LCS Summer 2022 Power Rankings

LCS is back underway. Here’s our take on how the regular split will play out.

10. Immortals

One thing I was concerned about with getting this article out when I did is that the opening round of games might make some predictions look a bit silly. Imagine my relief, then, when Immortals picked up where they left off in summer. Giving up a perfect game is never a good look. Doing it on day one is a worrying look indeed.

Immortals is a team with no real identity, no fans and, for now, no wins. Nothing they did in the off season makes me think they can turn things around in summer and I expect another season of struggles for the most “making up the numbers” tea m in any major region.

9. Counter Logic Gaming

Meanwhile, Counter Logic Gaming started their summer split with an impressive win over Dignitas. It’s been a hot minute since CLG was a good team, but do they have a decent team? Not really. Still, finishing 8th in spring was arguably better than expected and probably better than they will do in summer.

Swapping in Dhokla for Jenkins feels like a sideways move at best, and CLG will once again be scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon. If TSM finally gets its house in order, I can’t see them finishing below CLG for a second split in a row. What that means is that CLG’s best chance of finishing 8th is for them to beat out Dignitas. How nice, then, that they crushed them on day one.

8. Dignitas

In a lot of ways, this placement is based more on TSM than it is Dignitas. The middle of the pack in LCS is so evenly matched, and so uninspiring, that I might as well roll a dice to predict slots five through nine. Gamsu is quite obviously a strict upgrade to Fakegod, but even his addition wasn’t enough to stop them giving up their first game of the split.

Once this teams gets over its initial period of adaptation, I expect them to be better than CLG over the course of a season, but that’s not really saying a whole lot. This is a team that looks pretty solid on paper but which also repeatedly underperformed in spring. Does that mean there’s better things to come? Maybe. Does it mean they will come? I have my doubts

7. Team SoloMid

Oh, boy. Say one thing for TSM, say they’re never not entertaining. The drama continues to unfold and the roster changes continue to happen, but I really feel like a team with this many good players on it can’t be awful forever. Already by the end of last season things were looking up, with four wins from the last eight games almost making up for an abysmal start to the split.

That said, they a distant runner-up in their opening game against 100 Thieves. And while losing to spring split runners-up is nothing to be ashamed of, the manner of the defeat does show that that TSM is still nowhere near being a top team.

6. Flyquest

Everybody likes Flyquest. The most wholesome team in LCS had a pretty solid spring split, considering the fact that their biggest name is a support who has been around the block many a time. This team felt like the perfect counterpoint to Dignitas’ underperformance, getting a lot done with what seemed like minimal resources.

Even so, I can’t see them pushing much higher. A play-offs spot is impressive with a squad like this, and I hope they can maintain it, but it feels like a tough sell as teams around them improve. Even sixth place will be a difficult challenge, but everybody hopes they will manage. Everyone except fans of teams around that sixth place, anyway.

5. Golden Guardians

Here’s another team that really picked up momentum towards the end of spring. Admittedly, that momentum was abruptly halted by a Cloud9 shaped wall, but four wins from six games was a decent enough end to the season.

Looking through their match history shows a pleasingly symmetrical pattern of thick green sections of wins next to thick red sections of losses. That symmetry even leaked into their 9-9 overall record, which put them one very important place above Dignitas in the standings. If they maintain a similar pattern, obviously they will make play-offs again, and with minimal changes, they should hit the ground running. Unfortunately, losing on day one to fellow play-off hopefuls Flyquest is anything but a good start, and these losses can add up over the course of the season. Still, this team feels like it’s capable of another middle-of-the-pack finish, which will earn them another first round of play-offs elimination.

4. Cloud9

Here’s where things get interesting again. While the middle of the pack could finish in any in a fairly uninteresting way, the top four feels unpredictable in a more exciting fashion. It’s a bit like saying “anyone can beat anyone” versus “anyone can lose any given game.” Cloud9 never truly felt like the second best team in the league to me, which was somewhat borne out by play-offs results, but they were never in danger of missing play-offs.

They are starting the season with a very different line-up to the one that ended spring, though, and with an opening day defeat already to their names. With some administrative issues meaning they couldn’t field a full strength team, C9 is playing catch-up right off the bat. I expect them to play that game exceptionally well, but I also expect it to put another top two finish out of reach.

3. Evil Geniuses

EG had an interesting year so far. Squeaking into play-offs via a three-way tie, they went on a miracle run to the finals, which they then won. MSI was another mixed bag. Humbled by G2 in the group stage, they took a game from T1 and made it to the knockout stage… where they honestly weren’t that far off RNG’s pace.

For a team with such young stars, that experience must have been invaluable. Starting the split off with a win over C9 is also a big deal and this EG team seems to be going from strength to strength. I think they fall a little behind the top two over the course of a long split, but everybody knows what this team can do in play-offs at this stage.

2. 100 Thieves

It’s strange to think that third place was a disappointment for 100T last split, but at the same time, they started quite slowly. If anything, their ability to turn things around and still make top three was impressive.

The thieves will be smarting from their 3-0 loss to EG in spring play-offs and you can imagine they are itching to get back into competitive play after the mid-season break. They changed nothing between then and now, and already started strong with a win over TSM. With no bedding in issues to worry about, this is a team that could easily go on to win the whole split. I just don’t quite think they’re better than my top pick over the course of an 18 game season.

1. Team Liquid

Another top team that made no changes in the off season. Liquid capitulated in spring finals and if 100T are itching for revenge, Liquid must be down to the bone by now. There’s no reason to think the best team in spring should fare any worse in summer and it’s really a matter of “more of the same” as far as the regular season is concerned.

I’m not here to discuss play-offs, so “more of the same” means another first place finish for Liquid. Anything less would be a disappointment. The top of LCS is stacked, but this is a team full of players that has proven itself to be world class on numerous occasions. Despite a disappointing end to spring, this is still the team to beat in summer.