Not an owner of the ESportsPro DFS package yet? Follow this link and change that! -->  https://www.fantasyalarm.com/checkout/362/6/

 

The first match of the professional 2021 season kicks off on Saturday, January 9th in China. On one side, a world championship rematch between Top Esports and Suning Gaming; on the other, EDG looks to thrash a perennially underachieving team in OMG. Let’s get into the picks.

Captain

Scout ($11,100)

There’s no easier choice on the day. Scout is 100% necessary to get a big advantage in points. There are few players capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Faker, but fellow SKT alum Scout is a big name on that short list, and the franchise player for EDG. While EDG had a rough 2020, courtesy of lacking top side, they don’t have a big name in the jungle (unless you count Clearlove…) Flandre taking up the top lane from the lacking Aodi allows Scout to play more greedily instead of fearing from losing due to a bleeding out top side. Otherwise, I’d be interested in taking up Flandre himself for this position, since he’ll likely play all 3 games in the series, whereas Hope may swap with Viper, and SN vs TES is very risky to call for captain. Flandre is expected to obliterate both OMG top laners Xiaoxiang and New.

Alternatives to consider: Flandre ($9,300)

Top Lane

Flandre ($6,200)

The foreshadowing is plain enough: Flandre has finally escaped his prison in LNG. Despite being on an extremely poor team throughout most of his career, he’s maintained a stalwart trajectory. While he’s not at the top of his game as recently, he’s still shown promise and holds his position in the upper echelons of the top lane. Thankfully, he can finally rest easy with his powerful new teammates in Scout, Meiko, Viper, and Hope. No more Snake, no more LNG. In addition, his first match versus OMG is a free ticket to a 1-0 start for EDG on the year, courtesy of their weak top laners. Otherwise, I’d take up Bin from SN. While 369 is likely better, SN is stylistically forced to play towards top side and give Bin resources due to his stylistic limitations: even if 369 is better, more gold = more points, and Bin gets the gold from his team.

Alternatives to consider: Bin ($5,800)

Jungle

Karsa ($6,800)

Picking between SofM and Karsa is like picking between two of your children. However, here are the facts: Graves, despite still being good, is likely not quite the menace he once was. Lee sin, Jarvan IV, and Olaf gaining play time gives Karsa a good advantage over SofM, alongside the mid lane meta swinging in the favor of Knight coming into preseason. This is ultimately the choice that will make or break you, since EDG and OMG’s jungle picks aren’t worth it. Pick your poison: I favor TES to win courtesy of SwordArt’s departure from SN, so I prefer Karsa here.

Alternatives to consider: SofM ($6,200)

Mid Lane

Knight ($7,600)

Knight’s performance at Worlds left much to be desired; not in the regard that Knight himself performed poorly, moreso that for the title of “best mid laner”, he didn’t show the dominance he held domestically on the biggest stage in the world. However, at home in China is where Knight has always shone the brightest, and I have no doubt that the second he steps on the stage, Knight will obliterate his competition: precisely like he did at the Demacia Cup just a few weeks earlier, where he slaughtered each mid laner. If you don’t have Scout yet, don’t forget to pick him up here; his opponent is way easier than what Knight has to face.

Alternatives to consider: Scout ($7,400)

ADC

Viper ($7,400)

ADC is another difficult choice. Both Jackeylove and Huanfeng are nearly certain to start all three games, while Viper has to split time with fellow ADC Hope, at least in theory. The issue comes into play when Jackeylove, despite winning Demacia Cup, has had several uninspiring games amidst his generally great performances. Huanfeng has been MIA since the world championship, although he did show a fantastic performance all the way up until the finals against Damwon Gaming. Both choices are fantastic, although the absence of veteran support SwordArt is likely to have an impact on Huanfeng’s performance. While I recommend Viper first, due to EDG likely wanting to show off their flashy new Korean ADC against bottom-feeder OMG, I recommend Jackeylove secondary due to Zhuo showing fantastic performances throughout the Demacia Cup.

