LCS Scouting Grounds 2021 has arrived and with it are 20 hopeful players trying to make their way into the LCS. Unfortunately, unlike in most years past, the LCS Draft will not be happening in 2021. Added to this is the fact that the players are yet again not in person due to COVID. While there is no LCS draft, there are players who will match better with some teams than others. In order to figure out which players may fit with certain teams, here is an LCS Scouting Grounds 2021 Mock Draft.
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The draft order is determined by the standings after the 2021 Summer Playoffs.
In his third attempt, 5fire gets the chance he has been fighting for. He has been playing well leading into this event and should continue to be one of the top prospects throughout it. CLG need to grab the best player they can to start their rebuild. With Luger and Poome rumored to be in the bot lane, 5fire makes the most sense here. He is good enough to probably push for an LCS spot and should be able to be brought on for the league minimum which matches CLG well.
Yes, this is the Gamsu from the Overwatch League who started his career in League of Legends with Fnatic and Dignitas. Now he is trying to make a comeback and frankly, he might be ready for a starting spot today. He played well helping 100T Academy to a Proving Grounds win and in the games for Scouting Grounds so far, he is stomping the other competition. FlyQuest are still looking for a cheaper option at Top and Gamsu would be able to bring plenty of expertise and certainly take advantage of the chance he is given.
Golden Guardians have been working on producing young talent for a bit now but this year might be a bit different. It seems possible that they will be going for a strong performance this year with Licorice and Ablazeolive as their core. The rumors are still swirling but it seems like GGS will be trying to sign a veteran at the jungle position. If this is true, having a solid backup in case whoever that player is doesn’t work out is not a bad idea at all. Stepping in is Winston, a player with some experience in Academy already and someone who has been playing well leading into Scouting Grounds and it has seemingly continued. Winston matches what GGS have done in the past and should be a major consideration for the team.
Wild Card had a great year and are giving some great talent a nice spotlight. Daption is no exception to that. He seems to prefer ranged enchanter type supports when in solo queue but has shown he can play tanky engage supports as well. This well-rounded talent certainly has the ability to not only make an Academy roster but push for a starting LCS spot sooner than later. On a team like DIG who are rumored to be going with Zeyzal, who is a bit of a question mark, Daption would be the perfect player to push Zeyzal to either perform or just straight up take his spot. Support is always at a premium in NA and Daption could be the next great one.
The duo from Cloud Dragon at LCS Scouting Grounds 2021 go back-to-back in this mock draft. Wixxi already has a great pedigree going from Harrisburg University to C9 Amateur and performing well at both stops. Now it seems he is destined for a starting Academy spot. With IMT still needing ADC help at both levels, Wixxi would be a great addition. This is especially true if the team is committing to younger talent. If Danny was able to make the jump, why can’t Wixxi?
While Vulcan is rumored to Evil Geniuses, they still have a need for another option in Academy. Grabbing breezyyy gives Evil Geniuses a solid backup at their only known position of need. He played well with 100T Academy and C9 Amateur. He specifically played with Wixxi this past year and according to an interview Wixxi did with Michael Termini, breezyyy was a very vocal leader helping the team succeed. Every team can use a player like this and especially a native one at a position that is again at a premium in terms of LCS talent.
There are some people who view Array as the best player at Scouting Grounds. While he may not end up getting drafted in such a position, there is little doubt that Array is a very talented player. For TSM, ADC has been a position where they have found success in developing talent but not necessarily reaping the benefits. Tactical and Johnsun are two such players. Array could be the next. He can play just about every ADC option well and is someone who is probably not too far away from an LCS spot. If TSM are saying they are going developmental, Array is the perfect option to start that direction with.
Cloud9 are in a strange position. The players that best fit their needs are gone and while they could just take best player available, that would likely be a waste. So instead, IMT buy the position and take APA. This is his second year at Scouting Grounds and it seems as though he has already taken steps to improve. His champion pool is a bit unorthodox but that is certainly not a bad thing. He is consistently near the top at his position in solo queue and has gained more experience playing with a team. IMT need an infusion of young talent and APA would fit that perfectly in Academy and could even force his way onto the main roster in the near future.
If there is one thing that is sure for the LCS right now, it is that 100Thieves produce LCS caliber talent. Here are the players 100Thieves Next (their amateur org) have found in the past few years. Poome, Kenvi, Tenacity, Yeon, Copy, Nxi and now Chad, Busio and to a certain extent Gamsu, are making their way up as well. Chad definitely plays a more aggressive style of jungle and is a player who scrapping for everything. Even with TL going with a super roster at the main level, they could afford to start training some young talent to either sell or call up in the future. In this scenario Chad fits that perfectly and could be the TL jungler of the future.
It is sad that a player this talented has fallen to the tenth pick but sometimes that happens to great talent. Mid lane is stacked at LCS Scouting Grounds 2021 and Bradley may be the dark horse pick of this mock draft. His champion pool consists of more assassins and aggressive champions than what has been normally seen in the LCS. This is likely a good thing and something that 100Thieves can help to accentuate in a major way. While Bradley wont have a spot on the starting roster, he would be with an org that knows how to develop talent and could be the next big LCS mid laner come 2023.
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