League of Legends - NA: Sunday, June 5th

Welcome back for another day of the North American LCS. After two days of best of threes, I’m starting to see how much more fun it’s going to be all summer long than it was back with single game matches. Teams are afforded the opportunity to make the occasional mistake and still recover on any given day. The downside is that some teams are going to be using their right to substitutions, which isn’t ideal for us. If we stay on top of it though, we should be able to avoid being sunk by this for the most part. Technical complications have us running a slimmed article today, but expect full content all season.

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Counter Logic Gaming (-637) vs. Apex Gaming (+446)

Right now, there are still major questions about Apex and their roster. 10 man rosters are still fairly new to the LCS scene and it remains to be seen how Apex will make use of having so many players, and as a result we are in wait and see for fantasy. I’m less excited about Apex’s future as a team than others, though I recognize that there is talent to be had within this group of players. Regardless, it’s unlikely that we will see a consistent group playing full series during the early parts of this split. Certainly, the win over NRG does give some early season confidence.

CLG were also beaten 2-0 in their opening match. Victors TSM are NA’s most storied team and stacked roster though, so I’ve little worry about CLG going forward. They don’t always play a fast and furious fantasy point grabbing style, so they’re not easy plays at expensive prices against Apex. Regardless, they’re a big favorite in this series and the 2-0 sweep is a real possibility, which puts us squarely into a need for CLG exposure in most formats.

Game Targets

Darshan (DK $7,500, AD $7,800) – Darshan was picked on by Hauntzer on Friday, which was uncharacteristic. Expect a bounce back.

Xmithie (DK $7,200, AD $7,600) – One of the most improved players of the year. Should be picking on teams like Apex without trouble, if this trend is to continue.

Team SoloMid (-380) vs. Team Liquid (+291)

After a 2-0 sweep of MSI heroes CLG, Team SoloMid’s return to the top of the North American scene could be on the horizon. We never want to overreact to a single series, but to sweep CLG, a team with the same roster from their Spring Split victory, is impressive. Teammates have spoken highly of new support Biofrost and while that’s typical of any teammate, he seems to fit in well on and off the Rift. With Liquid typically willing to fight at any time, I am very much on TSM in this spot. They’re a superior team fighting team, especially with Dardoch out for Liqiuid.

Speaking of Dardoch, the rookie of the split will play for Liquids academy team this week. I am still of the opinion that he will likely return to Liquid in the third week of the season, but for now they are forced to downgrade to Moon. All respect to Moon, who has talent, but Dardoch is a genuine top flight jungle talent and one of the best players in North America. That’s a major loss for a team who can’t afford to take losses early in the season that could place them on the playoff bubble whether Dardoch returns or not. Piglet is a hero and won’t go quietly against TSM, but this is a big ask, particularly after a 2-0 to Envy yesterday.

Game Targets

Hauntzer (DK $6,800, AD $8,000) – Coming out of the gate and looking strong against Darshan was nice, but this matchup doesn’t get much better even if he hadn’t. Seraph looked like a star against Liquid yesterday, and with Dardoch out, their top lane pressure suffers.

Bjergsen (DK $7,500, AD $8,200) – Not the most expensive mid laner on either site. Both sites are currently recognizing the Liquid from the Spring Split, which is understandable, but they may not be that team right now.

Piglet (DK $6,500, AD $7,600) – Even after being handed a 2-0 loss against Envy, Liquid still boasts an overall strong lineup that is capable of having big fantasy days. Tournament option at its finest for the best ADC in the region.

Cloud9 (-235) vs. Echo Fox (+189)

Oh, Froggen. The farming king and his hatred of minions is undying. In the second game of the series against Phoenix1, he had amassed a 100 CS lead over his lane opponent 30 minutes into the game. Froggen looked good, as did his fellow Rick Fox underlings. They didn’t come out of the gate flying the way that I was hoping for and very much maintained the Echo Fox look of long, grinding games where Froggen farms and KFO makes plays. I believe in Echo Fox’s ability and love their chances of extending this series to a game three.

We know that Cloud9 is good, regardless of which players from their roster start and finish this series. The biggest fantasy question here is whether Cloud9’s continued dedication to constant fighting will be allowed by Echo Fox, who are happy to see the lane phase last an hour. Ownership will be high on both sides here and for good reasons. I do have tempered expectations on C9’s style against Echo Fox, though.

Game Targets

Meteos (DK $6,700, AD $7,600) – Back in the fray after a year off, Meteos looked like he belonged against Immortals. Mistakes were there, and he’ll certainly need to improve on the stage, but C9 fans had to like what they say. Fantasy players even more so, so we’re certainly on him today.

kfo (DK $5,500, AD $6,800) – While we no longer have the opportunity to target Balls in C9’s top lane with Impact taking over, I have no issue taking a playmaker like kfo. He was a major part of their 2-0 win against Phoenix1, just as he was in most of Echo Fox’s wins in the spring. He’ll need a big showing against Cloud9 to find upsets, but boasts clear upside.

Hard (DK $5,100, AD $7,300) – Ultimately, this is your punt. On today’s slate, we have four heavy favorites, which always means we’re looking at choosing the right punts. Cloud9 continued their bloody ways yesterday, regularly engaging in fights when most teams would be content to work the map. I’ll personally be working in Echo Fox players as my cheapest options.

Immortals (-2430) vs. Phoenix1 (+1048)

The takeaways from Phoenix1’s Saturday series against Echo Fox were that they were both competitive and passive. Echo Fox were unable to throttle Apex the way that some may have expected, which was nice to see. They were in both games of the sweep from beginning to end and for me, showed some promise. However, passive play and a game two substitution make them a tough sell in fantasy. P1 has a big roster and aren’t close to settling on a set starting five at this point, which makes them a clear avoid.

Immortals were on the inconsistent side against Cloud9 in their opening series, but they’re still the established top team in North America until we get a sample size that says they aren’t. Pricing tends to be tough to swallow with Immortals though, and if we want to be heavy on them, it means risks elsewhere. Still, there’s no reason to think that this isn’t a sweep, so finding value to allow Immortals exposure will be a common and wise strategy.

Game Targets

WildTurtle (DK $8,600, AD $8,500) – As expensive as the Wild Turtle is, it’s hard to say no. Phoenix1’s passive play in their opening series is a slight concern, but the 2-0 is the likeliest in this series. In tournaments, the upside does seem limited, while the cash game safety is very appealing.

Pirean (DK $4,700, AD $7,100) – One parallel between traditional sports and esports is the letdown game. It typically follows a loss to a rival or highly ranked opponent and it’s happened right here in the LCS on more than one occasion this year. I am by no means projecting an Immortals loss, but to finish the Spring Split 17-1 and then kick off the summer with a loss can be a blow to the confidence. Stranger things have happened.

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About the Author

wazzu24
wazzu24

wazzu24, who began contributing to RotoGrinders in September of 2015, is an avid DFS player and League of Legends writer. He previously contributed to Vulcun.com’s strategy blog. Alex can be found on Twitter at @wazzu24.