With week four set be one of the most exciting yet, we taking a look at some of the best picks...
It’s week four of the NA LCS… here’s a round-up of the big talking points and our tips for the upcoming matches.
Game of the Week
Ladies and gents, the stage is set for one of the most interesting match-ups of the week. The linked storylines between these two teams make the FlyQuest (the former C9 challenger team) and the C9 series an unmissable face-off.
So far, C9 are currently enjoying the view from first place, still undefeated after weeks of play. With rookie jungler Contractz, from the challenger series, brought into the starting fold to bolster their weakest position, the team is revelling in their newfound strength.
The team so far has been happy to give their home-grown jungler space, and the current meta has proven strong in stimulating his aggressive tendencies.
What’s most interesting, though, will be if Contractz can contest the newly-arisen Moon, who has been an unlikely source for FlyQuest’s continued success.
Statistically, Moon has been one of the strongest junglers in the region. His early game has been one of the most efficient, boasting the second highest first blood percentage (FB%) at 57% and a +166 gold difference at 10 minutes (GD10) /+275 experience difference at 10 minutes (XPD10).
On the other side, Contractz’s early game pales in comparison, with -75 GD10/ -82XPD10. But this is just on paper – in-game plays can often tell a different story.
While Moon may excel in the early game, C9 take the first three towers first 71% of the time. They also rank second for Dragon control, with 63%, and don’t suffer from bad mid-game decision-making like other NA teams.
With a talented playmaking jungler and a fierce top-laner boasting outstanding team-fighting acumen (Impact ranks first in DPM and EGPM among NA top-laners), we can’t help predict that C9 will edge it.
Cloud9 to beat FlyQuest – {ODDS:135962313:1.40}
Betway Picks
For week four, we’ve picked out three underdogs that are worth a second look. The odds may be stacked against them, but are we not used to eSports wavering from the line of predictability yet?
First up is FlyQuest, who’ll face Phoenix1 in week four. The odds are pretty tight, but favour the latter slightly, and yet FlyQuest have only lost one series so far.
The team’s synergy is particularly on point, and have excellent positioning and coordination, while maintaining an impressive 1.64 K/D ratio this split, and an average of 17.4 kills per game, topping the current leaders, Cloud9.
P1 will no doubt test their mettle, being their first top-tier challenge. Ryu’s strength in the mid lane, coupled with a meta that seems tailor made for Inori will no doubt pose a challenge.
But FlyQuest does stand a good chance. They have a 71% FB rate and take the first tower (FT) 64% of the time, against P1’s 43% FB, and 50% FT. Their gold difference at 15 minutes (GD15) also towers over P1’s at 1,299 against 217.
FlyQuest to beat Phoenix1 – {ODDS:135962093:1.95}
Meanwhile, Immortals have been having a decidedly poor split. Thankfully for them, they’re up against Team Dignitas, who have also been steeped in disappointment.
Fans had high hopes for this Dignitas line-up, but so far team synergy just hasn’t been there. This leaves plenty of room for Immortals to pull off an upset, if they can just get their team game together.
Dardoch and Flame are great players, but Immortal’s bottom lane is letting them down.
Statistically, the teams are fairly even-matched. Immortals do have a better first to three towers percentage (F3T%) at 40% against Dignistas’ 25%, but it may come down to who is more organised on the day.
Immortals to beat Dignitas – {ODDS:135962004:1.80}
Finally, Echo Fox have a decent chance of causing an upset in their match against a languishing Counter Logic Gaming.
Again, a lot will come down to better team coordination, particularly when it comes to team composition.
However, CLG have had a disappointing few weeks, and Echo Fox are so far the only team to put a dent in FlyQuest’s blitzkrieg.
Echo may be able to trump CLG on game economy too, with a much more impressive GD15 of 1389 compared to CLG’s 248. It could be a much tighter game than the odds suggest.
Echo Fox to beat CLG – {ODDS:135962049:2.40}
Player to Watch
Our player to watch next week is an interesting one, and fits the trend we’ve seen in the NA LCS, this split, of awesome junglers.
Echo Fox’s Akaadian has been pretty impressive, especially for a rookie coming into LCS. Most new players are a little nervous, and that shows in their play style. Not so with Akaadian.
His 63% FB rate is only second of any player this split. That’s been a big contribution to his team’s impressive 69% FB rate, and with a kill participation of 66.9%, it’s obvious that Akaadian is a huge asset for Echo Fox.
He came in replacing Hard, who was severely lacking in map presence. Arkaadian addresses this issue somewhat, as his aggressive jungling is able to put enormous pressure on his opponents.
Furthermore, the current meta is rewarding aggression and mechanical skill, which are usually prevalent in rookie players, and so far Akaadian has put in great performances with Lee Sin and KhaZix.
We’re definitely keeping an eye on this bold player.
