In just a few days’ time, Intel Extreme Masters will be landing at the SAP Center in San Jose. ESL Fantasy is already open for business for the event, however, and Joe Miller decided to sit down and run you through his lineup.

B A N A N A B O Y S

• Top: Vizicsacsi
• Jungle: Meteos
• Mid: Hai
• ADC: Sneaky
• Support: LemonNation

You will notice that my team is heavily Cloud 9 weighted. I decided to pick the majority of the C9 lineup due to the fact that they are playing in one extra round during the event, which could be three more maps played by the end of the tournament and therefore could be relevant even if the points of the quarterfinal matches are only worth 50%. They are also the only team of the three big favorites that haven’t made a roster change and as such should have an edge when it comes to the first big tournament on the preseason patch!

We have to take into consideration that points are mostly awarded for kills and assists, but creep score and gold per minute also plays into the your hands. Points are also deducted for the deaths of players.

I feel that Cloud 9 have the biggest chance of dominating their quarterfinal against the Brazilian paiN (though let’s not count an upset out here - we are playing on a brand-new patch for the first time).

Top: Vizicsacsi (Unicorns of Love)

I’ll be honest: if I had the budget to add Balls in the top lane and take a full C9 lineup, I would have. However, as that wasn’t possible and I needed a cheaper top laner, I went with Unicorns of Love’s top laner Vizicsacsi.

They play their semifinal against Lyon Gaming and on paper are heavy favorites for that match. If they win, they will face TSM, which I also believe could go in their favor after the recent jungle switch for TSM and the wildcard factor of a new patch. I’ll be watching carefully to see how many kills and assists Vizicsacsi racks up!

Read our interview with Unicorns of Love here

Jungle: Meteos (Cloud 9)

Straight to the point here: I think the new patch will give Meteos a massive boost. The jungle changes have opened up different starts, build paths and gank options to junglers. Meteos is one of the smartest junglers out there and I feel that patch 4.20 will be a patch that fits his style to a T.

Check out our interview with Meteos here

Mid: Hai (Cloud 9)

Hai has been Mr Consistent over the last two years. If he gets his hands on the right champion, he can pull in kills left, right and center for Cloud 9 and therefore lots of sweet, sweet points for the B A N A N A B O Y S!

ADC: Sneaky (Cloud 9)

Cheaper than Alliance new boy Rekkles and TSM’s WildTurtle, Sneaky is a no brainer. Not only does he fit into my overall Cloud 9 strategy but he is often overlooked. He has a quiet demeanor which has left him out of the spotlight in the last year, overshadowed by some of the more vocal ADC players. His stats speak for themselves, though. Sneaky will be a major point contributor by the end of Intel Extreme Masters San Jose.

Support: LemonNation (Cloud 9)

Not only is LemonNation the classiest of all support players, but he is a massive brain when it comes to the team’s pick and ban strategy. The fact that support players rack up extra points for assists means that LemonNation, a player who is involved in so many of Cloud 9’s plays, will be a top pick for assist points.

Prove your ESL Fantasy mettle and win prizes!

Sadly, even though the B A N A N A B O Y S will probably win ESL Fantasy for Intel Extreme Masters San Jose, I can’t win any of the prizes - but you can!

If your ESL Fantasy team is good enough, here’s what you can win:

• First place: An ASUS G751JT-DH72 notebook
• Second place: An ASUS Nomad backpack
• Third place: A €50 ESL Shop voucher

Simply make sure your team comes first, second or third in the points lineup and you could be set for Christmas - good luck!

Sign up for ESL Fantasy San Jose here!

Are you ready for Intel Extreme Masters San Jose? Be sure to check out our Intel Extreme Masters League of Legends survival guide for all the important info!

Want to be at the SAP Center watching the action live? Click here to grab your ticket!

Images courtesy of lolesports on Flickr.