League of Legends European Championship: January 22
Published: Jan 22, 2022
Matchups
(-120) SK Gaming v Excel Esports (-110)
(-490) MAD Lions v Astralis (+320)
(+180) BDS Esports v Rogue (-240)
(+220) Misfits v Fnatic (-310)
(-145) Team Vitality v G2 Esports (+110)
We have two teams who are still undefeated through the first four games in Fnatic and Rogue. Seven of the next eight teams are all within two games of each other. New faces to the LEC are quickly becoming the biggest contributors and old vets struggle to show up. We see upsets and we see heavy favorites put away lesser teams with no contest. Saturday’s slate of of games have a wide range of approaches and there are real underdogs to be picked up With electric matchups across the board, there will be plenty of steals to carry your lineup to a win! Let’s dive in!
Picks
Game #1: SK Gaming v Excel Esports
Cann’s Pick: Excel Esports
Game #2: MAD Lions v Astralis
Cann’s Pick: MAD Lions
Game #3: BDS Esports v Rogue
Cann’s Pick: Rogue
Game #4: Misfits v Fnatic
Cann’s Pick: Fnatic
Game #5: Team Vitality v G2 Esports
Cann’s Pick: G2 Esports
Fantasy Value Breakdown
Captain
Favorite: Comp (RGE: $11,700) This man is sitting here in his first split with a 21.0 KDA. He has an 86% team kill participation rate and is the largest source of damage for Rogue by a pretty wide margin. Many worried about how Rogue would fair with Hans sama leaving for the LCS but it looks like that have had a serious upgrade in the ADC role. The bot lane is gelling and transitioning well into late game team fights. I love Rogue in this spot and I think they are really undervalued here.
Value Pick: Nukeduck (XL: $10,200
Top
Favorite: Odoamne (RGE: $6,400) Since his glorious departure from FNC, BDS’ top laner (Adam) has been put into a body bag pretty consistently. Odoamne has a KDA of nearly 9 while Adam is sitting at less than 2. Adam has looked so much more human now that he is not surrounded by a better cast of players and it is clear that he has growing to do. Odoamne is what a professional should be like. He plays the champions Rogue needs him to and it does not change his output. This should be one of the biggest mismatches on the entire slate.
Value Pick: BrokenBlade (G2: $5,400)
Jungle
Favorite: Elyoya (MAD: $7,400) Elyoya is still outputting serious numbers. Even in their loss to Rogue, Elyoya was a threat the entire game. Astralis is a messy team and Elyoya has shown he excels in these moments. He has an 80% team kill participation rate which is one of the best among all junglers. I expect Elyoya to spend a lot of time shadowing Zanzarah around and countering many of the early ganks Astralis like to try to make happen.
Value Pick: Markoon (XL: $6,600)
Mid
Favorite: Reeker (MAD: $7,400) Reeker faced a really tough mid laner on Friday in Larssen. On Saturday however, he is facing Dajor who is having a significantly more difficult start than Larssen. Reeker has shown an ability to play high skill cap champions but beware that he is a high risk/high reward pick. He will go 8 kills and 1 death in one game, and then get 2 kills and 8 deaths the next. I just think the team matchup makes this worth the risk.
Value Pick: Perkz (VIT: $7,000)
ADC
Favorite: Upset (FNC: $7,600) The Fnatic bot lane is really one of the scariest in the league right now. Upset is at a 20 KDA with 18 kills through 4 games. What is more impressive is that Fnatic has played some pretty tough teams so far but they will need him to continue this pace when they face Rogue, MAD Lions, and G2 Esports. Fortunately for FNC though, Upset is facing Misfits who have been threatening but pretty disjointed.
Value Pick: Flakked (G2: $6,800)
Support
Favorite: Hylissang (FNC: $6,000) Pairing these two only makes sense. Hyli has so much individual skill, especially when you compare him to the likes of Mersa from Misfits. Hyli has 15 more assists, half the deaths, and a team kill participation rate of more than 20% compared to his lane opponent.
Value Pick: Trymbi (RGE: $5,800)
Team
Favorite: Rogue ($5,200) Historically, Rogue has struggled against the other big teams but has taken care of the weaker opponents. Team BDS’ biggest weakness is their decision making. Rogue’s best quality is their decisive nature in which they attack the rift and move as a team in the late game. I don’t see BDS making many moves to put Rogue off balance which should mean a relatively high point pull for this roster slot.
Value Pick: Excel Esports ($4,800)
Cann’s Example Lineup
DraftKings Classic / $50,000 Salary Cap
Captain (x1.5): Comp (RGE: $11,700)
Alternate: Humanoid (FNC: $11,400)
Top: BrokenBlade (G2: $5,400)
Jungle: Jankos (G2: $6,200)
Mid: Larssen ($7,200)
ADC: Upset (FNC: $7,600)
Alternate: Patrik (XL: 7,200)
Support: Targamas (G2: $5,000)
Alternate: Treatz (SK: $5,200)
Team: Rogue ($5,200)