Power Rankings - Week 20
Riot·6/11/2014, 10:12:23 PM·0 votes·3,429 views
Welcome to Week 20 of Lolesports Power Rankings.
We use a system similar to the Associated Press power rankings for College Football or Basketball - a panel of writers vote on who they think should be listed, and an aggregate is produced from combining their rankings.
Our panel votes on these criteria, in this order:
- Recent results
- Predicted future performance
- Historical trends (as they pertain to future results and present form)
- The "eye" test (How good does a team look, relative to the rest of the world)
- Samsung Galaxy Blue ( - )
- Samsung Galaxy White (+1)
- Najin White Shield (-1)
- CJ Entus Blaze ( - )
- SK Telecom T1 K ( - )
- CJ Entus Frost (+1)
- KT Rolster Arrows (-1)
- Edward Gaming ( - )
- OMG ( - )
- Najin Black Sword (NEW)
- SK Telecom T1 S(-1)
- Alliance (-1)
- KT Rolster Bullets (NEW)
- Dignitas (+1)
- Cloud9 (-1)
- SK Gaming (-4)
- LMQ (-1)
- Invictus Gaming (-5)
- Team WE (-1)
- Counter Logic Gaming (-3)
- ( - ) Samsung Galaxy Blue [8] - OGN
Samsung Galaxy Blue scored one win for Samsung Galaxy against SK Telecom T1 in the finals of the SK Telecom LTE-A LoL Masters Tournament. It was their only game, but it was an excellent performance. Blue maintained control over the game throughout, and was able to outfight SK Telecom T1 K when both teams utilized a composition that wanted a 5v5 fight. No other team, with the exception of sister team Samsung Galaxy Ozone, has shown the ability to consistently compete with Blue, and they will enter OGN Champions Summer as the favorite to take home another title.
Written by Thomas Watts - (+1) Samsung Galaxy White - OGN Samsung Ozone took a victory off of both SK Telecom T1 S & SK Telecom T1 K in the finals of the Masters tournament. The win over T1 S was a domination, and the win over T1 K was an opportunity. They had to open up a tremendous advantage over T1 K before the T1 K composition scaled out of control. It was a near thing, but several key calls clinched the game, and the series, for the Samsung Galaxy organization. Written by Thomas Watts
- (-1) Najin White Shield - OGN
- ( - ) CJ Entus Blaze - OGN
- ( - ) SK Telecom T1 K - OGN SK Telecom T1 K lost to both Samsung Galaxy Blue and Samsung Galaxy Ozone in the finals of the SK Telecom LTE-A LoL Masters Tournament. The team still displays the same tenacity, and teamfight prowess that catapulted them to the 2013 World Championship, but there are small cracks in their armor in terms of execution that both Samsung teams were able to exploit. They are still a powerhouse team in Korea, and will enter OGN Champions Summer 2014 as one of the few teams truly in the hunt for the title. Written by Thomas Watts
- (+1) CJ Entus Frost - OGN
- (-1) KT Rolster Arrows - OGN
- (+1) Edward Gaming - LPL
Edward Gaming's break time hasn't been time off—they've been practicing. With the competition heating up on all fronts, EDG will have to hold onto their new spot at the top, and their first match this weekend is against Spring Split leaders, OMG. Having no roster changes will work in the team's favor initially, especially since their synergy is one of the team's greatest assets. This won't keep them ahead the entire split, but for now, they still look like one of China's top contenders.
Written by Kelsey Moser - (+2) OMG - LPL
OMG is returning to their Season Three World Championship lineup. If the formidable Cool has regained to form, OMG could shoot through the standings. They will have to earn back good will after they fell short at All-Stars, but we're tentatively hopeful that Cool's versatility is an upgrade, and Allen's understanding of the map has returned now that he's back in the jungle. The team's first best-of-two against Edward Gaming will set the stage to determine who holds the title of best team in China.
Written by Kelsey Moser - (NEW) Najin Black Sword - OGN After pushing through their Masters games, NaJin Black Sword finally got the chance to play on the live stage with their full roster. Placed in a tough qualifier along with the rising SK Telecom T1 S, Sword showed plenty of promise for an essentially novice team. Duke, kurO and Cain bring some seasoned experience to the squad, and the Champions Summer group stage will be their first real test as the reforged Sword attempt to fight their way into the group stage of Champions for the first time in four seasons. With Champions Spring's runner-up as their practice partner, Sword are looking to exceed expectation. Written by Alex Mansier
- (-1) SK Telecom T1 S - OGN SK Telecom T1 S only suffered a single defeat during the LoL Masters finals, but it was a blowout loss to Samsung Ozone. It was an unacceptable result given the amount of time that T1 S had to prepare for the match. The team still hasn't coalesced into a unit, and with their third season of Champions coming, the question now is will they ever? Written by Thomas Watts
- (-1) Alliance - EU LCS - (7-1)
Alliance has been one of the first EU teams to pick up an analyst, and it shows. They are handling champion select, manipulating minion waves, and rotating far better than any other European team, and look nigh-unstoppable. They've been able to bring out old favorite champions, and Froggen has looked downright ridiculous on his patented Anivia. There is no doubt that they are the team to beat in EU, perhaps even in the LCS.
