Ranks Are Set in LCS Week 1 Power Rankings

A little bit of shock and a whole lot of awe took place in the opening weekend of the 2019 LCS Summer Split. 

While some teams (those that didn’t make playoffs in the Spring) got two months off for practice and betterment, others had only a few weeks, and one only had a few days. Most of what you’ll find in our Week 1 LCS Power Rankings won’t surprise you, but there are a few gem storylines exiting the rift after the opening weekend’s action. 

--

1st - After their near triumph on the international stage during MSI 2019, Team Liquid came home with the pride of the region on their backs, and little break time. Many suspected that they would be slow to start in Week 1, but they stomped Team SoloMid in Game 1 before losing Game 2 against Echo Fox after a single team fight. They may have ended Week 1 of the 2019 LCS Summer Split with an even record, but don’t go thinking this isn’t still the best team in North America. 

2nd - Much like Team Liquid, a lot of this power rank is based on who this team is, because that’s part of the purpose of power rankings. TSM lost a really brutal Game 1 this weekend. It wasn’t pretty. But there was little to no falter in their ability to overcome certain pressures, and they came back even stronger on Sunday. There were moments in their victory over Counter-Logic Gaming where the team looked shaky, but overall, we should expect the same high-caliber TSM throughout the split.

3rd - No one has been more surprising than the Golden Guardians, who, have come out of the gate absolutely swinging with two extremely dominant performances. First, the Guardians slew Echo Fox to kick off their 2019 Summer Split, before dismantling FlyQuest the next day. Hauntzer, Froggen, Deft, and their new zen-master Olleh all look extremely bonkers right now. If the trend that started in Week 1 continues, expect GG to be at or near the top of this list very soon. 

4th - Licorice may have gotten Player of the Week from the LCS broadcast team, but Cloud9 as a whole didn’t look all that spectacular. Luckily, they are stacked to the monitors with talent, and Cloud9 isn’t about to fall into obscurity. They have a 2-0 record exiting Week 1 of the LCS Summer Split, but both of those victories were against teams that combine for 0-4 on the scorecard. Hopefully, Cloud9 will blow-up and make huge waves in Week 2 and beyond. It’s still unclear if this team deserves to be considered among the top of the league. 

5th - In second place on the "huge surprise" list has to be OpTic Gaming. This team is filled with misfits and can’t-do labels with apparently huge can-do attitudes. So far in the 2019 Summer Split OpTic Gaming is undefeated. Yes, it’s only been one week, and yes, both of those wins are against bad teams, but there was a moment when OG was supposed to be on that “bad team” list. Is this the start of an upward trend for this group of randomly plucked dropouts? 

6th - Some might see the headline that Echo Fox once again defeated Team Liquid -- who is still considered the best team in the league -- and be a bit surprised that we still have them in the bottom half of the league, but this team is still the same. Their one win against Team Liquid came down to a single great play, that turned into an Ace and led to the destruction of the enemy Nexus. Of all the teams that made the playoffs last Split, Echo Fox is probably the least likely to earn another ticket to the postseason, but things could change. 

7th - One of the most historic franchises in the North American League of Legends, and Esports as a whole, Counter-Logic Gaming made a high-profile change in the offseason. No longer is Darshan roaming the top-lane for the CLG squad, rather, import Ruin comes over from MSI 2019 participants 1907 Fenerbahce. So far, through Week 1, CLG has a single win (against 100 Thieves) and a tough lost yesterday against TSM. It’s completely uncertain as to wear Counter-Logic Gaming will sail to through the rest of the split, up or down this list. 

8th - On paper, FlyQuest is far better than 8th place on the power rankings. But they unfortunately had a Week 1 in which they fought both Cloud9 and a starving Golden Guardians. This means that FlyQuest will head into Week 2 with zero wins to their name. However, we have a ton of faith in almost their entire line-up -- with Pobelter in the mid-lane possibly being their weakest link -- so there’s no room for panic just yet. 

9th - We’re going to have to start calling this squad “the team formerly known as Clutch Gaming” when they become Team Dignitas again after this split. For now though, Clutch Gaming is back to their old shenanigans of overplaying calm situations, and collapsing in contentious ones. Those moments are what separate formidable teams from the rest, and until Clutch Gaming gets an identity and a clear leader, it’s unlikely they obtain that title. 

10th - With a couple of small changes during the offseason, many had hopes that the Summer would be different for 100 Thieves. Those hopes were blown out, and day-dreamy. At this point, it’s more likely that 100 Thieves lucked their way to the Finals in their first split, rather than the other way around. This, right here, is the 100 Thieves team. A new organization that is struggling to find its legs in the LCS. 

MATCH OF THE WEEK: FlyQuest vs Golden Guardians

Watch (REBROADCAST) Week 1 Day 2 | LCS Summer Split (2019) from Riot Games on www.twitch.tv

For a complete look at the actual scores from the 2019 LCS Summer Split, make sure to check out our LCS Standings and Results hub.