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Power Rankings - 1/27/2015

Riot·1/27/2015, 11:48:02 PM·0 votes·54,281 views
I shed a tear for Unicorns of Love this week. I'll admit that the UOL hype probably inflated our rankings too much. After their dismantling at the hands of EU LCS reigning champion Elements, it appears as if this pony still has a few tricks to learn. But that's not all we learned after this past week's games. For one thing, the LCS is still a good bit behind its Asian counterparts. For example, consider how teams are handling new king of top lane, Gnar -- there isn't a single Gnar in the LCS that is at the level of even Taipei Assassins' top laner Morning. It's true that the Asian leagues have several weeks of competition under their belts, while the LCS has just begun, but it's worth watching to see whether the West can get back to the level they were during Worlds before the Mid Season Invitational. And with that, onto the regional rankings...

Korea

  1. SKTelecom T1 (3-1) [6-3]
  2. GE Tigers (4-0) [8-1]
  3. Jin Air Green Wings (2-1) [5-3]
  4. CJ Entus (3-1) [6-4]
  5. Najin e-mFire (1-3) [4-6]
  6. KT Rolster (1-3) [3-6]
  7. Incredible Miracle (1-2) [2-4]
  8. Samsung Galaxy (0-4) [1-8]
(Match Score) [Game Score] SKTelecom takes the first regular season spot in Korea despite their loss against CJ Entus. While Najin holds a 1-3 record, their schedule has been brutal, having to face SKT, CJ and Jin Air. GE Tigers primarily is behind SKT because of their one-dimensional team fighting style compared to SKT's diversified strategies. We can only wonder what SKT would look like with a more consistent champion select from head coach kkOma and Faker playing more games. Panel: Alex Manisier, Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles, Tyler "Fionn" Erzberger, and Mike "Noctt" Huh

China

  1. Edward Gaming (3-1)
  2. OMG (4-0)
  3. LGD Gaming (3-1)
  4. Snake (3-0-1)
  5. Team King (1-2-1)
  6. Vici Gaming (1-2-1)
  7. Invictus Gaming (3-1)
  8. Star Horn Royal Club (2-2)
  9. Master3 (2-2)
  10. Gamtee (0-3-1)
  11. Team WE (0-4)
  12. Energy Pacemaker (0-4)
Record format is (W-L-T) EDG tops China right now based on their ability to adapt and diversify their playstyle. OMG has mechanically outplayed all their opponents to an undefeated record, but has been sloppy in most of their wins and have played most of the bottom teams in the league. Meanwhile Snake has rampaged through the LPL until they lost to the much hyped, but until then maligned, Team King. IG, VG and M3 have all had good wins and bad losses leading us to think they will remain inconsistent until they fix some of their synergy issues. Panel: Kelsey Moser, Michale "Drexxin" Lalor, and Ryanne "Froskurinn" Mohr.

North America

  1. Team Liquid (2-0)
  2. Everyone else
We tried. Honestly we tried. Everyone beats everyone, top teams lose to new teams who got crushed by other teams... There is almost nothing to draw from here. Team Liquid is clearly excellent. With a solo queue stand in for world champion Piglet, Liquid was dominant in every aspect of both their games and looks to be the favorite in NA so far. However most other teams have some inconsistencies to shore up. We'll check back in on this next week. Panel: Cameron Gilbert, Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman, Taylor "Riot RoboTayCo" Cocke, Jason "Riot Jayway" Wai, Joshua "Riot Jatt" Leesman, and Frank "Riot Mirhi" Fields.

