This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL: IEM Oakland Quarterfinals
Competitive League of Legends is back with this weekend's IEM event in Oakland. The international event includes Team SoloMid, Unicorns of Love, INTZ e-Sports, The Chiefs eSports Club, Flash Wolves, and Longzhu Gaming. TSM should be looked at as the favorites coming into the tournament, but I wouldn't be quick to count out Flash Wolves or Longzhu on the other side of the bracket. For Sautday's quarterfinals we will see INTZ vs. UoL and The Chiefs vs. Longzhu. Longzhu are the heaviest favorites on the day and I'd expect a quick 2-0 over the Australian outfit. Despite a rough season in Korea, Longzhu have a talented group of players and should be able to fight to make a finals appearance this weekend. UoL vs. INTZ should be closer and while UoL are favored, I think this goes to three games with INTZ having a legitimate chance to win the series.
Top Lane: Expession (LZ vs. CFS, $7,200)/Vizicsacsi (UoL vs. INTZ, $6,800)
I'm all in on the Longzhu stack on Saturday. While LZ have two top laners, Expession played 41 games in the Summer Split and should be expected to start Saturday. If Expession is in, start him with full confidence. Vizicsacsi grabs a Flex spot in my lineup. If UoL are going to win this series expect it to be on the back of Csacsi as he usually carries for UoL from the top lane. He's excellent at teamfighting and should be able to pay off his salary.
Jungle: Revolta (INTZ vs. UoL, $5,500)
A bit of money saving here, but Revolta is a nice cheap option with good upside. In INTZ's upset over EDG at the World Championships, it was Revolta's strong play that set the tone in the jungle. While things didn't end up the way INTZ hoped after an excellent start at Worlds, UoL present a much easier challenge than any time INTZ faced. While it's no guarantee, it wouldn't shock me if INTZ take this series.
Middle Lane: CoCo (LZ vs. CFS, $7,200)
Like Expession, you need to make sure CoCo is starting before committing to him in your lineup. He did start more games in the Summer Split than Frozen, but only by a slight margin. Still if CoCo starts he gets a nice $800 discount from Frozen, while similar production should be expected in an easy matchup.
ADC: Fury (LZ vs. CFS, $8,000)
This is the one position LZ do not have a sub, so full steam ahead in using Fury on Saturday. Like I've mentioned multiple times Longzhu are the biggest favorites and should sweep the Chiefs. I wouldn't use micaO or Raes and while Veritas is worth using, he failed to impress during his Summer Split with UoL.
Support: Pure (LZ vs. CFS, 6,200) and Jockster (INTZ vs. UoL, $4,700)
Pure fits into the LZ stack in the easiest matchup of the day. He's expensive, but I don't mind paying up for what should be a sure thing. Jockster is mostly a punt, but a cheap punt that could see a game with 10+ assists. As I've said it wouldn't shock me if INTZ take this series and while I wouldn't bet my house on it, Jockster could see over 20 assists if they do move on.
Team: INTZ vs. UoL ($4,000)
Again this is a cheap plug in for what is a very top loaded lineup Saturday. As I've mentioned many times I wouldn't be shocked if INTZ can win this series. If they do end up winning, this small salary should pay dividends as they scored 26 points in their win over EDG at the World Championships. I would expect UoL to win this series, but INTZ should be able to keep things close.
