DraftKings LoL: Sunday LPL/LCK Breakdown

Games (EDT)

• 3:00 a.m. Victory 5 vs. JD Gaming
• 4:00 a.m. DAMWON Gaming vs. Hanwha Life Esports
• 5:00 a.m. eStar vs. Team WE
• 7:00 a.m. Top Esports vs. Royal Never Give Up
• 7:00 a.m. T1 vs. Sandbox Gaming

V5 vs. JDG

Both teams here in our first LPL match are motivated to win since moving up in the rankings will be needed in the tight race for playoffs. Victory 5 have not looked good in the last few weeks after having a very good start to the split. V5 will be sticking with Y4 in the bot lane after the bad performance from Samd in the first game of their last series. JD Gaming have been on an absolute, totaling 11 wins thus far. With the momentum JDG is on and the uncertainty that V5 has with their bot lane, I like JDG to sweep this series and keep their top spot in the LPL.

Prediction to Win: JDG 2-0

JDG Players to Target: Everyone on JDG

DWG vs. HLE

Our first LCK series Sunday is the most lopsided match on the slate where DAMWON Gaming will have an easy path to victory just on skill alone in each lane. There isn't much hope or motivation for Hanwha Life to come out and get a win with them being out of the playoff race currently sitting at (1-11) this split. The decision here would be if DWG are worth the salary per points they can get on this slate with three other LPL games. DWG's motivation is also high for this match since every spot you can move up the LCK rankings nets you another bye for playoffs. ShowMaker is the star on DWG, having the most kills on the team and the highest kill participation so include ShowMaker in your DWG stacks. Nuguri in the top lane holds the second most kills which is a bit surprising given the nature of that lane. DWG should have no trouble sweeping the series against HLE.

Prediction to Win: DWG 2-0

DWG Players to Target: Everyone on DWG

ES vs. WE

WE come into this series motivated since they need about two wins to stay in the playoffs and not drop out of contention while eStar is out of the playoffs and the only motivation is to play spoiler to an 8-3, WE team. ES' major crutch this split has been closing out games since they have a positive gold difference at 15 minutes which shows they win the early game, but can't figure out late game teamfights and marco movements. CJJ will be starting in the top lane for ES instead of Xiaobai which won't make much of a difference in this series since they are comparable and ES is looking to see what they have for next split. WE have a good kill-per-win figure with 17 a game while ES are giving up 18 in a loss, so WE can be a nice pivot from some of the other matches on this slate. I like WE to take the series 2-0 with better late game decision making even if they fall behind early in gold.

Prediction to Win: WE 2-0

WE Players to Target: Everyone on WE

TES vs. RNG

This game is a must win for Royal Never Give Up to stay alive in the LPL playoff race and while TES is third right now, they also are very motivated to get the win here since they want to compete with JDG and Invictus Gaming for the top two spots. Unfortunately for RNG, this is where their playoff chances come to a close since Top Esports still wants to win this series and won't be trying any untested team compositions ahead of the playoffs. Gala is starting for RNG which is their best version of the bot lane, but they are still outclassed up against TES. Knight is again the leader in kills and kill participation for the team which isn't a surprise when he is on good champions to take kills or enable his team which allows him to rack up assists. Knight will be a must-play in your TES stacks. JackeyLove and 369 rounds out the second and third spot for kills this split. TES should look at a somewhat easy series, but RNG could find one win during the draft.

Prediction to Win: TES 2-1

TES Players to Target: 369 ($6,900) Knight ($8,200), JackeyLove ($7,800)

 T1 vs. SB

In our last series on the slate Sandbox Gaming needs a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, which might be a bit since T1 more than likely cannot catch up to Gen.G, who has a two-game lead in the playoff race. We won't know who T1 is playing in the mid lane since Faker didn't play against rivals KT Rolster last series so I would guess Clozer gets the start, but since this is the last series on the slate this is one unknown we have to work with. I expect SB to come out with plenty of motivation while T1 might try something off meta to practice before playoffs so I like SB to take the series over T1. Fate in the mid lane leads the team in kills this split with Route not too far behind them. In terms of kill participation, Fate shows up again along with OnFleek taking the top two spots. SB can be some much-needed salary relief while also being a very live dog to win the series with smart drafting and capitalizing on T1's mistakes.

Prediction to Win: SB 2-1

SB Players to Target: Everyone on SB