Power Rankings - IEM Katowice 2015
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Regional leagues are taking a break this week as the top teams from all five major regions gather in Katowice, Poland, to gain some much-needed international experience, and perhaps even bring a win home for their region. With that in mind, we felt it fitting to produce a special edition of Power Rankings this week, featuring the eight teams in contention for 2015’s Intel Extreme Masters World Championship. Regular Power Rankings will return next week.
Our methodology this week differs a little from previous weeks. For this ranking, we also accounted for how well the teams would likely perform at a high-pressure international tournament, rather than how they would do in an any-given-week Best of 5.
Count down with us as we explore how the IEM Katowice teams stack up against each other.
Record formats are (W-L) (W-L-T) [Match W-L]
Wave goodbye to Qu “Styz” Zi-Liang, because he won’t be playing at Katowice. Team WE’s roster will not feature mid laner Noh “Ninja” Geon-woo or Styz; instead, the team will be fielding Su “Xiye” Han-Wei and ex-Jin Air AD carry Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun. IEM Katowice will be more of a trial for the new WE than anything else, as they attempt to figure a way out of their last-place rut. (If their place in the tournament surprises you, remember that Team WE won IEM Shenzhen in July 2014, thus guaranteeing their spot at IEM Katowice.)
We’ve ranked them as the weakest team at Katowice due to their poor regional record and new roster, but it’s impossible to count any team out in a Best of 1 group stage. If jungler Lee “Spirit” Da-yoon can go off, Group B’s teams might end up biting off more than they can chew.
There are many question marks hovering over Gambit Gaming as they move into IEM Katowice with a relatively untested mid laner in Felix “Betsy” Edling. Considering his strong regional performance (a distinct improvement over Sebastian “niQ” Robak), Gambit are hoping that Betsy will be able to add another accolade to their extensive international trophy case.
Despite this, it’s hard for us to have confidence in Gambit, as their loose playstyle has been punished by more controlled, methodical teams. Placed in a group against Korea’s CJ Entus and North America’s Team SoloMid (both teams respected for intelligent team fighting), Gambit will have to push beyond their LCS form and channel some of the brilliance that they showed in their current hot streak to post results.
Cloud9’s international odyssey finds its pinnacle in a single victory over Korea’s Samsung Blue at the 2014 World Championship. But apart from that, C9 mostly counts a relatively even record against top European teams as experience heading into Katowice. Though C9 find themselves on an upswing after one of the worst slumps in their history, the inconsistent performance of top laner An “Balls” Le raises warning flags for their IEM chances.
C9 have a tough job ahead of them, as they have to topple GE Tigers, SK Gaming, and/or yoe Flash Wolves in order to find a playoffs spot. All three of these teams are stronger than them in multiple aspects of play, particularly their players’ individual skill levels. To this end, C9 will have to draw upon their strong map play and avoid taking their Group A opponents in a head-on clash to find success.
Sitting on top of Taiwan with a 16-1 record (their one loss being at the hands of the Taipei Assassins), the yoe Flash Wolves have displayed incredibly clean victories over their regional competition, never losing games that were meant to be won.
Fans may question why we’ve placed the Flash Wolves at No. 5 despite the tendency of Taiwan’s high-flying teams to crash and burn internationally, but IEM Katowice marks the first time that Taiwan’s international representatives have not had glaring holes in their play. To add to that, the Flash Wolves are proven competitors, earning their spot at Katowice with a thrilling 3-2 victory against TPA at IEM Taipei.
According to LMS expert James “Obscurica” Chen, the Flash Wolves’ reverse all-kill was a product of their strong mental fortitude and adaptability. In 2013, SK Telecom T1 taught us why a team capable of coming back from 0-2 to win a grand final should be feared. For the Flash Wolves, IEM Katowice will be a test of their competitive spirit above all.
Like their North American compatriots Cloud9, Team SoloMid also enjoyed a win against a top Korean team at the 2014 World Championship. Though it was admittedly a bigger case of Samsung White’s loss than TSM’s win, it still proved that TSM will play the best team in the world just as they would a regional rival, with the same aggressive swagger. Fortunately for TSM, they do appear to have a slightly easier group than C9, not having any regional champions to deal with and sharing a group with Team WE to boot.
