League of Legends global power rankings through March 28

Tyler Erzberger
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Tyler Erzberger
ESPN Esports
- Staff writer for ESPN.com
- Covered esports since 2011
- Worked with biggest teams across titles like League of Legends and StarCraft II
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Jacob Wolf
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Jacob Wolf
ESPN Staff Writer
- Staff Writer for ESPN.com
- Reports across multiple games, including League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Call of Duty.
- Specializes in investigative reporting
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Mar 28, 2017, 09:17 AM ET

For League of Legends stats and standings, click here.

Welcome back to our League of Legends global power rankings. Every week, we look at each team in the five major regions and rank them according to how they are performing.

The NA LCS regular season has come to an end. Meanwhile, we're entering Week 10 of the LCK and EU LCS. The LMS is entering Week 9, and the LPL is entering Week 8 of play. The +/- indicates the change since the previous ranking.

Nos. 1-10: World contenders

Nos. 11-20: Playoff contenders

Nos. 21-30: Middle of the pack

Nos. 31-40: Struggling

Nos. 41-50: Bottom of the barrel

World contenders

1. Samsung Galaxy

Record: 12-4 (26-12) | League: LCK | +/-: +1

Last week, Samsung played against the top and bottom ends of the spectrum in the LCK: SK Telecom T1 and Kongdoo Monster. Samsung had no problems with KDM and delivered on their marquee matchup with SKT. In a convincing 2-0 series sweep, Samsung defeated the best team in the world and, at least for that one moment, stole the title. If it wasn't clear, Samsung are taking another step forward after their development last year.

2. SK Telecom T1

Record: 14-2 (28-9) | League: LCK | +/-: -1

Welcome to everyone's favorite Global League of Legends Power Rankings game: "Why the hell aren't SKT No. 1? They're going to just win Worlds again!" In this edition, we have Samsung Galaxy, the team that lost to SKT T1 in the Summoner's Cup Finals last year, in first place. When you compare SKT and Samsung in the second half of the season, the two teams have been similarly dominant, with both teams dropping only a series each (SKT's loss was against Samsung). You can argue that this happens to SKT almost every single LCK season, before they kick it into gear come playoff time -- and you'd be 100 percent correct -- but it's hard to overlook Samsung's 2-0 thrashing of SKT T1 last week and their stellar place on their current win streak.

Don't worry too much if you're a T1 fan. The team is heading straight toward the LCK Grand Finals for the spring split with a single match win in their final two games, and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is still in reaching distance of the MVP award if he can outfit an explosive week of play. We'll be here next week when SKT goes 2-0, Samsung loses to the ROX Tigers and pitchforks are thrown at our Power Rankings as if from an Olympic javelin thrower in his element.

3. MVP

Record: 10-6 (23-17) | League: LCK | +/-: +2

With relative ease, MVP beat up on KT Rolster again. The team has surely become the surprise of the LCK split, but unfortunately, it struggled against ROX Tigers, who have been on the rise since introducing Park "Shy" Sang-Myeon to the lineup. Inconsistency around MVP's mid and jungle duo was more apparent and will be the team's main roadblock in a longer series.

4. Flash Wolves

Record: 11-0 (22-1) | League: LMS | +/-: --

There isn't much to say about Flash Wolves this week. The undefeated LMS team creamed the winless Wayi Spider despite being undeniably complacent in play. Notably, Hu "SwordArt" Shuo-Jie debuted a Sona pick as yet another potential ranged support in Flash Wolves' arsenal. It might have been against the worst team in the league (and for fun), but it fits FW's standard game plan and could see play in the future.

5. Afreeca Freecs

Record: 10-7 (23-17) | League: LCK | +/-: +6

6. Team WE

Record: 9-2 (19-7) | League: LPL | +/-: +1

It's a good time to be a Team WE fan. Gone is the golden era in which "World Elite" represented the Chinese region on the international stage; the new generation of players under the WE brand are trying to bring the organization back to the World Championships for the first time since their quarterfinal loss to Counter Logic Gaming Europe. Jin "Mystic" Sung-jun, a South Korean castoff, has worked his way up the hierarchy of Chinese AD carries. In a meta in which he's ripping through teams with his trusty Ezreal, could this finally be the season in which WE returns to prominence? Or are we heading toward another playoff upset that sends fans back to worshiping their photos of Yu "Misaya" Jing-Xi?

