by I just see this being a clean 2-0 from G2 with only a small chance that Giants players provide much in value. Perkz has not been in top form all season and he may be susceptible to giving up some numbers to NighT but I can’t trust any other Giants players to deliver.
G2 Esports
Elite Plays
-Trick (DK $6,600, AD $8,100) – Ever present on this list, it’s hard to ignore Trick when arranging your lineup just with how far above the rest his ceiling is. He is a consistent player who will most likely hit value or come close to doing so and with the position looking quite weak in EU, grabbing him should be a priority if you can fit him in.
Secondary Plays
-Zven (DK $7,800, AD $8,400) – Probably the clear favorite ADC of the slate there isn’t much to dislike. Yes, SONSTAR has improved but when this duo is rolling, they can crush anyone. This will be a popular play in cash games so you may want to consider some cheaper options but if you need a high floor, Zven is the best play. I’ll be less inclined to roster him on AD that’s for sure.
Giants
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-NighT (DK $6,300 Only) – This is only a GPP/Flex play on DK for me so don’t rely too heavily on him as a sleeper stud the way he has been the past few slates. He’s very good but Perkz and G2 are just better and you are really banking on the upside here despite the low floor.
Origen vs. Unicorns of Love
| Origen | Unicorns of Love | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +147 |  | Vegas Sprd | +420 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 14.7 | Avg. Pts. | 11.8 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 21.9 | Avg. Pts./W | 18.6 | |||||||||
| FB% | 59% | FB% | 38% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | sOAZ | Amazing | PowerOfEvil | Hybrid | FORG1VEN | Players | Vizicasacsi | Move | Exileh | Hylissang | Veritas | |
| Opp. Season | 26.27% | 34.25% | 24.06% | 16.17% | 32.55% | Opp. Season | -11.79% | -11.29% | -5.88% | -5.89% | -2.45% | |
For where they are in the standings, Origen has been a surprisingly consistent team since xPeke moved to the ADC role. Somehow they have managed to put split all but one series in that span but it still leaves them in 8th place. They have taken games off of some strong opponents but in turn, they have fallen victim to several of the weaker teams in the league. UOL has also steadied the course and they have been providing some sleeper value for weeks now it almost seems a little late to hop on board their hype train. The odds will have this one pretty close and with the Unicorns being on a serious rise, I’m buying, especially with one of my old favorites, Move in the jungle. Over the past 3 weeks he has only died 8 times while racking up 40 assists. Those aren’t top of the league numbers, but the value on him is great when you are looking to roster a jungler on a budget. I hate to say it, but I see another tie match in the making here and I officially have to admit: Unicorns of Love are not the worst team in the EU LCS.
Origen
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Origen Team (DK $4,700, AD $3,500) – The fact of the matter is that with the way Origen trades objectives and plays out these long, drawn out games, I don’t even care if they win. The bonus for winning isn’t that huge and the objectives are what seem to matter. I’ll take OG for a moderate price on both slates.
Unicorns of Love
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Move (DK $5,900, AD $7,000) – As I stated in the game summary, Move has been on my radar since the team started to rebound. The long games from OG should benefit UOL players like Move and Hyllissang to grab those high assist totals in this series. Nice value play to punt at jungle. And for the record I don’t mind either jungler here.
FC Schalke 04 vs. H2K
| FC Schalke 04 | H2K | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +374 |  | Vegas Sprd | +163 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 12.4 | Avg. Pts. | 13.0 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 17.5 | Avg. Pts./W | 17.5 | |||||||||
| FB% | 52% | FB% | 52% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Steve | Gilius | Fox | sprattel | MrRalleZ | Players | Odoamne | Jankos | Ryu | VandeR | Freeze | |
| Opp. Season | -15.38% | -21.24% | -18.92% | -11.91% | -22.85% | Opp. Season | 2.09% | 1.22% | -0.64% | -0.88% | 5.13% | |
With so many teams with so many question marks around them, these two teams might be the most puzzling. It’s clear that they are each pretty good but that does not mean they are plagued with serious deficiencies. Schalke may even be the better team when it comes to the fights in game but statistically, H2K ranks ahead of them in most objective categories and they win through that play more than actual fighting. This makes them quite a downer for fantasy value and it’s the reason I will be putting a bit more emphasis on Schalke for DFS. Freeze in particular has been spotty and extremely champion dependent so if S04 targets him in the draft, MrRalleZ could have a very real advantage and I favor him in this slate regardless for my lineups. Fox is another player that I think will draw a lot of attention due to his low salary and high kill numbers but I’m fading on him. Ryu has stepped up his game after a poor start to the split and if anything I favor him in this matchup. He finally seems to have found his way in the current meta and Jankos has been better and assisting him than previously. This is a true toss up and it’s foolish to predict anything other than a tie with how these teams are playing right now.
FC Schalke 04
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-MrRalleZ (DK $6,900, AD $7,600) – He has had some huge games and when the team wins, it is often on the back of MrRalleZ and Fox. Over the past 3 weeks he has had 5 games with 7+ assists and his kill totals are quite impressive as well. Freeze has not been a top tier ADC as we thought so I’m fine with avoiding him in this matchup.
