League of Legends global power rankings through July 31

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The chaos continues as North American can't seem to be content with parity. In fact, many leagues are in flux, with top teams taking games off one another, leading it to be the most volatile summer split in League of Legends history. Except for the LMS. That's all Flash Wolves, per usual.

Nos. 1-10: World contenders

Nos. 11-20: Playoff contenders

Nos. 21-30: Middle of the pack

Nos. 31-40: Struggling

Nos. 41-52: Bottom of the barrel

World contenders

1. Invictus Gaming

Record: 11-1 | League: LPL | +/-: --

One of the most recommended series from Week 6 is the 2-1 match between Invictus Gaming and EDward Gaming that went blow-for-blow, teamfight-for-teamfight. Previously we highlighted iG as a team that claimed first in the power rankings more due to default than anything else. Royal Never Give Up was falling and the top teams in South Korea were all beating each other up. Yet this past week, even with a recent 2-1 win over Oh My God that was a bit sloppier than it should have been, iG earned this spot a bit more through strong drafting and steady performances from mid laner Song "Rookie" Eui-jin.

2. Royal Never Give Up

Record: 9-3 | League: LPL | +/-: +3

With Jian "Uzi" Zi-hao still out for the foreseeable future, Royal Never Give Up rebounded this past week with sweeps over Team WE and Topsports Gaming. Much of the early game decision-making this past week fell to jungler Hung "Karsa" Hau-Hsuan, who gave RNG significant early advantages in many of the team's early games. RNG previously focused on swapping players around in Uzi's absence, making the most of top laner Liu "Zz1tai" Zhi-Hao's flexibility by putting him in the bot and mid lanes. This past week, RNG changed that gameplan, instead starting bot laner Dai "Able" Zhi-Chun with more standard picks and compositions. It was against two teams that RNG should beat, given RNG's talent and macro understanding, but this week proved that RNG is still one of the best teams in the world, returning to standard and using things like the Ryze ultimate to spread opponents thin on the map.

3. KT Rolster

Record: 10-5 | League: LCK | +/-: +1

Naturally, placing KT Rolster above the pack of top-tier teams in South Korea means that the team is doomed this week thanks to its stubborn insistence on copying its rollercoaster namesake. Until then, and despite a loss to Kingzone DragonX, KT has been one of the best teams in South Korea. At their best, the five members of KT look unstoppable. Unfortunately for KT, they remain inconsistent in execution (although one can easily make the joke that the only consistent thing about KT is the team's inconsistency). Against teams that should be fairly easy wins for KT, like the bbq Olivers, KT still don't look as clean or as crisp as we would like from a team that is supposed to be one of the best in the world. Then again, consistency is an issue with all teams in the top ten.

4. Rogue Warriors

Record: 10-2 | League: LPL | +/-: +3

Mid laner Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang continues to be one of the most entertaining players in not only China's LoL Pro League, but the world. His Poppy showing against LGD Gaming allowed him to control Rogue Warriors' teamfights and skirmishes with strong targeting. Doinb also exacted revenge on his former QG Reapers jungler Baek "Swift" Da-hoon with a 2-0 sweep of Swift's Vici Gaming. Doinb is the pivot point for Rogue Warriors, even when the team is dedicating more resources to bot laner Han "Smlz" Jin on pushing waveclear carries like Sivir, on which Smlz is undefeated.

5. Gen.G

Record: 10-5 | League: LCK | +/-: -3

The return of Gnar as a top lane pick came at exactly the right time for Gen.G and top laner Lee "CuVee" Seong-jin, who has the ability to control entire teamfights with that champion. We've harped on the specific champion pools of the Gen.G players in previous rankings, but when those champions are in meta, Gen.G frequently look unstoppable. Against Griffin, Gen.G pulled out all the stops in 5v5 teamfights, and the team's split-second decision-making ultimately gave Gen.G the 2-0 sweep. Yet, SK Telecom T1 was able to exploit a few of Gen.G's weaknesses, especially in the early-to-mid rotations from both junglers: Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong and Kang "Haru" Min-seung. Gen.G also found themselves overwhelmed by KT once again in the continuing rock-paper-scissors battle for the top of the LoL Champions Korea standings. Unfortunately for Gen.G, the loss against SKT really hurts their chances of overcoming Griffin for that top spot in the upcoming playoff gauntlet, so they'll have to fight their way through.

