Power Rankings - Week 22
Riot·6/25/2014, 11:17:02 PM·0 votes·3,000 views
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 ( - )
- SK Telecom T1 K (+3)
- CJ Entus Blaze (+1)
- Samsung Galaxy White (-2)
- Najin White Shield (-2)
- CJ Entus Frost (+1)
- KT Rolster Arrows (-1)
- Najin Black Sword ( - )
- OMG (+1)
- Edward Gaming (-1)
- Alliance (+1)
- SKT T1 S (-1)
- Invictus Gaming (+2)
- KT Rolster Bullets ( - )
- Counter Logic Gaming (+2)
- Team Dignitas ( - )
- SK Gaming ( - )
- Team WE (+2)
- LMQ (-6)
- Cloud9 (-1)
- ( - ) Samsung Galaxy Blue - OGN - (2-0)
- (+3) SK Telecom T1 K - OGN - (2-0) SK Telecom T1 K did what they had to do this past week in beating Incredible Miracle #2. After a shaky first game, the team came together and blew the doors off of the IM squad in the second game. T1 K can answer any question about being "back" when they battle Samsung Galaxy Blue with the winner locking up the #1 seed from Group A. Written by Thomas Watts
- (+1) CJ Entus Blaze - OGN - (2-0) Coming off a hard-fought 2:0 victory over MKZ, CJ Entus Blaze are continuing to orient their game around Flame's impeccable laning phase and Daydream's playmaking abilities. Gunza's impressive debut (which netted him two MVP awards) has also injected some life into Blaze's waning fire, and the ex-Samsung support should continue to perform as he grows into his new skin. Yet, their first game was nearly ruined by MKZ's MidKing and his incredible Ziggs play. Whether this indicates surprising strength on the side of MKZ or sloppy play by Blaze remains to be seen, but Blaze should not be getting comfortable yet. Written by Alex Manisier
- (-2) Samsung Galaxy White - OGN - (1-1)
- (-2) Najin White Shield - OGN (1-1) Although NaJin White Shield may still comfortably count themselves among the top five teams in Korea, they will have to put in some serious effort to maintain their position after a worrying 1:1 draw with the Jin Air Falcons. In terms of gameplay, Shield are still a notch above the rest. However, the intelligent strategy and pre-game planning that they were once known for seems to have given way to uninspired drafting and a reliance on comfort picks. If this continues, Shield may find themselves left in the dust of hungrier teams. Written by Alex Manisier
- (+1) CJ Entus Frost - OGN - (2-0)
- (-1) KT Rolster Arrows - OGN - (1-1) The KT Rolster Arrows are still consistently inconsistent. They completely obliterated the Jin Air Green Wings Stealths in game 1 of their series against them, and then got obliterated in game 2. This team has as much potential as any team in the world, but until they learn to play from behind, and play consistently, they'll be looking up at the Korean elite. Written by Thomas Watts
- ( - ) Najin Black Sword - OGN - (2-0)
- (+1) OMG - LPL - (4-2)
Though we don't want to say that 2013 LPL Summer's OMG dream team is back, they displayed a hint of their old innovation and dominance in the set against Invictus Gaming this week. Cool is once again playing assassins, and Drug sets teams on the back foot with unexpected jungle picks. Though they struggled against WE, it's clear they had prepared well for iG, and they're currently in second place in LPL.
Written by Kelsey Moser - (-1) Edward Gaming - LPL - (2-2) Despite sitting in LPL's bottom three, they have had some of the steepest competition so far and have only played two sets against iG and OMG. NaMei's Corki play was questionable, but the team rallied and dominated in their second game against iG. Every top team has their hiccups, and we expect EDG to return to the top after their two sets this weekend. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (+1) Alliance - EU LCS - (10-2)
- (-1) SK Telecom T1 S - OGN - (1-1) SK Telecom T1 S is looking to get out of groups for the first time in an OGN Champions tournament, and they took a step in the right direction with their split against Samsung Galaxy White. Unfortunately, all four teams in Group C have shown that they are competitive, and that anything can happen. T1 S will need more of the magic they produced in game 2 against White to escape. Written by Thomas Watts
- (+2) Invictus Gaming - LPL - (3-3) This weekend, iG beat EDG for the first time. The record against EDG now sits at 8-1, due in large part to Kid. Since PDD's retirement, the team has been groping for a new carry force, and Kid has stepped up brilliantly. His Twitch play throughout last weekend made him a contender among the world's top AD carries. Unfortunately, however, iG revealed their growing pains against OMG and were unable to find a win in that set. They have the potential to climb the power rankings, but for now they're seated below the top ten. Written by Kelsey Moser
- ( - ) KT Rolster Bullets - OGN - (0-2)
- (+2) Counter Logic Gaming - NA LCS - (8-4)
Despite a hard fought victory against LMQ last week, CLG dropped the ball against Curse after a poorly executed Dragon contest by CLG gave Cop a very early Double Kill on Corki. Even though Doublelift's Jinx managed to steal the following Dragon with Zap!, CLG was unable to stop Curse from taking the first Baron of the game. With Cop continuing to rack up kills, CLG was forced permanently on the defensive before Curse closed out the match. Next week proves to be a difficult week for CLG as they face off against long time rivals, TSM, and look to extend their record against Dignitas.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho - ( - ) Team Dignitas - NA LCS (8-4) For Dignitas' promising start to this split, nothing prepared them or their fans for the meltdown they had against compLexity last week. In a stunning upset, Dignitas scored just 1 kill against coL's 14. However, Dignitas' redeeming point of the week was how they defeated TSM without any of their three carries dying. Dignitas have much to prove next week against CLG and LMQ to show that their performance against coL was only a one-time, catastrophic fluke. Written by Jack “NeoIllusions” Ho
- ( - ) SK Gaming - EU LCS - (8-4)
SK Gaming may have lost to Alliance, but they are a clear frontrunner for the #2 spot. With Worlds qualification riding on this split, they could do worse. The team continues to improve from the bottom up, with all of their players performing better than last season.
