Starters Discussion & Week 4 Analysis (Who Do You Start Week 5?)

UPDATE: Week 6 discussion thread is now posted! Go search under New/Hot to find Week 6's discussion forum, and be sure to post any questions regarding week 6 there!

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Hi there!

Ok, so the purpose of this forum is exactly what the title describes, to help people set up their best line up possible heading into the next week of games. We've all experienced a moment where we are choosing between two players, not sure which one will have the better turn-out with regards to their current match-ups, their record, if their on a losing streak, new subs of the team, etc. This can now become a place where the fantasy community can help each other out with their rosters so that they are receiving their full potential each and every week. This can also be a place to discuss possible Add/Drop possibilites. Anyway, everyone can understand the purpose behind this forum now.

Just simply post a question about who you are deciding between, along with your reasonings behind why you should and shouldn't start them. Then hopefully a fellow fantasy community member will be able to respond and help you make your decision. Anyone can help out! Multiple opinions and beliefs are better than just one! Remember, Strength in numbers.

Disclaimer: Human beings cannot foresee the future, everything posted on here are just calculated predictions.

Hopefully this now provides a means for all of us as a community to help each other in achieving the glorious 1st place spot in your respected leagues, along with the entitled sensation of "Bragging Rights." Best of luck to all of you! #LCS #Fantasy #DecisionsAreHard

Nural

Week 4 Analysis

Ok. In a nutshell, Week 4 was CRAZY. EU is going back to the traditional EU where there is no logic, only upsets. Upsets everywhere. And as for NA, (While the TSM and CLG lived up to the hype and then some), there is absolutely no consistency in NA. (6 of the NA teams went 1-1 last week). So...what does this all mean?

We'll start with EU

FNC and SK: same old, same old.

Three things:

1. Oh my Elements... what the hell was that? MANY fantasy owners (myself included) are probably still in shock about Elements underwhelming performance last week. Why was this so unexpected? Because they were facing a "struggling H2K and GMB" at the time, not to mention the amount of hype they received prior to the split once they announced the "All-Star" Roster. And its been mentioned before, so this shouldn't come as a shock, but Elements early game is killing them. They are shooting themselves in the foot every time. They play a very reactive early game, which more often than not puts them behind early. Im sure they're aware of the issue, but that needs to change. Because as we saw in the H2K game, they just let H2K waltz into their base with no punishment. Does this mean to hop off the Elements band wagon? Absolutely not. In my opinion, they just had an off week. Whether it was they took these two teams for granted, or they just weren't on their game, it was just a bad week of games. In all actuality, these losses actually will probably benefit Elements in the long run. As the saying goes, "you learn from your mistakes." Now that these losses are out of their system, expect Elements to learn from these losses and come back stronger this week, and for the rest of the split.

2. HOLY H2K Batman!!! What. What. What just happened? Well, to put it simply, They finally have found their footing and synergy. Both of these teams went 2-0 this week, and this will be such a confidence booster to the entire roster. For H2K, KaSing has brought new life to H2K. They played such clean games this weekend. Is this just a fluke? Well, we will find out after this week once, considering they are facing both UOL and SK this week. They should put up a fight, but there's no way of telling it this will carry over into next week. But if i had to point out the key factors for H2K's success, it would be their bot lane. I know KaSing just became a factor this week, but he made such an impact this last weekend of games with his play making abilities. And Hjarnan, even when H2K has been struggling, he has been their bright star on the team. The only reason im not going to classify H2K as sleepers heading into week 5 is because of their hard schedule. But they are a team to watch. If they do well this week, Be sure to pick them up.

3. Sleepers: CW and GMB. Both of these teams have promising schedules heading into week 5. CW is notorious for their long, sloppy, and bloodbathy games. Soren and Freeze in particular. Even when CW have their off games, they somehow manage to rake in the points. And as for GMB, they just went 2-0 (also taking down EL) and are looking alive and ready to go. GMB, just like CW, love to take things to the late game. And its in these situations where P1noy goes absolutely ham. He should do VERY well this week.

Ok. Now for NA

TSM and CLG : Same old, same old. (I know CLG lost, but they still are powerhouses in NA) ((Also. THAT GAME THOUGH!!!!))

Two NA things and One General thing:

1. I said last week that C9 is beginning to find their stride. And I will give them that they are playing better, BUT THEY ARE NOT A FANTASY TEAM. What do I mean by that? As some of you are well aware; In fantasy, sometime having someone from a "good" team does not necessarily mean you will get a ton of points. (Ill get into that later). But C9 plays to win, (As one should), but they play it almost "too well". They play such a strategic game where they look to outsmart/ out-think their opponents in things such as objective trading and map rotation to eek out their advantage; Rather than trying to team fight, get a numbers advantage, and then take objectives. While this may work in their games, it DOES NOT bode well for fantasy owners. This often results in low-kill games and minimal points. Plus, C9 are 4-4 on the split, they're not an official shoe-in to win. (Even if we want them too). Until we see a change of style from them, I say you gotta bench them. They just arent worth it right now in fantasy. (Which is extremely disappointing.)

2. NA as a whole, if feels like its a coin-flip as in who is going to win the game. 6 teams last week in NA went 1-1. 5 teams right now are 4-4 overall. Excluding TSM, CLG, and Coast ("Up until they lose, they're winning...), There is just no consistency. So how do you make your decision as to know who to start in NA? The only reliable source of information you can go off of is the team/individual player's playstyle. Are they Passive? Aggressive? Do they try to make plays? Do they have the Penta's in their eyes? C9 plays really passive (BIG NO), where as TSM make the plays. (BIG YES). So who are some teams you should look out for? TIP is one of the more aggressive teams in NA (While it may not work all of the time, but when it does... OH BABY the points). Another team is WFX. WFX, in my opinion, is the most inconsistent team in NA. They either are non-existent, or they bring everything but the kitchen sink. (Once again, its a coin flip). "So Nural, what is it exactly your trying to say here?" Well, Unless you've got CLG or TSM on your roster, NA is just to unpredictable and is risky to start in general. If I had to choose sleepers for this week, Im going to stick with TIP, WFX, and TL. According to actual logic with match-ups, they should do well this week with their respected match-ups. And as why for TL, well its simple. ALL HAIL KEITHMCBRIEF! We'll see with his return whether or not that TL will go back to being the powerhouse they were back in week one!!! :D

Now a general note: In my humble opinion, there are two types of teams in the LCS: Good teams and Fantasy teams. In fantasy, the way the scoring is set up, you need to favor players who have a high kill participation. Thats where the points are earned. Deaths really mean nothing if your player gets assists in a team fight. For example: I go in and I land a five man malphite ult, but then immediatly get focused down and die. However, the rest of my team then is able to clean up the fight, nabbing me 5 assists. Translate that to fantasy scoring --> -(.5) + 7.5 = 7. In the long run, those .5 points really wont matter as long as your player got points in return. So fantasy teams are teams that love to go in and engage in team fights, arent afraid to try to make risks, and are willing to make the plays. Cough Fnatic Cough. Where as a good team, that tries to strategically get objectives (C9) do very poor in fantasy. EU generally isnt afraid to get their hands dirty, and thats why they do well fantasy wise. It doesnt totally matter if the team is a good one or not, as long as their playstyle is aggressive or that they favor the team fight.