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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, EU LCS, LCK and LMS are entering Week 8 of competition. The LPL is entering Week 7. 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. Longzhu Gaming
Record: 12-3 | League: LCK | +/-: +2
It's happened, folks. After being the laughingstock of the professional League of Legends world for six years, the Cleveland Browns of esports, Incredible Miracle/Longzhu Gaming, is the best team in the world, at least for now.
The Dragons had to make a statement last week, and the team did just that, picking apart defending three-time world champion SKT T1 in a 2-0 clinic before brushing off last-place Ever8 Winners without breaking a sweat. This team gives off the same energetic feeling the ROX Tigers of 2015 and 2016 carried so well in the LCK, and this team, anchored by the very same Tigers' former bottom lane Kim "PraY" Jong-in and Kang "GorillA" Beom-hyun, could do what those teams couldn't: surpass SKT T1 and win the Summoner's Cup.
2. KT Rolster
Record: 12-3 | League: LCK | +/-: +2
KT Rolster has returned to form following its small slump after losing to SKT for the fourth straight time this year in a best-of series, but it's still difficult to see how far this team can go in the playoffs. By statistics alone, KT is one of the best early-game teams in South Korean League of Legends history, averaging almost 1,727 more gold than its opponent at the 15-minute mark. From there, it's not always the cleanest for KT, and with another clash against SKT on the horizon, this could be the last chance KT has to slay the demon it was created to destroy.
3. Samsung Galaxy
Record: 11-4 | League: LCK | +/-: -2
Week 7 has been a head-scratch-worthy week for Samsung Galaxy following a loss against MVP. The defeat could not have had worse timing, as Samsung approaches a string of tough matchups against Afreeca Freecs and Longzhu Gaming, its game against KT Rolster ending in a 2-1 defeat. Although it has seemingly been unable to draft toward teamfight-centric compositions, Samsung has successfully dabbled with a "protect the AD carry" composition during the week (with all eggs in the Ruler basket), but it may be under pressure to perform down the stretch.
4. SK Telecom T1
Record: 9-5 | League: LCK | +/-: -2
We've remained conservative with our SKT nudging for a few reasons despite its 0-9 game loss streak. One is that SKT has a long history of adapting, even with glaring problems like Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan's fixation with ranged supports. Another is that, even considering an 0-9 loss streak, SKT's struggles remain within a short time span. Finally, the major patch around the corner provides an opportunity to shake up not just SKT, but LCK proper. SKT's long history of comebacks through setting up for mid picks could make long-range engage the thing it needs. Continued losses drop SKT slightly from the top, but the harsh hammer may have to fall should it continue to reel.
5. Afreeca Freecs
Record: 8-6 | League: LCK | +/-: --
The Freecs really haven't changed much since its formation at the beginning of the year, for better and for worse. Afreeca has what it takes to beat down SKT, but in a meta where late-game scaling is so important, inconsistent individual performances from Jang "MaRin" Gyeonghwan and Lee "Spirit" Dayoon will continue to keep this team at the hit-or-miss level.
6. Team WE
Record: 7-2 | League: LPL | +/-: +1
The strongest non-Korean team this week is from the League of Legends Pro League. WE beat Group B front-runner Oh My God without dropping a game, demonstrating both a strong mid-game from a deficit in Game 1 and clean setups and jungle and support synergy in Game 2. When their draft suits their jungle-centric style, WE can defeat the best in the world, and 7.14 should give them an added boost.
7. Jin Air Green Wings
Record: 7-7 | League: LCK | +/-: +1
It may not be the year of Jin Air, but it continues to prove itself as a legitimate team this late into the LCK. Jin Air doesn't play fast, but its methodical approach often results in a decisive play from No "Snowflower" Hoij-ong and Eom "UmTi" Seong-hyeon rather than the draining slog of past seasons. After handing yet another loss to SKT, the team has a lot to be proud of, building itself up from a group of younger, inexperienced players.
8. Flash Wolves
Record: 8-2 | League: LMS | +/-: +4
Flash Wolves have been the king of the crop in Taiwan for over a year and a half now. While the pups struggled last week, they made a statement with a decisive 2-0 victory over the plummeting J Team this week. The new meta may prove difficult for Flash Wolves at first, but tank supports are in style and will further bolster the team's best player, Hu "SwordArT" Shuojie.
9. Immortals
Record: 11-3 | League: NA LCS | +/-: --
What a turnaround for Immortals. The past split, the team was a mess; it would turn up one week and look like a competent team, and then forget all of its good habits by the next week and go 0-2. In the team's three-split history, it was also the first team that missed the playoffs, which sparked a change to the starting lineup and coaching staff.
The changes worked, and the team has secured a playoff spot with two weeks to go and is only a few match wins away from locking up a first-round bye. After going 17-1 and 16-2 last year in the regular season, it would be an incredible feat if this version of Immortals, once thought as a rebuilding cast, could be the first squad in the organization's history to make an NA LCS final.