Written by Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman - (+2) Team WE - LPL - (5-1) World Elite has received some heavy criticism for being unable to close games. Despite this, however, sin, or ActScene, has proven himself to be among the most talented of Korean imports, and he and CaoMei have come out as potent carry forces in times of indecision. Add to that whispers of WeiXiao being "back", and World Elite has a potent formula for success this split. They face StarHorn Royal Club this weekend, and if they can contend with the hype, they're in good stead to remain in first place in the LPL. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (-6) LMQ - NA LCS - (8-4) Having defeated CLG once already this split, LMQ came across a stumbling block this time after multiple team fights resulted with Doublelift cleaning house. From haphazard ganks and initiations from NoName's Jarvan to Mor's Thresh getting picked off, LMQ's loss puts them at 1-1 against CLG. Mor gave a better showing with Braum in their match against Cloud9 in which LMQ's support was a part of a game high 13 assists. Playing against Dignitas and TSM next week, victories against both teams could push LMQ ahead of the pack. Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho
- (-1) Cloud9 - NA LCS - (7-5)
Opening Week 5 with a victory over Curse, Cloud9 ended Day 2 with a loss to LMQ. Despite getting a first pick Kassadin for Hai, C9 were unable to stop XiaoWeiXiao from farming in mid lane where he eventually dominated team fights with his Orianna ball. Meteos had a solid performance with Lee Sin against Curse, a champion he is all too familiar with but he has been unable to find comparable success with Rengar, a champion Meteos has been attempting to figure out for a second week in a row.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho
The Panel:
Alex Manisier - Team Liquid staff writer, OGN expert and President of UTS LoLSoc in Sydney, Australia. Regularly watches all five major leagues.
Andrew "Glyceroll" Whitmore - Covers NA and EU LCS as well as Challenger for lolesports.com and surrenderat20.net. Regularly watches the five major leagues.
Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles - OGN Analyst and Commentator. Season 3 World Championship Analyst, esports veteran.
Frank "Mirhi" Fields - Web Content Editor for lolesports.com. Esports veteran, follows all five major leagues.
Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho - TeamLiquid staff writer. Has covered OGN, NA and EU LCS for TL and lolesports.com. Regularly watches most of the five major leagues.
James "Obscurica" Chen - GPL and SEA expert. Covers GPL for lolesports.com and watches all five major leagues regularly.
Jason "Jayway" Wai - Web Content Coordinator and stats aficionado for lolesports.com. Watches OGN religiously and regularly watches all five major leagues.
Kelsey Moser - GosuGamers senior editor and LPL expert. Covers LPL for lolesports.com. Regularly watches all five major leagues.
Joshua "Jatt" Leesman - Riot Games LCS Analyst and Commentator. Veteran commentator of both Season 2 and Season 3 World Championships.
Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman - League of Legends theorycrafter and statistics nerd turned esports journalist, watches NA/EU religiously and all five major leagues regularly.
Michael "Chexx" Kiefer - German born, Korean resident. TeamLiquid staff writer and Esports veteran. Expert on all things Korea. Regularly watches all five major leagues.
Michael Mooridian - Freelance esports journalist. Specializes in NA & EU LCS and Challenger leagues and follows all five major leagues.
Taylor Cocke - Web Content Coordinator for lolesports.com Watches EU/NA with a passion, follows all other leagues.
Team Inven - Esports veterans and OGN experts. Regularly watch every game of all five major leagues.
Thomas Watts - OGN expert and freelancer for lolesports.com. Veteran college football reporter. Regularly watches most of the five major leagues.
Tyler "Fionn" Erzberger - TeamLiquid staff writer and OGN expert. Esports veteran and Freelancer for lolesports.com. Regularly watches all five major leagues.
Samsung Galaxy White suffered a split with SK Telecom T1 S in their series during the group stage of OGN Champions Summer. It is far too early to say if the loss is the sign of an impending fall for the team, but it is unequivocal that the 1-1 split has blown Group C wide open. Samsung White now faces an Uphill Battle to avoid a tiebreaker against T1 S moving forward.
Written by Thomas Watts
As both CJ Entus teams adjust to the new metagame, Frost's strengths and weaknesses are beginning to shine through their chaotic play. Though they stumbled against BigFile Miracle's stellar early game, Frost overcame early deficits with intelligent vision control and confident play calling to claim a 2:0 victory. Frost will find many similarities in their next opponents, Samsung White, who tend to pull out wins through strong mid-game play rather than aggressive laning phases. As such, this upcoming match will be the one to watch in Group C.
Written by Alex Manisier
Alliance rebounded from their poor Week 4 with a decisive victory over their closest rivals, SK Gaming. Being unseated from the #1 spot is looking less and less like a possibility as they continue to improve in many ways EU teams struggle, most likely thanks to their analyst.
Written by Mattias “Gentleman Gustaf” Lehman
