With the LCS Summer Split kicking off on June 5th, we are putting out our Power Rankings along with some analysis on offseason moves and games to watch.
LCS Spring Spit ended with C9 winning the split as people expected. However, MSI did not go well for them and that puts pressure on these LCS teams to come with more fight at Worlds. With that said, some LCS teams have improved and are giving it their best shot to win the split. Hence, let’s get right into it.
Mid-Season Moves
There were a few mid-season changes and acquisitions by many of the playoff teams from the Spring Split. These teams are priming themselves to be in the playoffs and possibly win the split. With that said, there were some significant changes starting with the MSI reps C9.
C9
The last we saw of C9 was in the Rumble Stage at MSI 2021. They did not perform as well as they should have and expectations for making it to the Knockouts were not met. In response to that, they have made a change to swap out Zven for K1ng. Furthermore, they also made a coaching change with Mithy becoming the Head Coach and Reignover stepping down to become an assistant coach.
The coaching change was made due to Reignover was having some personal issues. Hence, Mithy who was already on the staff has stepped in as the Head Coach. C9 has explained this as a reshuffling of delegations and responsibilities and that it will not change their style. The problem is, they may need to change their style.
They also swapped K1ng with Zven, which is in most fans’ eyes a baffling move. People are on the fence about this move given what we saw at MSI 2021. The bot lane for C9 was not the problem, it was primarily Blaber making a lot of mistakes and drafting woes. To put that on Zven would be harsh but C9 has done this before.
They have benched Sneaky in the past and have had players leave due to certain moves that made no sense at the time. However they are still a very strong team and Fudge’s improvement has opened a lot of avenues for them. Perkz and Blaber needs to step up and be better as players if they are to make it back to the international stage and right the wrongs of MSI 2021.
100 Thieves
Everything 100 Thieves have done in the mid-season has changed the dynamics of the team. Bringing in a new mid laner from the LEC in Abbedagge and getting Reapered as their head coach is only going to trend upwards.
Ssumday got his residency so 100T was able to bring in Abbedagge and fill in that spot that they have been struggling with all of last split. The change of the coaching staff was also needed given how the team regressed at the later half of the Spring Split.
Question is, how good does this make them. We will only know once they have played a few games and we can see the style they want to play on. So far, these moves are solid and should make them a better team this split.
Golden Guardians
The 10th placed team at Spring Split went back to the drawing board to see what changes they could make to be more competitive. That resulted in a resurgence of Solo as a starting top laner in the LCS and getting a new support in Chimes instead of Newbie.
Niles being swapped into the academy team makes a lot of sense given his Spring Split performances. It was clear that he is not ready to be on the LCS stage and needs some more time to develop as a player and the experience in academy will help. However, its not a good sign when Solo gets signed as the academy top laner and two weeks later, Solo becomes the LCS starter.
The other changes was bringing in Chime instead of Newbie. This change on the surface does not make a lot of sense as to being a better team. Newbie showed some promise on the LCS despite the team losing as a result of a lot of problems. Maybe this could be a synergy move as Stixxay and Chime probably play better as a duo and its something to monitor when the LCS starts.
Evil Geniuses
EG made one change which was Deftly leaving the team and them promoting their proving grounds ADC, Danny (renamed from Shiro). There is not much data on him as he has only played professional league of legends for about a year. Almost all of that was in the amateur scene so he is very unproven as a player.
EG making such a move shows a lot of confidence in a 17 year old player making it on a playoff team from last year. Whether this catapults them upwards is to be seen when we see him in action.
Power Rankings
Before week 1 starts, we devised our power rankings based on the starting rosters as constituted.
1. Team Liquid
Team Liquid is still the best constructed roster in the LCS. They would have been the champions last split if not for Santorin’s migraine problem. They have the best top laner in the LCS along with a very consistent mid-jungle duo. Their bot lane is also one of the best duos in the league. However, they will need to be very consistent as a team and show their prowess game in and game out to win the Summer Split.
