LCS Power Rankings: Clarity in North American League
After a weekend of intense competition, the LCS (North American League) has found some clarity. Unlike the messy LEC (European League), our power rankings voters were mostly in agreement about the rankings of the North American teams.
This doesn’t mean that the region is without flaws. It’s possible that we’ll have more than one playoff team with a losing record due to the fact that 60% of the league makes it to playoffs. However, our voters have ranked the teams from one point (worst) to 10 points (best), giving us a clear sense of the strongest teams.
Not surprisingly, Team Liquid, Cloud9, and TSM dominate the top spots, while the other teams scramble to establish their positions:
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1) | Team Liquid | 30 |
| 2) | Cloud9 | 27 |
| 3) | TSM | 24 |
| 4) | Golden Guardians | 19 |
| 5) | FlyQuest | 18 |
| 6) | OpTic Gaming | 17 |
| 7) | CLG | 12 |
| 8) | 100 Thieves | 9 |
| 9) | Clutch Gaming | 6 |
| 10) | Echo Fox | 3 |
Week Seven Breakdown: Spring Split 2019
Last week marked some important developments in the 2019 Spring Split. Let’s take a look at what happened and how it shaped our conclusions.
Rebuilding Mode: 100 Thieves, Clutch, Echo Fox, CLG
Most of the teams in this group are in the process of rebuilding, introducing Academy players in place of veteran players. For the 100 Thieves, it was encouraging to see the team unite behind substitute mid laner Max “Soligo” Soong, unlike their past struggles with mid Chae “Huhi” Jae-hyun. However, their late-game weaknesses were exposed again as they allowed TSM to steal Baron despite having three mountain drakes.
Among these teams, Clutch Gaming stands out for their performance. They secured a victory against CLG, who are also in this category. While the victory wasn’t outstanding, it’s worth highlighting the improvement in top laner Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon’s gameplay and the aggressive early game presence of jungler Nam “LirA” Tae-yoo. Clutch still has some issues to address, and their upcoming match against Liquid presents a challenging hurdle.
Showing Up: Golden Guardians, FlyQuest, OpTic
After a slump in the middle of the season, FlyQuest regained their footing against lower-ranked teams. Their upcoming match against Liquid will be a true test of their improvement.
Golden Guardians proved themselves against Liquid, putting up a strong fight. Jungler Juan “Contractz” Garcia showed great understanding of the early game before Liquid’s map pressure overwhelmed the team.
OpTic continues to hold a playoff position, but doubts remain about their ability to win a series. We hope to see more consistency and safer play from top laner Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, who shone as a rookie last split.
Playing for Second: Cloud9, TSM
Previously, we had combined Liquid, Cloud9, and TSM into one top tier. While Liquid has shown their superiority, it hasn’t been clear how Cloud9 and TSM measure up due to the overall weak performance in the region.
However, recent events have provided evidence of Cloud9’s struggles, as Liquid convincingly defeated them, making jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen look ineffective. While Cloud9 is still a strong team, they seem to face a mental block when it comes to winning an LCS championship.
TSM took advantage of Cloud9’s stumble to narrow the gap in the standings. The last day’s match between TSM and Liquid will be crucial for determining second place and playoff byes.
Undeterred: Team Liquid
Although Liquid is not flawless, they have shown their strength in the face of challenges. Golden Guardians put up a tough fight against them, but it was great to see top laner Jeong “Impact” Eon-yeong return to his split pushing style. Unleashing Impact’s Jax-like champion potential from his world championship days could be a winning strategy for Liquid this season.
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