Power Rankings - 4/7/2015

Sometimes potential is just that. With the LCS Playoffs getting down to only the elite teams of the region and LCK winding down to their playoffs, the real competition is about to begin. All season we've heard promises of lineup potential and that when matches really matter we'll get to see what a lineup can really do. In Champions Korea, many held greater hopes in Jin Air Green Wings, while Counter Logic Gaming fans in North America held out hopes for their lineup finally playing to the strength of their on paper roster. Sometime, though, things don't have a storybook ending.

Korea

1. GE Tigers (12-1) [25-4]
2. SKTelecom T1 (10-3) [21-9]
3. CJ Entus (9-4) [18-12]
4. Jin Air Green Wings (7-6) [17-13]
5. KT Rolster (5-8) [13-18]
6. NaJin e-mFire (5-8) [13-17]
7. Samsung Galaxy (1-12) [4-25]
8. Incredible Miracle (3-10) [8-21]

(Match Score) [Game Score] Throughout the entire season, the Korea panel has held onto Jin Air Green Wings upside and their ceiling as a reason for rating them as high as No. 2, and generally over CJ Entus. CJ has been the more consistent team throughout the season, while Jin Air has both upset top teams and been upset by teams below them. However, the window is quickly shutting on their chance to surprise teams as they lost 2-0 to CJ Entus in Week 11. Unfortunately for them, Jin Air will have the GE Tigers waiting for them, and while we've seen GE suffer some upsets, it would take something extraordinary for them to lose in a Best of 5. Panel: Alex Manisier, Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles, and Mike "Noctt" Huh

China

1. Edward Gaming (14-1-4)
2. Vici Gaming (7-3-10)
3. Snake (9-2-10)
4. OMG (8-1-11)
5. Invictus Gaming (7-6-7)
6. LGD Gaming (6-4-9)
7. Team WE (3-8-10)
8. Team King (5-7-9)
9. Master3 (4-8-8)
10. Qiao Gu (4-0-2)
11. Star Horn Royal Club (5-11-4)
12. Gamtee (1-8-10)
13. Energy Pacemaker (1-11-8)

Record format is (W-L-T) China is a mess. In addition to team's experimenting and troll picking because of an inordinately long 44 game season, teams seem to no longer care about seeding, particularly when it comes with the potential of facing feared No. 1 Edward Gaming. Because of all these factors and more, it's hard to rate most of the teams in China. For one thing though, the panel and I are sick of trying to figure out which teams are trying and not -- it simply doesn't matter. For quite a while now we've thought Vici would eventually become the No. 2 team in China, and I think we've arrived at that time. They look like a complete team that is improving dramatically week to week. Meanwhile Invictus Gaming, fresh off their second place in Demacia Cup, dropped 0-2 to Team King. A flurry of other random game drops have lowered and raised many teams accordingly, including OMG dropping a game to Energy Pacemaker. Only one thing is certain, EDG is really good. Panel: Barento "Raz" Mohammed, Michale "Drexxin" Lalor, and Carlos "H0tsawce" Bravo.

North America

1. Team SoloMid (13-5)
2. Cloud9 (12-6)
3. Team Impulse (11-7)
4. Team Liquid (9-9)
5. Counter Logic Gaming (12-6)
6. Gravity (10-8)

R.I.P. CLG Golden Age, 2015-2015. After being firmly in second place all the way until the final week, CLG found a quick 3-0 exit from the playoffs at the hand of the regular season 50% win rate Team Liquid. It's hard not to pile on, but I'll resist the urge and give Team Liquid credit for coming together as a team. They looked extremely impressive, especially Piglet, who dominated in all three games after a very rough split. In the other Quarterfinal, Team Impulse only had a minor bump in the road against Gravity before steam rolling their way through in the majority of the games. Rush was key in applying pressure early to lanes and dominated the early game flow every time. In the upcoming Semifinals, there are possible upsets on both sides of the bracket. Impulse has been on the rise for several weeks now with both great mechanical and team play, and will play against TSM who has shown its own weaknesses in the early game that TiP may be able to capitalize on. Meanwhile, after closing out CLG, Team Liquid looks like their skill ceiling is higher than we initially realized, and may be able to take down Cloud9, who look oddly skill capped aside from their ADC Sneaky. 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 (15-3)
2. Fnatic (13-5)
3. H2K (12-6)
4. Unicorns of Love (9-9)
5. Gambit Gaming (10-8)
6. Copenhagen Wolves (8-10)

