LCS 2020 Summer Week 7 Power Rankings: Liquid and Cloud9 neck and neck, TSM on their heels

Team Liquid destroyed Cloud9 once again — and that fact itself is enough for us to promote them above them, even though they have the same score.

Capable of defeating the LCS returning champions, Liquid have however some blatant weaknesses, as demonstrated by their loss to FlyQuest. Liquid had very small control over that game and displayed a very poor level — eventually leading them to a 12k gold difference and what some would call a stomp.

They're still leading, they still deserve the first spot, and it makes almost no doubt they'll qualify for Playoffs, especially since eight teams will get a seed. However, the race isn't over until the final lap, and Liquid will have to keep winning this week and the next one if they want to ensure themselves the best possible seed.

Cloud9 aren't only losing momentum, they're falling behind.

Everyone expected it: they obliterated Immortals. However, that's the only feat they achieved this week — and it's not really glorious. Two weeks ago, Evil Geniuses destroyed them, and last week it was Liquid's turn.

To their credit, the game was incredibly tight and they had the gold advantage during most of it. However, the scaling composition of Liquid allowed them to establish dominance over teamfights and takedown objectives one after another — until they destroyed C9's Nexus.

The Liquid x Cloud9 rivalry has never been so relevant. Nevertheless, C9 are currently losing the duel — hence their current placement.

FlyQuest are quite inconsistent this split, but they demonstrate an ability to win against the best LCS teams. During Week 6, they stomped over TSM, and last week they pocketed two more victories against Golden Guardians and, above all, Liquid.

Against the Guardians, FlyQuest barely pulled it off, but their victory over Liquid was flawless — almost too much. Was it a fluke? Did FlyQuest benefit from the leaders' apparent weakness? We're giving FlyQuest the benefit of the doubt for now, but they'll have to prove themselves this week, as they battle against Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves.

Although Team SoloMid achieved a perfect record this week by defeating Counter Logic Gaming and Dignitas, that was honestly to be expected. It makes no doubt they're strong contenders for the Summer title — and a win is a win — but TSM's real challenge is ahead.

As Week 8 begins, they'll have to face Evil Geniuses and Cloud9, two strong contenders for the LCS titles — and the outcome of these two matches will be decisive. Until then, they'll remain in the chasing pack.

Golden Guardians are the best team in the middle of the standings — or at least their recent results tend to prove that. They obliterated 100 Thieves, then battled fiercely with FlyQuest, only conceding after a 40-minutes long game that saw seven Dragons dying.

Not only this shows that the Guardians are clearly one step above the middle-table teams but also that they capable of challenging the chasing pack — and maybe even to join it.

However, the real test is ahead, as Golden Guardians will have to face Cloud9 this week...

Evil Geniuses played poorly this week. Although they won easily against Immortals — which had to be expected given the current state of the team — they got pretty much destroyed by Dignitas.

In that last game, EG had perfect control over the map during the 15 first minutes, then everything collapsed and they basically threw what seemed to be an easy win. A loss against one of the last team in the LCS is telling — hence EG's current placement in our rankings.

100 Thieves only achieved mixed results this week, and their Playoffs spot is now seriously endangered by Dignitas. The Thieves are just one victory ahead and nothing is yet written. By defeating CLG, the Thieves managed to tie with CLG — which is quite reassuring — but their defeat to Golden Guardians is weighting on their record and putting them at risk.

This week, 100T are facing FlyQuest and Immortals, two teams against which they previously won. They can pocket two more victories, which would allow them to secure their spot in Playoffs, at least for one week. It remains to be seen if they'll manage to do so...

Counter Logic Gaming pocketed two more losses last week, and what could have be a way for them to secure their spot in Playoffs was actually a proper disaster.

Destroyed by TSM, obliterated by 100 Thieves, the hopes of seeing CLG in PLayoffs are shrinking — and this week isn't really bright considering their opponents.

CLG are facing Golden Guardians and, above all, Team Liquid — and this two matches could really put the nail in CLG's coffin.

Dignitas achieved a crushing victory over Evil Geniuses — but, to be fair, it's more a result of EG's throwing the game. However, a win is a win and with a fourth victory under their belt, they're starting to become a real threat for CLG's and 100 Thieves' Playoffs spots.

Dignitas might really well pull it off: they just have to win against Immortals and Team Liquid this week — and although one seems possible, they'll truly need a miracle to tackle on the second one. 

If everything goes like we're planning, Dignitas will be 5-11 next week — and that could really well be enough for them to snatch a seed.

Let's be honest: Immortals had no chance last week to pocket any points. Facing Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses, their defeats were to be expected. Given their current record, there's no real debate about them being bottom of the pile this week.

However, this might change really soon as they're facing Dignitas and 100 Thieves this week. They literally have the power to grab some wins, while adding a defeat to records of the teams that are currently gate-keeping them from entering into Playoffs.

It would be a miracle to see Immortals snatching a spot in Playoffs — but everything can happen in the Rift.