Ever since League of Legends introduced the Fantasy LCS last season, people have been taking more and more time to analyze individual players and teams in order to make sure they’re at the top of their fantasy league. I’m by no means an expert on fantasy sports, but here are a few tips for fantasy drafting in League of Legends that might just help you if you’re new to it!
Keep an eye on other regions
The Fantasy LCS allows you to pull from the EU LCS and NA LCS player pools. If you’re from NA or EU, you might not be watching the other regions games as closely as your own. This makes sense given the sheer volume of games you’d have to watch in order to effectively keep up with both regions. Regardless, make sure that you research the other region’s players before you start your draft. Some of the other region’s strongest players might stay open for longer if you’re drafting with others from your own region, so you’ll have a leg up if you know who the best players are for both regions.
Try to get an AD or Mid as your flex pick
More often than not, mid and AD players tend to earn the most points on a team. There have been instances and maybe even teams where this isn’t true, but for the most part, it’s a good rule to go by. Your flex pick is essentially a 6th player on your team that can be from any position. If you choose an AD or a mid player, you’ll likely be earning more points than you would having a flex player from any other position.
Try not to draft too many players from the same team
Have you ever heard the saying “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket”? This definitely applies in terms of fantasy leagues. If you want to make sure you’re earning lots of points every week, you don’t want to fill your team with too many players from the same team. If you do, your fantasy team will be too dependent on the performance of a single team. If that team does badly, you’ll suffer for it. On the other hand, if they do well you’ll do well. If you’re a huge fan of a team and you want your entire team to be comprised of those players — go for it! It might not be the most practical strategy, but if that’s what you want to do, follow your dreams.
Think about what kind of team you want before the draft begins
Maybe you’re the type of person that likes high-risk, high-reward type strategies. Maybe you like drafting players who are consistent but rarely ever shine. This all depends on you and what
you’d like to do. Try and think about what your game plan is going to be before you draft.
Use the pick order to your advantage
The pick order for Fantasy LCS is a serpentine pattern. This means that the last person to choose during the first round gets to choose twice in a row before the pattern snakes back up the list. Use pick order to your advantage when you’re thinking about building your team. You should consider what players you want to prioritize and make sure to think about players you’ll pick up if you can’t get your preferred pick.
Pick from teams that play long games
This might seem like a weird one, but it works. Teams who tend to play longer games tend to have players who earn more points. Some teams take a really long time and then lose, while others might take a really long time and win. While pulling from the winning team might seem preferable, pulling from a losing team that plays long games is always better than pulling from a losing team that plays short games. Time = points.
Don’t take it too seriously
In the end, this is all just for fun. You’re likely not going to win every single week in your league (or you might, if you’re some kind of statistical Jedi) but that’s okay. Have fun with it, and take the losses in stride. You’ll find that your fan loyalties will be tested throughout the season, but don’t jeopardize your friendships over Fantasy LCS.
Published: Jan 23, 2015 09:24 pm