Europe

  1. SK Gaming (2-0)
  2. Fnatic (2-0)
  3. Elements (1-1)
  4. Team ROCCAT (1-1)
  5. Unicorns of Love (1-1)
  6. Giants Gaming (2-0)
  7. Copenhagen Wolves (1-1)
  8. H2K (0-2)
  9. Gambit Gaming (0-2)
  10. MeetYourMakers (0-2)
I think all of us were a little surprised by SK Gaming and Fnatic. But it seems that El Clásico will be a marquee matchup for some time. However, SK Gaming needs to improve their ward control and Fnatic needs to prove themselves as consistent despite their Week 1 excellence. Meanwhile Elements had a good bounce back win against Unicorns of Love, derailing the hype train. Giants, while 2-0, need to prove themselves against better competition before we jump onto their bandwagon. However, through Week 1 EU looks to be competitive and exciting. Panel: Devin "PiraTechnics" Young, Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman, Taylor "Riot RoboTayCo" Cocke, Jason "Riot Jayway" Wai, and Frank "Riot Mirhi" Fields.

Taiwan

  1. Taipei Assassins (7-0)
  2. Yoe Flash Wolves (6-1)
  3. Hong Kong Esports (5-2)
  4. AHQ e-Sports Club (5-3)
  5. Never Give Up (3-4)
  6. Logitech Snipers (3-5)
  7. Midnight Sun Esports (1-6)
  8. Dream or Reality (0-9)
Taiwan has been more exciting than ever, but fairly straight forward to rank. TPA has been flawless, including impressive wins over all the other top teams. Flash Wolves have been similar, except for their loss to TPA. HKE, as you might have guessed, have only lost to TPA and YFW. The teamfighting in this league has been exceptional from all the best squads, and we can only look forward to LMS's improvement over time as they play against top level competition. Panel: James "Obscurica" Chen and Chia "Reazony" Yu.

International

  1. SKTelecom T1 (3-1)
  2. GE Tigers (4-0)
  3. Edward Gaming (3-1)
  4. OMG (4-0)
  5. LGD Gaming (3-1)
  6. Jin Air Green Wings (2-1)
  7. Snake (3-0-1)
  8. CJ Entus (3-1)
  9. Team King (1-2-1)
  10. Najin e-mFire (1-3)
  11. Vici Gaming (1-2-1)
  12. SK Gaming (2-0)
  13. Team Liquid (2-0)
  14. Invictus Gaming (3-1)
  15. Fnatic (2-0)
  16. Taipei Assassins (7-0)
  17. Yoe Flash Wolves (6-1)
  18. Elements (1-1)
  19. Star Horn Royal Club (2-2)
  20. Hong Kong Esports (5-2)
Yes, that is in fact three LMS teams in the top 20. What you might be surprised to know is that they were almost unanimous choices by our panel. We think the Taiwanese teams have put forth good mechanical skill, average to good ward control and the best team fighting we've seen in the world. If their vision control and mechanics catch up to Korea, they will be scary to play in an international competition. Their new regional league has done a lot for them so far. Cloud9 and TSM will have to do a lot more than lose to Gravity and Team8 if they hope to have international relevance. We weren't willing to give up on Elements after they lost to a very strong Fnatic team and came back against Unicorns of Love -- but consider them on watch. We halted our love for UOL for the moment, until they get more wins against great teams, or at least develop better consistency after their no-show performance against Elements. The top of Korea maintains a slight edge over China on the backs of their consistency and vision control, but the gap is very small. As evident, a fairly similar number of Chinese and Korean teams litter the top 10. Let us know what you think of the rankings, write your own, and give us feedback on things to improve either on Twitter or in the comments below. Images courtesy of CGA and Garena

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51 Comments

ZeroAnarchy1/28/2015, 12:57:58 AM10 votes

If we are basing this off the first week, Elements doesn't really deserve to be there along with TSM and C9, they got smashed by a completely new team and beat a reletively new team to the LCS.