10. Team SoloMid
Record: 10-4 | League: NA LCS | +/-: --
Don't fret, TSM fans, your team is just fine. A loss to Dignitas set the team back when it was closing on the first seed, but TSM is still in control of its destiny with two weeks to go. As long as TSM can avoid Dignitas in the playoffs -- the only team it is 0-2 against this split -- we might very well see the defending North American champion make it to the league final for a historic 10th straight time.
Playoff contenders
11. EDward Gaming
Record: 7-3 | League: LPL | +/-: -1
EDward Gaming's losses to Suning Gaming this week didn't provide a lot of new information about EDG. It relies a lot on teamfights for a team with disorganized positioning and poor targeting. Tian "Meiko" Ye has to perform double-time to execute. Ming "Clearlove" Kai remains stubborn in his champion pool. Transitions for pressure between lanes have too much ambition. Even so, EDG has some of the best abilities to move its duo lane across the map to take turrets quickly. It just needs to stop hindering some of its strongest performers to pull it off.
12. Fnatic
Record: 8-1 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +1
Despite headlining the European LCS summer split, Fnatic had seen the limits of its previous bottom lane-centric approach before its relatively lackluster showing at Rift Rivals. Its ability to work on its drafting and overall play has allowed it to triumph against a Unicorns of Love squad that tested its ability to manage teamfights. Its adaptation to a meta that occasionally devolves into ARAM (All Random All Mid) could not have been timelier, with G2 Esports's resurgence constituting a possible threat to its top placement in Group A.
13. Counter Logic Gaming
Record: 10-4 | League: NA LCS | +/-: -2
It might seem counter logic to continually sub out Joshua "Dardoch" Hartnett, but the change in junglers has hardly hurt CLG so far. CLG made a multitude of questionable decisions around neutral objectives against Immortals and paid for it. Right now, the team needs to find its stride in the mid-game if it's realistically going to compete in the new meta.
14. H2K Gaming
Record: 6-3 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +1
How can a squad gain a spot in the Power Rankings despite a loss? H2K has seemingly found a way to lose yet make a solid enough impression, although G2 is likely to overtake it in Europe. Its ability to build around the Cho'Gath pick that has taken the LCS by storm, and its ease at implementing 1-3-1 schemes, has created difficulties for G2, but its teamfight implementation could improve. G2 has punished H2K's trigger-happiness enough for it to lead to potential improvements -- just in time, as H2k is in the running for the top spot in Group B.
15. G2 Esports
Record: 6-3 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +7
The sheriffs are back in town, and they signaled their return in emphatic fashion against H2K Gaming 2-1. G2's players have returned to a form more befitting of their Mid-Season Invitational caliber, especially Ki "Expect" Dae-han, whose play undid H2K in the deciding game of the series to the tune of an 81.25 percent kill participation ratio. Should G2 maintain this rate of improvement, its early-summer split displays (and early rankings) may be relegated to an interesting footnote come world championship time.
16. ahq
Record: 7-4 | League: LMS | +/-: +3
Ahq is hardly the poster child for the second-best team a region has to offer, but a convincing series over J-Team and the oncoming meta is enough to give it the boost. However, if ahq wants to stay in the top 20, it needs to stop giving away so many priority picks in the draft phase. That was the team's downfall against Hong Kong Attitude last weekend.
17. Cloud9
Record: 8-6 | League: NA LCS | +/-: +7
Cloud9 didn't exactly steamroll its way through its series. Against Phoenix1, it demonstrated how a small mistake in mid-game can derail momentum. With a strong support and a good sense for teamfighting flanks, however, Cloud9 could easily manipulate the new patch in its favor. Sloppy series or not, two wins and signs of an upturn make Cloud9 deserving of its rise in the rankings.
18. OMG
Record: 7-2 | League: LPL | +/-: +5
OMG has moved back up to third on the list of Chinese teams primarily because of poor and disorganized performances from Royal Never Give Up. OMG, however, remains reliant on aggressive mid play and a stable bottom lane. Hu "Jiekou" Zixiang's more creative pathing on Rek'Sai may prove a saving grace for OMG as well as the more engage-oriented Patch 7.14 meta that will open up Han "SmLz" Jin's hyper carry pool.
19. Team Dignitas
Record: 8-6 | League: NA LCS | +/-: +11
At a glance, Team Dignitas' victory against Team SoloMid (2-0) and defeat against Cloud9 (2-1) may seem indicative of inconsistency. In truth, the encounter against Team SoloMid was a Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho show, as TSM's attempts at thwarting Dignitas' 1-3-1 backfired against the latter's Maokai. Yet, the same team moved toward neutral-objective control in the final game against C9 with a Nunu-Kalista core and unexpectedly lost a Smite war around Dragon. Dignitas has room for improvement, but it has the elements to power through, at least for an initial playoff series.
20. ROX Tigers
Record: 5-10 | League: LCK | +/-: -2
The Tigers sit in a weird position with two weeks left in the season. They aren't fighting to get out of relegations, and they aren't fighting to get into the playoffs, either. The team sits smack-dab in between the elite teams in South Korea and the bottom feeders. For a club that lost all five of its stars in the offseason, still being a competitive, surviving team in the toughest region in the world is quite the accomplishment. If the Tigers go the way of Samsung, next year should be when they make a push for higher aspirations than just simply hanging onto their league spot.