With the 2023 League of Legends World Championship around the corner, people might be questioning about which teams are participating and how they are stacking against each other. Just like every year, we prepared our LoL Worlds Power Rankings, taking into consideration all the teams coming into Worlds 2023.

Just like last year, there will be a total of 22 teams. 2023 will mark the first year of the new Worlds format, as there will no longer be a group stage. Instead, the top 16 teams will have to go through a Swiss stage, with teams winning three games advancing. The play-in stage is also slightly different, as there will be two double-elimination brackets.

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What makes this year’s Worlds even more exciting is the number of storylines and potential contenders. From Deft defending his World title, to Faker and T1 chasing the fourth title in their home country, to JDG potentially becoming the first team to win the grand slam, there are a lot of talking points this year.

After what we saw at MSI, China and Korea are still leading the charge, but there is a small hope some western teams can make upsets happen. These are our Worlds 2023 Power Rankings.

LoL Worlds 2023 Power Rankings

23. Team Whales

Team Whales are one of the newest entries at Worlds 2023. The organization comes from a decent 2023 season, having stayed in the top side of the standings in both Spring and Summer. They were the second-best team in the VCS thanks to its mid laner Gloryy and ADC Artemis, the two carries of the team.  The other great addition is support Bie, who previously played in GAM Esports.

That being said, the VCS doesn’t look that strong overall this year, and I’m afraid that TW will suffer from a lack of international experience. Regardless of the result, though, it should be a great valuable moment for the team but when it comes to the LoL Worlds Power Rankings, they are at the end of the pack.

22. Movistar R7

Movistar R7 are at their second Worlds appearance. They have been the strongest team from the LLA and deservedly made it to the big tournament of the year. While there aren’t big expectations from them, we might see a better version of Movistar R7 compared to their MSI performance. If they manage to pull that off, it will be already a more-than-positive result.  yet They were dominant in the LLA playoffs, but I think this league is a tier below others. The only teams I think they can beat are LOUD and Team Whales, but let’s hope for some surprises. Pay particular attention to their mid laner Mireu: he is going to be the key.

21. DetonatioN FocusMe

Once again, DFM is at Worlds. They continue to be the kings of the LJL, even though it got really close in the Summer Playoffs against SHG. That being said, we should see a stronger DFM, now that Yutapon will go back to his traditional ADC role (he roleswapped to top after the tol2 incident) and the team will have a proper top laner in apaMEN. He’s going to be the team’s X factor at Worlds: if he delivers, we will see DFM potentially fight for groups; otherwise, the Japanese team will succumb to the other play-in teams. For now, they will be our 21st team in the LoL Worlds Rankings.

20. CTBC Flying Oyster

The #2 seed from PCS CFO are a really interesting team. They never looked great until the end of the split, when they almost beat PSG in the finals.  The Oysters’ most interesting player for me is their mid laner JimieN. If you didn’t know, the guy played at 100T’s academy last year, alongside Busio and Tenacity. He did a great job filling Mission’s shoes and he will be one to watch out at Worlds. Don’t sleep on the guy.

19. GAM Esports

GAM Esports have always been a hit or miss on the international stages, but lately, it has been more of a miss. Even though they won the VCS, it feels like they are not as strong as in previous years. They struggled more domestically, which is usually not a good sign.

Their new bot lane doesn’t really stand out, especially compared to Sty1e and Bie from last year. I would be happy to be proven wrong but I don’t see GAM making it out of groups and this is why they are 19th in our LoL Worlds Power Rankings.

18. LOUD

LOUD is my underrated pick for the play-in stage. The Brazilian team continued their streak of success in the CBLOL and they are at their second Worlds appearance. And considering they had the international experience from MSI, we might see them making upsets. As long as they don’t make silly mistakes (right, Croc?), LOUD are a fierce team worth watching out for and have moved up the LoL Worlds Power Rankings compared to last year.

