With Schalke, XL, Astralis, and Vitality limping behind the pack, there are several solid, cheap options available on Saturday. On the other hand, the big fish on the market are being sold relatively cheap.

 

Captain

 

Inspired ($10,800)

I have little doubt that Inspired will run through Skeanz; although I do question his staying power in the current meta: he’s already dealt with pushovers and newcomers in Tynx and Dan, and even gave Selfmade a walloping. However, his resistance to playing staples like Graves makes me hope that a metashift is around the corner for the Polish jungler, who finds himself more comfortable on picks like Trundle or Jarvan IV: the more supportive cast as opposed to the high tempo, farming style. He’s still one of the best junglers in the LEC, but he’s more in the Jankos camp than Selfmade as far as playstyle spectrum is concerned. It’s no worry though; Skeanz hasn’t shown anything remarkable so far, and Inspired will run through him like he has the other lower tier junglers; just be careful once he starts running into Jankos or Razork, though. I like picking up jungle for captain to spend elsewhere, and the other promising one on the day is Misfit’s Razork

Alternatives to consider: Razork ($10,200)

 

Top Lane

Kryze ($6,000)

While Kryze may not be the super lane bully smurfer we may see out of the occasional Wunder game, he is sturdy for XL; posting consistently high CSDs and solid KDAs, he comes in absurdly cheap too, which will allow you to pick up valuable G2 players later in the draft. Furthermore, top lane is the role that is extremely fickle in the draft phase, and is prone to getting caught in a bad match-up, which further incentivizes me to spend less on the role. Save up, and play conservatively with a top laner like Kryze or Armut.

Alternatives to consider: Armut ($5,800)

 

Jungle

Jankos ($7,600)

Part 1 of the plan: sorry Gilius, you’ve been a pretty decent jungler across your return to the LEC, but you can’t mess with #1, with a 9KDA and a 50 CSD, Jankos is absolutely crushing his competition alongside the rejuvenated G2 roster. Gilius may have a decent mid laner and support, but Broken Blade has been smashed game after game by the LEC top lane crowd, and his next opponent in Wunder is going to absolutely demolish him; or, they may just put Wunder on a tank and let him go +40 CS up passively. Not sure, but Jankos’ cross map advantage lets him gain big points fast. If you want to save a little, I’d grab Razork instead of one of the two Polish powerhouses.

Alternatives to consider: Razork ($6,800)

 

Mid Lane:

Larssen ($7,800)

I think it’s going to be unlikely that you’ll find an LEC slate without Larssen either as mid laner or captain: he’s the real deal. Despite having to play pretty disadvantageous match-ups two games in a row, he still has come out on top with positive CSDs and great KDAs; ~11 to be precise. Larssen is an absolute point machine that doesn’t break the bank like Caps, there’s nothing to go wrong with here. For an underrated choice on the day, try giving Vetheo a spin against Blue, both are talented mid laners but Vetheo has a better support and jungler.

Alternatives to consider: Vetheo ($7,200)

 

ADC:

Rekkles ($8,400)

This is a pretty crass, yet apt comparison: drafting Rekkles is like drugs. He has an astounding ~24 KDA with +35CSD as an ADC, he plays for his KD and it shows in the humongous points he pulls. The raw dopamine hit of locking in Rekkles and watching him absolutely crush his enemy and bring in dozens; if not hundreds of points is absurd. I love Hans, but Rekkles is a different beast entirely. I would not miss out on him; but if you need to, Hans is still a great choice to pick up in Rogue’s match against Vitality.

Alternatives to consider: Hans Sama ($7,600)

 

Support:

Vander ($5,400)

It’s not like he’s bad or anything, but Vander is a total KDA player in a role that absolutely has no means playing for KDA. That’s a great thing, but also results in really awkward situations where he plays like he’s consciously keeping your points in mind. Nice guy, Vander is. Reward him by putting him on your roster; he’s cheap, he’s the leader in support KDAs, and he’ll return the favor by keeping his deaths extremely low. Otherwise, just cash out on Mikyx since he can pop off like any member of G2; or even go with Trymbi since he’s picked up his play with Rogue; either will suffice.

Alternatives to consider: Mikyx ($6,000)

 

Team

Team Vitality ($3,800)

There’s no way Vitality will beat Rogue, but they are pretty good at clawing through the game and keeping it competitive, combine this with Rogue’s slow style, and you have a fantastic sack pick: Vitality will lose, but they’re more likely to fall gracefully than your other options, they let you pick up those precious G2 members, and they may rack you up some novelty points; if you want the absolute best “bang-for-buck” option, I’d try choosing XL, since, you know, Astralis.

Alternatives to consider: Excel Esports ($5,000)

 

Stacks

Rekkles & Mikyx

Ever since G2’s game against Excel, which resulted in Mikyx picking up an immaculate 13 KDA, I’ve been really high on the G2 bottom lane as a unit. Rekkles is an obvious KD whore, but Mikyx dances that fine line between aggressively playmaking, and conservative enough to not spill his cup. G2 get to play against a pretty weak bottom lane in Neon and Limit, and I’d definitely recommend picking up at least one G2 member, even if you can’t fit both in.

 

Larssen & Inspired

Usually I just like to talk about Hans and Larssen, but Larssen’s partner in Inspired deserves recognition too: he’s a great supportive player for Rogue, he rarely dies, and he runs up assists really well. These two create a strong 2v2 dynamic for Rogue, and facilitate Larssen’s snowball extremely well; even when Larssen is playing picks like Twisted Fate, he’s always capable of finding a lead over his opponent thanks to Inspired.

 

Vander & Razork

Similar to Jankos, despite a rough end to 2020, Razork has picked up the pace for 2021 and has continued his solid play, whereas Vander is quietly contesting Mikyx for top spot in the support role. Vetheo and HiRit both seem to be working, while Kobbe is hot on the tail of Hans Sama for challenging to be the prince of the ADC role. Misfits look pretty coordinated despite an unfortunate 2-2 start, and I’ll especially have my eyes on Razork and Vander for what they can accomplish this season; SK look like they have no chance at toppling this squad.

 

Top Picks: Jankos, Rekkles, Larssen

Milica is a solid laner with no brain, whereas Larssen is the complete package in every aspect. Rekkles is the ADC legend of the LEC, and is incomparable; while each role has a challenger for top spot, Rekkles sits on the ADC throne completely uncontested. Jankos has turned 2021 in his favor after fizzling a bit in 2020. He’s shown a mastery of Graves that was slightly absent during the prior season, but the 25 year old jungler hasn’t missed a single step.

 

Top Value: Kryze, Vander, Patrik

Kryze has quietly been eeking out his position as a mid table top laner on a lower tier team with an extremely raw mid laner, and a bit of a dud in the jungle; but his solid bottom lane should be more than enough to compliment him against Astralis. Vander is a good support, and maintains low death numbers: what more can you ask for? Patrik is the silent star of XL, he’s the biggest X-Factor in the league, and without him, XL would be absolutely dead in the water with an inexperienced team around the underwhelming Tore.