(+125) FunPlus Phoenix v Damwon Gaming (-165)

(-175) Rogue v Cloud9 (+126)

(-425) FunPlus Phoenix v Cloud9 (+126)

(-600) Damwon Gaming v Rogue (+375)

(+290) Rogue v Funplus Phoenix (-450)

(-750) Damwon Gaming v Cloud9 (+450)
 

We are halfway through the Group Stage round and teams are looking at what challenges are in front of them in their quest to reach the knockout stage of the tournament. Generally speaking, at this point in the Round Robin Stage teams who have 2 to 3 wins are in the driver’s seat in terms of making it out of their prospective group. Teams with 1 win so far have a chance, but need some things to go their way and for teams like Cloud9 with no wins, it is all but over for them. So what to expect for Friday? Spoilers. A team like Cloud9 can steal wins away from heavy favorites which can force tiebreakers and gatekeep teams out of the next round. Especially with how slow they came out this week against the big dogs of Damwon and FunPlus Phoenix, I expect a jump in play but for it to be too late for them. Rogue looks like a tough out in the group but lack of aggressive playmaking has held them back. As for Damwon and FPX? It will be hard to make a case for these two teams not meeting again in the finals. 

 

Cann’s Final Prediction for Group A
 

  1. Damwon Gaming (5-1)
  2. FunPlus Phoenix (4-2)
  3. Cloud9 (2-4)
  4. Rogue (1-5)
     

Fantasy Value Breakdown

 

Captain

Favorite: ShowMaker (DWG: $11,100) It is hard to pick anyone for the captain role other than ShowMaker at this point. ShowMaker is tied in the group for kill lead (14) with his ADC (Ghost) but currently has 0 deaths through 3 games. He has put on a clinic against some of the best mid laners (Doinb, Perkz, and Larssen) and he has been able to both win lane with staggering CSing numbers and has also been able to impact side lanes as well. Look for DWG to have one flop of a performance as a let down game (going 6-0 in group stage is VERY difficult) but across the three games DWG should remain superior to the other three teams. 

Value Pick: Tian (FPX: $10,200)

 

Top Lane

Favorite: Khan (DWG: $6,800) It came out this week that in 2022 Khan will need to serve an obligatory period of military service in Korea. This has happened before to other players around the world and can be a distraction. I think instead Khan will continue his absolute dominance in the top lane. We saw players like Nuguri and Fudge, who have been known as dominant laning players, not be able to keep up with the aggression and consistency of the Korean top laner and I don’t see anything changing on Friday. Even in mismatches based on champion pick, DWG has sent their jungler Canyon to the top lane to ensure that Khan is getting the leads he needs to be successful.

Value Pick: Fudge (C9: $5,800) 

 

Jungle

Favorite: Canyon (DWG: $7,200) Oh look, another DWG pick! The gap between Canyon/DWG and the rest of the group is pretty evident. On Friday I expect the Korean jungler to maintain high hKDA (7.8) and build upon his exceptional gold and XP differential (332 and 408). I can see a possible slip against C9’s Blaber because of his wild unpredictability in the jungle, but over the course of Friday I expect Canyon to continue to be the highest producing jungler in the group.  

Value Pick: Blaber (C9: $6,600) 

 

Mid Lane

Favorite: Doinb (FPX: $7,000) The dominance of ShowMaker and DWG has led to the overshadowing of FPX and Doinb in the group stage. I also think that Doinb has not played up to his actual potential. He has been one of the lower producing mids in the group stage and that is not his ceiling. Watch for Doinb to round into form and be menace that most believed he would be. If Doinb plays to the level he was at during the LPL regular season, there is a good chance we see FPX go 3-0 on Friday and Doinb hit crazy fantasy numbers. 

Value Pick: Perkz (Cloud9: $6,600)   
 

ADC

Favorite: Lwx (FPX: $7,600) This is the core of the FPX success. Not necessarily in a carry performance thus far but it is clear that FPX wants to consistently get to late game teamfights and utilize Lwx’s prowess in positioning and ability to output damage. He takes longer to scale and heavily relies on early laning and farming to get to a position to carry late game fights. Look for FPX to invest heavier resources to this lane in hopes of allowing Lwx to reach a power level needed for those late game/objective fights. Probably the most consistent ADC in the group and arguably the first or second best ADC in the group in terms of raw skill. 

Value Pick: Hans sama (RGE: $7,400) 

 

Support

Favorite: BeryL (DWG: $5,600) The combination of BeryL and the DWG jungler Canyon is a duo that you cannot skip on. BeryL has been an absolute menace this tournament with a +7 KDA and 27 assists through 3 games. He has a team kill participation rate of 60% which tells me that as he gets more active, his numbers have the potential of getting even better through the tournament. Watch out for BeryL and jump on such a good price for an elite support. 

Value Pick: Crisp (FPX: $5,200) 

 

Team

Favorite: Damwon Gaming KIA ($5,200)  

Value Pick: FunPlus Phoenix ($4,800) 


 

Cann’s Example Lineup

DraftKings Classic 

$50,000 Salary Cap

 

Captain (x1.5): ShowMaker ($11,100)

Alternate: Canyon ($10,800)

Top: Fudge ($5,800)

Jungle: Canyon ($7,200)

Alternate: beishang ($7,000)
Mid: Doinb ($7,000)

ADC: Lwx ($7,600)

Alternate: Hans Sama ($7,400)

Support: BeryL($5,600)

Team: Cloud9 ($4,200)