There wasn't a ton of shuffling in the top 10 in our League of Legends Global Power Rankings this week. T1 and Gen.G are still sitting comfortably at the top, Cloud9 continues to steamroll the LCS, and G2 returned to form against some of the weaker LEC teams. The best bit of news is the LPL returns March 9, so we'll have a full global power ranking the week after that.
China's League of Legends Pro League remains on hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak until online matches resume March 9. We will focus on the LCK, League Championship Series and League European Championship and will add in the LPL once play resumes.
How we rank: We had our panelists and writers submit a ranking of No. 1 through 10 for each team, with 10 being the strongest and 1 being the weakest. We then averaged the scores to create our initial list and looked at the teams' schedules, wins, losses and overall performance for the week.
1. T1 Esports
Region: LCK | Record: 7-1 | Change: --
There's always something heartening about seeing a top-tier team thoroughly dismantle other teams in their region. Part of what makes a top team is the fact that they take care of business when they're fully expected to win. This past week, T1 did just that.
This T1 team seems to have settled in very nicely with jungler Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan and rookie top Kim "Canna" Chang-dong. With these two on top side and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok in the mid lane, T1 can play a version of League of Legends that has suited the team, and Faker, for years. It also suits Park "Teddy" Jin-seong, who has been a top performer whether he's playing Miss Fortune or scaling up a bit to poke on his Ezreal. It might be a bit too early to be looking this far ahead, but the question on the horizon for T1 (and a question you're somewhat forced to ask in power rankings) is likely more of whether they can stand up to a top European team like G2 or Fnatic or a top Chinese team once the LPL is once again underway. Despite the new faces, this is a familiar look for T1.
-- Emily Rand
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2. Gen.G
Region: LCK | Record: 7-1 | Change: --
Gen.G remained atop the LCK rankings this week with wins over APK Prince and Afreeca Freecs, keeping pace with rival T1 by using the much-hyped Senna funnel. Largely ignored in South Korea over the split's first three weeks, Senna has sharply risen in priority due to the Patch 10.3 "nerfs" to her passive that, well, did the exact opposite. Senna's tremendous scaling potential was not lost on Gen.G bot laner Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, who abused the pick -- paired alongside Tahm Kench -- to great effect in a reverse-sweep of Afreeca.
Ruler and mid laner Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong occupy most of Gen.G's spotlight due to their eye-catching carry performances, but spare a thought for support Kim "Life" Jeong-min, who won his starting job back after Kim "Kellin" Hyeong-gyu underperformed in the T1 series. Re-introducing Life into the starting lineup has allowed Gen.G to adjust their draft priority, picking Life's champion before the second ban phase in seven of eight games played this split. It's a direct contrast to Kellin, who in eight games played this split, saw his champion drafted after the second ban phase seven times. Gen.G's trust in Life won't make headlines, but it's a quiet difference maker that will help come playoffs. Someone has to secure those Tahm Kench last hits.
-- Miles Yim
3. Fnatic
Region: LEC | Record: 9-3 | Change: +1
Oskar "Selfmade" Boderek is slowly turning out to be the final piece of the puzzle that Fnatic needed for a successful 2020 spring split. The jungler is proving to be an upgrade for Fnatic over his predecessor Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen in multiple aspects, be it the fit of his playstyle to the team or the synergy with the existing Fnatic members. Selfmade on Rek'Sai gave diligent attention to the mid lane and enabled the mid laner Tim "Nemesis" Lipovšek to dominate the opponent team on his signature Veigar pick.
Fnatic now shares the top of the LEC standings with G2 and Origen, with a G2 rematch coming this weekend -- a match that will either confirm Fnatic as the new master of the LEC spring split or see G2 once again bounce back.
-- Ashley Kang
4. G2 Esports
Region: LEC | Record: 9-3 | Change: -1
G2 Esports' Week 6 stomps have done much to reset expectations following their recent losses to Misfits Gaming, Schalke 04 and MAD Lions.
