LoL Grind Down: NA - Saturday, June 18th
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.
Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and AlphaDraft promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.
For live game tracking and other eSports news RotoGrinders recommends Instant Esports. Get the app for iOS or Android.
Counter Logic Gaming vs. Echo Fox
| Counter Logic Gaming | Echo Fox | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | -280 |  | Vegas Sprd | +222 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 11.8 | Avg. Pts. | 10.2 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 16.7 | Avg. Pts./W | 17.4 | |||||||||
| FB% | 51% | FB% | 39% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Darshan | Xmithie | HuHi | Aphromoo | Stixxay | Players | kfo | Hard | Froggen | Big | Keith | |
| Opp. Season | 38.32% | 53.56% | 50.85% | 46.41% | 47.39% | Opp. Season | -16.39% | -21.86% | -10.22% | -23.19% | -9.48% | |
Can we talk about Echo Fox? They are starting to look like the Splyce team we saw in EU last spring. This means that they essentially fail to provide much as far as fantasy value, yet they also prevent their opponents from putting up fantasy points as well. This ultra-conservative style of play is frustrating for both viewers and opposing teams especially considering they aren’t getting positive results in the end game. Our projections don’t have a lot of love for either team in this one and with CLG still struggling to establish themselves, it’s not easy to trust them to deliver either. I still like a few CLG options but I’m not keen on paying up for players like Darshan and Stixxay so it is a tough spot. The bottomline for this one is that I won’t stack too heavily and I may be considering a player from each side but that is about it.
Counter Logic Gaming
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Echo Fox
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Froggen (DK $6,000, AD $7,600) – Despite the team trying to play around Kfo some, this is still the Froggen show and he is the only guy I really want from this Fox lineup. The meta changing to more carry top laners to fit Kfo’s style (along with Anivia returning to the meta) may be what Froggen needs to kickstart his season. This is sort of a talent play because Huhi is just that bad but it’s a risky one. Primarily a flex play on DK for me but I think it’s worth mentioning him as a sleeper and he could be the only reason Echo Fox has a chance at the upset. He does lead all mid laners in kill participation % which is a number that usually ends up translating to fantasy results, at least to some degree.
Immortals vs. Team Envy
| Immortals | Team Envy | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | -210 |  | Vegas Sprd | +170 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 13.5 | Avg. Pts. | 18.5 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 16.2 | Avg. Pts./W | 20.0 | |||||||||
| FB% | 54% | FB% | 30% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Huni | Reignover | Pobelter | Adrian | WildTurtle | Players | Seraph | Procxin | Ninja | Hakuho | LOD | |
| Opp. Season | 51.65% | 60.21% | 36.22% | 50.85% | 41.23% | Opp. Season | -62.89% | -67.54% | -62.55% | -62.52% | -68.21% | |
Though these teams are clashing at the top of the standings, it isn’t without a variety of question marks surrounding both teams. Our questions about NV may be answered as they have yet to have a true test against a superior opponent with their 4 wins coming against arguably the 4 worst teams in the region. It’s clear they have talent but cohesion is another thing and lacking in that department will be punished by Immortals. Immortals are a team that has kept their style from spring but it has been met with more resistance than ever. NA teams seem to be catching on to how to punish Immortals for their wild over-aggression which is likely why IMT leads the region in total deaths by a large margin. I expect this to be an interesting series and Immortals should be able to rack up fantasy points all across the board. I also like NV to grab a few of their own but IMT can punish teams early and if they pull it off, they typically steamroll. I think NV has a chance to steal a game, but IMT has a strong edge in the series on a whole.
Immortals
Elite Plays
-Reignover (DK $6,600, AD $7,700) – Reignover hasn’t been the overwhelmingly dominant jungler he was in the spring but he still has a lot of fantasy value. He leads all junglers in kills and is 2nd in total assists. His death numbers are up a tick but not damning enough. This is a relatively good value salary for the best jungler on the slate so I’m snatching him up in cash games.
-WildTurtle (DK $7,700, AD $8,000) – WildTurtle will be my top target at the position on this slate. With no Sneaky or Doublelift, he instantly becomes the hottest ADC available and I expect him to be owned a good bit in cash games. He has dropped off of his insane pace in spring but the NV bottom lane is their weak link. I expect WildTurtle and Adrian to exploit that and I expect several TP plays to assist that.
Secondary Plays
- None
Team Envy
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Seraph (DK $5,500, AD $7,600) – It may seem counterintuitive to play anyone against Huni but I’m on board with Seraph. He may even be just as strong of a carry top laner at the moment the way he’s playing right now. He is also one of the main shotcallers on the team which allows him to pull more players towards him to give him favorable plays to make. Huni leads all top laners in deaths and Seraph should be viable even if the series turns sour for NV.