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17. Golden Guardians – unfortunately eliminated

It’s unfortunate that Golden Guardians ended their Worlds journey after one series. They ended up going against Team BDS, one of the stronger teams among the teams that should’ve played in the play-in stage.

Golden Guardians’ season was strong overall, even though they dropped a bit compared to Spring. If they had been in the tournament, they would’ve been still rated decently high among the play-in teams, and have decent chances of advancing.

16. PSG Talon

If there is a team with a high chance of making it to the group stage, then that team is definitely PSG Talon. They were almost unbeatable in the regular split, and even though CTBC always made the upset happen, it felt like PSG could do more than what they showed. And I believe this is what will happen at Worlds: Maple and Junjia are ready to carry the team, and Wako has been solid throughout the split. Considering they are in the “easier” bracket, we should be able to see them advance.

15. Team BDS

While I don’t think they necessarily have the highest potential among the play-in teams, Team BDS for me is consistent and it’s a key element when it comes to Bo5s.

Now that they beat Golden Guardians in the Worlds Qualifying Series, the team is confirmed to be in play-ins. Top 16 for them in the LoL Worlds Power Rankings for now, but they can easily get closer to the top 10. As long as they can play their own game and find what works for them in the meta, BDS will deliver strong performances, to the joy of EU fans.

14. Team Liquid

I’m honestly excited and worried about the TL roster at the same time. I feel like they can have a major breakthrough at Worlds that will project them higher, but at the same time, there are things that could go terribly wrong. We need to see how APA and Yeon deliver now that the meta has changed and whether they will step up.

Image Credit: Robert Paul/Riot Games

The team still has some issues in the macro game which I don’t see being fixed at Worlds. Their chances of making it out of the Swiss stage are slim but getting wins against stronger teams would definitely be a confidence boost. With that uncertainty in mind, they will be 14th in the LoL Worlds Rankings.

13. MAD Lions

Just like TL, MAD is a big question mark for me. The team was strong at points during the season, but they somehow dropped the ball when it mattered the most. They have the talent but at the same time, it feels like they can’t raise their potential enough to fight with the other top teams. If they somehow get a good meta read, we might get a surprise, but otherwise, I don’t really see them getting into the top 8.

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12. NRG Esports

NRG truly were the stands out in this 2023 season. From joining the LCS to instantly becoming champions, it was incredible. But at the same time, I feel like it will be a tough Worlds for them. It will be the first Worlds for Dhokla and Palafox, and NRG might lack experience, especially compared to a team like C9.

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Excited to see what they can do, though: they can deal damage and it would be great if they did it against big teams.

11. Cloud9

The main reason why I rate C9 higher than NRG is their great affinity with strong international performances. Whenever you think they are weak, they somehow pull something out of the box and go above your expectations, especially when facing some of the best LoL teams at Worlds . The talent is there but it will depend on how the team preparations go.

EMENES was slightly affected by the recent incident that unfolded, but I don’t think it will impact the team overall. Blaber and Berserker will have to lead the team, but for me it will come down to Fudge. The guy was on a slump in Summer and his performance will decide C9’s run in the group stage. Eastern teams are scary but if there’s one LCS team that can make it, it’s definitely C9.

10. Fnatic

I feel like Fnatic and C9 are similar in the sense that they have the potential to make serious upsets happen. They made it to Worlds with a great Summer run and they were able to make it to LEC finals despite having Wunder as an emergency sub. It’s unclear who is going to play in the top lane, but having both players in South Korea will give more options to Fnatic.

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Between the two players, however, I would probably prefer seeing FNC run with Oscarinin, as he can be the deciding factor in the drafts and the overall outcome. And the team needs him to spice things up. Regardless, they are inside the top 10 at in the LoL Worlds Rankings.

9. Weibo Gaming

If we’re talking about being unpredictable, then probably no one knows who beats Weibo Gaming at Worlds (KT Rolster doesn’t look like it, at least this year).