2. Cloud 9
Cloud 9 would be our second best team going into the Summer Split. While they got progressively better in the last split, their MSI performance leaves much more to be desired. Fudge has improved significantly as the season has progressed and it is a welcome sign. However, Blaber’s showing at MSI combined with a change in a bot lane could be a problem going forward. We will have to see how they play and progress as this split advances.
3. 100 Thieves
This iteration of 100T is not the same as last split. They had a lot of upside early on in Spring, but they fell down hard especially during the playoffs. The concern with them at the time was the mid lane and they have addressed that by bring in Abbedagge. They also had a coaching change and everything is pointing towards the right direction. However, they still need the pieces to work together and it will be a test for them this split to make a deep run. They have a team capable of going to Worlds but they will need to show that they can actually perform at that level to do so.
4. TSM
TSM will be looking to improve upon their last split. It will do them well given it will be Bjergsen’s 2nd split as a coach and the team getting a run together in their 2nd split. Lost has been a good addition for them and Spica has been their best player. However, the inconsistencies of SwordArt and Huni has come around to bite them in the back last split and they will need to address it for this split. The first few games should tell us whether TSM has improved or not. If they have not, we better start sounding the alarms for this team.
5. Evil Geniuses
EG will be our fifth best team going into the split. They have some great pieces in Impact and Svenskeren who work together well. The problem with them is consistency and they are also bringing in a 17 year old rookie. This could end up to be a really good move for EG or a really bad one. Regardless, they will need to show that they are capable of being a top 3 team when its all said and done.
6. CLG
CLG was marred with issues last split, with the fiasco of getting players with the team. This split is not going to have such issues and that should be a boon for them. Their squad is talented enough to make a run for the playoffs but it just has not happened. They will all need to step up to be in that spot once more as another split starts.
7. Dignitas
Dignitas was the story last split with them being such a great team. No one expected them to compete with the roster they had but they have proven that they have the talent to compete for a spot. However, that is the highest they can get given their roster. We do not expect it to happen again but they are a tough team regardless. Whether they can replicate what they did last split will be one to watch.
8. Immortals
Immortals are another team that has talented players in their roster but they are still not as cohesive together. With one more split on the belts of the players, they will try to make a push for the playoffs. However it will be a tall order for them as they will have to come out guns blazing to make it to the playoffs.
9. FlyQuest
Similar to Immortals, Flyquest has talented players and are going to look to have some progress this split. Making the playoffs for them would be a stretch given their current status but they should be playing for the future and evaluating these players and build a proper winning system around them.
10. Golden Guardians
This team probably has the weakest roster in the league and they are coming in with two changes. Solo’s presence will help their jungler, Iconic, to get better or at least thats what they hope will happen. Their bottom lane is a question mark given the support has changed, so there is a lot of moving parts and they are just trying to get better and find the right players. Who knows, maybe these changes are good for them. In that aspect, only time will tell.
What To Watch Out For This Split
There are many storylines that will be very interesting as the split progresses. Here are some of the key ones.
- Watching The New Acquisitions: This is particularly relevant for teams like 100T, C9 or EG. The impacts of these new players will be significant for the team. 100T addressed their mid-lane woes and hopes Abbedagge can get them over the line in that aspect. C9 and EG will hope that their new ADC will be an x-factor going forward.
- Which teams challenge TL and C9: Given how TL and C9 were a notch above everyone else last split, it will be fun to watch which other team elevate themselves to contend for winning the split
- The Meta: As the jungle has changed, the patch’s impact will be very relevant going forward
Must Watch Games This Week
There are some fun matches coming up and here they are:
- TL vs TSM: The opener of the split and will be a fun match to watch
- TSM vs EG: A battle of two playoff teams from last year to see how much they have improved
- C9 vs 100T: Spring Split Champions versus an improved 100 Thieves team
- TL vs C9: A rematch of the Mid-Season Showdown Finals
C9 are coming in with the tough week so we will get to see them show if they have learned anything from MSI. Also it will be fun to watch the other teams and see how much they have improved. LCS is set to start on June 5th with TL vs TSM.