Written by Mattias “Gentleman Gustaf” Lehman - (NEW) KT Rolster Bullets - OGN
- (+1) Team Dignitas - NA LCS - (6-2) After a convincing win against EG this week, Dignitas was poised to go 2-0 had they not faltered in the late game against CLG. Dignitas played very poorly against CLG's poke composition. On the receiving end of many hit and runs, Dignitas made the startling decision to trade their mid inhibitor for a Baron. Unable to force a team fight against CLG, Dignitas slowly whittled away under CLG's pressure from all three lanes. Undoubtedly, Dignitas learned from this experience but still have room for improvement especially in their late game decision-making. Written by Jack “NeoIllusions” Ho
- (-1) Cloud9 - NA LCS - (5-3)
Cloud9 continues to play at the level of their competition, but this isn't always a good thing. Against CLG, they respond well to enemy rotations and executed team fights as a top tier team should. However in their second match of the week, C9 had little to no response to Pobelter's Lulu or Altec's Twitch and suffered a surprising upset at the hands of EG. If Cloud9 wants to continue challenging the other top tier teams for No. 1, they can't afford to drop too many games to the bottom 4 teams.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho - (-4) SK Gaming - EU LCS - (6-2)
SK Gaming just seems a step behind Alliance. Their teamplay is still quite good, but their individual player strength and versatility suffers slightly. The European scene has finally reached the point where neither independent skill nor teamplay is enough to be #1; both are required.
Written by Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman - (-1) LMQ - NA LCS - (6-2) The only NA team to not drop a match last week, LMQ has thrown down the gauntlet against the bottom four teams. Pressing every advantage possible when they are the favorites going into a match, LMQ demolished compLexity in a 33 minute game. Week 3 MVP, XiaoWeiXiao, knew exactly how to run away with the lead after going a stunning 14-0-6 KDA on Nidalee. LMQ still needs to demonstrate that they are consistent against the top four NA teams but securely clenching victories in matches where they are the heavy favorites bodes well for LMQ's standing. Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho
- ( - ) Invictus Gaming - LPL IG managed to overtake OMG with their unique advanatages in the playoffs, but they'll be welcoming a new top laner. We expect their synergy to take a hit at the start since PDD's style was a fundamental piece of their strategy, but YoungSu's reliability will be a huge factor in determining whether the team can shake off their reputation for tilt. Zzitai really stepped up his game toward the end of the Spring Split, and Kid has been a consistent gem on the team. If the entire team can clarify their game plan, they have a chance of climbing higher this split. If they grow complacent as a result of their gauranteed spot at Regionals, they could easily fall in the standings again. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (-1) Team WE - LPL After World Elite made bids for new players that ultimately fell through, they've decided to hold onto the roster they developed in the spring. Rumors suggest that jungler Ruo is slacking, and he was a fundamental cornerstone in the team's second wind last split. Even so, the fact that the team remained the same after the break could easily work into WE's advantage, especially if they've had time to polish the new strategies they showed off in the Playoffs. WE has been struggling to return to the glory days, and with a new coach at the helm, this summer could be the season they reclaim their title. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (-3) Counter Logic Gaming - NA LCS - (5-3)
Playing against the toughest schedule last week, CLG took a convincing win Dignitas with Nidalee this week only to lose to C9, who used the Bestial Huntress against them. Despite a large gold lead in the midgame, CLG's sieges were often fended off after players were impaled by too many Javelin Tosses from Hai. With no answer to Sneaky's late game Twitch, CLG accepted defeat knowing they still need work on their initiations and how to maintain their early game lead.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho
With the recent announcement of Lustboy's departure from CJ Entus Blaze, fans were left speculating over potential replacements. Though Frost's MadLife was slated as a likely candidate, CJ management instead decided on Gunza, former substitute for Samsung Galaxy Blue. Gunza's experience spans two regions and four teams, and should be a natural fit for Blaze. Combined with Emperor's new-found aggressive playstyle, Gunza should be able to light a fire in Blaze's tepid early game. If the rebuilding of sister team Frost taught us anything, it is that CJ Entus are aiming to solidify Blaze's identity as a team. Keep an eye out for 'Neo Neo Blaze' in Champions Summer, as they are far and away the most dangerous dark horse in Korean League of Legends.
Written by Alex Mansier