On one hand, I’m aware that WBG couldn’t really contend with the other LPL teams, which puts them at a tier below them. On the other hand, though, I feel like WBG never really showed their true potential: they always give you the impression they can do better. Not only because of the nameplates but also because it feels like they haven’t found a formula that works for them.

The team can play both for TheShy and his bot lane, but one side will always be punished as soon as it’s not being covered. WBG can go from beating top teams to losing in unexpected matchups. Will they manage to fix it? For the show, I wish they could, but I don’t really see it happening.

8. Dplus KIA

Speaking of fourth seeds, we have Dplus KIA with the Showmaker-Canyon show. Ever since they made it to the LCK, DK is the only team that made it to Worlds every year. That result alone is quite astonishing.

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While I’m putting them quite low on the power rankings, I feel like Dplus KIA will benefit from the Worlds 2023 meta. Not only are some of the players’ favorite picks (Lee Sin, Syndra, Caitlyn) coming back into the meta, but they will also have the home fans cheering for them. Deft is also returning as the defending world champion, so it further adds to that.

Excited to see what they can do and definitely would love to see them fighting for the top. Things are not looking easy, though, especially considering how stacked the best LoL Worlds teams are at the tournament.

7. G2 Esports

G2 are once again the best shot the West has at the international stages, period. The team looked a lot stronger in the second half of the season compared to the first one, but Worlds will be another story. There is no question that G2’s potential is high, however, all the players must be at peak level to deliver.

Image Credit: Kirill Bashkirov/Riot Games

rokenBlade made a major step up so it will be intriguing to see how he fares against the Eastern competition again. The other thing is that G2 felt like one of the more innovative teams when it came to playstyle and drafts: we’ll see whether it will make or break them.

6. KT Rolster

Should we be excited for KT Rolster? Yes and no. The team is definitely a strong one but I still feel like they lack something to really push them into top-tier contention. They got one of the best top laners in Kiin, and Bdd and Aiming have been great carries throughout the season.

Jungler Cuzz can be a flip sometimes and overall, they are more volatile than the teams above them. For that reason, they are now in sixth place in the LoL Worlds Power Rankings. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow made it into the top four.

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5. LNG Esports

LNG are my underrated pick for the Worlds title this year. While most will be choosing between JDG, Gen.G, and probably T1, I feel like LNG have everything they need to make it work. They managed to pick up one of the best ADCs in the entire LPL (GALA), making a considerable upgrade. And with the jungle-mid duo of Tarzan and Scout, this LNG lineup must be feared. I also feel like they are a really flexible team, allowing them to play different playstyles. Watch out for them: they might finish higher than what they are rated in the Worlds Power Rankings.

4. T1

T1 and Faker in South Korea for Worlds: it doesn’t get better than this. T1 managed to qualify for the tournament despite the various struggles during the summer split, especially when Faker took a break due to his injury. His absence really showed how vital he is to the entire squad and why his presence makes T1 one of the LoL teams at Worlds.

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Even though they lost to Gen.G in the finals, we should be able to see a better version of T1 at Worlds. The question is how much stronger they got, as it will directly determine their fate at the tournament. After failing some many finals, will this be the time T1 manages to make everything click? It would probably be a legendary moment… and too good to be true.

3. BiliBili Gaming

BLG were for the majority of the year the second-best team in the world this season, but I felt like they dropped a bit towards the end of the LPL Summer playoffs. Was it the intense schedule, or the change of the meta? I think a bit of both.

Nonetheless, they are going to be the main contenders. We know that Bin and Elk are always going to show up when it matters to carry their team, and the Asian Games proved how vital is XUN with his presence in the early game.

It will be a tough ride, considering the other competitors, but it would be one hell of a redemption story to see BLG lift the trophy at the end of the year. For now, however, they are my number 3 on the LoL Worlds Power Rankings.