Liquid vs. NRG Esports
| Liquid | NRG Esports | |||||||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -140 |  | Vegas Sprd | +115 | ||||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 11.2 | Avg. Pts. | 10.4 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 19.0 | Avg. Pts./W | 19.6 | |||||||||
| FB% | 51% | FB% | 40% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Lourlo | Dardoch | FeniX | Matt | Piglet | Players | Quas | Santorin | GBM | KiWiKiD | Ohq | |
| Opp. Season | 42.25% | 28.75% | 33.57% | 21.82% | 28.07% | Opp. Season | 27.86% | 20.04% | 23.13% | 29.01% | 17.68% | |
This is one of the most interesting games on this slate to me as far as fantasy goes. I’m not looking into the NRG side of things much but I really like Team Liquid in this matchup. TL is pretty defined right now as an average/below average team that can contend with any team at their level. They have potential with their current roster and that always makes them interesting for fantasy. NRG is a bit more volatile as they have taken a game off of IMT out of nowhere but they have also looked like one of the worst NA teams at other times. I just don’t trust NRG enough to roll with them in cash games. It is also very important to note that fabbbyyy is starting in the place of Piglet for TL. The salary on fabbbyyy is very enticing and I would consider him as an option but I will caution that Piglet is listed as a sub. If things go horribly wrong in the first game against NRG, there is a decent chance we see Piglet making either of them tough to roster on DraftKings. In the meantime I can’t justify targeting NRG players for my roster as they are just too inconsistent and they don’t seem to fit as a unit that will come together any time soon.
Liquid
Elite Plays
-Dardoch (DK $6,300, AD $7,600) – One of the fatal flaws of NRG is early jungle pressure or lack thereof. Meanwhile Dardoch has shown he is a very strong early pressure player making this a great matchup for him. The combination of overagression in the bottom lane and flat out poor play in the top lane for NRG is exactly the type of recipe that allows a jungler like Dardoch to snowball and have a massive impact. I’m expecting a big game. Reignover is the safer pick but Dardoch is the upside play at this position.
Secondary Plays
-FeniX (DK $7,200, AD $7,900) – The mid lane pool is definitely rough on this slate and I think FeniX may even be the best option for my money. Sure his stats this season have been pretty lackluster but the fact that the team is using a substitute ADC and this NRG team just seems to lack the tools to punish their opponent gives FeniX a lot of room to work and put up some numbers.
NRG Esports
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Phoenix1 vs. Apex
| Phoenix1 | Apex | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +396 |  | Vegas Sprd | -550 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 8.7 | Avg. Pts. | 12.3 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 26.0 | Avg. Pts./W | 20.6 | |||||||||
| FB% | 33% | FB% | 51% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Zig | Zentinel | Slooshi | Gate | Mash | Players | Ray | Shrimp | Keane | Xpecial | Apollo | |
| Opp. Season | -70.29% | -70.44% | -65.34% | -66.47% | -65.41% | Opp. Season | -64.15% | -57.79% | -62.58% | -60.81% | -61.22% | |
We have reached the point in the season where it’s safe to say “they are who we thought they were!” Phoenix1 is the bottom of the NA barrel and things aren’t going to change any time soon. After making Team Liquid look like world-beaters, Apex is the next team to feast on this terrible squad P1 is rolling out there. The salaries are high but it’s pretty safe to say that many of them will provide a lot of value so don’t be afraid to pay up to grab one or two players on Apex. This is one of the many one-sided affairs for the day (at least on paper) and I don’t see this one going off-script. I also really like Apex in the team slot. Paying a bit more for a sure-fire 2-0 team is often worth it especially considering how quickly Apex may be able to finish these games as well as acquire objectives which is an area P1 severely lacks control.
Phoenix1
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Apex
Elite Plays
-Xpecial (DK $6,400, AD $7,400) – The most important statistic regarding supports is kill participation. Xpecial sits just under 80% making him one of the best in the region and it’s also on a team that has the 4th most total kills. Tack on the fact that they are playing the worst team in the region and you have yourself a great support. I’ll pay up for Xpecial even if I don’t grab any other Apex players due to salary restrictions.
Secondary Plays
-Ray (DK $7,400, AD $7,900) – Ray has established himself as the primary carry of this team which means two things. For one, he is the top target for a one-off Apex play. Secondly, it means that if the team plans to rotate their 10-man roster, he is one of the least likely players to hit the bench. His death totals are a concern but with P1 ahead, it shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
Still need more data to help set your lineups? Check out our eSports daily research tools!