.We are onto the Rumble Round! Even with some technical issues surrounding the end of the first group stage, there weren't too many surprises regarding which teams made it out. The most dominant teams have to be T1 Esports, Royal Never Give Up, and G2 Esports. Each team was flawless in their first set of matches and feel like the best teams in the tournament. This Rumble Stage may really be deciding which of those three teams will have the easiest path by being the one seed in the knockout stage, thus avoiding either of the other two until the finals. The LCS representative (Evil Geniuses) will have to prove to the world, and themselves, that NA is deserving of being regarded as a major region. North American teams have struggled for years when it comes to consistently winning over teams that are from lesser leagues. Each team has a lot to prove and every game could end up being the deciding factor on whether or not teams get to make it to the knockout stage. Let's dive in!

 

 

League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 

 

(-490) T1 Esports v G2 Esports (+340)

(+550) Evil Geniuses v Royal Never Give Up (-1000)

(-122) PSG Talon v Saigon Buffalo (-104)

(+185) G2 Esports v Royal Never Give Up (-250)

(+105) Saigon Buffalo v Evil Geniuses (-135)

(+775) PSG Talon v T1 Esports (-1400)

 

LoL DFS Fantasy Value Breakdown

Game #1: T1 Esports v G2 Esports

Game Breakdown: In past international events, Europe has done a decent job keeping pace with Korean teams. LCK teams have traditionally played slower games while in international tournaments. This has allowed European teams to push the limit on their early game picks and strategies, putting more pressure on their opponents. I think this is exactly how this matchup will play out. There will be times in this matchup where G2 looks/feels like they are ahead, but T1 will make a huge macro play to swing the advantage in their favor/. BrokenBlade will really test Zeus and I think Faker will also be pushed to his limits against Caps. However, while G2 may have the advantage in those lanes, you will need to expect the T1 bottom lane to dominate. Flakked  wasn challenged at all in the first Round Robin and facing Gumayusi will be very tough to play into comparatively.  

Favorite Picks: Oner (T1: $), Gumayusi (T1: $11,700/$7,800), Keria (T1: $6,000)

Value Picks:BrokenBlade (G2: $5,400), Caps (G2: $6,400)

Cann’s Match Pick: T1 Esports  
 

Game #2: Evil Geniuses v Royal Never Give Up

Game Breakdown: Facing the reigning MSI Champions as the first match in the Rumble Stage may end up being a spirit killer for EG. The LCS team couldn't pick up a single win against their European rivals and the matches weren't particularly close. I think RNG is significantly better than G2 and are far more polished in their late game teamfights. It was the late game teamfights that we saw EG make the worst of their mistakes against G2. Keep an eye out for the late game gap between Gala and Danny here, the ADC damage output will be key. EG’s ADC (Danny) is extremely prone to make serious mistakes in skirmishes and get caught out if his team isn’t there to bail him out. 

Favorite Picks: Gala (RNG: $8,000), Wei ($7,000), Xiaohu (RNG: $7,800)

Value Picks: Inspired (EG: $6,200), Vulcan (EG: $5,200)

Cann’s Match Pick: Royal Never Give Up  

 

Game #3: PSG Talon v Saigon Buffalo

Game Breakdown: Either of these teams could realistically end up in a tie breaker situation with EG and sneak into the knockout stage. I am betting more on SGB to find a way based on their playstyle. This aggressive team looks for ways to create their own agency and make fights happen on their terms. I love aggressive teams because you can overcompensate for skill mismatches by injecting off-meta strategies into the game. I think both teams are pretty even in terms of raw skill, so I think confidence ends up being the difference here. 

Favorite Picks: Shogun (SGB: $11,100/$7,400), Froggy ($7,000), Saigon Buffalo ($4,800) 

Value Picks: Kaiwing (PSG: $5,000), Azhi ($6,000), Bay ($6,600)

Cann’s Match Pick: Saigon Buffalo  

 

Game #4: G2 Esports v Royal Never Give Up

Game Breakdown: This will be the first dropped match from the reigning champs. G2 will have an advantage here and it is that the Caps/Jankos duo will neutralize the Xiaohu/Wei duo. RNG has used their mid lane/jungle duo as a place to crack open the map. G2’s most consistent players in the last two months has been Caps and Jankos. Gala won't put pressure on Flakked in the early game, which bodes well for the young ADC. G2 will make the moves across the map first, which should lead to an early advantage for the Europeans. 

Cann’s Match Pick: G2 Esports 
 

Game #5: Saigon Buffalo v Evil Geniuses

Game Breakdown: After their first match of the round being against RNG, I feel like this match could make or break the future of EG in this tournament. Losing (or worse, getting absolutely handled) could make this young team completely check out mentally and never bounce back. Danny versus Shogun seems like the matchup to watch, but I would challenge that and note that Inspired was the real reason EG is here. His play throughout the LCS playoffs was on such another level, that players like Closer, Blaber, and Santorin looked outclassed. If he can come in and control the pace of the top and middle lanes, EG can scale into the late game fights in which Danny can shine. 

Cann’s Match Pick: Evil Geniuses  
 

Game #6: PSG Talon v T1 Esports

Game Breakdown: This game could get out of hand quickly. In the first Round Robin, I thought PSG looked dead to rites after their first set of matches. I think it was the fact that ISW’s ADC (HolyPhoenix) was completely absent and that allowed the PCS team to clean up their play for the second set of matches. Their matches against their group’s heavy hitter, RNG, was defined by how much Gala could do in the late game. In this match we will see T1’s Gumayusi absolutely dominate late game team fights. This won’t even be close and the early game work of Oner will make it even more extreme. 

Cann’s Match Pick: T1 Esports 
 

Cann’s Example Lineup

DraftKings Classic - $50,000 Salary Cap


 

Captain (x1.5): Gumayusi (T1: $11,700)

Alternate: Shogun (SGB: $11,100)

Top: BrokenBlade (G2: $5,400)

Jungle: Inspired (EG: $6,200)

Alternate: Jankos (G2: $5,600)

Mid: Froggy (SGB: $7,000)

ADC: Gala (RNG: $8,000)

Support: Taki (SGB: $5,600)

Team: T1 Esports ($5,400)

 


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