2. Gen.G

Even though Gen.G were the fourth-best team at MSI, they had a major step up in the LCK Summer Playoffs. They were unquestionably the best LCK team and they are looking like Korea’s best shot at the title this year. They will also have the home crowd cheering for them, which will indirectly boost them up.

Image Credit: LCK

Peyz did a fantastic job at substituting Ruler despite his young age, and it feels like all the other players have matured even more. Chovy will definitely be the one to watch out for, but for me the key to Gen.G’s run is Doran: the top laner struggled in the past but if he can handle the pressure and manage the top side well, Gen.G has enough firepower elsewhere to make it to the very end.

1. JD Gaming

Most people probably saw this coming. JD Gaming are the LoL Worlds favorites and all the ones that say otherwise are probably on serious “hopium”.

The squad dominated the entire 2023 season, winning both LPL splits and taking the crown at MSI 2023 in May. The World Championship is the only thing left for them to make the Grand Slam happen. The closest team that got it was G2 in 2019, but they ended up losing to FPX in the Grand Finals.

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Ruler, Kanavi, and Knight are the three core carry members of this lineup, but this doesn’t mean that the other two, 369 and Missing, are any worse. The team has an incredible balance, and they are the absolute best when it comes to playing through its mid and bot lane.

Unless the LPL curse hits again, JD Gaming will go far into the tournament. Anything below a Grand Final would probably be a disappointment. Let’s see whether they can show they are the undisputed best team in the world in 2023.

Top 10: LoL Worlds 2022 Power Rankings

TOP 10: LoL Worlds 2022 Power Rankings

In this LoL Worlds Power Rankings list, we will look at the most dominant LoL Worlds 2022 teams. We ranked and filed the top ten most fearsome lineups that should go deep into the tournament. The lack of recent international matches (the last being at MSI) makes the power rankings tough to predict well. We will try to make some objective analysis and try to come up with a more or less accurate representation of the teams’ strengths.

10. C9 (Cloud 9)

Following a non-exciting regular summer split, Cloud9 found great success in the LCS Championship. They fought until the end, and dominated 100 Thieves in the finals. Despite ending up in the same group as strong teams like T1 and EDG, Cloud9 now has a roster with the potential of making the upsets.

The lineup has the perfect mix of young talents and strong veterans. Fudge proved he can play almost anything, from tanks to bruisers to duelists and creating advantages in isolation. Blaber is the best domestic jungler NA can offer. He seems to have sorted out his inconsistency and it will be now time to prove that on the international stage. While he wasn’t the number one in single stats in the LCS, you could find him in the top three for almost every metric.

Jensen is now covering a more supportive role, having the highest average vision score per minute per game. He sacrifices his laning more often in order to help his team and it has been working great. I’m slightly worried about how he will match with the best mids in the world, but C9 must play as cohesively as possible if they want to win. Additionally, Berserker is proving to be the talent that everyone was expecting at the beginning of the year. Now that he has adapted to the environment better, you can see that things are working.

Finally, a lot of merit goes to Zven, who role swapped to support. Having played as ADC for a long time, he’s the best partner for Berserker since he knows both roles extremely well and can adapt to the T1’s former marksman. Not only that, but he also has a strong presence in shotcalling, which can help the rest of the team.

It’s still early to say but I personally think that this team can be the dark horse for 2022.

9. Rogue

Having won the LEC Summer Playoffs this year, Rogue comes to Worlds with a new level of expectations on them. As the first seed, they will feel the pressure of representing EU and the tough goal of beating the eastern teams, but RGE has shown promising stuff this year.

Odoamne won his first LEC title and was gapping everyone in the top lane. While he is known more as a weakside player, he had a positive XP and CS differential during the laning phase. My main worry is how he will perform against the mechanical gods. Watching T1’s Zeus makes me question if he’s able to hold his own. Yet, RGE has solid chances of fighting for Knockout Stage.

