The long wait for the return of the LPL is nearly over. On the tenth of January, the long wait for the end of the off-season will come to a close. With all the changes that went down during the off-season, it’s very easy to feel lost coming into the new split. Over the next couple of days, several articles will be released. The first two will be power rankings, going from the bottom of the table and working up to the top. These power rankings will include the most likely roster to play, to make it easier to know who is on which team. The third article will be a preview of the first week of action. Without any further ado, welcome to the LPL 2022 spring power rankings, part 1.
[Related: All 2022 LPL Rosters]
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Fearness
Jungle: Shad0w
Mid: YeG
Bot Lane Carry: Eric
Support: Jinjiao
Coming in at last place it’s LGD. While many teams made massive upgrades from their 2021 rosters, LGD went the opposite route and went with the cheapest roster possible. This was expected as the team attempted to sell their LPL spot but to no success. With YeG being a downgrade to Xiye, and Jinjiao playing for the first time in a major tournament since spring 2020, and in a different role to boot, it’s hard to see LGD avoiding the bottom of the table with this roster. Their one shining light will be Shad0w. Shad0w had a good year in 2021, despite LGD not making playoffs. He was arguably the best player on the roster, adding good early game tempo to a team that lacked it. Expect him to pick up MVP for the few wins that LGD will get.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: New
Jungle: Frigid
Mid: Captain
Bot Lane Carry: Puff
Support: Southwind
A team that will be starting a completely new roster, other than Captain who was their sub mid laner, TT made a lot of changes. However, many could question if it will be enough to get them away from the bottom of the table. New had a good year on OMG, but is far from being a star top laner. Frigid arrived from WE’s academy team, where he put on respectable performances, but he was never the star of the team. And Puff and Southwind both arrived from IG. While Puff had some playtime on IG and looked quite good on the roster, Southwind hasn’t played since the Summer Split of 2020. While there are rumours of Chieftain and Ucal joining from the LCK, those are only rumours and the split is about to start.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Aliez
Jungle: H4cker
Mid: Cryin
Bot Lane Carry: Elk
Support: ShiauC
Here is the first roster that could end up higher than their original placement. While the previous 2 teams could potentially swap spots, it’s unlikely that either of them make it past 16th. That said, should this Ultra Prime roster click, and the teams above them face problems, they could have a better placement than 15th. Cryin joined the team, replacing Xiaocaobao, who didn’t have an easy time last year. Aliez has also joined, but could end up sharing time with Zs. The last new member is Elk, joining from Team WE, who finished in fifth last summer, nearly making it to Worlds. While this roster is easy to overlook, Cryin, Elk and ShiauC all have star potential and have all proven that they deserve to be in the LPL.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Cube
Jungle: Leyan/Junjia
Mid: Strive
Bot Lane Carry: iBoy
Support: Yuyanjia
The first major change from 2021, Rare Atom could struggle much more than they did last year. In 2021 they were fighting towards the top of the table. However, the largest contributor to their success was Fofo, who is no longer with the team. To make matters worse, they lost another top player in Hang, who moved on to FPX. To replace them, they brought in a rookie mid laner, who will make his LPL debut, and Yuyanjia, who struggled on Top Esports and was their substitute support. While iBoy is an excellent carry and deserves to be respected, he has been consistently inconsistent, especially in 2021, meaning that Fofo was doing almost all the heavy lifting for the team. Another problem that plague RA was their macro or lack thereof, and how they were incapable of making good rotations, to avoid making mistakes or to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes. It could be a long Spring Split for Rare Atom fans.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Zdz
Jungle: Xiaohao
Mid Lane: Maple
Bot Lane Carry: Betty
Support: Qiuqiu
For those who aren’t aware, Rogue Warriors rebranded as Anyone’s Legend. They mostly kept their 2021 roster, adding Maple to the mix. While Maple is no doubt an upgrade to Forge, their mid laner in 2021, he was the only change the team made. As mentioned previously, most teams made massive changes to their roster, many of them for the better. Simply changing their mid laner may not be enough to get them into playoffs. However, much like Ultra Prime before them, Anyone’s Legend could punch above their weight, especially if the teams expected to finish near them trip up and struggle more than expected. Anyone’s Legend could be very awkward customers to face in 2022.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Neny
Jungle: Xun
Mid: Yuekai
Bot Lane Carry: Xiaoyueji
Support: Lucas
For the first time since summer 2014, Rookie will not be IG’s starting mid laner in the LPL. TheShy, who has been with the team since summer 2017 will also not be with the team. While these changes are drastic, it is understandable why IG made these changes. Coming in 2022 with a clean slate, IG is focusing on rebuilding their roster for the future. When TheShy couldn’t join the team in 2021, Neny stepped up to the plate and put on an incredible performance. Yuekai joined from RNG, where he has been since 2019. Despite his lack of playtime, Yuekai has always received high praise from those within RNG, so he is an exciting prospect coming into 2022. Xiaoyueji is also a rookie player, joining the team from IG Young. All in all, this is a very young roster coming out of IG, but still a very promising one. Expect this team to make some noise towards the end of the split and during summer.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: Biubiu
Jungle: Beishang
Mid: Shanks
Bot Lane Carry: Stay
Support: Kedaya
WE did well in 2021, but isn’t looking too good this season. They lost their star top laner, exchanging him for Biubiu, who is around the middle of the pack. They also lost their bot lane, both of which were stars in the making. Stay was promoted from their academy team, which is known to produce top-tier talent. However, he will need time to grow used to the LPL, which is a massive upgrade from the LDL where he used to play. Kedaya joined from LNG. He had very little play time on LNG, as the team played Iwandy for most of the split. All in all, this roster could go places, but it might take a while for them to get back into the rhythm of things. It’s also worth mentioning the Xiye has returned to WE and is expected to split the mid lane with Shanks.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: M1kuya
Jungle: Aki
Mid: Creme
Bot Lane Carry: Able
Support: Cold
Despite TSM’s best efforts, Creme will once again play for OMG. One of the biggest surprises of summer 2021, Creme performed above and beyond expectations, leading OMG to playoffs when many expected them to be in the bottom 3. However, as previously mentioned, many teams made changes, but OMG did not. They only swapped New for M1kuya, two players of about the same level. That’s why OMG is expected to finish about where they did last summer in the last spot in playoffs. However, as also stated previously, they need to be consistent, as quite a few of the teams below them are more than capable of overtaking them in the standings, snatching away their spot.
Image Courtesy of Leaguepedia
Top Lane: 369
Jungle: Kanavi
Mid: Yagao
Bot Lane Carry: Hope
Support: Missing
The team that bombed out the worst in 2021, JDG, is making a few changes for 2022. Firstly, they swapped their top laners with their bitter rivals Top Esports. This move itself was quite questionable, seeing as 369 struggled far more than Zoom did in 2021. However, they then went on to pick up a new bot lane, bringing Hope over from EDG and Missing from WE. While the top side may still raise a few questions and eyebrows, the bot side is an improvement to their previous roster. Hope and Missing should prove to be quite a formidable bot lane and will help lead JDG to victory. However, all 3 of their topside member must be observed closely. All of them have a consistency problem, with 369 being possibly the most inconsistent of the 3. Should they repeat their 2021 performances, then it is unlikely that JDG will finish ninth, or in the playoffs at all.
And that concludes the first part of the LPL 2022 spring power rankings. Come back tomorrow to read about the remaining 8 spots, as well as their likely starting rosters.
You can find more pieces like “2022 LPL Rosters” and you can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers.
Follow JJ on Twitter: @NeonColouredJay
