The LCS heads off to begin Week 8 with a major tweak, there will be no live audience. This is in the best interest of the players and fans due to the rising counts of coronavirus in the country. Other than that, it’s another packed weekend of matches, with second place and sixth place separated by a single win. Every match now has weight due to how close the standings are, and every team is fighting to prove they belong. With that being said, here’s how the TGH crew ranked the LCS teams heading into Week 8.
1. Cloud9
Although Cloud9 finally lost, they are without a doubt the best team in the LCS and unfortunately Golden Guardians felt their wrath. They’ll face 100 Thieves and CLG, two teams that could surprise them if they overlook them, but it should still be a 2-0 week.
- Tyler Dunderdale
2. Team SoloMid
Last week, there were worries on what an 0-2 week would mean for TSM going against the top two teams in the league. Instead, TSM took charge, handing C9 their first loss and then dismantling Flyquest. TSM is heating up, and with Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg playing off-meta champs in Zilean and Irelia, there’s a lot more this team can unleash. They’ll have a good chance to build off last weekend with games against 100 Thieves and Golden Guardians. These teams are fighting for playoff positioning, and TSM should be able to use their competitiveness to test out even more strategies.
- Dalton Jewell
3. FlyQuest
In a week where FlyQuest could have solidified their claim to the second seed, they dropped the ball. The team didn’t look bad, but they didn’t look nearly as clean as fans have come to expect from them this split. FlyQuest’s play didn’t look awful, but given how tight the playoff race has become, every loss is now a bad loss. This week they play hungry teams in 100 Thieves and Immortals, and they’ll need to be sharp to maintain their spot in second.
- Richard Imp
4. 100 Thieves
100 Thieves are starting to come into their own as they completed their first 2-0 weekend of the spring split. General Manager Chris “PapaSmithy” Smith said the team would use the beginning of the year to grow, not compete. However, as shown in the standings and in game, this Thieves team is approaching win-now mode and their playoff chances rest in their hands.
- Thomas Santos
5. Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses really put their best foot forward in Week 7. With victories over second-ranked FlyQuest and up-and-comers Counter Logic Gaming, Evil Geniuses showed that they’re not just hoping to sneak into playoffs. Now tied in fourth place, EG controls their own destiny as they head into next week. With both opponents ranked lower, EG must not falter.
- Thomas Santos
6. Immortals
Being ranked one point above Team Liquid is actually not great at the moment. Immortals decisively lost to 100 Thieves, but substantially beat Team Liquid in Week 7. This is a growing trend for them. Most of Immortals’ losses look bad. Some of their wins even look bad. Fans have a hard time favoring them in many match-ups. For Week 8 they play TSM and FlyQuest, both significant higher in power rankings. A win over either would be surprising, unfortunately.
- Thomas Baker
7. Team Liquid
Team Liquid did not look any better last weekend, even with the return of Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng for the second game of the week. Though the first loss was due to stellar play by CLG, the team’s cohesiveness from the week prior did not seem to be completely there. If Team Liquid can take a good look at the mistakes they’re making and stop being as careless as they are, they might be able to pick up some wins. Especially against Golden Guardians. They’re going to have to try hard against the resurging Evil Geniuses.
- Pranav Chaudhari
8. Golden Guardians
The switch from Yuri “Keith” Jew to Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun at support paid dividends on Sunday with a victory over Dignitas. Even though Monday’s game against C9 was a bit of a disaster, it was also pretty much the expected outcome. Huhi could be the spark needed to ignite a late push for playoffs, as they are only one game out of a spot.
- James Clee
9. Dignitas
Last week, DIG had the opportunity to assert themselves as one of the better teams in the league. They went 0-2, and coughed up a major opportunity to help solidify their playoff spots. Now their in ninth place, and will have to gain wins and hope other teams lose to have a shot at jumping up to sixth. One bright spot was the performance of Matthew “Akaadian” Higginbotham, who immediately made an impact.
- Dalton Jewell
10. Counter Logic Gaming
CLG remains at the bottom of the rankings, but they’ve had clearcut improvements that are making things close with other teams. They looked strong against TL, and Eugene “Pobelter” Park continues to be the gift that keeps giving. He had a rougher game against EG, but they keyed in on his importance to this team and heavily focused him in the early game. While things aren’t getting any better in the standings for this split, this team continues to flourish since POB’s first match.
- Dalton Jewell
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Our voters for LCS Power Rankings: Robert Hanes, Dalton Jewell, Thomas Baker, Thomas Santos, Tyler Dunderdale, Justin Talley, Jordy Monsieurs, Austin Oliver, Richard Imp, Kalae Holck, Mani Dasoju, James Clee, Noah Schaar, Pranav Chaudhari, Niko Sjorgen, JJ Fonseca,