All the rest of the team has been performing strongly in playoffs, but Larssen and Malrang for me are the ones to watch out. We saw a new “face” from the Swedish mid laner, who is known for playing scaling mages. In the G2 finals, he took the gamble and played LeBlanc, proving that he’s willing to take the risks and go outside his comfort zone when needed. Malrang, instead, has returned to be the King of the jungle, with the highest %KP by a large margin. He’s known for being a low-economy player that puts a lot of emphasis in the early game: I’m curious to see how he will behave at Worlds.

8. DWG KIA (Damwon Gaming)

Damwon Kia had an up and down season so far. Despite being in the top three of the LCK, they found themselves in a weird situation where they were struggling against the top two but playing better than the rest.

The roster changes done over the off-season felt a downgrade and the results seem to back up that statement. Nuguri and Burdol didn’t seem superior to other top laners and the bot lane couldn’t really match T1’s or Gen.G’s.

Coming in as the 3rd seed at Worlds, DK’s chances of making it to the finals seem slim. They can count on Canyon and ShowMaker as usual, but I feel like DK’s strong points don’t match the bot-centric meta of this season. Things might change with Patch 12.18, but unless there’s a drastic meta shift, DK’s journey might not be as good as previous years.

7. G2 Esports

The next team on our list is G2 Esports. It might become as a surprise to see EU’s second seed placed higher than RGE, but I think there are quite a few reasons as to why this choice was made.

First of all, I think that G2’s preparation coming into the LEC finals was not done well. They were probably expecting to face FNC so they couldn’t adjust for RGE in time, and the meta isn’t favoring their playstyle, which consists in putting Flakked in a weakside position.

Regarding playstyles, I believe that they are similar to DK in the sense that they both like playing around their mid-jungle duo. But contrary to the Korean team, G2 also has Targamas, one of the best performing players and support in the LEC. With most teams having strong marksman and bot duos, G2 can try to let Flakked hold his own and look to play through other lanes. BrokenBlade had a rough final against RGE, but other than that, he has been really solid.

G2 ended up the ‘Group of Death’ with DK and JDG, but if there’s a team to make the miracle happen, it’s definitely G2.

6. RNG (Royal Never Give Up)

RNG is the only team on our list that has to go through Play-ins. Despite being the 4th seed, RNG has a high chance of dominating the play-in stage and snatch a spot at the Group Stage.

We saw how close the games were against EDG in the regional finals. Most Chinese teams have showcased highly competitive levels of play. Compared to MSI though, I believe that RNG didn’t have the same evolution other teams had. Their best strength is that they can play many different team compositions and strongside either top or bot, depending on the draft. But their flexibility also doesn’t really allow them to be top tier in any of these playstyles. And when they face teams that are better at one or the other, they struggle.

Their best identity for me is playing through bot or mid, with jungle and support roaming around the map and go for proactive plays. If they can find they can combine their strengths, we might be able to witness a much stronger version of RNG, which can easily compete with the top teams…

5. T1

After one of the most dominant splits in the LCK in spring, T1 wasn’t able to replicate the same results in summer. Despite finishing 2nd, they looked shaky at moments and were run over by Gen.G in the finals.

While it may seem like an involution, my general sentiment is that T1’s weaknesses were exploited in the second part of the season. We saw how they could get away with non-optimal drafts, as the individual players could fill the gaps with their own talents. When everyone proved, however, T1’s problems persisted.

What’s positive about T1 is that they have probably identified the main issue and made a crucial change for Worlds. They removed Polt from the head coach position, promoting former SKT T1 jungler Bengi to interim head coach. We’ll have to see how the team will adjust for the most important tournament of the year. They have extremely talented players and all the cards to do well, so T1’s expectations will be high, as Faker will also be hoping to become 4-time world champion.

4. EDG (EDward Gaming)

I had mixed feelings when deciding where to put EDG on this list. Being the current World Champions, I wanted to put them in the top three since they have an “additional” reason to perform this year. With that being said, I think that the top three teams are a tier above the rest, which made me put EDG 4th in this list.

