Power Rankings - Week 16
Riot·5/14/2014, 11:38:15 PM·2 votes·4,299 views
Welcome to Week 16 of Lolesports Power Rankings.
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)
- Najin White Shield (+2)
- Samsung Galaxy Blue (+3)
- Samsung Galaxy Ozone (-2)
- CJ Entus Blaze ( - )
- SK Telecom T1 K (+1)
- KT Rolster Arrows (+1)
- Najin Black Sword (+3)
- OMG (-6)
- KT Rolster Bullets ( - )
- CJ Entus Frost (+7)
- Cloud 9 (-3)
- SK Telecom T1 S (+2)
- Edward Gaming (-2)
- Fnatic (-1)
- Team SoloMid ( - )
- SK Gaming ( - )
- Taipei Assassins (-5)
- Counter Logic Gaming (NEW)
- Team WE (+1)
- ROCCAT (-1)
- (+2) Najin White Shield - [7] - OGN Champions - (11-5)
Months of hard work have finally paid off for NaJin White Shield, as they find themselves in their first ever Champions grand final. Their path to success can be tracked through history, a path carved by intelligent roster changes by NaJin management, as well as breathtaking improvement from solo laners Save and Ggoong. With their grand final match against Samsung Blue on the horizon, however, Shield cannot rest on their laurels. Their flawed laning ability and sloppy vision control when behind has caused them to drop games, and this will need to be fixed if they are to claim the recently-abdicated throne in Korea.
Written by Alex Manisier - (+3) Samsung Galaxy Blue - [1] - OGN Champions - (11-3) Samsung Galaxy Blue finds themselves as the most unlikely of finalists after upsetting sister team Samsung Galaxy Ozone in the semifinals of Champions Spring. The recent patches have done wonders for mid laner dade, but he will face a very tough challenge from Ggoong and NaJin White Shield in the finals Written by Thomas Watts
- (-2) Samsung Galaxy Ozone - [4] - OGN Champions - (9-4)
Samsung Galaxy Ozone fell 3-1 to sister team Samsung Galaxy Blue in the semifinals of OGN Champions Spring 2014. Up until that point, however, they were the odds-on favorite to win the entire tournament. Ozone will have to content themselves with a shot at third place against CJ Entus Blaze.
Written by Thomas Watts - ( - ) CJ Entus Blaze - OGN Champions - (10-5) Springtime in Korea has become something of a nightmare for CJ Entus Blaze, especially after their blind pick loss at the hands of NaJin White Shield. Blaze know better than any other team what it is like to taste victory, before having it snatched away in the cutthroat world of Korean League of Legends. After all, this was meant to be their season. Yet, Ambition's decision to pick LeBlanc was completely and utterly punished by Ggoong's superior instincts on the mirror matcheed Deceiver, ending their dream run before its completion. It's hard to see how Blaze can improve to become a championship team, but the first step will be cleaning up their mistakes. Written by Alex Manisier
- (+1) SK Telecom T1 K - OGN Champions - (5-6) | All-Star Invitational Champions
What a week for SK Telecom T1 K. Only a week ago they were slumping and vulnerable in the OGN. However, they then went on to dominate All-Star 2014 with a 9-0 record, and returned home to obliterate a wounded KT Rolster Bullets to take third place in NLB. It is too early to say that SKT completely has their confidence back, but they are certainly rounding back into the terrifying form they had during their undefeated Champions Winter run.
Written by Thomas Watts - (+1) KT Rolster Arrows - OGN Champions - (5-5) The KT Rolster Arrows only had a brief visit to the bigfile NLB spring 2014 tournament before they were knocked aside by NaJin Black Sword in the quarterfinals. The 2-1 defeat does take some luster off of their Champions season, but the Arrows still have one of the highest skill ceilings in the world. It will be a major part of jungler KaKAO's job to continue to develop the young talent the Arrows possess in mid lane (Rookie) and top lane (ssumday). Written by Thomas Watts
- (+3) Najin Black Sword - OGN Champions - (3-3) NaJin Black Sword may well be Korea's most confusing team, lacking a consistent profile and playstyle ever since MakNooN abandoned his Champions-winning brainchild in favor of greener pastures. Marred by health issues, internal disagreements and emergency roster changes, it is fair to say that Sword have a slew undiagnosed problems. Yet, they have not crumbled, as they prepare for their fourth NLB grand final in a row, an impressive feat given the level of competition in Korea. As they constantly flip between being 'just good enough' and being potential champions, there are no fair predictions to be made - at least until they solidify as a team. Written by Alex Manisier
- (-6) OMG - LPL - (24-2)
After a handy defeat at the hands of SK Telecom T1 K, OMG announced to their fans that they have learned a lot from the competition—and it shows. Just the improvement in their warding techniques between Day 1 and Day 3 of All-Stars is astonishing. They've certainly taken a fall from second place, but we have hopes they could rise again.
Written by Kelsey Moser - ( - ) KT Rolster Bullets - OGN Champions - (4-2) The KT Rolster Bullets are heading for a big change. They have to replace jungler inSec who has decided to step away from professional League of Legends. The first choice, pulling substitute Zero into the jungle, was a failure. SK Telecom T1 K swept the Bullets during the 3rd/4th place best-of-five of the NLB spring 2014 tournament while Zero was in the jungle. Who KT B picks up to fill inSec's shoes will be a major storyline heading into Champions Summer 2014. Written by Thomas Watts
- (+7) CJ Entus Frost - OGN Champions - (5-5)
It's been a long time coming for CJ Entus Frost, but their NLB grand final match against NaJin Black Sword will be their first real opportunity to test out their new, finally-solidified roster. Few expected Frost to win Champions with a new jungler and mid laner, but their adjustment period has concluded, and Frost is finally ready to begin improving as a new team with a new image. The journey will be slow, as NaJin White Shield and the KT Arrows have shown us, but Frost do have some potential hope in Shy and MadLife, who will travel home rejuvenated after a fun weekend at All-Star Paris.
