This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
Games (EDT)
- 6:00 p.m. Cloud9 Academy vs. 100 Thieves Academy
- 6:50 p.m. FlyQuest Academy vs. Immortals Academy
- 7:40 p.m. TSM Academy vs. Team Liquid Academy
- 8:30 p.m. CLG Academy vs. Evil Geniuses Academy
- 9:20 p.m. Golden Guardians Academy vs. Dignitas Academy
100TA vs. C9A
Cloud9 Academy won the Spring Split and they are usually the best academy team. This is going to be one of the bloodiest game on the slate as academy games are always bloody, but C9A averages 16.5 kills per game. 100T have a solid team as some of their players played on the pro team and are backed up by a solid coach like Kelsey. The issue is that their drafts are usually hard to execute and when you have academy players trying to execute a hard draft comp against an aggressive early comp team, it is going to be hard for them to compete.
Prediction: C9A Win
C9A Players to target: Everyone
FLYA vs. IMTA
Both teams finished with a 7-11 record last split and have a similar playstyle. Immortals Academy is one of the few teams to hand C9A an early loss and things went downhill for their team as soon as they subbed out Altec with Apollo. Altec was not a good ADC last season for Immortals main team and he looked worse coming to academy. This IMTA squad is really good on paper and can make a huge run this Summer Split as long as Altec accepts his role and help carry
Games (EDT)
- 6:00 p.m. Cloud9 Academy vs. 100 Thieves Academy
- 6:50 p.m. FlyQuest Academy vs. Immortals Academy
- 7:40 p.m. TSM Academy vs. Team Liquid Academy
- 8:30 p.m. CLG Academy vs. Evil Geniuses Academy
- 9:20 p.m. Golden Guardians Academy vs. Dignitas Academy
100TA vs. C9A
Cloud9 Academy won the Spring Split and they are usually the best academy team. This is going to be one of the bloodiest game on the slate as academy games are always bloody, but C9A averages 16.5 kills per game. 100T have a solid team as some of their players played on the pro team and are backed up by a solid coach like Kelsey. The issue is that their drafts are usually hard to execute and when you have academy players trying to execute a hard draft comp against an aggressive early comp team, it is going to be hard for them to compete.
Prediction: C9A Win
C9A Players to target: Everyone
FLYA vs. IMTA
Both teams finished with a 7-11 record last split and have a similar playstyle. Immortals Academy is one of the few teams to hand C9A an early loss and things went downhill for their team as soon as they subbed out Altec with Apollo. Altec was not a good ADC last season for Immortals main team and he looked worse coming to academy. This IMTA squad is really good on paper and can make a huge run this Summer Split as long as Altec accepts his role and help carry this team.
Prediction: IMTA Win
IMTA Players to target: Altec $7,200, Insanity $6,800, $potluck $6,000
TSM vs. TLA
This game is going to be one of the slowest games Thursday as both teams love to draft for late game. It also features two teams who made playoffs last year and two organizations who generally have great academy teams. Spica, who was promoted to the main roster, was TSM Academy's glue, controlling the jungle well and getting early kills. This is definitely a downgrade as the rest of the players are just average. Team Liquid lost Shernfire and Tactical who were two of the better players on that team. They are bringing in Grig, who played for Dignitas, as well as Rikara, who does have some Worlds experience due to his time with 100 Thieves. This gives TLA a small edge as these players have played against some of the best and are THE win condition for this team the rest of the split.
Prediction: TLA Win
TLA Players to target: Rikara $7,000, Grig $6,200
EGA vs. CLGA
Evil Geniuses Academy made it to the finals last year while Counter Logic Academy finished dead last. CLGA always used to have a solid academy team, but we have seen the same players play for CLGA the last three years and they have not improved at all. EGA is keeping their same academy roster and most likely having Kumo play both on their main team and academy team like he did last year. This roster is another team that can challenge for the title this split as they have guys who played on the NALCS stage and coordinate between the mid and late game very well. Anda is the main guy for EGA as he shared close to a 80 percent kill participation percentage and is the guy that is setting up this team for success in every game.
Prediction: EGA Win
EGA Players to target: Deftly $8,200, Anda $7,200, Matt $5,600
GGA vs. DIGA
This is my low-own pick of the day on Golden Guardians Academy. GGA finished really strong the end of last split as coach Raz comes from the LPL to control this squad. Dignitas Academy had a stacked roster last split and should have easily made the playoffs, but just like their main team, they threw so many games and did not finished strong in the late game. DIGA lost their main carry in Damonte and are without a true support player which could hurt them in the mid lane and in the bot lane. GGA kept their entire roster, but are bringing Goldenglue down to their academy team since Damonte got signed to their main roster. GoldenGlue was a serviceable player who did not take over games but also did not lose you games. Another split with an upgraded mid lane and a coach who is smart gives this team an edge over a wild card team like DIGA.
Prediction: GGA Win
GGA Players to target: Check the starters. If Goldenglue and Keith are held out, I'm out of this game entirely, but they should play which should make this team a lot stronger.