6. EDward Gaming

Record: 7-4 | League: LPL | +/-: --

EDward Gaming had a rough week with a shocking 0-2 loss to BiliBili Gaming that was included in last week's power rankings, and a close 1-2 loss to Invictus Gaming. The current standing of iG and EDG's strong showing against them is what keeps EDG so close to the top this week for now, especially with a lot of South Korean teams taking games off of each other. Against iG, EDG showcased not only incredible aggression but strong teamfighting that EDG will need if they want to make a run at another LPL title. EDG has a strong early game in a different way than iG, with continuing bot lane focus around the duo of Hu "iBoy" Xian-Zhao and Tian "Meiko" Ye, but this was exploited by iG through both teamfighting and the typical iG focus on strong lanes.

7. Kingzone DragonX

Record: 11-5 | League: LCK | +/-: +3

Kingzone DragonX is once again on the rise, but remains plagued by similar issues that the team showed at the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational and has continued to show throughout the 2018 LCK Summer split. The team's early game needs work, and there have been consistent communication gaffes between jungler Han "Peanut" Wang-ho when he starts, and mid laner Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong. This doesn't often cost Kingzone the game or the match, but it's something that the team has to look at before the summer playoff gauntlet, and also address before the World Championship, where Kingzone is almost a lock to represent South Korea once more. Kingzone's early-to-mid miscommunication will be exploited by stronger early game teams outside of the LCK, especially considering the strength of the teams at the top of the LPL.

8. Griffin

Record: 11-5 | League: LCK | +/-: -5

It's been a tough few weeks for Griffin. The team's incredible start over the first half of the split, which included victories over every top LCK team outside of KT Rolster, proved that Griffin was more than just a fluke; Griffin was (and still is) a legitimate team. Yet, the back half of the split has not been as kind to Griffin. Teams have figured out how to exploit the upstarts early, starting with KT but continuing on with Afreeca's Kindred response to Griffin's funnel a few weeks ago, and Gen.G besting Griffin at Griffin's own game of 5-on-5 teamfighting. As an aside, the Griffin/Gen.G series from last week is a highly recommended watch because of the explosive teamfighting and quick macro decision-making from both teams. Fortunately for Griffin, the team's two remaining series are against SK Telecom T1 and bbq Olivers, which are both winnable matches for the team provided that it can stop SKT's newfound early aggression.

9. Flash Wolves

Record: 9-0 | League: LMS | +/-: --

Flash Wolves' wins are so dominant that it is practically smurfing in the LMS this split. In fact, the only reason some of its games are close is because its aggression can get to be a bit too much. Flash Wolves don't have a lot to prove domestically now, but it's early game is still top tier. Taiwan's champion will stay in the top ten, but lacks the ability to rise higher because of its competition.

10. JD Gaming

Record: 9-2 | League: LPL | +/-: -2

Despite an ill-timed loss to to Topsports Gaming that was included in last week's ranking, JD Gaming might be the best team in China that no one is talking about. Unlike fellow e-commerce brethren Suning Gaming, which has had to deal with roster changes and mid laner Zhuo "Knight" Ding's inactive status, JDG has risen as one of the most improved rosters in the LPL. What was only small flashes of brilliance from this lineup has now turned into a strong, coordinated attack. Unlike spring, it's not a question of whether JDG will be able to make playoffs but what they can do before playoffs to try and make a deeper run this summer. JDG's mid-game decision-making still needs a lot of work, especially when it comes to playing around player item spikes and the occasional costly burst of ill-timed aggression.

Playoff contenders

11. Afreeca Freecs

Record: 8-7 | League: LCK | +/-: --

The Afreeca Freecs' series against Kingzone DragonX was one of the more frustrating matches in the LCK this past week. Jungler Lee "Spirit" Da-yoon tunneled on his hands-off, farm-heavy style when a more proactive early game can, and has, been able to take Kingzone down this split and internationally. When the split began, we praised Afreeca for the team's understanding of the meta. Afreeca seemed like the most flexible team, especially with Lee "Kuro" Seo-haeng's strong mid lane performances and top laner Kim "Kiin" Gi-in's champion versatility. Currently the team seems lost, despite smart adjustments to Griffin's playstyle for a Week 5 victory. The LCK playoff race is very close. Afreeca will have to show more consistency than they are currently if they want to claim a spot, especially with a rising SKT on the team's heels.

12. SK Telecom

Record: 8-7 | League: LCK | +/-: +6

We were hesitant to say that SKT was back last week due to the strength of the opponents that SKT beat in Week 5, which included a floundering Hanwha Life Esports and bottom-of-the-table MVP team. Week 6, SKT finally racked up a strong win: a 2-1 victory over the reigning world champions Gen.G The big surprise is still Choi "Pirean" Jun-sik in the mid lane over superstar Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, but this is coupled with a resurgence from jungler Kang "Blank" Sun-gu who Pirean has credited for the team's recent, and uncharacteristic, early aggression.

