EU LCS Power Rankings Heading Into Week 6

It’s now week six in the EU LCS, and while some teams have slipped into their groove, other teams are still finding their footing. Some of these teams are doing as expected, and some are not, so let’s see which of these teams reigns supreme, and which teams need to work a little bit harder before playoffs begin.

1. G2 Esports

G2 are not unfamiliar with the top spot, having won the EU LCS Playoffs two years running. Though they are not always the top dog during the regular season, G2 Esports have always managed to come through when it counts. While they currently sit tied for first place in the EU LCS, the skills demonstrated by their squad, top laner Martin "Wunder" Hansen, jungler Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski, mid laner Luka "Perkz" Perković, AD Carry Petter "Hjarnan" Freyschuss, and support Kim "Wadid" Bae-in, have demonstrated that they are currently the best when it comes to European talent.

1. Fnatic

Though tied for first place as well, Fnatic have had a bit of a rougher time than G2, and recently shown more weakness, though they have managed to pick up the wins where needed. Fnatic has a long line of achievements behind them, something that will undoubtable be motivating the team to succeed wherever possible, and as long as they can shore up their weak points, they should be able to give G2 Esports a run for their money when it comes to being crowned the “Kings of Europe”. Stand-out performances go to top laner Paul "sOAZ" Boyer, the longest standing player in the roster and the marking stone for which European top laners must compare themselves, as well as mid laner Rasmus "Caps" Winther and AD Carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, who have both shown that they are more than capable of standing up under pressure and carrying their team to victory. Jungler Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen and support Zdravets "Hylissang" Iliev Galabov have both shown improvement in recent weeks, and will undoubtedly rise to the level of their teammates in the weeks to come.

1. Vitality

Vitality may have been the first team to reach the number one spot, but they have certainly paid the price of having a target on their back. With Fnatic and G2 having quickly caught up, Vitality are now in an awkward position where even a single loss will drop them out of first place. This shouldn’t be a problem for a team capable of reaching the top of the ladder, but several of Vitality’s victories have come about less because of skill, and more about luck, so whether the squad can keep momentum going remains to be seen. Special praise is due for top laner Lucas "Cabochard” Simon-Meslet and mid laner Daniele "Jiizuke" di Mauro for their exceptional skill in the solo lanes. For AD Carry Amadeu "Minitroupax" Carvalho and support Jakub "Jactroll" Skurzyński, improvement has been shown, but there is still a ways to go before they are at the level of their contemporaries on Fnatic and G2. Jungler Erberk "Gilius" Demir might be entertaining to listen to, but needs to put in some work perfecting his craft before he will be taken seriously as a top jungler in the EU LCS.

1. Misfits Gaming

Misfits are certainly slumping after their performance last year, and whether this is just a brief dip that will correct itself, or symptoms of a greater problem, remains to be seen. What is sure, is that the synergy between jungler Nubar "Maxlore" Sarafian and mid laner Chres "Sencux" Laursen needs to improve if they are to become a threat again. For top laner Barney "Alphari" Morris, AD Carry Steven "Hans Sama" Liv and support Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle, individual skills are present, but more communication with the team can help them achieve their goals.

1. Splyce

Splyce has been able to get away with a lot this split, which has helped their team in the rankings. While they are not bad players, the members of Splyce have a habit of putting too much faith in their late-game team fighting ability, something which better teams will punish by refusing to engage. In the past, top laner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu has been a marker stone for EU tops, but seems to be having trouble getting into the groove this split. The synergy between jungler Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir and mid laner Yasin "Nisqy" Dinçer has been good so far, and the bot lane duo of Kasper "Kobbe" Kobberup and Raymond "kaSing" Tsang have shown moments of greatness. If the team can pull together and work on their early game pressure, they should have no trouble climbing the standings.

1. Giants Gaming

Much like Splyce, Giants have found success by getting away with mistakes that should be punished. Their roster of top laner Kim "Ruin" Hyeong-min, jungler Charly "Djoko" Guillard, mid laner Felix "Betsy" Edling, AD Carry Pierre "Steeelback" Medjaldi and support Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé have all shown tremendous individual skill in the past, but seem to be unable to pull all that skill together into a cohesive team. Often drafting teams that rely too heavily on late game scaling, Giants need to work on their early game if they want to remain a team that can compete in Playoffs.

1. Team ROCCAT

ROCCAT are always a pleasure to watch, but not always for the right reasons. Their games tend to devolve into brawls, and it is only due to the skills of their players that they are able to pull victory from the mess that ensues. Top laner Kim "Profit" Jun-hyung and jungler Jonas "Memento" Elmarghichi have shown good synergy this split, with mid laner Jin "Blanc" Seong-min also showing an ability to remain competitive with his opponents. The bot lane pairing of AD Carry Martin "HeaQ" Kordmaa and support Tore "Norskeren" Hoel Eilertsen have shown that they can go toe-to-toe with the bot lanes of other teams, though their team fighting synergy needs some work if they are to climb the ladder.

1. H2K

H2K has not had the best start to the Spring Split, but with the roster moves they have made, things are looking brighter every day. A new jungler in Ilyas "Shook" Hartsema and a new mid laner in Marcin "Selfie" Wolski have done wonders for improving the ability of H2K to compete. For the bot lane duo of AD Carry Patrik "Sheriff" Jírů and support Hampus "promisq" Mikael Abrahamsson, work needs to be done on their co-ordination if they want to become an elite bot lane, and for top laner Lennart "Smittyj" Warkus, work needs to be done on his map awareness, to enhance his ability to support his team with abilities and teleports.

1. FC Schalke 04

Schalke have shown in the past that they have the ability to compete with the top teams, but have lately been falling into too many traps laid by their opponents. Too often Schalke players are baited into fights they cannot win, or decide to pursue kills when they could be securing objectives. If they are to improve, then top laner Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss, mid laner Erlend "Nukeduck" Våtevik Holm and support Oskar "Vander" Bogdan need to step up and show the experience they have gained from so many years competing in the EU LCS. For relative newcomers, mid laner Milo "Pride" Wehnes and AD Carry Elias "Upset" Lipp, more work needs to be done on their ability to co-ordinate with the rest of their team in order to become a more cohesive unit.

1. Unicorns of Love

The Unicorns of Love have played far better than a team with their score would indicate, but have not been able to turn this in-game skill into the wins they so desperately need. Mid laner Fabian "Exileh" Schubert and jungler Jonas "Kold" Andersen have shown that they can absolutely run riot over their opponents, while top laner Matti "WhiteKnight" Sormunen, AD Carry Samuel "Samux" Fernández Fort and support Eun "Totoro" Jong-seop have also shown that they can mix it up with the best EU has to offer. While victories have eluded them, they are showing improvement from week to week, so perhaps the Unicorns will have their day yet.

The games of the European League of Legends Championship Series should only become more enjoyable to watch as time goes on. For more on how the Professional teams are doing in other regions, check out our Power Rankings of the teams in the North American LCS, and to see when these European teams will be facing off next, check out the Official Schedule page here.