Preseason Power Rankings
With Season 4 LCS starting tomorrow I thought I'd throw my power rankings out there as I do before every split. These are just my opinions based on years of following the sport and organizations involved as well as current knowledge of the game. Feel free to discuss!
1) Gambit Gaming
Coming
off a red hot performance at the end of EU LCS Summer Split and, more
importantly, Worlds, Gambit look as dominant as they've ever looked. The
current patch and huge changes that happened for season 4 fit their style very
well. They like to have multiple bruisers/off tanks and skirmish a lot. The
strong champions also fit with the players quite well and while this will
obviously change as the season goes on, Gambit have the experience and
expertise to adapt as it happens. The only way I don't see Gambit going to the
finals for this split is if they burn out or drastic changes happen to completely
nerf the champion pool of every single player but as it stands they're in a
really good spot.
2) Alliance
Laning
phase and game length are both lasting longer which benefits two of the
strongest solo laners in Europe, Froggen and Wickd. People learned just how
good Tabzz is last split and Shook is one of the best junglers in Europe.
Another combination of the players fitting the meta and strong champions as
well as an extraordinarily high skill level here. Expect Froggen to return to
his godlike status of previous season after a down year last year.
3) Millenium
Millenium
acquired the former Team Alternate roster of Kev1n, Araneae, Kerp, Creaton, and
Jree about a week back in an outstanding move for the organization. This is a
team that completely dominated the European scene until Creaton went down with
a wrist injury which completely threw off the synergy of the team. Upon his
return they saw a resurgence at the end of the season but it was a bit too
little too late. Expect them to come out guns-a-blazing just as they did last
split and, barring any injuries, I expect them to be a Top 3 team even without
superstar mid laner ForellonLord. Every
single player on this team possesses a high level of individual talent much
like a lot of the Korean teams (SK Telecom T1 K and S anybody?) we'll just have
to see if they can pull off the macro strategy aspect of the game.
4) Fnatic
After
an eternity of drama surrounding the "prodigal AD carry" Rekkles we
finally get to see him in action. I, for one, believe that he'll be quite good seeing
as the bot lane scene in Europe has tended to be rather weak compared to other
regions. That being said, the real question will be whether or not the
incumbent members can adapt to the current patch and maintain the passion for
the game (not burn out) as they've been playing at a high level for a long
time. Also of intrest will be Yellowstar moving back to support. I think
they'll be solid, but not quite as good as they were at Worlds where they were
playing on a much higher level than I thought possible for them.
5) SK Gaming
The
"new" Ocelote-less roster of SK Gaming is sure to turn some heads
this season after defeating Supa Hot Crew in a set of qualifiers in which they
looked very solid. Svenskeren will thrive in the new jungle and Jesiz is one of
the more underrated mid laners in Europe simply because there are so many of
them. The experience bot lane of Candy Panda and nRated will provide stability
and allow playmakers to do their thing.
6) Copenhagen Wolves
I loved
the previous incarnation of the Wolves with TheTess, Bjergsen, Godbro,
Svenskeren, and Deficio but that team is no more and as we saw from last
season, Bjergsen and Shook can't carry the team on their own. With both of them
gone, it will be up to cowTard (also underrated but not quite Bjergsen level)
and Amazing to pick up the slack. It would take a massive improvement from all
of the members on the team to compete with the rest of the teams this split but
if they can adapt quickly they'll have a shot. While there aren't really any
glaring weaknesses, nothing about the Wolves really "wow's" me and
they're not as strong on an individual level as some of the other teams.
7) Supa Hot Crew XD
SHC have
been through a ton of changes and, as of this writing, do not have a jungler on
their roster. Who the add will have a big part of how this team does with the
new changes but let's look at what we have. A team that was up 2-0 on SK Gaming
before their miraculous comeback to take the series 3-2. Mimer who is
considered one of the better players in Europe, Migxa who is a playmaking
support, MrRallez who is one of the stronger ADs in a weak bot lane scene in
Europe. The fact that this rag tag bunch has battled all the way from the
ranked 5v5 ladder and gone through so many changes just makes me think there's
something going on here... I'm not really sure what. We'll see who they add at
jungle and I'll get back to you. That being said, they've faired better against
similar competition to the team I've ranked "last".....
8) Team ROCCAT
ROCCAT acquired the former Kiedys Mialem Team (KMT) which was a Polish team that began climbing their way into the circuit last year. They took a game off of SK Gaming at DreamHack this year and swept Ninjas in Pyjamas 3-0 to earn their promotion into the EU LCS. Frankly I know nothing about this team other than those two previously mentioned matches. From what I've read Overpow is quite the solo laner and Xaxus as well but I honestly don't know more than that. What I do know is that until they prove other wise, they have a win over a flailing (and since deceased) NiP team and took a game off of the "new" SK Gaming who are somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as EU LCS teams go. In order for ROCCAT to do well they're going to have to win all of their games against the "bottom half" teams and steal a few from the "big dogs." But hey, I've been proven wrong in the past and I hope that we get some new palyers to watch out of these guys.
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