The first regional of the 2022-23 RLCS Season has come and gone and we finally got a look at all the new teams and players on the RLCS stage. All the off season hype did not disappoint. North America saw a dominance in cross-region transfers, but was still able to prove that the Americans are still on top as Faze Clan took home the gold. MENA & Europe saw a rise in new super teams and woes with the old. OCE may be more than a 2 team region as PWR fell in the first round of playoffs. The Club in SAM continued their championship form, but the region is full of other frisky teams hungry to be at the top. The whole season is starting off hot and doesn’t look like it's going to cool down any time soon. As the season continues, let’s take a look at some highlight fantasy performers from the first regional of the season. Starting off with the North America region…
North America
AYYJAYY - Optic Gaming
Price: 1600 Base Points: 616.48
AYYJAYY started off the 2022-23 season strong, topping the North American region in points. Surprisingly, he put up the most points at the Defender position as he held an incredible 2.33 SAPG but still was a solid Striker putting up 637.48 fantasy points due to a high 0.85 GPG. Even at a semi-high price point of 1600, he out performed those priced higher in the region. Hold on to AYYJAYY if you have him in Global/ Salary Leagues as his price is sure to increase. Optic looks to continue to be at the top and as the team grows in chemistry, the individual performances should equally grow. AYYJAYY is a solid pick at Striker but after the Fall Open, he can likely be used as a Defender if need be.
GarrettG - NRG
Price: 1450 Base Points: 569.38
After the end of the rocky 2021-22 campaign, GarrettG and company were hoping to bounce back, stronger than ever this season. Unfortunately, NRG started off its season with another mediocre result; exiting the Fall Open in the 5th round of the Swiss Stage. That however, did not stop GarrettG from racking up a solid amount of fantasy points. He finished the first tournament 6th in points in North America. As he was only priced at 1450, this is a great fantasy outing for any player. If you selected GarrettG for the Fall Open, it would be highly advised to hold on to him as NRG has shown flashes of greatness. His initial low price makes him a great stash for the fall split as he should continue to hold a decent point average comparative to his price. Going forward, look to GarrettG to be a great filler at any position.
Reysbull - Complexity
Price: 1550 Base Points: 554.02
With the addition of European star Crr, Complexity was looking as if the offense would run through him. Reysbull quickly showed it will be a 2-man power house as he flashed a 0.75 GPG and an impressive 4th place in assists with 0.71 APG. His 554.02 fantasy points were enough to propel him into the top 10 fantasy performers of the region. After finishing the Open in 5-8th place, Reysbull and Complexity will look to bounce back in the Fall Cup. Reysbull will look to continue to be a pivotal part on the offense and as such fits perfectly on any fantasy roster as a Striker or Midfielder. Be weary however, as Complexity went to game five in all 3 of their Qualifier series.
Chronic - Gen.G
Price: 1500 Base Points: 536.03
The big question mark coming into the NA region this season was the European transfers in Noly and AppJack and their team with Chronic. Their second place finish in the Fall Open turned those question marks into exclamation marks. It was no surprise that the players would perform on an individual basis, but it did shock a few by how well they meshed with the limited scrims/ practice acquired. Chronic shockingly put up the most fantasy points on the Gen.G roster. He had a very balanced positional score as there was only a 20 point difference between the positions. As the season progresses, and Gen.G gets more acclimated, he may get a more defined role. In the meantime, he’s a great filler option for any position at the lower price range. Gen.G look strong and should continue to put up great performances to back their fantasy points.
2Piece - Shopify Rebellion
Price: 1400 Base Points: 517.02
If you haven’t heard of 2Piece then you haven’t been paying attention. He impressed the whole region with his high play during the Fall Open, catapulting Shopify Rebellion to a tremendous top 8 performance. Although his fantasy output wasn’t spectacular, his cheap price and high skill ceiling make him a strong candidate on any fantasy team. He did prove to be able to perform on both ends of the pitch as he held a great 2.14 SAPG, followed up with 0.64 GPG. Keep an eye out for 2Piece for the next regional and as the season continues. If you picked him last regional, hold on for him as his low price and decent output will lead way to filling a star studded fantasy lineup.
