LCS 2022 Week 1 Power Rankings

After what has likely felt like an eternity for certain fan bases, the official LCS 2022 season will be starting this weekend. The Lock In saw Team Liquid come out on top in a 3-0 sweep of Evil Geniuses. There were surprises and sadly too many Academy teams. Now with Golden Guardians, Cloud9 and TSM’s full rosters coming in, fans of the teams will finally get to see them in action. As the season starts, here is the LCS 2022 Week 1 Power Rankings.

[Related: Three LCS Storylines Heading Into Week 1]

10. FlyQuest

Wins over GGS Academy and surprisingly 100 Thieves were not enough for FlyQuest to do much against the eventual LCS 2022 Lock In champions, Team Liquid. There are parts on this team that work, the bot lane in particular. There are those the jury is still out on, Toucouille and to some degree Josedeodo. That said, there is not enough confidence to see them higher than tenth, for now. This team will win games and do so against good teams. It’s just that the rest of the League is leveling up in LCS 2022 Week 1 and Flyquest may be left behind.

9. Immortals

What was that Lock In performance from this group of veterans? They looked abysmal and with the players that IMT have, that should be unacceptable. Similar to FlyQuest, Immortals are not a bad team. In years past, they might even be a good or very good team. But the rest of the LCS is leveling up with young talent that is hungry to change and challenge while Immortals do not . This team is reminiscent of CLG last season and not just because of Wildturtle being on the team. IMT fans will hope this is wrong. While they won’t be terrible, it could still be a long season for this squad.

8. CLG

There is a lot of promise on CLG for a team that is sadly ranked this low. Luger especially is a piece that CLG could build around for the future. Poome could stick around and Palafox is finally showing just how great he can be. While Contracts is certainly trying, he is just a bit behind a lot of the other junglers in the LCS. The major problem here is Jenkins. It could have been nerves or just shaking the rust off since the Lock In is basically preseason, but Jenkins looked rough. For this team to be able to contend, they will have to come together and play around Luger and Palafox. If Jenkins has to be on tank and engage duty then so be it, just give this team time and they could surprise in a big way.

7. Golden Guardians

The main roster has arrived and Golden Guardians will get their first shot at proving the haters wrong. This team has the potential to be more than just good, they could truly be great. Licorice and Ablazeolive could very easily be top three at their positions and Lost could show why he was once considered to be such a great prospect. The questions surround Pridestalker and Olleh. If Olleh can do what Biofrost is doing then bot lane will be fine. If Pridestalker can come in and be the supportive jungle his solo laners need then this whole team will be fine. Do not write off Golden Guardians. They could be a dark horse for more than just playoffs once they’ve had time to play together on stage.

6. Dignitas

Easily the best story of the Lock In tournament, Dignitas proved literally everyone wrong. They were nearly a consensus pick as the worst team in the LCS and then they went and took down 100 Thieves. Their group stage games were not so great but once this team clicked, they even took it to Team Liquid giving them their only Lock In playoff stage loss. River and Neo are the driving forces behind this team and are showing that maybe having slightly average solo laners does not matter. If these two can will this team to some big wins and get solid contributions from FakeGod and Blue then Dignitas could continue to be the cinderella story of the LCS.

5. TSM

TSM fans have gone through a lot this offseason. The pain didn’t stop this past week with longtime former analyst, head coach and general manager Parth announcing that he is leaving the org. That said, the long-awaited arrival of Keaiduo and Shenyi is over and the full TSM squad will be in action. There are plenty of questions surrounding this team but the potential to be a top team is there. Until games are played no one knows what will happen but if nothing else, TSM fans will finally get to see the finished product of a long and arduous offseason.

4. Cloud9

In a similar vain as TSM, the majority of Cloud9’s starting roster and even head coach LS, were overseas for the Lock In. Unlike TSM, their players arrived very recently and are just getting the chance to work with the full team. The reason for the higher ranking comes down to the backups that Cloud9 has, specifically players like Zven and Darshan. Both are veterans that can play at a high level with Zven likely still being elite. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them play some games as this team gets used to the main roster. This should help them heading into the season and should cover for any players who do not perform up to expectations.

3. 100 Thieves

The loss to FlyQuest was forgivable but the absolute collapse to Dignitas during the Lock In playoffs was not. This team of champions and arguably the best native top lane prospect since Licorice is way too good to be dropping not just a game but a series to Dignitas. Luckily they have had time to regroup and should be ready to roll for the main event. All eyes will be on the top lane for LCS 2022 Week 1 as each game fans will wonder who is starting, Ssumday or Tenacity? Tenacity only got in one game, so it seems likely that Ssumday will continue to play. Whoever it is, the rest of the team will need to step up and play like fans are used to seeing in order to push their way back to the top.

2. Evil Geniuses

This team was so close to winning the Lock In tournament. The scoreline may not have shown it but the games were pretty close and up until game one of the Finals, EG had not lost a game. This team is young, hungry and bursting with talent. Jojopyun proved that he is absolutely ready while additions Inspired and Vulcan seem to fit like a glove. With Impact dominating the top lane and Danny doing the same in the bot, this team’s weaknesses seem to be centered around aspects that time should fix. If anyone doubts or overlooks EG they will stomp them into the ground on their way to the top.

1. Team Liquid

Was Bwipo great or what? The entire Lock In, it felt like he was possibly the most “locked-in” player of the tournament. Once Bjergsen, Hans Sama, Santorin and the mixture of other players caught up, they were nearly unstoppable. The major weakness on this team is just the rotation of players as CoreJJ’s green card situation gets sorted out. Once he joins the squad this group of incredibly experienced players will look to plant their flag in the LCS and start focusing on international competition.

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