This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL MSI: Wednesday Cheat Sheet
After our reprieve from competitive League of Legends since the end of the Spring Split, we're ready to get back into things with the Mid-Season Invitational. MSI features six teams from around the world, each being the champion of their respective league's Spring Split. This list includes EU LCS champions G2, LCK champions SK Telecom T1 (SKT), LPL champions Royal Never Give Up (RNG), NA LCS champions Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), LMS champions Flash Wolves (FW), and the champions from the International Wild Card region, SuperMassive (SM). Let's face it, anytime SKT are in a tournament they will be considered the favorites. Even after an up-and-down split they managed to win the LCK and will look to take home the Mid-Season Invitational after finishing second last season. DraftKing's is offering two separate slates on Wednesday: the first three games of the day and the second three games of the day. I'll cover those each below and will be giving the top play and a cheap play for the extent of the tournament. While I generally like to list a "Player to Avoid" for each position, it's safe to assume any player from SuperMassive will occupy that spot for each respective position.
Daily Player Recommendations MSI Round One:
Top Lane Chalk: Duke (SKT vs. SM, $7,400):
Duke just capped his first split with SKT with excellent playoff performances on his way to winning the LCK. He primarily played tanks during the split, but did have a few performances on carry-oriented champions like Fiora. He tops the list today because of the matchup with SM. I'll be picking on SM a lot this week and it starts with SKT on Wednesday morning.
Top Lane Value: Darshan (CLG vs. RNG, $5,900):
Top lane is one of the areas I'd actually look for some value plays in my lineup Wednesday. Darshan stuck to his guns during the regular season of the Spring Split, primarily focusing on carry champions in the top lane. He switched over to tanks during the playoffs and played well, primarily using Ekko and Poppy as CLG won their second straight LCS Split. The matchup with RNG is not an easy one by any means, but if CLG can get off to an early lead they may be able to surprise the macro-oriented LPL champions.
Jungle Chalk: Blank (SKT vs. SM, $7,200)
Blank's early game dominance usually ends with Faker and Bang getting well ahead of their lane opponents. SKT are huge favorites against SM and I think the whole team could be considered must plays. Unfortunately you need to pick and choose who to use since you can't afford to play all five members. I think Blank is one of the three SKT players I'm going to have in all my lineups.
Jungle Value: Trick (G2 vs. FW, $6,000):
If you've been paying attention to the EU LCS Spring Split, Trick needs no introduction to what he can bring to any fantasy lineup. His aggressive style usually pays off immensely for G2 and his fantasy owners. The matchup is a bit of a toss up, but I'm favoring G2 and at only $6,000, Trick has great potential to outproduce his salary.
Middle Lane Chalk:Faker (SKT vs. SM, $8,300):
The best player in the world facing off against the worst team at MSI? Do I really need to write anything else?
Middle Lane Value: Perkz (G2 vs. FW, $7,200):
Like Trick, Perkz aggressive dominance over the rest of Europe's mid laners this past split often paid huge dividends for his owners in fantasy. G2 love to fight, boosting up their fantasy numbers in the process. This matchup could be close, but if G2 win, Perkz will be a big reason why.
ADC Chalk: Bang (SKT vs. SM, $8,300)
I'm paying up for Faker, Bang, and Blank in all of my lineups. The matchup is just too fantasy friendly to avoid these big SKT carries. While this game does have the potential to run quick, therefore caping any upside that SKT may have, they're the overall safest picks to do well on the day and should dominate from the start of the game until they decide to end it.
ADC Value: Stixxay (CLG vs. RNG, $6,700):
I don't know how this game will play out, but Stixxay is a cheap ADC with upside. He showed in the playoffs that he can carry games and he will need to do so again if CLG are going to beat RNG. If you have an extra $500, G2's Emperor makes for a safer play, but Stixxay presents a good value for owners looking to save money elsewhere.
Support Chalk: Wolf (SKT vs. SM, $6,300)
I personally won't be paying up for him, but he's definitely the top option in the easiest matchup.
