LCS Winners Round 1

(+165) TSM v Team Liquid (-210)

(-325) Cloud9 v 100 Thieves (+170)

 

LCS enters play-offs on Saturday in the winners bracket: TSM face off against favorites Team Liquid, and 100 Thieves try desperately to take down Cloud9. Liquid is the favorite to win the event, but Cloud9 has shown the higher highs, so players are focused around these two teams; let’s get into the picks.

Captain

Perkz ($11,100)

While Perkz has not been the breakout superstar we wanted, coming from a G2 roster that’s been smashing Europe for nearly 3 years at this point, I still think he’s been a top 3 mid laner at his absolute worst, and more importantly, he gets to face off against Ryoma, who I believe to be the weakest mid in play-offs. Since 100 Thieves substituted him in, they’ve went 0-3 against play-off teams and have only beat the teams they’ve left behind in regular season. For a different pick, I’d choose Alphari, since I think he is likely to stomp out Huni in the top lane.

Alternatives to consider: Alphari ($9,600)

Top Lane

Fudge ($6,200)

While I think Alphari will crush his match-up with little to no resistance, for money and slot purposes, I prefer Fudge: while Ssumday is a much steeper match-up, Blaber is a strong jungler who will ameliorate Ssumday’s pressure, and I’m of the school of thought that Fudge, while not being a fantastic top laner, is by no means bad- Ssumday hasn’t been having the split of his life himself. I feel strongly that Fudge will level up to the competition, but I still slightly prefer Alphari skill-wise; if you can make him work, definitely pursue him.

Alternatives to consider: Alphari ($6,400)

Jungle

Santorin ($6,600)

In the last few weeks of the regular season, Santorin definitely amped up his play after an early season of relative “meh” performances. His opponent in Spica has been a relative weakness on TSM alongside Huni; in my opinion at least. I think Santorin has the sauce to crush the young Spica: stronger solo laners, alongside superstar support CoreJJ? Should be free. Similar to the situation above though, Blaber is worth his weight in gold and is definitely worth considering if you can grab him.

Alternatives to consider: Blaber ($7,000)

Mid Lane

Jensen ($7,600)

For the mid lane match-up, the obvious choices are Jensen and Perkz, and while Perkz has a good match-up, I’d argue that Jensen’s is more 50-50. PowerofEvil has had a good time in North America, and while Jensen is the perennial “second best” when we are discussing middle lane, I don’t think it’s as clear cut as it should be: PowerofEvil has been a consistent force on FlyQuest, and while I think Jensen is a great pick-up, I’d say if you want to get both Blaber and Alphari on the same squad with Perkz as captain, I wouldn’t feel bad about picking up PoE for the middle lane.

Alternatives to consider: PowerofEvil ($6,800)

ADC

Zven ($7,800)

Zven is the highest CSPM ADC in play-offs, and he’s remarkably consistent. He sports great KDAs consistently, and I consider Cloud9’s bottom lane to be the strongest in play-offs as far as all-around play, although I think Tactical and CoreJJ hold a close second. I prefer Cloud9’s match-up, so I definitely will take their bottom lane on the day; but TL’s bottom lane is by no means a poor choice and is worth a look.

Alternatives to consider: Tactical ($7,600)

Support

Vulcan ($5,600)

See above; support is a bit more difficult since I think Vulcan and CoreJJ provide different skillsets. I think Vulcan and Zven have the better 2v2 synergy, whereas CoreJJ breaks out and effects the map in more tangible ways. I still prefer Vulcan with Zven, but CoreJJ does come in $200 cheaper, so if you can use it, feel free to.

Alternatives to consider: CoreJJ ($5,400)

Team

Team Liquid ($5,000)

Whichever team you choose is superfluous. I think Cloud9 is a bit safer, but realistically I think both TSM and 100 Thieves will struggle to put up a fight against their opponents.

Alternatives to consider: Cloud9 ($5,200)

Stacks:

Zven & Vulcan

My top stack is the aforementioned Cloud9 bottom lane; in 2020 while Cloud9 was falling apart, I think their bottom lane was the one spot on the map (not even Blaber) who didn’t lose their mind; to be fair, I think it is difficult to play jungle while your solo laners are tearing themselves asunder, but Zven and Vulcan are the hallmark of consistency on Cloud9, and you’re getting for the quality you’re paying for.

CoreJJ & Tactical

While Tacticore hasn’t looked as solid of a 2v2 as they have in 2020, they still show their strengths consistently enough, and are likely the 2nd best bottom lane (depending on how high you still are on Dignitas) and are certainly, 100%, the 2nd best bottom lane in laning phase no matter how you slice it. Lost has had a history of floundering in lane, so maybe Core and Tactical could rag on that weakness.

Jensen & Alphari

Finally, I think the TL solo laners are a solid stack: Alphari versus Huni opens up the potential for TL to play three lanes versus TSM, which I think will be hard for TSM to match. In addition, TL statistically have the best early game in the LCS, which I think PowerofEvil will struggle to keep up with due to his trademark slow-and-steady playstyle.

Top Picks: Perkz, Alphari, Zven

Perkz vs Ry0ma is free points, and with Huni’s poor streak versus big top laners like Alphari, it is likely TSM will drop early into the loser’s bracket. Zven is sort of matched well by FBI and Huhi, but his safe style and propensity to rack up solid KDAs in spite of stark competition makes me give him a big thumbs up, even up against a strong bottom lane from 100 Thieves.

Top Value: Jensen, CoreJJ, Fudge

How much of a downgrade are these guys? Ehh, I’d say the roughest of the bunch is probably Fudge into Jensen, and CoreJJ is barely felt at all. Alphari is a superstar quarterback who obliterates his opponent in the laning phase time and time again, Jensen versus Perkz is a match-up flavored deal, with Ry0ma looking like one of the weakest mids in play-offs, and CoreJJ versus Vulcan is more of a “pick who you prefer”. One way or another, you’re going to need at least a few of these guys.