Power Rankings - 2/17/2015

Mistakes have been made with Snake. We all agree that Snake will likely eventually be overtaken by teams with higher upside. But Snake is regularly outperforming teams and playing at their peak every night. Once teams figured out their synergy issues, it's possible they will be better than Snake, but it remains to be seen. Along with Snake, we have some dramatic changes in the international rankings (more on that later). Domestically, the middle ranks of China, North America, and Europe have all shifted, but are relatively stable at the top -- seems like maybe IEM and MSI will be as action packed as we hoped. Finally, like last week, we have a new addition to the Power Rankings. From now on we will have Japan represented. Again, we don't anticipate them making it into the top 20, but we won't rule it out. We'll be adding more regions on a regular basis -- let us know in the comments which regions you'd like to see added next. Let's dive in and see what changed since last time.

Korea

1. GE Tigers (7-0) [14-2]
2. SKTelecom T1 (4-3) [9-7]
3. Jin Air Green Wings (4-3) [11-7]
4. CJ Entus (5-2) [10-7]
5. Najin e-mFire (3-4) [8-9]
6. KT Rolster (2-5) [5-11]
7. Incredible Miracle (3-4) [7-9]
8. Samsung Galaxy (0-7) [2-14]

(Match Score) [Game Score] Last week featured one of the marquee matchups in Korea that fans have been waiting for -- SKTelecom T1 vs GE Tigers. Although the Tigers came out on top in three close games and kept their match record unblemished, SKT pushed GE Tigers to the limit. Taking this into account with their recent performance, we had to acknowledge that SKT is probably No. 2 in Korea right now. Meanwhile, Jin Air had another slip up after losing to KT Rolster. We decided not to drop them in the Korean regional rankings, but they do drop significantly internationally because of this (more on that later). Unfortunately CJ Entus remains at No. 4 despite their 5-2 record. CJ's consistency has been stellar in comparison to Jin Air, but the peak play of Jin Air has proven to be higher than even SKT, so Jin Air remains ahead despite their inconsistencies. Panel: Alex Manisier, Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles, and Mike "Noctt" Huh

China

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

Record format is (W-L-T) While the top four in China remain the same (similar to Korea), they are trending upwards internationally. As previously mentioned, Snake has gotten the short end of the stick. They are thus far the only team to beat EDG and all their game losses are to other teams in the top half of the league (bar King, another sad story). So while they don't climb above OMG or LGD, they look very strong while other teams still are getting their feet under them. King on the other hand are in free fall. Apart from an upset win over LGD, they have not adapted well to the LPL meta game. Vici seem to be on the up-and-up and we'll have to see if they finally can become an elite team, and not just one with two former world champs. Panel: Barento "Raz" Mohammed, Michale "Drexxin" Lalor, and Ryanne "Froskurinn" Mohr.

North America

1. Team SoloMid (7-1)
2. Counter Logic Gaming (6-2)
3. Cloud9 (4-4)
4. Gravity (4-4)
5. Winterfox (4-4)
6. Team Impulse (4-4)
7. Team Liquid (4-4)
8. Team Dignitas (3-5)
9. Team8 (3-5)
10. Team Coast (1-7)

Well, it happened. TSM vs CLG was everything we hoped it would be and more. CLG looked like the better team for most of the game, and then the barrage of throws happened. Even TSM team members and Coach Choi "LocoDoco" Yoon-sub admitted that TSM was outplayed most of the game. Because of that, it's still almost impossible to separate these teams. We can firmly say that the middle of North America is a snafu of epic proportions. We aren't 100% confident in the other of the teams, but we think that Cloud9 has had the best play of any of these teams, while still being wildly inconsistent. You might call them the Jin Air of North America. Regardless, everyone has a long way to catch up to TSM and CLG. It's a two horse race in NA. 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 (8-0)
2. Fnatic (6-2)
3. Unicorns of Love (5-3)
4. Elements (4-4)
5. Copenhagen Wolves (4-4)
6. H2K (4-4)
7. Gambit Gaming (3-5)
8. Team ROCCAT (3-5)
9. Giants Gaming (2-6)
10. MeetYourMakers (1-7)

Speaking of horses, suddenly Unicorns of Love are now third best team in Europe. While we don't feel great about this almost no team has stood out besides UOL. Mid laner Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage is starting to look like a true superstar, especially after he gave Erlend "NukeDuck" Våtevik Holm the business in the Unicorns' dominant win over ROCCAT. The Wolves are clearly on the upswing, and Elements, as we feared, are in trouble. We have a clearer picture in Europe than in North America, but there are still a lot of things that could happen. Fnatic plays SK Gaming this coming week, and a Fnatic win could throw a wrench into SK's dream of an undefeated LCS season. However with a win, SK would have beaten every team in Europe and be half way to running the table. While we don't comment too much on the bottom teams, it's possible Gambit is back. Kristoffer "P1noy" Albao Lund Pedersen has played like a top tier ADC and Danil "Diamondprox" Reshetnikov looks like he's finally comfortable again. With some improvement, Gambit might be able to make a run at playoffs. 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 (9-1)
2. Taipei Assassins (11-1)
3. Hong Kong Esports (8-3)
4. AHQ e-Sports Club (7-5)
5. Midnight Sun Esports (3-9)
6. Logitech Snipers (5-6)
7. Never Give Up (4-8)
8. Dream or Reality (0-14)