ShadowLord3001/28/2015, 2:59:06 AM4 votes

Hai is the only reason that C9 is losing their games. Sneaky only died 3 times in their 2 losses, and balls had a positive kda coming out of the laning phase both times. If Meteos improves his picking and Hai drasticly improves performance, C9 will be back on top of the NA LCS. I also think their coach will get them back in form with lots of scrim time. RIP Sneaky and Meteos's stream :(

MimiDivine1/28/2015, 2:13:51 AM4 votes

Fnatic look real good with their new roster

turtlesparfait1/28/2015, 12:26:02 AM3 votes

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SmashKingDex1/28/2015, 3:24:50 PM3 votes

How does a team that started their season 7-0 get ranked 16th?...summoner 3

Tarkamacska1/28/2015, 7:22:35 PM2 votes

I have dream when the Taiwan/Taipei hype will be over. Srsly, im not a LCS hyper but this ,,no Gnar is as good as Taipei Gnar. blah blah,, thing is a bit dumb. Very dumb. Taiwan isnt a strong region.

míkó1/28/2015, 12:54:41 AM2 votes

C9 is officially the worst team NA XD...finally they show their true colors.

fsis11111/28/2015, 2:20:33 AM2 votes

None of western team made to top 10.. GG

Riot jayway1/30/2015, 3:22:42 AM1 votes

My personal NA LCS rankings (Note: this is not the NA panel's)

  1. TL - Solid play from Dominate and Xpecial secure them the top spot. Keith filled in fine for Piglet (who returns Wk 2). Fenix on watch; had weak laning vs XWX, curious how he'll do against other lane-dominant mids (see Bjergsen)

  2. CLG - Aphromoo almost carried them back into the game vs TL. More or less rolled T8. No zionspartan makes a rather large difference in opposing teams' gameplans. Could swap with TSM, but CLG > T8 > TSM.

  3. TSM - Live and die by Bjergsen. This clearly showed in Week 1's games. Solo'd Hai in the c9 game and snowballed from there. Against T8, Santorin camped mid, but Slooshi8 fought through and crushed with Orianna. Giving them benefit of the doubt. Need other players to step up. Will be in trouble if it's just the Bjergsen Show.

  4. TIP - Rush overextended in game against TL and had a few costly errors. He held back against Dignitas in a much cleaner game. Rhux/Apollo played well, team gets Impact back for Week 2. Rush, the primary shotcaller, is the big sleeper here.

  5. Gravity - Dismal against WFX due to a really fed Fizz + camp on Keane in mid lane. Solid backline dives against C9 and took advantage of C9's immobility.

  6. Cloud 9 - Solid leads in early game against both TSM/GV. Sneaky looks great, rest of roster appeared to have hit their ceilings. Going to err on side of caution and not underestimate them despite the 0-2. Could definitely drop next week pending performance.

  7. Coast - Big lead against Dig thrown away ultimately during a poor Baron call. Impaler looks good, Cris played well. Smart ganks against Flaresz during WFX games. Want to put them over C9, but loss against Dig is a blemish.

  8. Team 8 - Destroyed by Gnarvan wombo against CLG, stayed tough against TSM. Strength of schedule gives them the nod over WFX. If they can consistently repeat their Week 1 performance against TSM, will bump these guys up.

  9. WFX - Rolled over Gravity but somewhat slow to close-out the game. Dropped to CST in equally convincing fashion. Needs more polish, will eventually get Avalon/Helios/Imagine in starting roster. I expect these guys to climb.

  10. Dignitas - Barely scratched by CST, trampled by a very controlled TIP teamfight comp. Crumbzz needs to make a bigger impact next week to snowball his carries/solos.

juniorbean12341/28/2015, 3:15:17 AM1 votes

yoe flash wolves... many of the "top teams" may be prevalent in their own region, but internationally are very poor in potential power and performance

Knightz Templar1/28/2015, 3:23:32 PM1 votes

PawN will pick up at the invitational where he left off last year at the last tournament he played, Worlds. Solo killing/dominating all mid laners, and being everywhere on the map. Also can't wait for the date to draw closer and Faker gets the full time start (unless the unlikely event that SKT is actually unsure who they want to start becomes reality).

