It is officially the League of Legends 2020 off-season! Things begin to settle down after the coronation of a world champion, but we're all still very excited for the next season! We are no doubt in for another round of roster changes and player migrations as we enter the 2021 season. However, let's take a quick look at how ten of the best teams from around the world currently stand.
This list of teams will be ranked based on their performance in Worlds 2020. The top 8 teams that made the playoffs will be weighed by both their playoffs performance and their group stage track record. The remaining two slots will be chosen based on team experience and the perceived difficulty of their groups.
1. DAMWON Gaming
This one's pretty much a no-brainer. DAMWON Gaming has proven its mettle by winning this year's Summoner's Cup. There's no clearer indication of a team's complete dominance over the competition than winning a world championship. DAMWON's chief advantage over the rest of the competition includes their terrific initiator Support Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee and man in the jungle, Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu. These two specific players were instrumental in their 3-1 victory over Suning this past weekend.
The team overall holds the distinction of being comprised of mostly new players to the league. We can expect many more years of exciting League of Legends provided this team chooses to stay together past the off-season.
2. Suning
It was a valiant attempt from China's Suning to claim the third consecutive world championship for its region. Unfortunately, they fell short of a complete championship run in an extended match against DAMWON. The defeat defaults them to the second slot in this power ranking but that doesn't mean they're a weak team.
The Suning lineup boasts the star Support Hu “SwordArT” Shuo-Chieh, who has ample international tournament experience. SwordArt's particular brand of vision-centric strong team fight awareness play was monumental for Suning's rise to the grand finals stage. Suning's Jungler Lê “SofM” Quang Duy, also proved to be vital in his team's matches given his oppressive jungling.
Suning may have fallen short of the crown this year, but you can bet they still have a chance of shaking up the international scene if the other teams aren't careful.
3. Top Esports
Top Esports claims the next spot despite the presence of a third-place match in the Worlds playoffs bracket. China's second-best team earns this distinction given their stellar record in the Worlds 2020 group stage. TES also has former world champion Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo manning their carry position. It would be unwise to discount the level of experience any world champion can bring to a team they choose to join.
4. G2 Esports
EU's G2 lands in the fourth spot. This group of renegade players from the League of Legends European Championship finished in the top 4 at Worlds for the third consecutive year in a row. None of their players have yet to win a world championship title but the players on this exciting squad always bounce back in tough situations. G2 Esports has silently cultivated a reputation of consistency and tenacity given their very checkered past competing in international tournaments.
5. JD Gaming
JD Gaming is a classic example of locally strong teams breaking out on the international stage. They managed to secure one local championship title in the League of Legends Pro League earlier this year. JDG shares the same Worlds 2020 group stage record as Fnatic, however, they have one leg above the EU squad with their 1-1 record against DAMWON. JDG arguably had the tougher group to fight through so that's why they barely edged out Fnatic on this list.
6. Fnatic
Fnatic, the first royal family of League of Legends, has had a pretty tumultuous past few seasons. The long-standing team has attempted time and again to reclaim the Summoner's Cup but they often fall short of the prize. Fnatic's best shot at another world championship title came in 2018 when they faced off against Invictus Gaming in the world championship grand finals. Yet despite their lack of Worlds success, Fnatic has remained one of the strongest teams in the EU region. They have also proven to be formidable competitors in each international tournament they competed in.
The squad is still helmed by their long-time Carry Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, who still manages to put up great performances at Worlds each year. Fnatic almost often makes considerable changes to their roster in hopes of fine-tuning their strengths, but we have yet to see that translate into Worlds wins.
7. Gen.G
Here comes another squad with a former world champion in its stable. Gen.G is the spiritual successor of the now-defunct Samsung Galaxy team that won Worlds 2017. They retained one member from the historic championship lineup, Carry Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk. The presence of the 2017 Worlds Finals MVP was a consistent source of reliable damage for the Gen.G lineup however it would prove to be insufficient in their pursuit of another crown. Gen.G had an impressive run in the group stage at Worlds this year only to be stopped short by a rampaging G2 Esports in the opening round of the playoffs.
8. DRX
The tournament's third South Korean squad, DRX, faced a lot of adversity to fight for the shot for the world championship. They entered the competitive season with a new man in their Carry position, Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu. Deft is a prominent Carry with years of experience on numerous teams in both South Korea and China. DRX clawed their way into a qualifying spot for Worlds in one of the toughest regions of League of Legends, and that feat alone earns them an honest chance on this list. They may have made it all the way to Worlds, but their dismal playoffs showing nets them the eighth spot on this list.
9. Team Liquid
Fans were skeptical about the future prospects of Team Liquid after it lost two of its key members fairly recently. TL fielded in Edward “Tactical” Ra and Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen to fill in the void left by some of their iconic members. The team managed to bounce back despite their lineup change, managing to secure the first spot in the League of Legends Championship Series 2020 Summer season.
Team Liquid wasn't able to claim any local titles this year but they fought hard in Worlds. The NA squad was made to fight for their lives from the dreaded Play-In stage, only falling short of a playoff seed behind Suning and G2 Esports.
10. FlyQuest
Rounding out our power ranking list is another squad from the LCS, FlyQuest. The FQ roster is an amalgamation of talent from North America, Europe, and South Korea. The team's collective efforts earned them a ticket to this year's Worlds after falling short in the group stage. Notable names in the team include star EU Midlaner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage and decorated NA Carry Jason “WildTurtle” Tran. FlyQuest experienced a lineup overhaul heading into the 2020 season of League of Legends and that has mostly turned out in the team's favor. They managed to escape from their local region to make it to Worlds for the first time in the franchise's history.
The Verdict
Nothing is set in stone, however. We are still very much in the early stages of the 2021 League of Legends pre-season. The only chance this list has of remaining relevant relies solely on whether or not these players will remain together on their respective teams. There have been mixed results in the past with teams either retaining their lineups or overhauling them entirely. One thing is certain though, we can expect more exciting League of Legends next year with this league overflowing to the brim with amazing talent.
Follow Us
Subscribe