That said, emerging victorious from Group B will mean nothing if TSM make a run at the title with their usual tactics. For LPL expert Michale “DreXxiN” Lalor, TSM’s current form smacks of China’s Snake eSports. “It’s the one-dimensional play about getting Bjergsen ahead...An intelligent team can dismantle them, but otherwise, they’re just going to brute-force everyone around a similar skill level.”
To this end, Coach Choi “Locodoco” Yoon-sup’s attempts at diversifying TSM’s strategy beyond "camp mid" are to be commended, and we look forward to the results.
SK Gaming have been dipping in and out of the top 10 in our regular Power Rankings, but their performance at Katowice will give us a much better idea of how well they really stack up compared to the rest of the world. While their superior team play and individual skills set them apart from their European competitors, their poor vision game has already cost them games on home soil, and does not serve to help them against Korea’s best teams.
Whatever the case, SK’s Katowice campaign will put one of Konstantinos “FORG1VENGRE” Tzortziou’s beliefs to the test. As said on his Twitter: “If you don’t have individuals, you don’t have a team.” There is little doubt that SK’s individuals are remarkable compared to most of their competitors, but the question remains: Just how far can this superiority take them?
We’ve had CJ Entus at fourth within Korea for the last few weeks, but being fourth in League of Legends’ strongest region is no laughing matter when it comes to international competition. Most notably, last year, the KT Rolster Bullets and SK Telecom T1 K both played flawless international tournaments despite barely being top 8 teams at the time. CJ therefore have quite the burden to shoulder, carrying great expectations despite their more humble standing.
IEM Katowice will be CJ’s first international outing since IEM Singapore, and the first with this relatively new roster. Interestingly enough, jungler Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong’s first opponent will be Gambit’s Danil “Diamond” Reshetnikov, a matchup that is sure to evoke painful (and happy) memories of early 2013, when the two met at Season VII's IEM Finals. There is more to look forward to than the Gambit rematch, however. If CJ can make an impression at Katowice, they may be able to use the playoffs experience to perform against their tougher regional opponents.
1. GE Tigers - No. 1 in LCK - (20-2) [10-0]
8. Team WE - No. 12 in LPL - (1-8-6)
Wave goodbye to Qu “Styz” Zi-Liang, because he won’t be playing at Katowice. Team WE’s roster will not feature mid laner Noh “Ninja” Geon-woo or Styz; instead, the team will be fielding Su “Xiye” Han-Wei and ex-Jin Air AD carry Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun. IEM Katowice will be more of a trial for the new WE than anything else, as they attempt to figure a way out of their last-place rut. (If their place in the tournament surprises you, remember that Team WE won IEM Shenzhen in July 2014, thus guaranteeing their spot at IEM Katowice.)
We’ve ranked them as the weakest team at Katowice due to their poor regional record and new roster, but it’s impossible to count any team out in a Best of 1 group stage. If jungler Lee “Spirit” Da-yoon can go off, Group B’s teams might end up biting off more than they can chew.
7. Gambit Gaming - No. 4 in EU LCS - (8-6)
There are many question marks hovering over Gambit Gaming as they move into IEM Katowice with a relatively untested mid laner in Felix “Betsy” Edling. Considering his strong regional performance (a distinct improvement over Sebastian “niQ” Robak), Gambit are hoping that Betsy will be able to add another accolade to their extensive international trophy case.
Despite this, it’s hard for us to have confidence in Gambit, as their loose playstyle has been punished by more controlled, methodical teams. Placed in a group against Korea’s CJ Entus and North America’s Team SoloMid (both teams respected for intelligent team fighting), Gambit will have to push beyond their LCS form and channel some of the brilliance that they showed in their current hot streak to post results.
6. Cloud9 - No. 3 in NA LCS - (9-5)
Cloud9’s international odyssey finds its pinnacle in a single victory over Korea’s Samsung Blue at the 2014 World Championship. But apart from that, C9 mostly counts a relatively even record against top European teams as experience heading into Katowice. Though C9 find themselves on an upswing after one of the worst slumps in their history, the inconsistent performance of top laner An “Balls” Le raises warning flags for their IEM chances.
C9 have a tough job ahead of them, as they have to topple GE Tigers, SK Gaming, and/or yoe Flash Wolves in order to find a playoffs spot. All three of these teams are stronger than them in multiple aspects of play, particularly their players’ individual skill levels. To this end, C9 will have to draw upon their strong map play and avoid taking their Group A opponents in a head-on clash to find success.
