The first LCS Summer 2021 round-robin of three is in the books with TSM and 100 Thieves leading the way. Some teams are certainly on their way up while others are falling apart. Now that the teams have already faced each other once, they get the opportunity to take what they learned in their last matchup and use the second time around. Before the Week 4 games begin, here is a look at where each LCS team stacks up.
[Related: LCS 2021 Summer Split Week 3 Power Rankings]
Four losses in a row and FlyQuest are looking lost once again. It is really confusing considering the talent they have. At this point, it might be worth asking about the chemistry as well as the coaching. Drafts have certainly had some questions but even there, the staff hasn’t been too bad. Sadly, FlyQuest may not even know what’s wrong. Luckily they play TSM, a team they have strangely not lost to this season. Maybe their voodoo magic will break this losing streak?
One of the “sky is falling” teams, Dignitas certainly are not the team everyone thought they would be. The thing is, this is not their fault to a certain degree. Yusui coming in due to the meta has not helped the and one could connect the dots and wonder if it is why Dardoch is also out for Akaadian? Either way, DIG are certainly not what they were and are seemingly destined for a rough end to the season.
Now for a team that is still not there but who are much more competitive. Obviously, that would be Golden Guardians. They got a big win over Dignitas to start their week, lost to TL and then played a close game against Evil Geniuses. GG are a much better team than in the Spring and they now have 18 games to try and find their way into a potential playoff spot. If Ablazeolive keeps leading the way, it is certainly possible for them to achieve what many thought was unlikely.
The news just yesterday is enough to drop any TL fan’s stomach. Jatt has resigned, Alpahri should be coming back Sunday but that is not completely confirmed and Santorin will be out due to health reasons. As if beating TSM, 100T and C9 was not going to be tough enough, now it looks like a mountain to climb. With a tough schedule of EG, CLG and TSM this weekend, it is possible if not likely that things will get a lot worse before they get better.
A convincing 3-0 weekend has shotput arguably the worst team in the league right back into the middle of the pack. Truthfully, they look scary enough to take down anyone. The problem is that only one style has worked for them and teams will be preparing for counters to it. If CLG can overcome those and prove that their five vets are back for real, then they could move up these rankings very quickly.
Immortals were only one base race away from another 3-0 weekend. The problem with them right now is that they seem to be a true coinflip team. This won’t be able to be confirmed until this weekend. If they go 0-3 or 1-2 in Week 4 then Immortals could be the team that is feared one week and a joke the next. Breaking this trend would do a lot for Immortals in establishing that they are the real deal and ready to make a run.
These past two weeks have started to show something of consistency for EG, which is odd to say about them. They are known to be a coinflip team but even Jiizuke has been seemingly coming up heads more often than not. EG have the opportunity this weekend to prove that they deserve to be in the conversation for top teams. With DIG and TL seemingly imploding, that fourth spot is ripe for the taking and if C9 struggle again then even the third spot could be wide open.
One has to feel bad for K1ng, right? He clearly is ready for the LCS but it looks like the pressure to perform kept him from playing at his best. That said, Perkz and company did not do much to help him get comfortable. Luckily for C9, Zven is finally back and will likely be out for blood. His return is truly the only reason that C9 are even this high on the rankings. If he can’t be the spark C9 need then it looks like their summer struggles may continue.
TSM fans are likely going to kill the author for this (please don’t) but until they are more consistent they will likely be stuck in second for these rankings. Or, 100 Thieves could struggle this weekend and then TSM could 3-0. Either way, TSM are definitely a top team and they have absolutely earned their place at the top. If they can continue to grow and find different picks and styles they like to play then they will continue their tear through the LCS.
Last weekend 100 Thieves ran into CLG at the exact wrong time. That game was an absolute slaughter but luckily it wasn’t one that should concern 100 Thieves fans all that much. Stuff like that happens when teams like CLG have their backs against the wall. Instead, 100 Thieves need to turn their focus to this weekend when they face C9 and IMT. A 3-0 weekend in Week 4 would send quite the message to the rest of the LCS and more specifically to TSM that they are coming for them.
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