This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
GAMES (EDT)
- 11:00 a.m: FC Schalke 04 v. SK Gaming
- 11:50 a.m: Rogue v. Misfits
- 12:30 p.m: Excel Esports v. MAD Lions
- 1:30 p.m: Fnatic v. Team Vitality
- 2:20 p.m: G2 Esports v. Origen
SK vs. S04
SK looked really good against OG, as they were proactive in the early game and turned my head a little bit. This is a look on SK that I wasn't expecting, as they did just about everything right. Setting up for dragons, herald, forcing OG to come and fight, grouping to take turrets down, and they showed more decisiveness than S04 did. S04, with this lineup, should never lose to some of the lower-tier teams. I came into this game thinking S04 were going to win easily, but with what they showed against another bottom-tier team, it is hard to put my trust in them. If SK can play the way they did against OG then they will win. If S04 can play through the mid lane and make these in-game decisions before their opponents force them into an uncomfortable situation then they should be able to roll SK.
Prediction: SK win
SK Players to Target: Crownshot ($6,400), Limit ($3,800)
MSF vs. Rogue
Rogue took cared of xL with the carry of Larssen and Finn. The way Rogue played is a style that will get easily punished by a lot of teams, including some of the lower teams. xL handed them that game, and Rogue had some lucky spots where they could have
GAMES (EDT)
- 11:00 a.m: FC Schalke 04 v. SK Gaming
- 11:50 a.m: Rogue v. Misfits
- 12:30 p.m: Excel Esports v. MAD Lions
- 1:30 p.m: Fnatic v. Team Vitality
- 2:20 p.m: G2 Esports v. Origen
SK vs. S04
SK looked really good against OG, as they were proactive in the early game and turned my head a little bit. This is a look on SK that I wasn't expecting, as they did just about everything right. Setting up for dragons, herald, forcing OG to come and fight, grouping to take turrets down, and they showed more decisiveness than S04 did. S04, with this lineup, should never lose to some of the lower-tier teams. I came into this game thinking S04 were going to win easily, but with what they showed against another bottom-tier team, it is hard to put my trust in them. If SK can play the way they did against OG then they will win. If S04 can play through the mid lane and make these in-game decisions before their opponents force them into an uncomfortable situation then they should be able to roll SK.
Prediction: SK win
SK Players to Target: Crownshot ($6,400), Limit ($3,800)
MSF vs. Rogue
Rogue took cared of xL with the carry of Larssen and Finn. The way Rogue played is a style that will get easily punished by a lot of teams, including some of the lower teams. xL handed them that game, and Rogue had some lucky spots where they could have been punished around dragon and even baron. Misfits played a really good game and Kobbe seems happy to be back, even though they lost. Some crucial team fights went the way of Fnatic, and dragon control is what lost Misfits the game. Misfits early game looks great, and this is the type of style that Rogue will have a hard time playing against.
Prediction: Misfits Win
Misfits Players to Target: Kobbe ($7,200), Doss ($4,800)
MAD vs. xL
Both teams got handed a loss, but xL looks like the worst. This should be a stomp by MAD, as xL didn't show us anything with their drafts and team play. They let Rogue just walk all over them, and there were a lot of individual plays. Kryze is a new top laner, and it seems like he never played the game before as he was outclassed by Finn. MAD are a complete team and had a glimpse against G2, but anyone who plays G2 is going to look bad. MAD have one of the best team KP% in the league as they like to scale and team fight in the late game.
Prediction: MAD Win
MAD Players to Target: Orome ($6,400), Shadow ($7,400), Humanoid ($7,600)
Vitality vs. Fnatic
Both of these teams won, and it was another scenario where their respective opponents basically handed them the wins. Vitality did a great job of scaling and not letting S04 run all over them in the early game, but S04 also played horribly when it came to mid game. Vitality did a good job of setting around objectives and choosing certain team fights to go after. Fnatic are a world class team as well, and we saw that even though they were down, their teamwork and teamfights are on point. Fnatic have an advantage in every lane and should take down vitality with ease with how good Selfmade looked. This should be a bloody game to target as well for DFS.
Prediction: Fnatic Win
Fnatic Players to Target: Everyone
G2 vs. OG
Another G2 game and another chalk team to target. OG lost to SK, one of the worst teams that played them real well in the early game. G2 are team fighting heavy and against a good opponent, G2 will not mess around and should stomp OG here. G2 vs. OG games usually end up being bloody, averaging 19.5 kill on G2 side. I'm not sure if OG are going to get rolled, but if they put up some fight the over on kills is possible being one of the bloodier games.
Prediction: G2 Win
G2 Players to Target: Everyone