A 2-0 week against SK Gaming and Team Vitality would usually be nothing to write home about for a team that was, up until recently, outrageously dominant in Europe, but circumstances have changed a bit. Indeed, for the first time since 2019, G2 have yet to guarantee they are the best in Europe.
Ultimately, these victories allowed G2 Esports to regain their fun vibes, more akin to flex queue antics than to high-stakes professional League of Legends games. And they needed it as their Week 7 bouts against Origen and the surging Fnatic will test their limits in Fnatic's early-game playground and during mid-game transitions (also known as Origen's power hour).
-- Adel Chouadria
5. Cloud9
Region: LCS | Record: 11-0 | Change: --
Did you know North American League of Legends team Cloud9 hasn't lost a mid turret through the first 11 games of the 2020 League of Legends Championship Series?
OK, that fun fact might be less fun every time it has been regurgitated the last few weeks, but it really is the embodiment of how historically dominant this team has been this split. They've blown out every team they've played so far in the LCS, and that includes two victories over the clear No. 2 team currently in North America, FlyQuest. Regardless if they give up first blood or start off on the wrong foot, C9 has been unstoppable in the early-game, as their map plays and control over the jungle give them ridiculous gold leads even if they overstep once or twice in the laning phase.
Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer was already one of the better mids in the LCS in 2019, but he's transformed into an upgraded version of himself this go around. He's selfless when it comes to being a priority on the team, giving up gold in favor of roaming around the map to make plays on mages like Zoe and Cassiopeia. Somehow, although he routinely falls behind in gold and gives his teammates a bigger share of the pie when it comes to farming minions, Nisqy is still out damaging almost all of his solo lane peers. The budding Belgian superstar admitted watching Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang's self-sacrificing approach to lead his team and win games at the 2019 world championship inspired him following his own forgettable tournament, and those tweaks to his game are paying off in full. He might not be winning lane, but none of his turrets have fallen over halfway into the regular season.
-- Tyler Erzberger
6. DragonX
Region: LCK | Record: 6-2 | Change: --
One of the more entertaining teams to watch right now, DragonX won one of the more anticipated games of the spring season by blowing out Griffin in back-to-back games. It was the reunion between a majority of the players and brain trust that turned the rookie Griffin organization into overnight sensations, the team making it to three-straight domestic finals since their promotion into the LCK. The spotlight lane matchup was between former Griffin substitute and current DRX starter Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon going up against the player he played under, the much-maligned Choi "Sword" Sung-won, who received the brunt of criticism for Griffin failing to make it out of the quarterfinals at the most-recent world championship.
Overall, while Doran technically won the grudge match, neither side wowed on the night. The real winner of the match was DragonX's ace mid laner and former league MVP Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon. Although a world-renowned technical player and one of the best laners in the world, there were worries that he would regress without the tutelage of former jungler Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong. Chovy knew how to outduel players one-on-one in a lane, but his issues stemmed from his lack of movement around the map and sometimes tunnel visioning on seeing mid lane as an island.
Well, halfway through the LCK split and Chovy looks like an even sharper version of the player that received an MVP award in 2019. He's playing far smarter and has shown a flexibility he didn't possess on Griffin. Tarzan, on the other hand, is the one struggling without his instant win condition is the mid lane.
-- Erzberger
7. Origen
Region: LEC | Record: 9-3 | Change: --
Origen may hold the same record as the dominant G2 Esports and Fnatic, but one of their Week 6 performances was been anything but that. Indeed, Schalke 04's great early-game and mid game transitions forced Origen to showcase their crafty side through Erlend "Nukeduck" Holm's Nautilus flanks and backdoor plays. By contrast, the outcome was never in doubt against Rogue, who failed to contain Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir's movements.
Origen are to the 2020 LEC season what Splyce was to its 2019 counterpart: a methodical team with great late-game potential and a slow and deliberate approach. However, they differ in their knack for initiatives (with Mitchell "Destiny" Shaw leading skirmishes and fights), and with Nukeduck's prowess in a facilitating role as well as on carries (as the situation dictates). They may not spark fireworks or receive much fanfare, but they have quietly asserted themselves as one of Europe's finest teams, and they will be lethal come playoff time.
