Saturday features a first place Cloud9 against a questionable EG, two blue shell teams looking for consistency i GG vs IMT, FLY and TSM showcasing their new rosters, and CLG tries to regain their composure against a DIG on the rise. Let’s get into it!

Captain

Bjergsen ($11,100)

I’ve usually advocated against choosing Bjerg, but I did choose him on Friday to great success, and there are a few good reasons to run him back: FlyQuest are on a freefalling through standings, Bjerg is on a hot streak through the LCS, and his form has seemed to be recomposed. Also, at only $11,100, Bjerg comes at an absolute steal, and you can pick up another mid laner! It’s fantastic. If you aren’t on the Bjerg train, I’d recommend Blaber. Sven has been shaky this split, and while Blaber faultered against Contractz, Blaber is expected to dominate this match-up with ease.

Alternatives to consider: Blaber ($11,400)

Top Lane

Licorice ($7,000)

Cloud 9 members are stupid expensive, but there are some good choices here, and Licorice is definitely one of them. Licorice doesn’t break the bank with his $7,000 price tag, he’s up against a top laner who’s prone to die multiple times once he falls behind in game, and most other top laners are extremely flippy. Licorice is consistently performing well, however. You could pay for a “consistent” top laner like Solo, Hauntzer, or Lourlo, but truthfully, it’s better just to pick a player you expect to win a lot of the time. Therefore, if you want a second choice, we would recommend Broken Blade. We do not want to recommend Broken Blade, but it’s ambiguous on which top laner will start for CLG, so there’s no other option for us. We definitely prefer Licorice, but if that $400 is important, don’t hesitate on Broken Blade.

Alternatives to consider: Broken Blade ($6,600)

Jungle

Closer ($6,400)

Closer coming in at a cheap $6,400 makes this pick easy, he’s a top tier jungler on a relatively weak team. Recently however, Golden Guardians have been putting the pieces together. The flashes of brilliance FBI have had before have slowly began to glow brighter. Huhi is becoming (slightly) more consistent, and their teamwork is improving. We don’t have extremely high expectations for GGs, but against Xmithie, Closer may just be able to dumpster the old man of the LCS. Playing against Xmithie is a dangerous game for the young, faster junglers, but Closer is near Blaber in his skill, and Xmithie shattered under the speed of Blaber, so we expect nothing else from Closer. If you want the real deal, you can spend big on Blaber. Svenskeren has been performing awfully, but Blaber comes at a massive cost that we think will be better spent on Closer.

Alternatives to consider: Blaber ($7,600)

Mid Lane

Pobelter ($7,800)

Pobelter has been on top of it. He’s one of the biggest reasons why CLG has turned around their mediocre spring into this serviceable summer. He’s had one or two suspect games, but overall he’s a stud in the mid lane. He’s the primary win condition in CLG, and his opponent in Fenix has been back and forth in LCS. We have faith in Pobelter to crush Fenix, but if Dignitas’s 2-0 last week has you sweating, we’d recommend choosing Nisqy, who is a great choice despite his massive price tag. Nisqy faces off a relatively poor Goldenglue. He’s more than worth it, but Nisqy is a more supportive mid laner, and Cloud9 have just came off an upset following their loss to 100 Thieves.

Alternatives to consider: Nisqy ($8,000)

ADC

Doublelift (7,600)

Doublelift has had high variance this split, but his performances have led TSM to a lot of victories, and his poor performances haven’t typically costed them the victory. FlyQuest have substituted in ADC WildTurtle in order to try to save their failing season. WildTurtle has had a prolific mental block against Doublelift, so picking up the TSM ADC is free points. If you want to try a different ADC, we’d just recommend Zven. Bang is good, but Zeyzal has been underwhelming. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any Cloud9 member, but Zven is particularly good since he’s in a high earning position, and is likely the best ADC in the league.

Alternatives to consider: Zven ($8,000)

Support

Treatz ($5,000)

I made the same choice Friday and I’ll make it again: IgNar is good, but Treatz is a star in the making. He performed well on Friday and I’m willing to endorse him again and maintain my seat on the Treatz hype train. He was the best support in academy by far and is more than deserving of his spot in LCS. If you want a more seasoned veteran, we will point you towards Cloud9 Vulcan, surprise surprise. He has the highest KDA by a factor 1.5x, and second place is Zven. Unfortunately, they’re both extremely expensive, but if you can grab it, go for it.

Alternatives to consider: Vulcan ($6,000)

Team

Team SoloMid ($5,000)

Team Solomid has been shaky, but FlyQuest has been even worse. There’s not much else to it, Team Liquid isn’t playing, and TSM is likely the third best team in LCS right now. Cloud9 is expensive, and TSM is a solid pickup. That being said, if you can afford it, $5,800 for Cloud9 is a solid investment, as always. We love Cloud9, and while they lost a single game, it’s hard to not get complacent after constant victory.

Alternatives to consider: Cloud9 ($5,800)

Top Stacks

Zven & Vulcan

The best bottom lane in the league comes at a steep price tag of $14,200. It’s likely worth it, but spending big causes problems elsewhere. Zven and Vulcan are the best, and honestly it’s difficult to include anything that hasn’t been said already, they’re 1 & 2 for highest KDAs, and their faltering to a surging 100 Thieves hasn’t changed that.

Doublelift & Treatz

On the other hand, Treatz and Doublelift are another premium bottom lane at a much more affordable price. Doublelift had a strange game on Friday, but these “new support” things take time. He’s still one of the best ADCs in the league, and since TL isn’t playing, likely the second best on the day. Doublelift and Treatz have the real potential to challenge Cloud9’s bottom lane with their aggressive style.

Licorice & Nisqy

The Cloud9 solo laners face EG’s substitutes in Huni and Goldenglue. Huni has been great before, but his recent performances have been highly suspect. Goldenglue has been relatively mediocre for most of his career: it’s a real no brainer on who is favored to win, and these guys are more than likely to farm the competition for points.

Top Picks: Licorice, Vulcan, Doublelift

Bang has been one of the only players who brings promise to EG, and while he hasn’t been as great as he was last split, he’s nowhere near bad: therefore, Zven may not be worth his price tag. However, Vulcan’s high KDA makes him a valuable pick up in the support position. Licorice may have an easier time against a Huni who is prone to dying a large amount of times in a single game. Doublelift’s match-up against Wildturtle is also extremely favorable. These are the guys you want to keep your eyes on.

Top Value: Allorim, Aphromoo, Closer

Allorim has been an inconsistent player on IMT, but he doesn’t face a significant threat in his opponent Hauntzer. Aphromoo on Dignitas has had a surprising return to form this split alongside ADC Johnsun, many of Dignitas’s games are more than winnable, but they suffer from a poor mid/jungle 2v2 from Fenix and Dardoch. Closer is just a fantastic jungler all around, he’s not underrated by most people; but seeing him at a low price tag is questionable, he’s a no-brainer unless you want to spend big on an ace like Blaber. All and all, each of these guys are worth it, likely Closer more so than the other two though.