After IEM Taipei, we thought YFW was the best team in Taiwan because of their ability to rattle off three consecutive wins to defeat TPA 3-2. Now it seems that they've proven it at home as well. In a relatively easy game, the Flash Wolves were able to squeeze TPA out of the game to take home their ninth win of the season. Meanwhile HKE looks to improve after swapping Shiue "DinTer" Hong-Wei out for Lee "Smurph" Tae-gyeong, but still haven't quite come together as a team. Panel: James "Obscurica" Chen and Chia "Reazony" Yu.

Brazil

1. INTZ e-Sports (3-0-2)
2. Keyd Stars (3-0-2)
3. paiN Gaming (2-0-3)
4. CNB e-Sports Club (2-2-1)
5. KaBuM! Black (1-0-4)
6. KaBuM! Orange (1-3-1)
7. Dexterity Team (1-4)
8. JAYOB e-Sports (0-4-1)

Record format is (W-L-T) While it was a turbulent week off of the rift for some -- JAYOB e-Sports were penalized 2 points for an AD carry substitution, effectively slating them for relegation -- Brazil’s top teams got the job done against their opponents, maintaining last week’s ranking. INTZ and paiN both looked particularly strong against Dexterity and KaBuM! Orange respectively, with paiN showing a newly found team synergy in Week 5 that their previous game play had lacked. The largest mystery in Brazil remains KaBuM! Black, who would be at seven points with a 6-4 winning record were it not for their initial four-point penalty. At times they are the best teamfighting team in Brazil, but appear unable to overcome a penchant for splitting their sets, going 1-1 against the steadily-improving CNB e-Sports Club. Written by Emily Rand Panel: Emily Rand

Japan

1. DetonatioN FocusMe (3-1)
2. DetonatioN RabbitFive (4-0)
3. 7th Heaven (3-1)
4. Rascal Jester (1-3)
5. Ozone Rampage (1-3)
6. Salvage Javelin (0-4)

We're four weeks into the LJL now, and there's an obvious rift between the top and bottom three teams. Last season's runner-up Rascal Jester and long-time contender Ozone Rampage have fallen far short of expectations, and Salvage Javelin hasn't as of yet been able to put together a single win. 7th heaven is the real surprise: though they're a newcomer team that only made it into the league at all because another team bowed out, they've shown strong teamfighting and individual lane performances. The two DetonatioN squads sit on top of the ranking for good reason, however. RabbitFive is the only undefeated team left in the league, but they've struggled in many of their wins and still need to work on closing out won games. By contrast, every single one of FocusMe's wins have been one-sided stomps and after their lone loss to 7th heaven, they came back to crush them 2-0 in the online JCG Grand Championship semifinal right afterward. The two teams will face off for the first time this year during this week's matches, and then again in the JCG Grand Championship finals the next day. If RabbitFive is able to take down FocusMe, they'll have proven they deserve to jump the reigning champs. Panel: Cameron Gilbert

International

1. GE Tigers (7-0)
2. Edward Gaming (9-1)
3. SKTelecom T1 (4-3)
4. OMG (6-0-4)
5. LGD Gaming (5-3-2)
6. Snake (6-0-4)
7. Jin Air Green Wings (4-3)
8. SK Gaming (8-0)
9. CJ Entus (5-2)
10. Invictus Gaming (5-3-3)
11. Najin e-mFire (2-4)
12. Vici Gaming (3-3-4)
13. Star Horn Royal Club (3-5-2)
14. Team SoloMid (7-1)
15. Counter Logic Gaming (6-2)
16. Fnatic (6-2)
17. Yoe Flash Wolves (9-1)
18. Taipei Assassins (11-1)
19. KT Rolster (2-5)
20. Unicorns of Love (5-3)

GE Tigers remain a perfect team in Korea. However we see China making a climb in both LGD and Snake who have shown improvement over time and a lack of vulnerabilities we see in some of the other Asian squads. Jin Air cannot remain as inconsistent as they are if they hope to be an elite team. While Korea has a one week break, we'll see if CJ Entus or Jin Air come out better on the other side. I think at this point it's safe to say Unicorns of Love are the real deal. European players all felt that ROCCAT was in the top four teams until this week when Unicorns of Love systematically destroyed them, and Elements fell hard. It seems that for now SK Gaming, Fnatic and Unicorns have a hold on EU. 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, CGA, Garena, ESL, SANKO and INTZ e-Sports

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