----- = Seperation of the different tiers
North American LCS
#1) Cloud 9
I see no reason why Cloud 9 doesn't repeat at the top regular season record in the NA LCS. They're just solid from top to bottom showing little to no weakness that they can't overcome within this region. They might lose an extra game or two more but overall I still see them being first place with little to no problem.
#2) Counter Logic Gaming
I think it's finally time. We saw flashes of brilliance from CLG toward the end of last split. We also saw that Link (as I've called in times past!!) is a world class mid laner from his performance at all stars winning bad matchup after bad matchup. The addition of Seraph to the top lane will not only give CLG the most dominant top laner in NA but also the added motivation that Seraph brings. He's hungry for success and given up a lot to be here. He wants this badly and I believe his teammates will follow suit. Along with the coaching of Montecristo which already led to huge improvements I think CLG becomes the clear #2
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#3) LMQ
This is going to seem wrong at first. LMQ more or less brute forced their way through the qualifiers and even got sloppy against certain competition. They didn't really adapt to the meta at all bringing a lot of their Chinese style to their new home but I think with time they'll adapt. Each member is incredibly gifted mechanically and despite seeming lazy at times, they showed up and completely dominated when things mattered. I think they're going to start slow but finish strong once they get comfortable and figure things out.
#4) Dignitas
Dignitas are going to be another brute force team to me. Shiphtur and ZionSpartan have the ability to pull bans and a lot of attention in game which will take a lot of the pressure off of IWD and company to over perform. That being said, I don't think either of these acquisitions really solved Dignitas' main problem which was strategy and shot calling. If they can manage to improve their macro strategy and decisiveness they could easily finish near CLG but I just don't see that happening. This is a respect ranking purely for the skill of QTPie, Shiphtur and Zion if he performs.
#5) Curse Gaming
Xpecial will add more to this team than a lot of people will give credit for. A winning culture, world class laning, and decent shot calling along with the huge chip on his shoulder could actually push Curse towards a placing as high as #3 but a lot depends on the performance of Voyboy in the mid lane and if he can continue to improve as he did toward the end of the Spring split.
#6) Team Solo Mid
To be honest, I want to rank EG ahead of TSM but I'm not entirely sure about their rumored tryouts and roster changes entirely. I think TSM still have the impressive individual skills to place anywhere in this 3 to 6 range which is the only reason they're here. They'll be in shambles with the loss of Xpecial. Amazing is an impressive mechanical player and if he can take over the shot calling and strategic duties they could very well prove me wrong but I think the off season moves were the best for the long term and they'll suffer in the short term (this split).
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#7 Complexity
I love this team. The passion, the comradery, the storyline, but they're just not ready. Maybe it'll take the split of getting used to things but I feel like this is just bad timing. This split will be NA's most competitive yet and they're entering the Thunderdome at the wrong time. That being said Prolly is an absolute beast and Brokenshard CAN be. So it's possible they prove everyone wrong. They are, in fact, an incredibly innovative team and could catch some people off guard. They have nothing to lose and that's scary to a lot of teams.
#8) Evil Geniuses
I just don't see it to be honest. The lone bright spot for this team, to me anyway, is that Pobelter is done school and completely devote himself to League. For someone of his talent and confidence that could end up being huge but his team will hold him down. I wouldn't be surprised if EG was dead last by a long shot unless they make some unbelievably good moves.
European LCS
#1) Alliance
You saw how they finished the regular season. I don't think they'll flare out of the playoffs like that again. Simply put, the combination of Alliance on the up and Fnatic (in my opinion) on the down means they'll be the clear cut #1.
#2) SK Gaming
SK straight up surprised me last season. I had almost written them off. They're an excellent strategic team that plays whats powerful and doesn't mess around. I think consistency will be the name of the game for them. Again with the downward trending Fnatic and all but dead to me Gambit they're in contention to be the clear #2 and earn a spot at Worlds.
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#3) Fnatic
While I think they're on the downswing I still think they're better than the rest of what EU has to offer right now. I stand by what I said last season. I feel like burnout has to become a factor and with their documented laziness regarding international events (drunk at all stars...) combined with a general lack of competition in terms of quality international style play I think it'll actually end up making Fnatic start the slope down. It wouldn't surprise me to see them revamp the roster from multiple retirements/firings. That being said they're still better than most of Europe...
#4) Roccat
Roccat also surprised me. Granted I knew nothing other than Overpow is a beast before the season started. They showed remarkable poise and strategic versatility. If they can bring more of this versatility and less "cheese" I think they'll come back solid now that they've had a split under their belts. This is again a matter of lack of really dominant teams in Europe. I also think Roccat, similar to Gambit is the most susceptable to an injury or roster change problem because of the language barriers.
#5) Millenium
I like Millenium. Not nearly as much as I liked the Forrellonlord version of the team but i still like them. Kerp is underrated as well as Kevin and Creaton and Jree have been one of the strongest bot lanes in Europe for awhile now. KottenX proved that he's legit in his limited time at the end of the split showing that he is a playmaker willing to take some risks. I think they'll bounce back strong and perhaps place as high as 3rd.
#6) Supa Hot Crew
Supa Hot Crew got themselves a coach and analyst. That alone is going to help them leaps and strides because they're all pretty good individually and just lacked macro strategy. This is pretty much just a respect ranking to show that they're trying while Gambit and CW are self destructing.
#7/8 Copenhagen Wolves / Gambit Gaming
7 and 8 could go either way but these teams suffered critical losses in the off season and didn't really come close
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