With the LPL getting started back up tonight, I figured I’d release my power rankings and expectations going into the split. I’m going to be splitting my rankings up by Groups, but I’ll weigh in as to which group I believe is stronger.

Group A

1. Edward Gaming – To me, EDG is the only clear standout in Group A. There are some good teams in this group, but without the competition of RNG, I think EDG will have no problem having control over Group A. With an allstar roster (and the addition of former SKTT1 Sub Scout), I think EDG has an easy split.
2. Newbee – Newbee (Previously QG Reapers) played really well last split, but after not being able to field a mid for the semifinals, had to forfeit. I think they will have similar success this split, and hopefully will be able to show up to the playoffs. dade is now the primary mid laner, with Peco (now HappyY) moving to the ADC position. If there is a team in Group A that can challenge EDG, I think it’s Newbee
3. Snake Esports – Snake had a great spring split as well, but fell short against EDG in Round 2 of the playoffs. They’ve made a couple changes in the bot lane during the break, and I expect to see a solid performance.
4. Invictus Gaming – Rookie is probably in my top 2 LPL mids, but last split his shoulders just weren’t strong enough to carry his team through round 1 of the playoffs. With consistent abysmal performance from the bot lane, its no surprise a new support has been brought in that will hopefully bring some new life to the Rift. If Tabe can fix IG’s bot lane, then they may be able to climb much higher.
5. Saint Gaming – formerly Hyper Youth Gaming, SG had an astounding 1-15 record in the spring. Since then the roster has had an intense overhaul. Highlight pick up is definitely former Samsung Blue top-laner Acorn. Frankly I’m not expecting much from SG this split, but I’ve been surprised before.
6. Game Talents – Who? Game Talents purchased Energy Pacemaker’s LPL slot. With a roster made up of EPA and M3 players, I don’t have a lot of faith they’ll do any better then EPA’s 4-12 last split.

Group B

1. Royal Never Give Up – This is perhaps the easiest team to rank in all of LPL. After a fantastic Spring Split, and a respectable showing at MSI, RNG is definitely poised to be the champions of LPL once again. I have high expectations of RNG, and would not be surprised to see them in the top 3 at Worlds.
2. Vici Gaming – I’ll probably get some hate for this one, but I have high expectations for Vici this split. Despite a fairly average performance in the Spring, I think Easyhoon can lead this team to great places.
3. Team World Elite – WE took second in the regular season last split, and definitely has the guns to continue being successful. Mystic and Zero aren’t the best bot lane in China, but are consistent enough to provide a good rock for the team. I think Condi is the real wild card for WE, if Condi succeeds, WE will succeed.
4. LGD Gaming – On paper, LGD should be one of the best teams in China. MaRin and imp are some of the strongest individual players in China, but last split something just didn’t click. I’m afraid that LGD is just missing some key factor of success. I predict this will be MaRin’s last split with LGD.
5. OMG – To be honest, I wanted to put OMG at number 4. But with 11 people on their roster I struggle to have high expectations for their ability to trust, communicate, and execute. OMG has not done anything particularly impressive since 2014, and doesn’t seem to have done much to change that. Maybe they’ll be able to swap players in and out without a problem, but with that many players I expect that developing any kind of synergy may be difficult.
6. I MAY – I really like I MAY. Their logo is cool, they’ve got an experienced roster, and they have a lot of potential. I just don’t see them succeeding on the stage. Now: This is almost identical to what I said about Europe’s G2 before the Spring Split. If anything, by placing them here at #6, I’m guaranteeing that they will win the LPL.

Overall, I think Group B is the stronger of the two. If I were to rank them all together EDG and Newbee would be the only Group A teams I’d put in my top 6.

Best of luck to all of the LPL, and to all you folks who stay up until 7AM to watch them play!