Support Value: Aphromoo (CLG vs. RNG, $4,700)
Support is a roll I always look for cheap upside. That's Aphromoo in this first slate of games as he'll need to create picks and make plays for CLG to beat RNG. He isn't the safest pick in the role but as the second cheapest support his upside is extremely high if CLG end up winning this game.
Team: CLG vs. RNG ($4,100):
In terms of order, I'd probably rank the teams SKT, G2, RNG, CLG, FW, SM for the first round. But in terms of picking a cheap team that I think can win, I'm all in with CLG. The savings allow me to pay up for three SKT members I think are must owns and put together a competitive lineup. If CLG can beat RNG, this makes for an excellent play at a low price.
Daily Player Recommendations MSI Round Two:
Top Lane Chalk: Looper (RNG vs. SM, $7,200)
$7,200 is a very accessible price to pay for Looper in a matchup against SM. If it's not clear by this point, you should be picking on SM throughout the tournament.
Top Lane Value: Kikis (G2 vs. SKT, $5,800):
I'm going a little off the rails with my Round Two Wednesday Picks as I'm going all in with G2 against SKT. Is it the smartest thing to do? Probably not, but we've seen throughout the split that G2 excel in teamfighting and I think they are the team with the best chance to knock off SKT during this tournament. Kikis is a reliable presence in the top lane, as he's generally using a tanky champion, and you know he'll look to set up kills.
Jungle Chalk: mlxg (RNG vs. SM, $6,900):
Again, an aggressive jungler in mlxg, playing against the worst team in the tournament, with an under $7,000 price tag? Sign me up.
Jungle Value Play: Trick (G2 vs. SKT, $5,500):
$5,500 is so cheap for a player of Trick's caliber. I know the matchup sucks, but if G2 pull off the upset, Trick will be one of the big reasons why.
Mid Lane Chalk: xiaohu (RNG vs. SM, $8,000):
Faker is always in play, but xiaohu has the easiest matchup of the day. If you want to use Faker at a depressed price of $7,600, I really can't fault you.
Mid Lane Value: Perkz (G2 vs. SKT, $6,500)
You should be noticing a theme developing in the "value" picks at each position. Perkz could easily bring back a miniscule amount of points, as he's likely facing off against Faker in lane. But Perkz displayed a large amount of confidence, some may even say arrogance, during the Spring Split and I don't think he'll be afraid to play against Faker, which could lead to positive results. The risk could be worth the reward at this low of a salary.
ADC Chalk: wuxx (RNG vs. SM, $8,000):
Make sure to check if he is playing, but I'd expect him to be in this game over NaMei. If wuxx does in fact play, I expect him to make for an excellent play against the worst team in the tournament. Bang is also worth a look at his $7,700 price tag.
ADC Value: Emperor (G2 vs. SKT, $6,600):
I think the bottom lane is arguably going to be a harder matchup for G2 than the mid lane. I'm sticking with my picks here though and continuing the "all in" trend with G2 against SKT. It's definitely risky but it's not out of the realm of possibilities that G2 win this game.
Support Chalk: Mata (RNG vs. SM, $6,000)
I won't pay up for him at $6,000, but he definitely has the best matchup of the day.
Support Value: Hybrid (G2 vs. SKT, $4,600)
Surprise, another G2 value pick! Hybrid has the ability to make plays, especially if he can get his hands on Braum. If you can stomach the risk, G2 have the potential to pay off huge at these low prices.
Team: G2 vs. SKT ($4,000):
My rankings for this round would be RNG, SKT, FW, G2, CLG, SM. But I'm all in on G2 for this day. It's a boom or bust play but if it clicks, this lineup should win me a tournament. If I just look at the names in my lineup without thinking of the matchup, I love it. When bringing matchups into effect, RNG should roll SM easily and G2 should at least stay competitive with SKT for the majority of the game. G2 vs. SKT is going to be a very exciting game, and you can be sure that I will be rooting for the underdogs to pull off a big time upset.
