As the week progresses, the two matches between the pond are G2 vs MAD in EU, and EG vs C9 in North America. Both higher seeds have been faltering, and gave ground as the regular season progressed. In spite of that, the teams that will stand victorious are clear in each match.

Captain

Caps ($11,400)

With eight Player of the Game awards, Caps is still on top. While the mid laner had a stint of uncertainty as ADC while Perkz swapped back to mid, and real life issues impacted Perkz’s commitment to G2 this split, G2 is still on top of the world. While Rogue and MAD usurped the throne for now, G2 is riding a win streak into play-offs that’s only bested by S04’s truly miracle run. While the narrative in LEC right now may be that Rogue and MAD Lions are on top due to their own merit, I would contest that G2’s internal issues early into the split allowed the two young rosters to seize victory from the disarray. Despite these inconsistent weeks, Caps stood strong and was always there to put in an amazing performance. Caps has been in the last two World Championship Finals, and you’re insane if you think he’s going to miss his third. If you’re looking for a different pick, we would actually recommend Blaber. While Blaber relatively poor going into the post season, he did show a return to form against FlyQuest. While C9 are in the losers bracket for a reason, and FlyQuest had a closer series against EG (at least, that’s what the score would have you believe), Goldenglue was a liability throughout the series. Svenskeren looked better, but it’s likely not enough to overcome Blaber.

Alternatives to consider: Blaber ($10,500)

Top Lane

Wunder ($6,200)

I will begin by saying: I am certainly biased, but I still think Orome is a relative weakness for MAD Lions. He dominated early in the season, but as the split progressed he looked unimpressive to me off of his signature Renekton. On the other hand, Wunder’s swap to tank top laners went a long way in solidifying G2 as a team. It’s not as though he’s confined to these picks either, as he’s also capable of playing stable split pushers such as Jax and Gnar. It’s the picks that have too many moving parts that I would like to see Wunder stay away from moving into play-offs: Camille, Kennen, Akali, etc. Wunder is a fantastic player with great fundamentals; there’s a reason why he was voted second place All Pro. If you want a different top laner, it’s difficult to decide between Licorice and Huni, but we would take Licorice. He had a few stable games against Solo, and while Solo is the better player at this point, Huni looks like he’s already on vacation.

Alternatives to consider: Licorice ($6,400)

Jungle

Blaber ($7,000)

It’s hard to articulate why Blaber is a good pick, other than the fact that his team is simply better than who he’s facing. Blaber was the Spring MVP, but Cloud9 crashed and burned in the second round robin and fell to FlyQuest in semis. If you read the article on the day, you’d know that I 100% expected FlyQuest to crush Cloud9. I think that EG is hands down the worst team outside of the bottom two going into play-offs, and I’d go as far as to say that Dignitas was probably a better team than EG at the end of the day too. Svenskeren has been looking up, but when the 2v2s you’ve played against so far are the inert PowerofEvil and Santorin and the Contractz with the chain tied to him that is Ryoma, it’s not a high bar to hit. Blaber is different in the regard that he’s an aggressive jungler just like Svenskeren. While Nisqy has been looking bad, Goldenglue was born to be mediocre, while Nisqy at least has the potential to be good. Over all, Blaber is just the pick here. I have no faith in the 2v2 that is Goldenglue and Svenskeren. If you’re looking for a different pick, Shad0w is a good option too. He’s cheaper than Blaber, and he was the biggest reason for MAD’s success alongside Humanoid. Jankos hasn’t been very good this split either, but I hesitate to recommend him due to the “losing team” effect, and how it disproportionately effects junglers.

Alternatives to consider: Shad0w ($6,400)

Mid Lane

Nisqy ($7,400)

Another tough sell is Nisqy, but I described my reasons for the choice well enough above: GoldenGlue was likely the second worst mid laner in the LCS at the end of the split, and being better than Ryoma isn’t much of a consolation. Nisqy got swiped by PowerofEvil, but PowerofEvil is likely the second best mid laner in the LCS right now: I don’t even think Bjergsen is better. Nisqy is somewhere around fourth or fifth depending on where you rank Damonte, but even at worst, he’s still so much better than GoldenGlue. I know the math may not make perfect sense, but let’s put it this way: subbing out Jiizuke was an awful idea for EG. GoldenGlue is bad. With Caps as a captain, the only other pick is Humanoid. Humanoid is a good player, somewhere in the top four depending on where you rate Larssen, and whether you think the surging AbbeFaker is truly better than Humanoid at this point. Either way, the gap between Caps and Humanoid is nowhere near as gigantic as the gap between Nisqy and GoldenGlue

Alternatives to consider: Humanoid ($7,000)

ADC

Perkz ($7,800)