Europe went more straight forward than North America. H2K stomped their way through Copenhagen Wolves, and after a rough first game, Unicorns of Love's versatility prevailed against Gambit Gaming. It was an interesting step for UOL, as they haven't handled adversity this season particularly well, going up and down the standings each week. Perhaps they will be able to react to Best of 5s better than initially thought. While it's hard to imagine Unicorns of Love beating the unconquerable SK Gaming (and of course, anything is possible), its very plausible for H2K to upset Fnatic. Only a few weeks ago, many analysts and casters hailed H2K as the best team in the region. If they can regain that form again with the help of the EU LCS Spring Split's best coach Pr0lly, they may find themselves in the Final. Panel: Devin "PiraTechnics" Young, Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman, Taylor "Riot RoboTayCo" Cocke, Jason "Riot Jayway" Wai, and Frank "Riot Mirhi" Fields.

Taiwan

1. Yoe Flash Wolves (19-2)
2. Hong Kong Esports (15-6)
3. Taipei Assassins (17-4)
4. AHQ e-Sports Club (13-8)

Taiwan is still off until their Regional Playoffs that begin next week. Make sure to catch the stream when matches begin April 10 3:00am Pacific Time or 12:00 CEST. Panel: James "Obscurica" Chen and Chia "Reazony" Yu.

Brazil

1. INTZ e-Sports (5-0-2)
2. Keyd Stars (5-0-2)
3. paiN Gaming (2-0-5)
4. KaBuM! Black (1-2-4)

Record format is (W-L-T) While Brazil's top two teams, INTZ and Keyd, wait for their upcoming finals match in two weeks, paiN Gaming and KaBuM! e-Sports Black met this past weekend to decide third and fourth place for the first CBLoL split. After a grueling 3-2 series, paiN Gaming earned the third place spot, bumping KaBuM! Black solidly into fourth place. PaiN's experience and vastly superior early game won them the series, as they out-maneuvered Black. KaBuM! Black showed some interesting things, including a knock-up based AD Yasuo composition with Gnar, Sejuani, Cho'Gath, and Janna that showcased the team's 5v5 teamfighting prowess. Both teams now enter the offseason with plenty to work on. Written by Emily Rand Panel: Emily Rand

Japan

1. DetonatioN FocusMe - Champion
2. DetonatioN RabbitFive - Finalist
3. 7th Heaven - Semifinalist

Japan's champions DetonatioN FocusMe are actually set to boot camp in the United States in preparation for the International Wild Card Invitational. It's been confirmed they will be scrimming against perennial North American powers Cloud9 and possibly TSM. Though Det.FM are no strangers to the NA server, many players having accounts in Diamond 1, we may get some insight into their actual skill when playing with less than 150 ping. Written by Cameron Gilbert Panel: Cameron Gilbert

Latin America

1. Lyon Gaming (8-3)
2. KLG (9-3)
3. Furious Gaming (10-2)
4. Dash9 Gaming (7-4)
5. Bencheados (5-6)
6. Last Kings (6-5)
7. Revenge esports (5-6)
8. Gaming Gaming (5-6)

The Latin American finals will begin in Santiago de Chile on Saturday, April 11 with KLG facing off against Lyon Gaming. There’s a lot of anticipation for this match as KLG will have home field advantage over Lyon, who won’t be a stranger to this situation, particularly considering this is a rematch from last year’s split finals. Back in 2014 a very similar Lyon defeated a very different KLG. This time the Chileans are ready for some payback after revamping their roster, opening a gaming house, and hiring coaches. The match holds an interesting dynamic of regional styles. KLG does most of their scrimming against Brazilian teams from CBLoL, while Lyon is known for training mostly against NA Challenger teams and, sometimes, against teams from the LCS. Make sure to follow the action this Saturday as KLG takes on Lyon Gaming for the Latin American Cup. Make sure to tune into the LAN Finals at 6:00pm Pacific Time on Twitch. Written by Erick “Skyshock” Gonzalez Panel: Erick "Skyshock" Gonzalez