-- Chouadria
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8. Afreeca
Region: LCK | Record: 5-3 | Change: +3
Afreeca Freecs suffered a few tough losses recently and trails behind T1, Gen.G and DragonX as the fourth-placed team in the LCK standings. The starting mid laner Song "Fly" Yong-jun has been performing inconsistently outside his signature picks Ornn and Pantheon, and the team seem lost on draft priorities as they attempt to cater for Fly's narrow champion pool and adjust to the recent meta changes. To address these issues, Afreeca has been experimenting with its roster choices, trying out their substitute jungler Lee "Dread" Jin-hyeok over more team-oriented starting jungler Spirit, or subbing in the green mid-laner Kim "All-In" Tae-yang over Fly, for mixed results.
Afreeca Freecs faces T1 before diving into the second round robin of the LCK spring split. Afreeca needs to solve some core issues within the team, namely updating their draft priorities for the latest patch and decide on their starting roster to work with for the rest of the spring split.
-- Kang
9. FlyQuest
Region: LCS | Record: 8-4 | Change: +3
Once his time at Counter Logic Gaming ended, mid laner Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage had a smorgasbord of offseason options. 100 Thieves, Immortals, Dignitas and Evil Geniuses had mid lane vacancies-and all would have instantly become playoff contenders with his services-but PoE snubbed them in favor of reuniting with former support Lee "IgNar" Dong-geun on FlyQuest. The choice has paid off: with only six regular season games remaining, FlyQuest is second in the LCS and looking stronger by the week.
What began as a sentimental narrative -- two old friends hoping to rekindle the Misfits magic -- has blossomed into practical reality, with PoE and IgNar's aggressive partnership fitting seamlessly into a team identity already preset to full bore. Yet it's FlyQuest patience in the late game that has set them apart, showcased in an comeback win over Team SoloMid down 8.6k gold and in the poise needed to maintain their advantage against Dignitas on Sunday despite fervent pushback. PoweOfEvil's Player of the Week award wasn't a fluke; he leads all LCS players in damage per minute (613) and damage percentage (36.3%), numbers that would garner MVP conversation if Cloud9 didn't have the three frontrunners. FlyQuest haven't escaped the LCS soup just yet, but thanks to their productive offseason moves (and, frankly, an unparalleled brand-building initiative), the fantasy of a C9-FLY final in Frisco seems more tangible by the week.
-- Yim
10. Rogue
Region: LEC | Record: 7-5 | Change: --
What North American caster Mark Zimmerman calls a soup for North America - a grouping of mediocre teams beating up on each other before they'll inevitably be fed to the Cloud9 woodchipper - Europe calls their group of dark horse playoff hopefuls that include Excel Esports, Mad Lions, Misfits Gaming, Rogue, and (arguably) Origen. Rogue faced Excel and won, but lost to a surprisingly proactive (albeit still clunky in their early execution) Origen.
Whenever I watch Rogue, I'm most intrigued by their top side of the map: Finn "Finn" Wiestål, Kacper "Inspired" Słoma, and Emil "Larssen" Larsson. Finn and Larssen both had star moments this past week, Finn piloting the Kled after a rough outing last week and Larssen making the most of Ekko's mobility to affect the rest of the map. I enjoy a lot of things that Rogue are trying, again, especially with their top side, they're just slightly below the likes of Origen in execution (especially with, what I would consider, a stronger draft in that loss).
-- Rand
11. Misfits
12. MAD Lions
13. Team Liquid
14. Damwon
15. Team SoloMid
16. Excel Esports
17. Hanwha
18. KT Rolster
19. Griffin
20. Immortals
21. SANDBOX
22. Evil Geniuses
23. Golden Guardians
24. Dignitas
25. 100 Thieves
26. FC Schalke 04
27. Counter Logic Gaming
28. APK Prince
29. SK Gaming
30. Team Vitality