Smart Kitty1/28/2015, 4:24:32 PM1 votes

Glad to see how much the Tiger's ranking has boosted, but I don't think TPA should've been higher than FNC

Fusionskraftwerk1/28/2015, 4:27:29 PM1 votes

Sk on first place in EU LCS? Based on the first week, FNC should be there. Sure, we don't know how they'll perfom later on, but from what I've seen, they're (unfortunately) at least just as good as SK. Although SK surely is one of the best European teams right now, a fact I really like :)

Abers1/30/2015, 1:16:44 AM1 votes

I like this new ranking format!

SimplyTilted1/28/2015, 12:10:02 AM1 votes

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The Cheesefry1/28/2015, 7:16:34 PM1 votes

Team liquid is hands down the best team in NA right now and with the addition of Piglet next week im predicting a 2-0 over TSM and C9 as much as I love Cloud 9 when you put Xspecial with a godlike ADC like Piglet only good things will happen, also the supposed week link in their team is the one who carried them last week. All 5 members played ridiculously well and they are only going to get better.

Eleshakai1/28/2015, 7:46:40 PM1 votes

There's a surprising lack of interesting insight in this week's power rankings. I hope that's due to the season being so new(which, honestly, is what I suspect the reason is) and is not an indication of what to expect from this series going forward.

The NA one didn't even have any discussion of what the teams were doing... just 'they're equal'. Don't get me wrong, I agree... the playing field in NA looks incredibly even, although I'd say Gravity is looking pretty bad overall, with their second game seeming more like a fluke than a sign of things to come, but we'll have to see... but just because they're all 'even' doesn't mean there isn't stuff you could have written about. But I guess with it being this early it's understandable for you guys to want to take the easy way out.

RuneWarp1/29/2015, 12:19:27 AM1 votes

So… cloud 9 went from 6 to above 20? Please hire new people. Cloud 9 is not good enough to be 6 and not bad enough to be above 20.

Killer X 121/29/2015, 1:04:13 AM1 votes

I dislike your NA rankings. As someone who did watch the games, and someone familiar with out rankings of this type works i am disappointed. At least half of the NA teams could beat Team Liquid under favorable conditions...and any of them can beat any other one under certain conditions. Your job when ranking isn't supposed to be "oh well anyone can beat anyone..because 80% of the teams are 1-1." Your job when ranking is taking those performances and analyzing the strengths of every single player and every single team and how those players work together and compare them to each other.

The any team can beat any team can apply to literally anything. Have we forgotten C9 and TSM in their games last year at worlds? They were certainly the worse team and could and WERE ranked lower than the Samsung teams...but they took a game. Just because some teams lost (c9) and some teams won (the rest of them) doesn't mean you couldn't actually make a list of the order of team strength. At the VERY LEAST you could of done the top 3 and then said "the rest."

All that being said, i dont' think Team Liquid should be above Fanatic. While i'm part of that NA>EU bullshit, i do think that Fanatic beat better teams.

While i think Elements (formerly Alliance) is going to be great, i don't think they are great right now. I was very unimpressed when watching their games...and again i'm surprised they are on your top 20 teams.

Finally...poor TA. 7-0 and still worse than most teams in the world. lol Dat weak region tho.

poperofdeath1/29/2015, 1:27:27 AM1 votes

WHAT TL 13?!?!?!?! Chogath eating that!

Centric1/29/2015, 7:48:57 PM1 votes

http://fantasy.lolesports.com/share/join/league/644214/WpP4MX4sWxTULwEfWMFM 8 Teams, 1 spot remaining, draft today and tomorrow 5PM EST.

Golthurnahl1/28/2015, 6:58:30 PM

Team Liquid is theoretically undefeatable.

If you take the results of the first ten matches that have been played, and you assume that if team A beat team B and team B beat team C, then team A should be able to beat team C, TL should win against every other NA LCS team based on the matches so far.

Golthurnahl1/28/2015, 6:58:08 PM

Team Liquid is theoretically undefeatable.

If you take the results of the first ten matches that have been played, and you assume that if team A beat team B and team B beat team C, then team A should be able to beat team C, TL should win against every other NA LCS team based on the matches so far.