Instead of the blurry and chaotic standings we had at the outcome of Week 3, a real pattern is starting to appear within the League of Legends Championship Series.
Cloud9 aren't only leading the LCS, they're also polarizing it: everything revolves around them and the chasing pack is only formed by teams that somehow proved themselves capable of, perhaps, defeating them.
Neck and neck for second place, Team Liquid, and Team SoloMid haven't yet resolved their rivalry, and Week 5 will be decisive to determine which of these two teams will finally earn the spot. It's all the mort important for TSM as they'll have a shot this week to prove they can beat Cloud9...
Things aren't that much different for Evil Geniuses or FlyQuest, as both teams are only one victory behind the chasing pack. Both teams shouldn't encounter too much resistance this week, but Counter Logic Gaming might actually spring a surprise by defeating the Geniuses.
As unlikely as it sounds, CLG are also one victory behind EG and FlyQuest — and they could very well pretend for a fifth place.
Given their current placement in the LCS standings, 100 Thieves and Golden Guardians shouldn't have too much trouble securing their spot in Playoffs' Losers-Bracket, but they can't get too comfortable with their success as Immortals are right on their heels.
For Dignitas, getting a Playoffs seed would now be the result of a miracle we can't expect any more...
1 — Cloud9
Previous ranking: 1st (=)
Week 4 record: 2-0
Eight victories in a row without showing any sign of weakness should be enough to justify the placement of Cloud9 in our rankings. Will any team be able to prevent them from achieving a perfect record this split?
2 — Team SoloMid
Previous ranking: 2nd (=)
Week 4 record: 2-0
For Team SoloMid, Week 5 will be decisive. A victory over Cloud9 wouldn't only allow them top challenge Liquid for the second place, but also to rise as the team capable of contesting the returning champions' domination.
Liquid had their shot during Week 3 and they failed to take down the leaders — which means TSM have a perfect opportunity to showcase why they deserve the second place more than them. On the other hand, given the opponents of Liquid this week, a defeat over Cloud9 would certainly cost them the second place...
3 — Team Liquid
Previous ranking: 4th (+1)
Week 4 record: 2-0
This week, Team Liquid just has to hold tight. In the light of their previous performances, defeating CLG and Golden Guardians shouldn't be a problem, but it will keep them in the running and allow them to challenge TSM. With enough consistency, there's no doubt that Liquid can lock not only a spot in Playoffs' Winner-Brackets but also on the podium...
4 — FlyQuest
Previous ranking: 5th (+1)
Week 4 record: 1-1
Given what they showed and achieved during Week 4, it couldn't be easier to rank FlyQuest. Dominant against Evil Geniuses, their match against Liquid was heavily contested. FlyQuest missed the 2-0 last week, but we can safely assume that Week 5 will allow them to add two more wins to their piles — considering the current state of 100 Thieves as well as Dignitas'.
Consistency has always been FlyQuest's most valuable strength — let's just hope it will be enough for them to join the back the chasing pack.
5 — Evil Geniuses
Previous ranking: 3rd (-2)
Week 4 record: 1-1
It's not only disappointing to see Evil Geniuses dropping down in the LCS standings, but it's also frustrating — because they have absolutely everything it needs to be a top tier team. However, a first loss against TSM during Week 3, then another one against FlyQuest last week, encourage us to believe that EG might not actually be ready to take on the historically leading LCS teams.
Until they manage to grab more wins against the leaders or the chasing pack teams — they'll remain just on the edge of the podium.
6 — Counter Logic Gaming
Previous ranking: 6th (=)
Week 4 record: 0-2
Are Counter Logic Gaming losing their momentum?
While they mostly achieved mixed results over the past month, CLG seemed to at least have some consistency — but they got 0-2 in Week4.
Given their current record, CLG can't really be considered a mid-table team. Sure, they're 4 victories behind Cloud9 — which is already a big deal — but they're actually not that far from Evil Geniuses or FlyQuest. As shown by their defeats to Cloud9 and TSM during Week4, they seemingly don't have what it takes to challenge the leaders or the chasing pack teams.
Although we would actually be surprised to see them grind the ladder to eventually reach the podium, it shouldn't be too hard for CLG to lock a spot in Playoffs — even though their seed won't give them a great advantage...
7 — Golden Guardians
Previous ranking: 6th (-1)
Week 4 record: 1-1
Out of all the low-table LCS teams,Golden Guardians are certainly the best — but it's still not enough to rank higher in the standings.
The Guardians are just one victory ahead of 100 Thieves, and one victory behind CLG — and their situation couldn't be more precarious. Given the format, it shouldn't be hard for them to secure a seed in Playoffs, but they'll have to demonstrate a lot more if they want to join the Winner's Bracket.
8 — 100 Thieves
Previous ranking: 7th (=)
Week 4 record: 0-2
The situation of 100 Thieves is really concerning, and it almost feels that they gave up on this split so they could rebuild their roster. However, given their current state, they'll certainly have to fight for their spot in Playoffs as Immortals are just one victory behind them...
9 — Immortals
Previous ranking: 9th (=)
Week 4 record: 0-2
Crippled by roster shufflings and other changes, Immortalsweren't lucky during Week 4 as they faced Liquid and Evil Geniuses in two summary and highly one-sided games. Considering their current record and situation, Immortals still have a shot to qualify for Playoffs, but they'll have to slay down 100 Thieves to get that opportunity...
10 — Dignitas
Previous ranking: 10th (=)
Week 4 record: 0-2
Just like Cloud9's placement is unquestionable due to their winning streak, Dignitas can't be placed elsewhere than in tenth. Until they grab more wins, they'll remain bottom of the pile.
Do you agree with our power rankings? Have we misplaced a team? Feel free to drop a comment in the section below!
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