With the conclusion of KeSPA Cup and the beginning of the 2020 LCK season approaching, it’s time once again to see where every team stacks up against each other. Considering how close teams are with each other on paper, teams will be ranked into tiers for the preseason power rankings. Proper rankings will return in Week 1, once the teams get a chance to compete against each other in a more set meta. To start off part one of the series, here is a look at the teams that won’t likely see the playoffs this split.

Relegation Tier

APK Prince

For fans that were hoping for a new team in the LCK to shake things up yet again, they may have to wait for another split. After a loss to challenger team Brion Blade at KeSPA Cup and with the weakest LCK roster on paper, APK will not have a fun time. Outside of an outright miracle, expect APK to be on a direct flight back into Challengers. Hopefully, APK will be able to win more than one series this split. 

Meh Tier

Griffin

KT Rolster

Hanwha Life Esports

These three teams all have rosters that feature some star players. However, there are clear weaknesses in their rosters that separate them from the top teams of the league. 

For KT, a weak topside of jungler duo of Kim “bonO” Gi-beom and Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong along with the top side duo of Jeon “Ray” Ji-won and Kim “SoHwan” Jun-yeong has been a clear weakness in their KeSPA Cup matchups. While they have had their chances to shine, they have been mostly struggling. Along with the underperformance of support Park “TusiN” Jong-ik, KT could be in for another long and rough split.

Meanwhile for Griffin, apart from jungler Lee “Tarzan” Seung-yong and ADC Park “Viper” Do-hyeon, the team has gone through some major downgrades coming into the new season. Despite starting in their only KeSPA Cup series (0-2 loss to SANDBOX Gaming), top laner Park “Untara” Ui-jin is a clear downgrade from both Choi “Sword” Sung-won and Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon. Along with that, while mid laner Yoo “Naehyun” Nae-hyun has performed fairly well thus far, he is a clear downgrade from Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon.

Lastly, there’s Hanwha Life Esports who may have the best chance out of the three teams to make it into a higher tier. Overall the roster looks weak on paper and features a lot of questions. However, their time at KeSPA Cup has shown that when their players not called Son “Lehends” Si-woo shows up, the team is actually a very competitive team. While they share the same upset potential of the Gen.G rosters of the past, it’s not enough to move them up a tier to start off the year.

To watch League of Legends tournaments, visit watch.na.lolesports.com. For more information on the Split, teams, standings and players, visit www.lolesports.com. Recaps of former weeks and other LoL content can be found at https://thegamehaus.com/league-of-legends/.

Featured image courtesy of Kenzi Flickr.

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