H2K
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Ryu (DK $7,200 Only) – I don’t love this play but it’s an interesting one in GPP lineups. I think his ownership will be low and he has the upside.
ROCCAT vs. Splyce
| ROCCAT | Splyce | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +390 |  | Vegas Sprd | +157 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 10.1 | Avg. Pts. | 10.6 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 17.0 | Avg. Pts./W | 17.3 | |||||||||
| FB% | 47% | FB% | 38% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Parang | Airwaks | Betsy | Raise | Steelback | Players | Wunderwear | Trashy | Sencux | Mikyx | Kobbe | |
| Opp. Season | 5.41% | 8.93% | 4.89% | 6.41% | -0.76% | Opp. Season | -11.74% | -17.30% | -7.39% | -6.24% | -11.66% | |
Just as I said UOL is no longer the worst team in the region, Roccat is the team who has taken that crown away from them. It really is quite astonishing with the increased talent they added to the roster but it’s simply the case of players massively underperforming. Betsy and Airwaks in particular look like half of what they were in the spring and it’s crazy to think they were an outside playoff contender coming into this split. Now they just look to avoid ending up in the cellar and a matchup against Splyce will be a tough one. This team is improving every week and I love them for fantasy because they deliver pretty consistently. Obviously you will have to pay top dollar at almost every position for Splyce players on DraftKings but that is still a consideration for me with the decreased interest in Fnatic. G2 will be the highly owned team for sure, but Splyce is capable of putting up similar fantasy numbers. Outside of the standard carry players like Kobbe and Sencux, Trashy has been one of the more surprising players of the summer and his 79% kill participation gives us a reason to believe this will continue. He will also be up against Airwaks who has a knack for giving up an abundance of kills and pressure to his opposition. It’s not the flashy play, but Splyce will be a strong lineup consideration for me. Roccat is a no go for anyone except for Betsy who, even in defeat, has potential for a solid flex fantasy score line.
ROCCAT
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Splyce
Elite Plays
-Sencux (DK $7,800, AD $8,000) – Paying up for Sencux is not something I usually would do but he has proven to be a formidable player at his position. Roccat is surrendering a huge amount of kills and Betsy leads all EU mid laners in deaths per game. Perkz will be highly owned but I don’t think he really has more value than Sencux.
Secondary Plays
-Trashy (DK $6,800, AD $7,500) – I’m far more keen on this play on AD and it may even be a bit of a reach on DraftKings but there is no disputing the matchup and performance level from Trashy is heavily in his favor. Stacking a couple of Splyce players on AD is fairly reasonable and valuable at this point.
-Kobbe (AD $7,800 Only) – This is an AlphaDraft only play because of how I value the other ADC’s on this slate for DraftKings. Kobbe still holds the lead in total kills at his position and that Splyce duo lane is quickly becoming one of the best in EU. If there is any time to buy that it’s now.
Fnatic vs. Vitality
| Fnatic | Vitality | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +105 |  | Vegas Sprd | +609 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 13.6 | Avg. Pts. | 12.7 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 18.5 | Avg. Pts./W | 19.2 | |||||||||
| FB% | 43% | FB% | 67% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Gamsu | Spirit | Febiven | YellOwStaR | Rekkles | Players | Cabochard | MightBear | Nukeduck | KaSing | Police | |
| Opp. Season | 8.22% | 12.08% | 11.28% | 13.97% | 15.81% | Opp. Season | -8.30% | -9.71% | -12.96% | -11.37% | -5.73% | |
Just when we thought we had Fnatic figured out, they go and do something like that. It was probably naïve to believe we had any team in the EU LCS figured out but Fnatic had a firm grasp on a top 2 spot in the region and were in conversation to be the best team in EU. This was of course, before they failed to win any single games during last week’s contests against G2 and Giants. The entire weekend was a huge red flag and the team clearly has issues across the board, leaving us to wonder if that has been figured out and if they can be trusted. The best answer to that, without actually answering the question, is that I don’t think it matters. Team Vitality’s chance to prove themselves as a potential threat is over and time is running out if they even want a firm shot at the playoffs. For the purpose of evaluating fantasy value, we still have to view Fnatic as a top team in this matchup and the only Vitality considerations will likely come from the usual suspect in Cabochard and possibly Shook. Fnatic top dollar players leave me wondering if they can hit value after their recent struggles. Febiven looked nothing short of terrible last week and Rekkles had a similarly underwhelming showing. Actually the rest of the players for Fnatic were just as bad but I don’t even want to get into all that. We do have to assume that Fnatic will bounce back and perform better to some degree but I’m not going to go all in and I’ll favor a few other teams to stack instead of them. Shook’s addition to the Vitality lineup is a nice boost but I don’t think it will be enough for the team to pull off an upset and win the series.
Fnatic
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Vitality
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Cabochard (DK $5,700, AD $7,100) – We meet again at this same spot where Cabochard seems to be a staple. He has been preforming pretty well and for the price tag you can’t really beat the value on DraftKings. A struggling Gamsu and the second week of Shook in the jungle could be VIT’s only recipe for an upset.
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