Rift Rivals is here! Riot’s inter-regional tournament is taking place in Asia. The LCS action begins today with Echo Fox vs Fnatic at 2:30pm CT.
In celebration of this exciting event, we’ve compiled a power ranking of all 20 teams from EU and NA. Even though we’ll only see six of them play this week, it’s still fun to see which teams are struggling the most.
Our voters ranked each team from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). And don’t worry, they didn’t take it too seriously – ranking 20 teams is quite a task!
Bottom of the pack
In our weekly power rankings, it’s not so bad to be ninth or tenth, especially early in the season. A couple of wins, like what Splyce achieved last week, can quickly improve their standings.
However, when there are 20 teams vying for spots, being at the bottom is tough. Here are the teams in both regions that are struggling the most.
20) H2k (eight points)
H2k had a terrible week with their Lucian, Braum, and Aatrox draft choices against Splyce.
19) OpTic (14 points)
OpTic’s ADC Non “Arrow” Dong-hyeon, who won the 2017 Spring Split MVP award in NA, has been struggling lately. Other teams have figured out his weaknesses, resulting in lost lanes against Swain and Fiddlesticks.
18) GIANTS (16 points)
GIANTS have been tested by their inability to handle Baron pressure, despite their focus on late-game macro play and shot calling.
17) Cloud9 (17 points)
Cloud9 has proven that they can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, regardless of the gold differential. Bringing back two starters wasn’t enough to save them last week, leading to questions about the return of ADC Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi.
16) Golden Guardians (22 points)
The Golden Guardians’ goal this split is to defeat weaker teams in the LCS, as they only need to secure sixth place out of ten teams to make playoffs. However, their plan fell apart against FlyQuest mid laner Jang “Keane” Lae-young’s Galio.
Teetering on the edge
These teams are still awake and functioning, just a few strides away from relevancy. However, it’ll be a tough climb to get there.
15) Unicorns of Love (33 points)
UOL’s promising split took a hit with two losses last week, proving that they are not a top-tier team.
14) FlyQuest (36 points)
FlyQuest unexpectedly achieved a 3-3 record last week, including victories over Golden Guardians and CLG. With the addition of jungler William “Meteos” Hartman, acquired through a trade with 100 Thieves, they’re looking stronger.
13) FC Schalke 04 (41 points)
Schalke has been on the brink of success for a while now but has been unable to fully come together as a team.
12) Splyce (43 points)
Splyce had a great week, securing two clean wins. However, these wins came against weaker EU LCS teams, so they now face the challenge of playing against stronger NA teams.
Maybe there’s a chance
These teams are currently in playoff positions and could make some noise if they qualify. However, with plenty of games left to play, nothing is guaranteed.
11) ROCCAT (47 points)
ROCCAT lost their momentum after their defeat to Splyce. A botched Baron call was their downfall, despite some positive moments in the game.
10) CLG (53 points)
CLG also had a setback with their loss to FlyQuest. They had the opportunity to tie for first place with wins over 100 Thieves and Clutch Gaming, but they took a step backwards instead.
9) Clutch Gaming (58 points)
Unlike last split, Clutch has managed to secure wins against quality teams. With the potential fumbles by 100 Thieves after Rift Rivals, Clutch has a chance to excel.
Closing in
These teams are close to reaching championship-level status and went undefeated last week. However, breaking into the next tier is an incredibly difficult challenge.
8) Vitality (67 points)
Vitality recovered well after a poor start, redeeming themselves after feeding in previous matches. Erberk “Gilius” Demir has also shown improvement since last spring, where he performed poorly as one of Europe’s worst junglers.
7) 100 Thieves (70 points)
100 Thieves have bounced back from their initial struggles, although it’s uncertain how the team will fare after trading away Meteos. With improved chemistry, their on-stage performance may improve even without a mechanical god.
6) TSM (73 points)
TSM’s week wasn’t as smooth as the other teams in this tier. They narrowly won their first game due to a late-game mishap by C9. They continue to struggle in the lane phase, resembling a solo queue game. However, by skipping Rift Rivals, they can avoid being picked apart by international teams.
Worlds contenders
5) Fnatic (82 points)
Fnatic played exceptionally well against G2’s funnel comp last week, but one mistake cost them the game. They’ve come the closest to dethroning G2 so far, but can they defeat some of their NA LCS opponents this week? We’ll find out starting today.
4) Echo Fox (83 points)
Echo Fox is still trying to redefine themselves after their early playoff exit in the Spring Split. It seems like they’re experimenting with different players and champions, not just moving top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon around.
3) Misfits (94 points, one first-place vote)
Misfits are on an impressive run after missing the playoffs last split. They have a week off to prepare for a showdown with G2 in week four, and currently, they seem more confident in their play than Echo Fox.
2) Team Liquid (94 points, one first-place vote)
Like Echo Fox, Liquid seem to be playing with their opponents. Their win over Echo Fox showcased their talent, but we don’t believe they can match G2’s coordination at the moment.
1) G2 (97 points, three first-place votes)
G2 is unequivocally the best team in either region. They’re so dominant that teams are now banning support Braum to counter jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski. The meta is truly evolving!