Fall Cup sleeper fantasy players could be players from Dignitas and 26Rising. Delta and Andy had solid fantasy performances during the Open, and backed up by an above 1.000 octane rating. After going 3-1 in qualifiers, they are poised to have another reasonably good fantasy outing. Andy has a bump after a high-class qualifier performance keeping a statline of 0.82 GPG, 0.82 APG and 2.53 SAPG. Another qualifier team, 26Rising with Xpurt and Money, showed potential. Going 3-1 in swiss, Xpurt had a 0.88 APG and Money had a 0.92 GPG average. Making them interesting options at a cheaper price point to fill out a roster.
Europe
Mittaen - Monkeys
Price: 1400 Base Points: 596.57
Monkeys turned heads when they made the Fall Open through the Top 16 Invitational. Mittaen and company continued to show they meant business in the first Regional. He was all over the pitch putting up a high 436 average score per game backed by his 0.94 GPG and high 2.04 SAPG. He did unfortunately go out round 5 of swiss, but looks to be a continual top contender. At his 1400 price point in the first regional, if he was on your team, hold onto him the whole split. Putting up top 5 fantasy points at that price point will help any team out. It’s expected his price will rise, but still should be someone to look out for as a hot fantasy player.
VKSailen - Aogiri
Price: 1550 Base Points: 590.2
The Spanish veteran showed what he’s made of in the RLCS season kick off event. Aogiri came into the season riding off a high end of the 2021-22 season, a high that looked skeptical after skimming into the main event. However, the Spanish speed proved to be a problem for a lot of high tier teams. VKSailen had a ridiculous 2.38 SAPG but being a catalyst for both sides of the pitch, holding an impressive 446.5 game score average. This bodes well for his fantasy teams who have him. He can be used at any position with the way Aogiri plays, but he showed that he is a defender at heart as he almost averaged a savior medal. VKSailen is priced at a moderately high price to begin with, but if he continues to put up top 5 performances, it’ll be well worth it.
Rezears - Tundra
Price: 1450 Base Points: 544.05
After Gamers8, Rezears was thrown into the spotlight of the Free Agent pool in Europe. He joined Kassio and Rizex45 for the 2022-23 season, which started off with a top 8 performance. Rezears lead the team with a great outing, putting up a 405 SCPG, 0.73 GPG, 1.73 SAPG and a decent 0.55 APG stat line. Rezears has been on the edge of the EU bubble scene, most recently with BS+ Competition, but has recently catapulted his performance with this new team. Tundra isn’t quite expected to always make top 8, but with such a strong start, the team could continuebuild off this momentum. Rezears has potential to continue to be a decent fantasy player who would be a good fit as a striker.
Stake - Guild
Price: 1350 Base Points: 534.45
Stake had a shaky end to the 2021-22 season after being removed from Karmine Korp and missing out on all main events in the Spring Split with Williams Resolve. Guild may not be a top team in Europe, but Stake is making a case for why he should be on fantasy rosters. His initial price of 1350 combined with his 535 fantasy points make him an easy stash for the rest of the split. Don’t expect plus 500 fantasy scores each week, but if his price stays low, he should be a solid lineup filler.
Marc_By_8 - G1
Price: 1400 Base Points: 531.09
The official unofficial World Champion is back and better than ever. The new all-Spanish team came out of the gate swinging. Taking it to every team they played, creating an early nomination in series of the split against Oxygen. Marc_By_8 spent much of his time on BDS as the disruptive 3rd, creating not much of a fantasy option. However, the new team dynamic has pushed Marc into the forefront. He had a solid 400 SCPG backed by his 2 SAPG and a decent 0.62 GPG. Skepticism is warranted in his case, after a season long of low fantasy outing, but if this pace continues, Marc and his teammates could be toward the top in points.
Fall Cup sleeper fantasy players could be players from Solary and Aogiri. Kaydop continued his old dominant form in his new environment, allowing him to reach the top half of fantasy performers in Europe. Fairy Peak! and Chausette45 played relatively well in the first event as well. If the team can work out the kinks, there is potential for the players to be cheap roster fillers in the upcoming regional. Of course the aforementioned VKSailen from Aogiri makes a great pick, but his two other teammates in Stizzy and Oscillon played their part well too. The youngster Stizzy, caught the attention of the community last year and continued that form in the first regional. He should continue to be on the fantasy radar throughout the split and potentially rest of the season. Oscillon is the teams 3rd man in points, but still puts up enough at a decently low price point to be thought about to help fill a fantasy roster.