Alternatives to consider: Jackeylove ($7,800)

Support

Zhuo ($5,400)

Yes sir, Zhuo has made me a believer with his great gameplay at Demacia Cup. Alistar, Leona, Sett, Nautilus: while these champions all fulfill the same function, they work great with TES’s playstyle, providing early game engage for Karsa, their primary play maker, and late game peel for Knight and Jackeylove. Zhuo showed fantastic tank positioning, and a keen eye for making fantastic engages. His opponent, ON, looked profoundly mediocre during the Demacia Cup, and while Meiko is another good option, I’d rather save him in order to pick up one last EDG piece.

Alternatives to consider: Meiko ($5,400)

Team

EDward Gaming ($5,200)

While I fully believe that TES is back in business on the top of the LPL, I think the parity between SN and TES (particularly on the top side of the map) is far closer than EDG vs OMG, where literally every position OMG has is blown out of the water by their counterpart on EDG. TES is by no means a poor option for your team selection, particularly if you’d prefer to squeeze in one more EDG player in jungle or support, I expect EDG to smoke the underwhelming OMG.

Alternatives to consider: Top Esports ($5,400)

Stacks

Jackeylove & Zhuo

While Jackeylove hasn’t yet shown the consistency we’ve expected of him, he still has one of the highest X-Factors out of any player in the entire league. Zhuo, his support, looks like a smash hit with exemplary tank positioning and attention to opportunities to rotate and support his jungler, Karsa. These two are lethal, and collectively push TES from “scary” to “mortifying” as Zhuo can show up anywhere to swing a fight in the favor of TES courtesy of numbers advantage, while sacrificing very little on the bottom side as Jackey knows when to stay safe.

Flandre & Scout

I can’t wait to finally see Flandre unchained from his fetters in LNG. He’s finally joined a real competitor in EDG, who finally has found a solid top laner for the first time since 2015’s Koro1. Mouse, Jinoo, and Aodi just were nowhere near the upper echelons of LPL top laners, and there was immense pressure on Scout to pick up the slack and overplay in order to compensate for a weaker top side. All bets are off now, and while Clearlove and Jiejie are massive question marks on the roster, the core of Flandre, Scout and Viper (or Hope) are all solid.

Karsa & Knight

The TES 2V2 take the crown over the SN 2V2 for one simple reason: SwordArt and his roam heavy playstyle is now absent with his departure for TSM, while rookie support ON looks inert on SN. Maybe Huanfeng’s guidance will show something new for the support, although I find it very unlikely. Karsa was one of the best performing TES players at worlds and was capable of single-handedly obliterating FNC in the quarterfinals. Knight versus Angel is a classic match-up at this point, and while Angel has acquired the newest win at Worlds, Knight has maintained his prodigy status despite the upset.

Top Picks: Scout, Zhuo, Viper

EDG’s players need no introduction. Their Koreans are top of the line and display exemplary mechanics. While lately the country has been slowing down the production of fantastic talent, these two are the big names on EDG and occupy the most capable positions in carrying their team. Zhuo, despite being a rookie, has displayed a remarkable swagger during Demacia Cup, where he led TES to the championship. This kid has big things ahead of him, and we will get to see him face off against worlds finalist, Suning, this Saturday.

Top Value: Flandre, Huanfeng, Bin

In the value basket we have Flandre, whose points are underrated due to being on bottom-placed LNG last split. Make no mistake though, he’s been a diamond in the rough throughout the majority of his career. Huanfeng was in all likelihood the best ADC at worlds just a few months earlier and is only held back now due to his new support in ON. Bin is often criticized for not being capable of playing tanks, which is exactly why he may be considered a good pick-up for top lane: he’s a feast or famine player that can introduce a good amount of volatility in a stable lineup of EDG players. He’s a rare player to consider due to his limitations, since he’s great at the carries he specializes in.