5. yoe Flash Wolves - No. 1 in LMS - (16-1)
Sitting on top of Taiwan with a 16-1 record (their one loss being at the hands of the Taipei Assassins), the yoe Flash Wolves have displayed incredibly clean victories over their regional competition, never losing games that were meant to be won.
Fans may question why we’ve placed the Flash Wolves at No. 5 despite the tendency of Taiwan’s high-flying teams to crash and burn internationally, but IEM Katowice marks the first time that Taiwan’s international representatives have not had glaring holes in their play. To add to that, the Flash Wolves are proven competitors, earning their spot at Katowice with a thrilling 3-2 victory against TPA at IEM Taipei.
According to LMS expert James “Obscurica” Chen, the Flash Wolves’ reverse all-kill was a product of their strong mental fortitude and adaptability. In 2013, SK Telecom T1 taught us why a team capable of coming back from 0-2 to win a grand final should be feared. For the Flash Wolves, IEM Katowice will be a test of their competitive spirit above all.
4. Team SoloMid - No. 1 in NA LCS - (11-3)
Like their North American compatriots Cloud9, Team SoloMid also enjoyed a win against a top Korean team at the 2014 World Championship. Though it was admittedly a bigger case of Samsung White’s loss than TSM’s win, it still proved that TSM will play the best team in the world just as they would a regional rival, with the same aggressive swagger. Fortunately for TSM, they do appear to have a slightly easier group than C9, not having any regional champions to deal with and sharing a group with Team WE to boot.
That said, emerging victorious from Group B will mean nothing if TSM make a run at the title with their usual tactics. For LPL expert Michale “DreXxiN” Lalor, TSM’s current form smacks of China’s Snake eSports. “It’s the one-dimensional play about getting Bjergsen ahead...An intelligent team can dismantle them, but otherwise, they’re just going to brute-force everyone around a similar skill level.”
To this end, Coach Choi “Locodoco” Yoon-sup’s attempts at diversifying TSM’s strategy beyond "camp mid" are to be commended, and we look forward to the results.
3. SK Gaming - No. 1 in EU LCS - (11-3)
SK Gaming have been dipping in and out of the top 10 in our regular Power Rankings, but their performance at Katowice will give us a much better idea of how well they really stack up compared to the rest of the world. While their superior team play and individual skills set them apart from their European competitors, their poor vision game has already cost them games on home soil, and does not serve to help them against Korea’s best teams.
Whatever the case, SK’s Katowice campaign will put one of Konstantinos “FORG1VENGRE” Tzortziou’s beliefs to the test. As said on his Twitter: “If you don’t have individuals, you don’t have a team.” There is little doubt that SK’s individuals are remarkable compared to most of their competitors, but the question remains: Just how far can this superiority take them?
2. CJ Entus - No. 3 in LCK - (12-9) [6-3]
We’ve had CJ Entus at fourth within Korea for the last few weeks, but being fourth in League of Legends’ strongest region is no laughing matter when it comes to international competition. Most notably, last year, the KT Rolster Bullets and SK Telecom T1 K both played flawless international tournaments despite barely being top 8 teams at the time. CJ therefore have quite the burden to shoulder, carrying great expectations despite their more humble standing.
IEM Katowice will be CJ’s first international outing since IEM Singapore, and the first with this relatively new roster. Interestingly enough, jungler Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong’s first opponent will be Gambit’s Danil “Diamond” Reshetnikov, a matchup that is sure to evoke painful (and happy) memories of early 2013, when the two met at Season VII's IEM Finals. There is more to look forward to than the Gambit rematch, however. If CJ can make an impression at Katowice, they may be able to use the playoffs experience to perform against their tougher regional opponents.
With the possible exception of the yoe Flash Wolves, there isn’t a single team at IEM Katowice that can lay claim to the same degree of regional dominance as the GE Tigers. A stunning win rate of over 90% in the world’s toughest, most competitive region makes them the clear favorite for IEM Katowice, and it’s not even close.
AD carry Kim “PraY” Jong-in and support Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon are the only members on the roster to have seen international play, and all eyes will be on them to see if they can use their NaJin experience to prevail over some old rivals like Gambit Gaming and Cloud9.
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