The team’s shining points are for sure the bot lane players. Viper is one of the best ADCs in the world, period. Solid laning phase and always ready to make the plays and carry the teamfights on his back, with Meiko covering for any of his mistakes. I’m slightly worried about how the best champions for Viper (Zeri, Sivir, Kalista) were nerfed and how that might impact EDG overall.

The team also had a weird moment where Jiejie wasn’t delivering and Junjia played in his stead. EDG is a team that largely depends on their jungler for the general pace of the game, so they are influenced harder than most teams when the player is underperforming. Luckily for them, Jiejie made a strong comeback in the playoffs as well as the Regional Finals.

What I like about EDG is that they have a mix combination of LCK and LPL, playing both the macro game as well as going for the play when necessary. They might not be as explosive as other teams but having more composure can make the difference in vital games.

The Podium for our LoL Worlds Power Rankings

3. TOP Esports

I think that the top three teams are going to be the same for most people. Orders might change depending on preference. For myself, TOP places third in these Worlds Power Rankings.

The main reason for my choice is primarily results-based. They seems to be overconfident in some situations, and people can’t forget JackeyLove’s jump as Zeri in Game 5 of the LPL Summer Finals, as TES ended 2nd in both splits, always losing in Game 5. It can happen due to the pressure or the nerves of the series. The fact that it happened on two occasions raises some questions.

Nevertheless, TES are a formidable team with top class players across all roles. Knight, Tian were consistent throughout the season and Wayward, despite some ups and downs, proved that he’s a must in this line-up.

Overall, I’m still expecting them to fight for the top spot in groups and go deep into the tournament, but if they face one of the other top two teams before that, I think that Top Esports’ chances of advancing will be slimmer.

2. GEN.G

Gen.G is one of the big favorites of the tournament. Following a crushing dominance in the LCK Summer, all hopes by Korean fans will be on Gen.G this year. The team has managed to put together the best non-T1 talents from the League, and results have finally paid off. Ruler and Lehends are the undisputed number one bot lane from LCK: they can play a lot of different combinations and you can always feel their impact on the game, regardless of their gold situation. Chovy continues to terrorize the mid lane and teamfights, with Doran holding off his own in the top lane.

The most surprising member for me was Peanut, the LCK Finals’ MVP. After some rough years, he made his way back on a top-tier roster and he improved a lot, especially in the way he plays. He’s still mechanically strong, but his game sense and adaptability are what’s making him so valuable this year.

While I agree that Gen.G could’ve also been the number one on these Power Rankings, the lack of competitive teams at their level in the LCK have been a determining factor for me. Aside from that, the patch 12.18 have greatly nerfed the Lucian-Nami bot lane as well as Zeri, the champions the team has had the most success with. Patches get often overlooked before Worlds, but when everything is so close at the top, each detail can make the difference.

1. JDG Gaming

JDG are, for me, the number one team in our Worlds 2022 Power Rankings. As the current LPL Champions, considered by most as the best region in the world, it was logical to put them first.

Considering how important the early game is this season, as well as having strong teamfighting ability, Kanavi is the perfect player that ticks both boxes. He’s a very flexible player that can play both utility as well as carry style. On a roster like JDG, he’s given a lot of freedom.

This is also thanks to all the other teammates, who all can adjust depending on the enemies and the draft. Yagao earned the Finals’ MVP, with Hope and Missing being consistent and the backbone of JDG’s teamfights.

With that being said, I think that 369 was the one to surprise me the most this season. He was already considered highly last year, but he took his level up a notch again this year. His strength relies in his ability to both play tanks and bruiser-duelists, which will likely become relevant at Worlds.

After missing out last year, JDG has the great chance of redeeming themselves at Worlds 2022. The LoL Worlds Odds on them actually doing it are solid, but expect a tight competition all around.