7. KT Rolster

Record: 10-6 (25-14) | League: LCK | +/-: -4

I'm sure there will be people yelling about KT Rolster's low placement, but look at their past four matches: a too close for comfort win over the relegation-bound Jin Air Green Wings, a loss to Samsung, a loss to MVP and then the real red mark -- a 1-2 loss to Kongdoo Monster. KT gave the last-place team in the league its second win of the season, and there seems to be trouble brewing. The team hasn't been the same since a pair of losses to archrival SKT. Even after beating the ROX Tigers and bbq Olivers, the team expressed in interviews that things weren't clicking -- and that has become more apparent the past two weeks.

It isn't time to throw in the towel for KT -- all five starters know what it means to be in a slump and work out of it -- but right now, the potential final between SKT and KT seems less likely than a Summoner's Cup Final rematch between Samsung and SKT or even Afreeca and SKT.

8. G2 Esports

Record: 11-0 (22-5) | League: EU LCS | +/-: --

Up until now, G2 Esports have been tested but not beaten. Their undefeated streak continued in Week 9, as Giants Gaming were no match. Unless Fnatic or Team ROCCAT beat them in a major upset, G2 will be finishing its second split in a row without a series loss, an unprecedented event in the European LCS. The playoffs might be a different environment, but G2 hold the upper hand by virtue of their mid-game aptitude.

9. Royal Never Give Up

Record: 9-2 (19-8) | League: LPL | +/-: -4

Royal are in good position with only a few weeks left to go in the LPL season. Besides an end-of-season collapse, the team is up three games over the rest of their rivals in Group A. Plus, it rebounded nicely after losing the battle of group leaders against Team WE. The team's all-Chinese lineup has worked out so far, and when looking at the top two teams in the Chinese region, importing high-priced and big-name South Koreans might become a thing of the past.

10. ROX Tigers

Record: 8-8 (20-22) | League: LCK | +/-: +6

When the ROX Tigers of 2016 disbanded, it felt like the death of an organization. Where could an org go when it had only one team in a single esport, and all of its star players left for greener pastures? After being buried in dirt, ROX Tigers are undergoing a renaissance period as they fight all the way from the bottom of the table to having a shot -- albeit a long one -- at the playoffs. While a lot of the credit will go to the team's bombastic mid laner and MVP frontrunner, Son "Mickey" Young-min, the decision of bringing in Kim "Mightybear" Min-su as jungler and moving legendary veteran top laner Park "Shy" Sang-myeon to a starting position has been the catalyst to Mickey's excellent form. The Tigers might not make it into the playoffs this season, but if the same five can stay together in the summer, look out for the reborn ROX come the second half of the year.

Playoff contenders

11. Longzhu

Record: 8-8 (19-21) | League: LCK | +/-: -6

12. Team SoloMid

Record: 15-3 (31-16) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -3

Team SoloMid ends the regular season as the top-standing team in North America. In the final weekend, the squad fell to Team Liquid in an odd turn of events but dominated Phoenix1. Despite the team's flaws, Team SoloMid have overcome the adversity of a large lineup change and look like the top contenders in the region. If they continue this performance into the playoffs -- with a first-round bye -- we'll see the black and white of Baylife continue their run to the finals, as the winner of the impending series between Counter Logic Gaming vs. FlyQuest does not look like an equal match.

13. Cloud9

Record: 14-4 (31-13) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +3

14. Unicorns of Love

Record: 9-2 (19-7) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -1

15. H2K Gaming

Record: 8-3 (18-8) | League: EU LCS | +/-: --

On one hand, H2K Gaming demolished Misfits in Week 8. On the other hand, they struggled to piece together a series win against Vitality, who had the upper hand for most of the series. Even then, H2K suffered a setback, especially in the early game, but that might prepare them against Splyce's more decisive play as they seek to secure the second or first seed in Group B.

16. Phoenix1

Record: 11- 7 (26-15) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -5

Rise from the ashes they have. A late investment coming into last year's summer split, Phoenix1 have made the biggest improvements of any team in North America. The team has made roster changes during the split and maintained relative consistency with new rookie supports William "Stunt" Chen and Jordan "Shady" Robison and a jungle swap between Rami "Inori" Charagh and William "Meteos" Hartman. Now in third place and set to face off against Team Dignitas, Phoenix1 look poised to make it to the semifinals, a large turnaround from being in the relegation tournament last fall. Even more, Phoenix1 look, at the very least, as if they could challenge Cloud9 for a spot in the finals.

