LEC Summer 2020 mid-season power rankings

Right now, EU is shaping up to be the second strongest region in the world. With EU teams having made the World Finals two years in a row (losing both times to Chinese representatives), the region finally seems to be achieving its true power.

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t the occasional poor performers, with teams like Schalke 04 seeming a little out of their depth amongst the LEC’s current talent pool. 

So here’s our subjective ranking of the second best region in the world - complete with criticism, speculation, and our best attempt at some predictions.

• Read more: G2 Esports renew entire League of Legends roster until 2022

S Tier - Rogue, MAD Lions

This is not, perhaps, the S Tier we were expecting to see at the start of the season. Although MAD Lions were able to pull off the impossible and beat G2 Esports in a BO5 during Spring playoffs, they were unable to translate this level of performance into a finals spot.

Rogue didn’t fare much better; losing 3-1 to Origen in the loser’s bracket. However, both teams have consistently impressed us this split, both sitting two wins above second place with commanding victories over some of Europe’s most historic teams. 

In their Week 3 clash, it was MAD who emerged victorious; but we will have to wait until Week 8 to see them face off once again.

Rogue have consistently impressed (Picture: lolesports) 

A Tier - Misfits

Despite a slightly lacklustre start to the season, Misfits have shown a lot of improvement over the course of the split; having handed MAD one of their two losses in Week 4. 

Their superstar is, without a doubt, AD Carry Kasper "Kobbe'' Kobberup, who returned to the LEC after a brief, unsuccessful stint in North America as the starting bot laner for Team SoloMid. 

The current setup of Misfits is actually fairly similar to that TSM iteration - a reliable, consistent mid laner occasionally capable of solo carrying, combined with an aggressive top laner. The only real difference comes in the jungle role, with TSM famously opting for a more supportive style of jungle, where Misfits’s Iván "Razork" Martín Díaz is one of the more aggressive early game junglers in the LEC. 

This aggression is a double-edged sword; sometimes able to net his team the early leads they need to transition into a late game piloted by Kobbe, and sometimes losing them the game before it really has a chance to begin.

Misfits have shown considerable improvement (Picture: lolesports) 

B Tier - G2 Esports, Excel, Origen 

This is possibly the most controversial tier - surely G2 Esports and Excel aren’t on the same level of performance? 

At the start of the split, this would have been a fairly accurate statement to make, with Excel looking incredibly poor despite picking up a win versus G2. However, even in their last two games the roster has shown a lot of development and a lot of promise leading into the second half of the split. 

G2, however, still looks a little shaky; a shakiness that can’t just be accounted for by superstar Luka "Perkz" Perković taking a week’s break. Their showing so far in Summer has been one of their worst performances in a split since Caps joined the team in 2018. 

They will undoubtedly still be going to Worlds (especially with the LEC receiving four slots at the tournament), but will they be able to replicate their 2019 performance?

C Tier - Fnatic, Vitality, SK Gaming

Never mind, this is the most controversial tier. In any other split putting Fnatic alongside SK Gaming would be considered nothing short of heresy, but with SK’s improvement and Fnatic’s steady decline, it could technically even be argued that SK are, right now, better than Fnatic. 

Fnatic’s performance over the past few weeks has left fans confused as to what it is that is going so incredibly wrong. From draft problems, to questionable decisions in-game, the team can’t seem to catch a break. 

They even managed to give Schalke 04 their only win so far this split. Although AD Carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson seemed confident in his post-game interview after their victory over SK, it remains to be seen whether this confidence is justified. 

Despite going 0-2 in their last weekend, SK have been putting up a fairly consistent performance, spearheaded by Juš "Crownshot" Marušič, although their current 4-5 standing can’t bump them much higher than C tier. 

D Tier - Schalke 04

There isn’t really much to be said here. Schalke have been on fire (and not in a good way) since the start of the split. Although they were able to turn around a similarly dire situation in Spring, it doesn’t seem as if the team even cares anymore. 

Their gameplay feels as though they expect to lose from the outset, and it’s almost more worrying that there isn’t one key factor in their losses that can be pinpointed as their key issue. 

Having picked up a singular win, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to accrue any more. Right now, it’s not looking hopeful. 

Well, there you have it. Only time will tell how the standings will shape up in the coming weeks of the LEC, but here is our best guess at what those standings might look like. 

Let us know your power rankings on Twitter: are you a diehard Fnatic believer, determined they’ll get out of this slump and surge their way to first place? Maybe you’re a longtime Schalke 04 fan, and have devised a well-thought out scheme for them to make it to the playoffs with a current 1-8 scoreline? Whatever your theories, we want to hear them.