Perkz faltered in form midway through the split, but the real world consequence of what happened to him was definitely felt in game. Perkz’s return took time, even after he was physically in the game after P1noy was substituted out. While public perception of Perkz may be dashed due to his lukewarm performances earlier in the split, as time went on he is back on top of the European ADCs. Carzzy is another massive reason for the success of MAD Lions, and Kaiser is likely the best support in the league, but Perkz is objectively a better ADC than Caps was, and while G2 was upset last split in winner’s bracket, they were ultimately able to bring it back and win the split. Perkz’s form going into play-offs has been very strong, while Carzzy had been trending downwards, generally. If you’re looking for a different ADC, it’s hard to choose between Zven and Bang, but we would choose Zven if you can afford him. He’s prone to overplaying and inting, but Bang is just too safe for a role as important as ADC. Zven has a degree of an X-Factor with him, which is good to carry if you’re on an inferior team, but Bang is the antithesis of that, and he IS on the inferior team. Bang is a good ADC, but he hasn’t shown his former power since he’s entered NA.

Alternatives to consider: Zven ($7,600)

Support

Zeyzal ($5,000)

Yeah… we kinda ran out of money. Out of all of the sack picks we could have taken, Zeyzal is likely the best. While Zeyzal was a mediocre support, and very stylistically limited throughout the season, he does have plenty of strengths that make him a good sack pic. His price is cheap (obviously), he keeps his deaths low, and bottom lane is a primary win condition for EG, so if EG were to win, it’d be through Bang and Zeyzal which positively impacts his score. The math just adds up, and this is the ideal team to roll with in my mind, and if that requires having a mediocre support in Zeyzal, so be it. If you are capable of spending money elsewhere, any other support is a good option, but personally we would recommend Kaiser, who’s been absolutely fantastic this season.

Alternatives to consider: Kaiser ($5,400)

Team

G2 Esports ($5,200)

Even if we had the money for Cloud9, we’d still take G2 to be honest. Cloud9 is too volatile for something like betting on an overall victory. Their players are much too hot and cold. Meanwhile, G2 and MAD have predictable strengths and weaknesses. That’s not to say that G2 will 100% win against MAD, just that the chances for an unaccounted for error are so much lower relative to the C9 vs EG match. G2 is in the same situation FlyQuest was, and MAD are currently in a similar situation as Cloud9 is, the numbers just add up.

Alternatives to consider: Cloud9 ($5,600)

Top Stacks:

Blaber & Nisqy

While mid jungle have been a key point in the downfall of Cloud9, Evil Geniuses is bad on an entirely different level. Cloud9 showed signs of life in their series against FlyQuest despite their defeat, and they were capable of shutting the door on low tier LCS squads in CLG and Dignitas. Both of these guys have been having a hard time, but Blaber in particuar looked much better against FlyQuest than what was expected, and the difference between playing against PowerofEvil and playing against GoldenGlue is extreme. These two are worth it.

Perkz & Caps

These two are the stunners on G2, and the headliners on the day. G2 is a buddy cop film starring these two, with the other three players as a supporting cast. While Wunder, Jankos, and Mikyx have been historically top of their position in Europe in the last two years, there will never be another team with two mid laners who both can contest to being the best talents that the west has ever produced. Perkz playing ADC doesn’t change that. These two are massive carries that you want on your team, because they are truly world class.

Shad0w & Kaiser

While I am skeptical of the legitimacy of MAD Lions’ summer split, these two are the ones I’m sold on. Humanoid has been good, but he was never head and shoulders above the competition like Kaiser and Shad0w. While Kaiser has been spotty as of late, he’s still well worth your consideration: supports are prone to dying, as their name entails. Shad0w meanwhile had a rough Week 9, but otherwise was dominating each team despite a few hiccups. Playing against G2 is rough, but these are the two players that may currently be superior to their direct opposition.

Top Picks: Perkz, Caps, Blaber

The first two are easy, the last one is difficult. Blaber has shown his talent already, and it’s frustrating to see him struggle with hurdles we thought he had already passed. Blaber is a tough sell due to his high price point and inconsistency, but there is a method behind the madness: there is no one that actually believes that Svenskeren is better than Blaber. It’s up to Blaber to realize that, and regain his confidence going into the match againt EG.

Top Value: Zeyzal, Shad0w, Orome

MAD Lions players being here makes sense: they’ve faltered, but they’re still on top for a reason. They’re objectively a good team and almost certain to make worlds despite not yet reaching the official title. Zeyzal however is a curious case, and it goes into a more meta-analysis of the draft itself: if you were to select a sack player, where would it go? Supports and Junglers chain deaths together but provide moderate value. Mid lane and ADC are extremely important roles, but are less likely to chain deaths and provide good value. Meanwhile, Top lane does not present much value for sacking, and depending on the player they can either chain deaths or just be inert. Zeyzal is over all a good choice: he’s demonstrated his ability to be resistant to chain feeding, and he is much cheaper than those above him. While Zeyzal is the worst support on the day, he is a valuable pick in order to fit in essential pieces elsewhere.