17. EDward Gaming

Record: 7-4 (16-12) | League: LPL | +/-: -3

18. Invictus Gaming

Record: 6-5 (16-11) | League: LPL | +/-: +1

19. QG Reapers

Record: 6-5 (15-12) | League: LPL | +/-: +3

20. ahq

Record: 9-2 (19-4) | League: LMS | +/-: +1

Ahq continue their dominance over any team not named Flash Wolves. Wong "Chawy" Xing Lei has mostly been an average mid laner, but he might be turning things up toward the end of the split. Chawy put on a show with two great Orianna performances against HKE, shutting down play around the mid lane. Indeed, there's still more to this man than Zilean.

Middle of the pack

21. Misfits

Record: 7-4 (16-10) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +3

22. Counter Logic Gaming

Record: 10-8 (22-22) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -2

23. Splyce

Record: 7-4 (16-9) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -1

As the most interesting squad in Group B heading into Week 9, Splyce have put Unicorns of Love and H2K Gaming on notice as they handled Vitality in a 2-0 showdown. Their resurgence down the stretch has allowed them to contend for the top spot in Group B, should they beat UoL and H2K and force a three-way tie.

24. bbq Olivers

Record: 5-12 (15-26) | League: LCK | +/-: -3

25. Team Dignitas

Record: 9-9 (22-22) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +2

26. I May

Record: 6-5 (13-13) | League: LPL | +/-: -2

27. Jin Air Green Wings

Record: 3-14 (12-29) | League: LCK | +/-: -2

28. Kongdoo Monster

Record: 2-15 (10-32) | League: LCK | +/-: -5

29. ROCCAT

Record: 5-7 (12-16) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +7

Team ROCCAT had seemingly done the impossible with a victory over Misfits 2-0, confirming their status as one of the most fearsome squads in Group A. As their onslaught continues, one has to wonder if they can perform the impossible and beat G2 Esports. That would mean a sharp turnaround from their previous performances in the first six weeks, but should ROCCAT succeed, they would secure a playoff spot.

30. Immortals

Record: 8-10 (21-23) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -5

Immortals took the worst finish in the organization's history, a seventh-place end and no berth into the playoff bracket. The team's season is over. They won't play in playoffs or the relegation tournament. Immortals have come a long way this split. Clearly, there are some synergy issues within the team, but at one point -- at their lowest -- we believed Immortals were the worst team in the League Championship Series. They aren't. They have a long way to go, but at least they avoided their early pitfalls.

Struggling

31. Fnatic

Record: 5-6 (14-16) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +4

Fnatic haven't missed the playoffs since the existence of the LCS circuit, but that might change. One of the most iconic teams might drop out of contention, should Team ROCCAT somehow beat G2 Esports. All eyes are on Fnatic to redeem their worst season to date and secure a playoff spot, as they have done eight times before.

32. J Team

Record: 7-4 (15-10) | League: LMS | +/-: -2

33. FlyQuest

Record: 9-9 (22-21) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +1

As expected, FlyQuest fell off after a fantastic start to the split. The team is better than the bottom three teams in the league, but while they shine in strategy, they lack individual talent overall. Such is the story of this team -- and they've hit their ceiling, as seen in their Week 8 loss to upcoming playoff foe Counter Logic Gaming.

Now is the real test for Hai "Hai" Du Lam and his compatriots. Can they hold up to the likes of Counter Logic Gaming in a best-of-five series? The answer is likely no, but as a team many thought would face relegations this season, FlyQuest's playoff berth is notable.

34. OMG

Record: 5-6 (12-14) | League: LPL | +/-: -8

35. Machi

Record: 6-5 (13-14) | League: LMS | +/-: +2

36. Newbee

Record: 4-7 (12-17) | League: LPL | +/-: +3

37. Game Talents

Record: 4-7 (10-17) | League: LPL | +/-: +4

38. Hong Kong eSports

Record: 5-6 (13-14) | League: LMS | +/-: -7

39. Snake Esports

Record: 4-7 (10-16) | League: LPL | +/-: -7

40. Echo Fox

Record: 6-12 (15-28) | League: NA LCS | +/-: --

Bottom of the barrel

41. Team Liquid

Record: 5-13 (17-30) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +1

You can't be fourth if you're second-to-last. Team Liquid ends the split with the worst finish in the team's history, both as Liquid and their time as Team Curse. TL has played roster musical chairs the past few weeks, swapping mids, AD carries and, most recently, supports. Not to mention, they picked up former Cloud9 assistant coach Jang "Cain" Nu-ri as their new head coach. Sure, they beat Team SoloMid last week, but the team will need to lean on veterans Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng and Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin to make it through tough opponents in eUnited and Gold Coin United from the Challenger Series. Team Liquid aren't a clear relegation-level team, but the risk is there.