Top 10: LoL Worlds 2021 Power Rankings

In this LoL Worlds Power Rankings list, we will look at the most dominant LoL Worlds 2021 teams. We ranked and filed the top ten most fearsome lineups that will surely make an impact. A lot has changed in League of Legends this year, and the power rankings are the hardest to make out of all seasons to date.

However, after some in-depth analysis, we have come up with what we think is an accurate representation of the relative strengths between all teams.

© LoL Esports

10. Hanwha Life Esports

Opening the list at the number ten spot, we have Korea’s fourth seed, Hanwha Life Esports. After a very disappointing Summer Split (ended in 8th), the team almost completed a miracle run in the Regional Finals, only losing to T1 in a 3-2 series. Nevertheless, the results were enough to secure themselves a ticket to the play-ins stage, where they are one of the favorites.

Thanks to the addition of jungler Willer to the roster, HLE looked very different from the regular season. He’s a very composed player that understand his team’s strength, taking full advantage of the two super-carries Chovy and Deft. The first is still, without a doubt, one of the best mid laners out there: it will be important to see how he fares against international competition. Deft has also been in brilliant form, outperforming most marksmen back in Korea. If he keeps his form, we might see some insane plays at Worlds 2021.

9. PSG Talon

After a decent Worlds performance last year, PSG Talon returns this year with good intentions to make it out of groups. Bear in mind that last year they weren’t able to play with their starting roster due to Covid restrictions so they should perform better this time around.

They’ve been such a dominant force in their domestic region, winning both Spring and Summer Split, and only losing one series during the whole year!

If you’re worried about their international performance, then you should go back and watch their MSI’s performance: PSG Talon is a serious competitor to make it out of Groups Stage. PCS keeps impressing everyone year after year, so make sure to not underestimate them!

8. LNG Esports

Everyone knows that China is probably the best region in the world when it comes to League of Legends. The amount of talent that comes from there is not comparable to any other region. Yet, LNG Esports’ best player is actually Korean: Tarzan.

The jungler made his way back to competitive following the disastrous Griffin drama that happened two years ago, and oh boy, did he impress: Tarzan is considered by many one of, if not, the best jungler in the LPL. With how fierce the competition is in the region, that’s surely an outstanding praise. His pathing and game knowledge is top-notch, supporting his team with the right ganks and skirmishes during the early game.

Nonetheless, his team is not too shabby: Icon and Ale have very high peaks and the bot lane is also pretty consistent. LNG will have to go through the play-ins stage but they are one of the favorites to make it out. If they do, we will surely have another contender for the Knockout stages. Be aware of them.

© LoL Esports

7. Fnatic

Next one on the list is Fnatic, EU’s 2nd seed. After a thrilling run which saw them rise from the losers’ brackets in Summer playoffs, Fnatic made their way back at Worlds 2021 with the new lineup. Bwipo proved that the roleswap to jungle worked pretty well, as he quickly became a top-tier player thanks to his game knowledge, and Adam also impressed against the best players in the LEC.

The big shining point of this Fnatic roster is their team macro game, as players coordinate each other to make cross-map plays, especially towards bot lane. While that worked really well in the domestic region, we’ll have to see how international teams will respond. Anyway, Fnatic has what it takes to do well in this Worlds 2021.

6. T1

Faker’s return to Worlds is probably what makes Worlds 2021 even more exciting to the fans. After missing out last year, the GOAT is back onto the grandest stage of the whole season and he’s eager to win.

After a somewhat difficult start, T1 remained a top 4 team for the majority of the year. During playoffs, the experience between the new teams and the old glory came out. T1 advanced to the Summer Split Finals and had a decent performance against the champions DWG Kia.

The strength of this roster resides in the bottom side of the map, as support Keria and ADCs Teddy/Gumayusi form a great bot lane. Depending on drafts and champion pools, each have their own strong points. Paired with Faker’s experience, T1 will try its best to return to victory and aim for that Worlds Trophy.

