LPL + LCK Wednesday

(-140) DRX v Nongshim RedForce (+110)

(-1800) Team WE v Victory 5 (+500)

(-475) GenG Esports v KT Rolster (+305)

(-200) Bilibili Gaming v LGD Esports (+160)

Wednesday’s LPL and LCK is stacked with excitement: DRX come off a humiliating defeat against AFS, and seek to gain a bit of glory back against NRF. Team WE alongside new mid laner Mole gun for the top spots in the LPL by beating down a weak V5, GenG look to knock down KT, a team that is hot off the heels blue shelling Damwon KIA, and Bilibili versus LGD looks to be a close blood path between two middle of the pack teams.

Captain

Ruler ($11,100)

Two big roles to hit hard on are ADC and middle lane on Wednesday; Team WE has an easy match against a bottom tier V5 whereas GenG just need to not get upset by KT Rolster, who are currently streaking after beating Damwon. However, KT is a bit of an imposter relative to teams like T1 and GenG, who have players of relatively high pedigree. Noah is a strong ADC, but Ruler being cheap is to your advantage, and he’s worth examining. For other captain options, I’d grab either Elk to grab big points, or BDD to keep your pockets full while having a capable captain.

Alternatives to consider: Elk ($12,000)

Top Lane

Rich ($6,000)

Nongshim’s top laner is a breath of fresh air in a fetid swamp. Top lane in Korea is positively drained, but Rich stands amongst the few that can still deliver good performances relatively often. Former mid laner Bay being removed in favor of Gori is a welcomed change in my eyes; Nongshim may yet be a dark horse in the LCK play-off race: their new mid laner seems capable, their bottom lane is strong, Peanut has been a world class jungler for years now, and Rich looks like he’s competitive amongst the best LCK top laners. For a short upgrade, I’d grab Rascal who gets what should be an easy match against Doran.

Alternatives to consider: Rascal ($6,600)

Jungle

Clid ($6,800)

Despite KT’s victory against DK, I still need to point something out: they lost to Nongshim, and I don’t think they’re a certified top-of-the-line team. Their bottom lane looks strong, but their top side is still weak relative to much of the league. Clid is a great option to target their top side; Blank performed well against Canyon, but DK being affected by the post-MSI blues likely had a large hand in their defeat, Clid has been one of the best junglers for a good while now, and he’s by far the best option for jungle; the only one that comes close is WE’s Beishang.

Alternatives to consider: Peanut ($7,600)

Mid Lane

Bdd ($6,800)

BDD and Mole are your two options in my mind, they’re both great players but I favor BDD due to his more safe and consistent play style, favoring control mages and keeping his KDA high relative to other players in the same role. However, Mole is the more volatile player, which can be beneficial for DFS and hitting those really insane numbers. I think both are good, but I prefer BDD since we haven’t seen enough of V5 to know how good or bad they truly are; WE may be surprised on the top side of the map, and at a $800 upgrade, it's worth it to play it safe.

Alternatives to consider: Mole ($7,600)

ADC

Elk ($8,000)

Elk, formerly Jiumeng, is one of the most mechanically impressive ADCs in the LPL. He’s obliterated each game so far and has progressively developed into a teamfight monster. Alongside support Missing, he forms a strong bottom lane that should be able to crush V5’s new bottom lane handedly. Many things are lined up for Elk to succeed: his wide champion pool includes difficult champions that are approaching the meta like Kalista, he has a supreme killer instinct, and a strong team that plays for his leads behind him. For a different option, Ruler is another great ADC who is known for his exemplary positioning and defensive gameplay.

Alternatives to consider: Ruler ($7,400)

Support

Missing ($5,800)

Across the LPL, one of the most improved players is the franchise player for WE since 2018: Missing. Former support Ben was solid alongside Mystic, but despite a poor first showing, the young Missing gradually developed- unlikely, into one of the strongest supports in the league. While he isn’t yet at the power of Meiko, Ming, or Crisp, Missing solidly occupies the “A-tier” just below the absolute top. He’s the best support playing on Wednesday, and he has a great match-up against V5. For a different option, you can go cheaper with Nongshim’s Kellin.

Alternatives to consider: Kellin ($5,400)

Team

GenG ($5,400)

Between GenG, WE, and maybe Nongshim, there’s not much of a difference. I think GenG is the most stable team; Nongshim is not too far away from their opponent’s skill level (at least, one would think) and WE is just an extremely aggressive team, but they usually avoid getting knocked down from inferior teams. I value GenG’s consistency, so they’re my pick for the team slot.

Alternatives to consider: Nongshim RedForce ($5,000)

Stacks:

Elk & Mole

The carries for WE can’t be underestimated; the addition of V5’s star player Mole into the fold of WE had consolidated their power considerably, and will likely allow them to contend with EDG, RNG, and FPX for the championship spot as long as they continue to play to their strengths. Both carries are excellent and WE will definitely be an exciting team to watch.

BDD & Ruler

In contrast to the high action game play of WE, GenG prefer a more relaxed, conservative style of League of Legends, utilizing the trademark Korean playstyle of placing vision in order to make positive plays on the map, as opposed to the ruthless aggression that’s favored in the LPL. It’s this style that allows GenG to rack up high points through long games with low deaths. BDD and Ruler are amongst the best at concentrating this gold onto great carry performances. BDD is regarded as one of the best control mage players in the entire world, and Ruler’s great positioning makes him extremely difficult to kill and shutdown.

Rascal & Clid

The top side of GenG has made great strides since Rascal’s promotion several years ago. Clid joining from T1 after 2019 was also a solid move for the organization; due to the drain of talent from the league (notably, Nuguri leaving for the LPL), Rascal now appears to be one of the strongest top laners in the league, and has climbed in talent considerably. He works great with jungler Clid, and these two are good options for a solid top-jungle pairing.

Top Picks: Mole, Elk, BDD

WE is a team I always am looking forward to watching more of; middle lane has been a thorn in their side for a long time now, neither Shanks nor Teacherma were really capable of living up to the legacy of Xiye, but Mole may just be what they need to go international once more. Elk is a fantastic ADC that is shaping up into one of the next greats of the LPL. BDD is a GenG player to keep your eyes on; he has an easy match-up against Dove and should play well against KT.

Top Value: Rich, Ruler, Rascal

Three Rs rule the value section. Rich is a strong top laner with a team that made the upgrades they needed to try to reach that next level. Ruler is a world champion with clear strengths that make him very valuable, and Rascal’s improvement has allowed him to be one of the best top laners in the LCK. Each of these players are remarkably cheap and easy to slot into a strong team.