13. Misfits

Record: 10-2 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +1

Misfits dropped another game this week, but there is still little doubt that the team remains at the top of Europe. Steven "Hans Sama" Liv's Draven this week was a work of beauty and reminds the community that this team still has that "oddball" factor to it. Despite that, Misfits did get out-drafted by Splyce this weekend, locking in too many scaling picks against an early-game focused composition. That doesn't hurt it too much, but it was the primary reason Misfits actually dropped the game.

12. Snake Esports

Record: 6-3 | League: LPL | +/-: +2

Snake Esports has had a rough cross-conference showing thus far, and are only here by the good graces of the struggles from other regions around them and the difficulty of their recent schedule. Against JDG, Snake struggled, especially with targeted jungle bans against Lê "SofM" Quang Duy that effectively took him out of the series. Snake need to revisit the team's drafts and early-game plan. This team has played very reactively as of late, and it has hurt the two-pronged attack that Snake had previously relied upon with SofM and top laner Li "Flandre" Xuan-Jun.

14. Hanwha Life

Record: 8-7 | League: LCK | +/-: +5

Poor Hanwha Life Esports. The team started off strong with a similar approach under its new sponsor, Hanwha Life, as it did when this team was called the ROX Tigers: finding champion picks and compositions that worked well with the team's assorted players. Even in the initial bruiser and mage bot lane meta, Gwon "Sangyoon" Sang-yun was a surprisingly talented Ryze and Vladimir player. He and support Kim "Key" Han-gi are still one of the stronger bottom lanes in the LCK. Unfortunately, that's not enough when accompanied by faulty in-game execution, which makes Hanwha Life a particularly frustrating team to watch. Most recently against Kingzone DragonX, Hanwha started off strong with jungler Yoon "SeongHwan" Seong-hwan taking advantage of Kingzone's early-game flaws, but were out-matched in Games 2 and 3.

15. Fnatic

Record: 9-3 | League: EU LCS | +/-: --

Fnatic's games this week against Schalke 04 and and H2K were fairly one-sided and prove the team's sidelane style isn't going away, but there is only so much to prove. Fnatic will have opportunities to prove its the best team in Europe, but it was a lighter week for it overall. Generally though, it's meta awareness is good, but the hole of not having a true AD carry player may hurt in the future. The role isn't dead and the best teams in Asia are still using the class to a high degree of success.

16. G2 Esports

Record: 8-4 | League: EU LCS | +/-: --

G2 still contends with the best in Europe and with a competitive schedule, it flaunted and faltered with its draft approach. As the team generally moves away from funnel reliance, lane priority will become more important and that was not present against Schalke. It is a small mistake, but picking Vladimir and Yasuo will make for a rough early game experience without a strong ranged support or combat jungler to balance them out. Still, G2's selection of Taliyah and Heimerdinger against Splyce prove that it was more of a mishap than anything.

17. Team Liquid

Record: 8-4 | League: NA LCS | +/-: +4

What can we even say anymore about North America? The only NA team in the top 20, Liquid sits in the precarious spot of being the hope of a region that might be having its worst year since 2012. Liquid on paper should have what it takes to win back-to-back domestic crowns, but in a region where FlyQuest is Nexus rushing its way to Worlds and Team SoloMid is on the brink of not even making the posteason, who knows anymore.

19. Suning Gaming

Record: 6-6 | League: LPL | +/-: -6

Suning Gaming has been fairly consistent this season in beating teams below them in the standings but failing to challenge teams above them. Snake Esports was a test that Suning had to ace in the team's quest to make up some ground in cross-conference play, and they did, beating Snake 2-0. Even with necessary mid lane swaps due to the loss of Knight, Xiang "Angel" Tao has stepped up and done well enough for Suning's strong side lanes to take over. Lee "Fury" Jin-yong and Kim "Yoon" Byung-yoon are a strong 2v2 lane, and top laner Xie "XiaoAL" Zhen-Ying has been a star for this team since spring.

20. Hong Kong Attitude

Record: 5-4 | League: LMS | +/-: --

HKA isn't necessarily disappointing, but there is a sense that this team is capped and could fall out of the top twenty very soon. It's "win lane, win game style" with minimal macro is easy to punish and G-Rex's recent rise will further threaten that style. As other teams in the LMS adapt and MAD continues to refine itself, it will only get more difficult. Its matches against Flash Wolves were far more one-sided than the first time as well and that doesn't bode well for its viability as a runner-up.