This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
GAMES (EDT)
- 4:00 p.m: Evil Geniuses vs. Counter Logic Gaming
- 4:50 p.m: Team Solomid vs. Team Liquid
- 5:40 p.m: Immortals vs. FlyQuest
- 6:30 p.m: Golden Guardians vs. Dignitas
EG vs. CLG
EG made a solid comeback after a weird early game to stomp 100T in the mid game. EG was carried by Jizuke, who popped off on the Corki as well as Zeyzal setting up good fights for them. 100T didn't do anything proactive after getting first turret and being on soul point. CLG are keeping their same roster with Pobelter, who is better than Ryoma, which that should keep Jizuke in check. The bot lane for CLG is as good as EG's bot lane and Wiggly has shown the potential to be a carry jungle. EG still make too many mistakes, their drafts are never hard engages and we need to see 2018 Wiggly come back because he was touted as one of the best junglers in the league. This is definitely closer than the odds say, but if Wiggly can play to his potential and Pobelter neutralizes Jizuke, I have a strong stance that CLG can win, especially after the pro players and casters said how good them have looked in scrims.
Prediction: CLG Win
CLG Players to Target: Everyone (should be a high kill game)
TL vs. TSM
This one is the best game on the slate. It's Doublelift against his old team, and two teams that can contend for the summer split cup as
GAMES (EDT)
- 4:00 p.m: Evil Geniuses vs. Counter Logic Gaming
- 4:50 p.m: Team Solomid vs. Team Liquid
- 5:40 p.m: Immortals vs. FlyQuest
- 6:30 p.m: Golden Guardians vs. Dignitas
EG vs. CLG
EG made a solid comeback after a weird early game to stomp 100T in the mid game. EG was carried by Jizuke, who popped off on the Corki as well as Zeyzal setting up good fights for them. 100T didn't do anything proactive after getting first turret and being on soul point. CLG are keeping their same roster with Pobelter, who is better than Ryoma, which that should keep Jizuke in check. The bot lane for CLG is as good as EG's bot lane and Wiggly has shown the potential to be a carry jungle. EG still make too many mistakes, their drafts are never hard engages and we need to see 2018 Wiggly come back because he was touted as one of the best junglers in the league. This is definitely closer than the odds say, but if Wiggly can play to his potential and Pobelter neutralizes Jizuke, I have a strong stance that CLG can win, especially after the pro players and casters said how good them have looked in scrims.
Prediction: CLG Win
CLG Players to Target: Everyone (should be a high kill game)
TL vs. TSM
This one is the best game on the slate. It's Doublelift against his old team, and two teams that can contend for the summer split cup as well as worlds. TL was horrible last split, and that's credited to Doublelift not trying, Broxah having visa issues and the coaching environment in general. TSM had Kobbe, who popped off for Misfits, and this team changing their jungler for Spica doesn't really move the needle. Spica is a solid player, and this jungle meta works well for him, which is why they brought him up to the roster. My problem with TSM vs. TL is that there is a huge jungle difference, as this meta suits so well for Broxah and his champion pool. CoreJJ is still one of the best support players in the world, and even though TSM got Doublelift, TSM never plays through bot lane and this might be an issue for Doublelift. TSM might change their game plan but this is not much to sway how good TL can be in every lane.
Prediction: TL Win
TL Players to Target: Broxah ($6,600), Tactical ($7,600), CoreJJ ($5,200)
FLY vs. IMT
FLY looked good in team fights against C9 on Friday but couldn't transition that into dragons or towers. Kills don't matter unless you can be proactive after that, and even though its C9, Flyquest had many opportunities to set up around objectives. This is a good sign that Flyquest are willing to adapt to a skirmish playstyle in a league that is afraid to teamfight. Immortals are putting Xmithie into academy, and this hurts the entire team a lot. Xmithie was an in-game leader and a worlds-caliber player who was known to steal objectives and save games. The jungle difference is huge, and FLY should stomp all over Immortals. I would be surprised if Immortals win a game this season.
Prediction: FLY Win
FLY Players to Target: Santorin ($7,200), Power of Evil ($8,200)
DIG vs. GG
Both these teams upgraded in the offseason, as Golden Guardians picked up Damonte, who deserves to be on a main team after spending a split in academy. DIG upgraded by bringing in Viper; there was a lot of hate on Viper when he was with FlyQuest, but there has to be some internal issue going on, as Viper at one point was carrying them in every game in 2019. Dignitas' playstyle is aggressive and their drafts are hard engage tools, which fits perfectly for Viper. This is a close game, as every lane isn't outstanding, but the issue with GG is that they were one of the worst teams in terms of first blood and first turret. North America logic is to play through top lane, which is why DIG are in a prime spot because they play through Froggen. Viper's playstyle can neutralize any chance of GG playing through top, which will cause other lanes for GG to fall behind. DIG has a clear path to win this game through their players and playstyle heading into the new season.
Prediction: DIG Win
Players to Target: Viper ($5,800), Akaadian ($5,600), Froggen ($7,000)