CIS

1. Moscow 5 (13-1)
2. Virtus.Pro (10-4)
3. Hard Random (7-7)
4. Glacial Phoenix (5-9)
5. Carpe Dien (7-7)
6. RoX.KIS (8-6)
7. Internationally V (4-10)
8. Team Just (2-12)

CIS was off this week in preparation for their offline Playoffs that begin Friday April 10 at 7:00am Pacific Time or 16:00 CEST. Moscow 5 will take on Hard Random, while Virtus.pro takes on Glacial Phoenix. Make sure to catch the finals on Twitch. Written by Michael "Olsior" Zverev Panel: Michael "Olsior" Zverev

Turkey

1. Beşiktaş (12-2)
2. Dark Passage (11-3)
3. HWA Gaming (11-3)
4. Atlas (6-8)
5. Team Turquality (5-9)
6. NumberOne eSports (5-9)
7. BPI Phoenix (4-10)
8. ZONE eSports (2-12)

Beşiktaş were crowned the Winter Split Champions after defeating former champions Dark Passage without dropping a single game. This secured their spot for IWCI 2015 and has raised the stakes for Summer Split, when a spot at Worlds will be up for grabs. Team captain Berke “Thaldrin” Demir won the finals most valuable player award with his strong top-lane performance. Turkish Winter Split champions now look forward to win the International Wildcard Invitational, which will be held in İstanbul, and take a chance against the best of the best in MSI. Written by Kursad Demirer Panel: Kursad Demirer, Christopher Willekens

Oceania

1. Chiefs eSports Club (13-1)
2. Dire Wolves (11-3)
3. Legacy eSports (9-5)
4. Team Immunity (7-7)

The Dire Wolves shook things up in the Oceanic Pro League as they overcame their late-season slump to claim a 3-1 victory over Legacy eSports in the Semifinals. Though they came in as underdogs against the more experienced Legacy side, the Wolves managed to transfer their regular season success into a Best of 5 situation and qualify for the OPL Final. Meanwhile, it was business as usual for Chiefs eSports Club as they handily dispatched of Team Immunity in three convincing games. The Chiefs are coming into the Final as the clear favorites, but the Dire Wolves have a penchant for upsets. Their snowballing style may just be what it takes to defeat the Chiefs. Written by Alex Manisier Panel: Alex Manisier

International

1. Edward Gaming (14-1-4)
2. GE Tigers (12-1)
3. SKTelecom T1 (10-3)
4. Vici Gaming (7-3-10)
5. CJ Entus (9-4)
6. Snake (9-2-10)
7. Team SoloMid (13-5)
8. OMG (8-1-11)
9. Invictus Gaming (7-6-7)
10. Jin Air Green Wings (7-6)
11. Cloud9 (12-6)
12. Yoe Flash Wolves (19-2)
13. SK Gaming (15-3)
14. Team Impulse (11-7)
15. Fnatic (13-5)
16. Hong Kong Esports (15-6)
17. H2K (12-6)
18. KT Rolster (5-8)
19. Taipei Assassins (17-4)
20. LGD Gaming (6-4-9)

The top three teams remain stable for the third consecutive week, but among the rest of the top 10 there is a bit of turnover. It's hard to gauge the relationship between CJ Entus, Jin Air Green Wings and the rest of the top 10. Realistically, I still believe most of the top 10 would be capable of upsetting one another, and the gap between teams in general is low even beyond that. Because of that, and because of team's inconsistency (particularly in China), it's hard to compare internationally. At the bottom of the rankings, we've been able to clear out some space because of poor Playoff showings, and KT Rolster's revitalization in the second half of the season. Taipei Assassins, who haven't played in several weeks, now occupy one of the latter spots because of the collapses of teams like Counter Logic Gaming. 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 Inven, Garena, SANKO, INTZ e-Sports, and Lyon Gaming Frank Fields is a Senior Editor for Riot Games' Esports Web Content team. You'll find him missing flash charms and trying to get carried in Diamond... or on Twitter where he'd love to talk to you about esports.

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