DFS LoL MSI Group Stage Day 1 Picks for May 6, 2021

MSI 2021 is finally here! After MSI 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, Cloud9 are technically the defending MSI champions since Perkz, who was on G2 at the time, won the last MSI in 2019. This gives us a great first match to kick off the tournament with the Worlds 2020 champions Damwon KIA and by default the defending MSI champions Cloud9.

Here’s a partial lineup with two great value picks and an LPL star for May 6 on DraftKings and FanDuel

Wei ($8,900 FD, $7,600 DK) was the best jungler in the LPL all season long. His early aggression in games, even on hard farming champions, is what’s allowed him to flourish in the fast paced LPL. Wei seems to be the next star of the LPL that’s come from Young Miracles—the top developmental team in China—and will be a center piece for RNG now that Uzi has retired. Due to big nerfs to Hecarim, Udyr, and Turbo chemtank, there’s an expected jungle meta shift. Hopefully Wei can get back to his premier early game aggressive champions which is what put him on the map.

Yet again, PSG Talon makes another international event and must play with a last minute substitute. Unfortunately, their starting AD carry Unified is unable to attend MSI due to recurring pneumothorax (collapsed lung) so PSG Talon will be playing with Doggo ($9,300 FD, $7,000 DK)from Beyond Gaming. Beyond Gaming is the second best team from the PCS and the only team to take a game off PSG Talon in 2021 with Doggo being second in MVP standings. Doggo is a great substitute for PSG Talon and shouldn’t hold them back during MSI. Keep in mind that at Worlds 2020 PSG Talon had to play with two substitutes and still finished first place in their play-in group and third in their main stage group.

Detonation FocusMe ($7,700 DK, $5,000 FD) has been the best team in the LJL (LoL Japan League) since the summer of 2018. Since then, they have finished first in five of the last six splits, only losing in summer 2020 against V3 Esports in a very close 2-3. They have almost all the best and experienced players for each role in the LJL and are up against a somewhat inexperienced Infinity Esports. Detonation FocusMe have gained so much experience on the international stage since taking over the LJL in 2018 whereas Infinity Esports is back on the international stage for the first time since 2018.

With best-of-ones we switch back over to the full roster classic game style. A seven player roster consisting of one MVP (1.5x points), one player from each role, and one TEAM pick. The MSI group stage runs from May 6 to 11, the rumble stage from May 14 to 18, and the knockout stage from May 21 to 23.

FanDuel Lineup for May 6

Cryin ($9,500 FD, $12,300 [MVP] DK) showed up big for RNG after dropping to the losers bracket in the LPL playoffs. After placing first in the LPL spring season, RNG was expected make it to the finals through the upper bracket. However, after a getting smashed by a rising FPX in their first playoff match, RNG had to fight through the lower bracket to earn a rematch with FPX in the finals. Both Cryin and Xiaohu ($8,200 FD, $7,200 DK) were able to shutdown the dominant solo lanes of FPX in Nuguri (Season ten world champion) and Doinb (Season nine world champion). Cryin’s consistency on control mages and Xiaohu’s aggressive champion pool of Lucian, Jayce, and Gragas have brought RNG back to the top of the LPL.

Aria ($9,100 FD, $7,600 DK) is the newest addition to the Detonation FocusMe roster. Before Aria joined the team at the start of 2021, DFM’s roster stayed practically the same since taking over the LJL in 2018. DFM hasn’t missed a beat with Aria replacing former team leader Ceros. Aria led the LJL in KDA with an average score line of 4.6/1.2/6.5 and had 11 unique champion picks in only 19 total games. He has the potential to become the best player in the LJL and with a strong MSI performance could see a return to Korea.

Kaiwing ($6,800 FD, $4,800 DK) has been one of the top supports in the PCS and formerly the LMS since season seven. He’s one of the best peel/disengage support players in the world with picks like Braum, Thresh, and Rakan. While that’s his specialty, Kaiwing is still great on tanks/engagers as well. He played nine games of Leon and Rell in 2021 with a 100% win rate. Although his bot lane partner Unified can’t attend MSI, Kaiwing has still found success with other last minute team members at Worlds 2020.

DraftKings Lineup for May 6

Robo ($7,800 FD, $5,800 DK) and tinowns ($8,600 FD, $6,800 DK) from paiN Gaming are cheaper, solid picks that allow you to slide under the less forgiving salary cap on DraftKings while still having the strong picks of Cryin, Wei, and Kaiwing. paiN Gaming is the dark horse team in Group B where there is no standout favorite like RNG in Group A and Damwon in Group C. paiN knows the feeling of being an underdog as they weren’t even in the CBLOL playoff picture before week six and entered the CBLOL playoffs as the fifth seed.

Let us know about your wins on Twitter (@FantasyDFSX). We love to hear from you. Best of luck and have fun!