League of Legends North America LCS Breakdown (6/23-6/24): CLG Has the Meta Advantage

Highlights

• The North American league is now in Week 2 of the new split.
• Betting lines haven’t adjusted to the changing strengths of teams.
• The new patch continues to cause chaos, and many teams are experiments with unconventional compositions.

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Week 1 is in the books for every region, and the evolution of this new metagame continues to shake up the League of Legends landscape. Some teams have embraced surprising new compositions while other teams are still hoping for success with a classic style. The market still hasn’t adjusted to the current meta, so many betting lines this week are exploitable.

The summer-split picks I’ve recommended in articles and on Twitter are 18-9 (+11.33 units).

 

If you’re new to eSports, check out my League introduction. While I focus primarily on League betting in this breakdown, it has relevance to daily fantasy as well. If you’re playing League DFS, be sure to check out my evergreen strategy pieces.

• Three biggest esports DFS mistakes and how to avoid them
• Two most important stats for League DFS
• How to build a winning League lineup

For DFS, pay attention to the Kills per Win (KPW) and Deaths per Loss (DPL) numbers for this split. In general, you’ll want to roster players on teams with high KPWs playing against teams with high DPLs.

For more League action, see my other regional breakdowns for this weekend.

• China LPL and Korea LCK
• Europe LCS

All lines are from Bovada.

KPW Leaders

• Golden Guardians: 20
• Echo Fox: 18
• Team Liquid: 17

DPL Leaders

• Team Liquid: 20
• Clutch Gaming: 18
• FlyQuest: 16.5

Bets

CLG vs. Team Liquid: Saturday 6/23 at 5 p.m. ET

• CLG: +140
• Liquid: -175
• Bet: CLG +140

Liquid doesn’t have an identity in the new meta, looking completely different in two matches so far. CLG on the other hand has been extremely consistent even with a loss. CLG thrives in this kind of meta, and Huhi is the perfect mid-laner to have right now, especially against a team reliant on its attack damage carry.

FlyQuest vs. OpTic Gaming: Sunday 6/24 at 3 p.m. ET

• FlyQuest: -125
• OpTic: +100
• Bet: FlyQuest -125

As a FlyQuest fanboy (I actually own a FlyQuest jersey, as does my wife), I expected more from them this meta, although they were cheated a bit by a tough schedule in Week 1. Neither of team has looked good, but I expect FlyQuest to come out and destroy a fellow bottom-of-the-table team. Wildturtle in the bottom lane has an unbelievably diverse champion pool that plays well in this meta, and he should finally get to showcase that on Sunday.

Team Liquid vs. TSM: Sunday 6/24 at 7 p.m. ET

• Team Liquid: +105
• TSM: -130
• Bet: TSM -130

Like CLG, TSM has looked fantastic in this patch, and Bjergsen is right up there with Huhi as a mid-laner who benefits from this meta. I believe TSM is significantly better than CLG, and if I’m picking CLG against Liquid you can be sure I like TSM in this matchup.

CLG vs. Clutch Gaming: Sunday 6/24 at 8 p.m. ET

• CLG: -110
• Clutch: -115
• Bet: CLG: -110

Clutch is probably the team that was most hurt by this meta, which has drastically changed their style. They were the least bloody team in the league last year, but so far this season they have a top-three DPL rate. CLG shouldn’t struggle with this squad, and the -110 moneyline odds offer amazing value in this situation.

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Thats all I’ve got for North America. Hopefully we see strategies continue to develop in this new meta; this is some of the best League we’ve seen in years. For additional information throughout the weekend and into next week follow me on Twitter @Nty9problemsDFS, where I regularly post additional picks as the action unfolds.

Until next time, I’ll see you on the rift.