Written by Alex Manisier - (-3) Cloud 9 - Defending NA LCS Champions
The NA representatives at All-Star, Cloud 9 made a strong showing at Paris despite the absence of their team captain and mid lane, Hai. However with the impromptu substitution of CLG's Link filling in for Hai, C9 took a surprising No. 2 finish at the end of the group stage, dropping only a single match - against future tournament champions SKT T1 K. Unable to continue their hot streak, C9's All-Star run was cut short after a 0-2 loss to OMG in the semifinals. For what it's worth, All-Star was an important learning experience for C9. Being challenged by some of the best teams from the east will undoubtedly give C9 plenty to reflect upon as they prepare themselves for the upcoming summer split.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho - (+2) SK Telecom T1 S - OGN Champions - (3-4)
- (-2) Edward Gaming - LPL - (18-6) Edward Gaming may not have shown at All-Stars, but they defeated OMG at the International Esports Tournament finals in a 2-0 series. While this only brings their head-to-head record to 4-2 in favor of OMG, Edward Gaming exhibited a grasp of picks-and-bans yet unseen in matches featuring LPL teams. Edward Gaming might have a ways to go to tighten their game, but they seem poised to challenge OMG's dominance in the Chinese scene. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (-1) Fnatic - Defending EU LCS Champions
Fnatic should be considered a strong contender coming into the EU LCS Summer Split. They have performed consistently since Season 1, with fewer roster changes than most teams, and arguably have more international experience than any team in the world. They showed some of their weaknesses last season, most notably an over-willingness to chase kills, but improved upon them to take first place in the EU LCS Spring Split. Their recent losses at All Stars are not too worrying: they were largely close games which demonstrated the deep skill at the team.
Written by Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman - ( - ) Team SoloMid - NA LCS During the interim weeks after the spring split, Team SoloMid underwent notable roster changes. Firs,t citing communication issues between teammates, TSM benched Xpecial from the support position and picked up former Cloud 9 Tempest support, Gleebglarbu. Shortly following Xpecial's departure from TSM, TheOddOne announced that he would retire from his starting position as jungler but would continue to help TSM as a coach. Former Copenhagen Wolves jungler, Amazing, was brought on board after his impressive rookie season in the EU LCS Spring Split. Will the addition of two new players be enough for TSM to challenge C9 for the top spot in the NA LCS? Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho
- ( - ) SK Gaming - EU LCS
SK Gaming surprised everybody with a team of talented – but not quite all-star – players who gelled perfectly, taking first place in the EU LCS Spring Split season, although falling to Fnatic in the finals of the playoffs. With a split of experience under their belt, they look to hold their top spot in Europe. However, their lack of playoff and international performance leads to some worries. The question remains: Can they perform when the pressure is on?
Written by Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman - (-5) Taipei Assassins - Defending GPL Champions It's fair to say that Garena fans were left disappointed by TPA's two recent international performances - only one win against Gambit Gaming at Katowice, and total failure at Paris left a bad taste in Taiwan's collective mouths. Yet they're actually expected to return to the GPL stronger than they've ever been, with two roster changes heavily bolstering their capabilities. Though Winds' entry into the team was ill-timed for All-Star, as he had only a couple of weeks for him to acclimate to his new team, the former Taipei Snipers jungler is expected to eclipse DinTer in the role. Along with Winds, now former Singapore Sentinals ace mid laner joined the squad, where he is expected to rotate games with Morning in the GPL summer split. They might have done poorly in recent international tournaments, but it's clear that the team's set their sights for a much larger prize. All prior mishaps are forgiven if this roster proves itself in October. Written by James "Obscurica" James
- (NEW) Counter Logic Gaming - NA LCS
Following the spring split playoffs, CLG came across a predicament of their own after top laner Nien decided to step down. After looking both within their own region and across the Atlantic, CLG finally decided to bring over Shin "Seraph" Woo Yeong from Korea. Once the substitute top lane for NaJin White Shield, Seraph impressed CLG coach MonteCristo, and was given a opportunity to try out for the vacant top lane position on the team. While there are high hopes for Seraph as the first Korea to NA LCS transplant, time will tell if this move solidifies CLG in the top rankings in the NA LCS and potentially help them make a move for one of the top two spots that has eluded CLG thus far.
Written by Jack "NeoIllusions" Ho - (+1) Team WE - LPL - (17-9) With the acquisition of a new Korean coach, World Elite are showing they take improvement seriously. With a rise in LPL as the only team to have taken a game off both OMG and Edward Gaming, prospects for the Playoffs and the Summer season look bright. Their new acquisitions, Ruo, Conan, and sukiM are coming into their own and looking like contenders for the best in their respective roles, and many fans agree that there's a noticeable improvement in performance from the old guard WE members. Time will tell if they can once again challenge the best in the world. Written by Kelsey Moser
- (-1) ROCCAT - EU LCS
ROCCAT is one of many European teams that were new – either in team name or in roster – last season. They stormed onto the scene with a unique style, and seemed unstoppable for awhile. Eventually, teams adapted, and they struggled for a time, but towards the end of the season and in the playoffs, they adapted again, with a number of inventive strategies. Their team is unique in putting up remarkable low personal stats for their record, with a focus on snappy rotations and decision-making, making them feel a bit like Cloud 9 at times. Look to see them go hard in the next split to further prove themselves.
Written by Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman
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