© T1

5. RNG (Royal Never Give Up)

If LNG is LPL’s 4th seed and in 8th place in our Power Rankings, then probably all the other LPL teams are above that. The first one is, in fact, Royal Never Give Up.

After winning MSI, RNG had a very rough start back in Summer, losing some series at the beginning. In the end, they were still able to snatch a 4th place and get to the playoffs. However, they were sent home shortly after, following the loss to LNG.

RNG’s stellar first half allowed them to get to Groups Stage directly regardless. Yet, it feels like the competition, at least domestically, has caught up. Now that they’re back at the international stages, will they return to dominate? It doesn’t seem so. Nonetheless, RNG’s line up is still very stacked and with a little more preparation, we still expect them to do well.

4. MAD Lions

It was very hard to place the Lions onto this list. Based on how they performed in the LEC, they would almost deserve to be in the top 3 teams at Worlds. Undoubtedly, the team’s macro game and teamfighting is exceptional, and probably on par with the other best teams in League of Legends. There is, though, a huge question mark.

MAD Lions have showed us repeatedly how they can comeback from very bad situations and get the victory. It happened against Rogue, Fnatic and many others. Having said that, with international teams those comebacks are a lot less likely. Teams know how to push leads and punish before they even give you a chance. And if that happens, then MAD might really struggle.

Expectations are high for the number 1 seed from the LEC: the pressure will be high and stakes even higher. However, we have to keep in mind that the competition is closer than ever. A semifinal would be already a great result, considering all the potential winners this year. Let’s just cheer on MAD and hope for the best.

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The podium of our LoL Worlds Power Rankings

The top three is probably expected by most people already. While there is debate for the other spots in the Power Rankings, these are without a doubt the best three teams, as well as the potential winners of Worlds 2021.

3. DWG Kia

The 3rd place team is LCK’s first seed, DWG Kia. After a somewhat “weird” year by them. Plenty of ups and downs, yet they were able to bring their form back up again in time for Worlds. As usual, their mid-jungle duo is the main element of their success: ShowMaker and Canyon are still top-tier players with insane ceilings.

The rest of the team has also improved over the course of the year: Ghost and BeryL are more consistent compared to MSI and Khan has returned to his prime form. It will be important to see how they fare against the LPL teams as it will be very indicative of the end result. Nonetheless, expect DWG to make it all the way to semifinals at least, and potentially finals.

© DWG Kia

2. EDG (EDward Gaming)

There are only two teams left in our Power Rankings and both come from the LPL. Their final series in Summer Playoffs is definitely a must-watch: it shows exactly the strengths of these two teams.

EDG, despite winning the Finals, falls below the number 1 spot. Why is that? Well, while we can’t deny their great performance, we still have to see more from them with this roster at the international stage. The potential is there for sure, but we also think that the LPL Finals might have finished differently if it wasn’t for that one play (check out game 4), which allowed them to become champions.

FPX and EDG are evenly matched. Maybe FPX is a tier below due to the lack of international experience in recent years.

1. FunPlus Phoenix

Which brings us to the number 1 spot in our Worlds 2021 Power Rankings: FPX.

The Worlds 2019’s champions are looking hungrier than ever. Their level of play has reached an even higher standard: Doinb is showing that age doesn’t matter in League, Nuguri is respecting the enemy jungler and everyone else is just super consistent.

I did not expect them to lose against EDG in the finals. That series was probably supposed to go to Silver Scrapes, as FPX had built a huge lead in game 4. As we previously mentioned, though, FPX surely has more international experience than EDG, as well as Doinb making a huge difference with his champion pool.

With the Worlds patch, we might see a lot of new stuff coming out and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Doinb pulling off something new. (Tryndamere mid…)

In conclusion, expect to see FPX go through Groups Stage as a number 1 seed and lock a ticket to the Worlds Finals… If they manage to lose before that, then the winning team might potentially be the Worlds Champions.

© FunPlus Phoenix

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