LEC Power Rankings Spring 2020

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t follow the LEC as much as I follow the LCS and LCK, but great players always have their names smeared around on social media for better or for worse. Good players get remembered, and bad players get remembered. That coupled with the fact that the 2020 Season hasn’t started makes a Power Ranking for the region a tad difficult. That being said, here's my take on the LEC 2020 pre season Power Rankings

1. G2 

Cameron:1

This squad has nothing else to prove. They are one of the top 5 teams in the world period, full stop. That being said they can’t falter this year, many are hungry to upset them and while that doesn’t seem possible looking at it from the outside, complacency can always get the better of these world class teams. Their eyes should be set on the international stage and proving that they aren’t one of the best teams, they are the best team.

Miika: 1

Definitely the strongest team for spring split. Roster is same as last year, but there is rumours that Caps and Perkz are role swapping and that leaves some question marks in the air. Even if that fails they can always swap back and the only thing they lose is some scrim time in their last year roles. 

2. Origen 

Cameron: 2

They’ve done it before and with their roster moves there’s no reason to think they can’t do it  again. Sure, Fnatic’s take on the preseason helps this decision a bit but we will get into that later. Xerxe is a straight up upgrade to Kold, as is Upset over Patrik. Destiny will have to prove himself in a new region but with Nukeduck and Alphari leading the charge this roster is a force to be reckoned with.

Miika: 3

Origen was one of the favourites for 2019, but the summer season was disappointing. Upset is an upgrade from Patrik and Xerxe is the best possible replacement for Kold, who has retired due to health issues. Only possible problem is newcomer from Oceania, Destiny. He has not played this caliber league before and it can take some time for him to get used to it. 

3. Fnatic 

Cameron: 4

yes, against my better judgement I put Fnatic in 4th instead of 3rd. Schalke and Fnatic in my eyes are very similar teams with only one real difference. On their best days, Dylan Falco will outdraft and outsmart Mithy. The two teams trade off in individual roles but only slightly each time until we get to the Head Coach, where Mithy just won’t have the experience to compensate for his teams few shortcomings.

Miika: 2

Fnatic was clearly the second strongest team last summer and for this year they changed their jungler and coach. You can say that both of these changes are upgrade, since Fnatic had some major issues last year and both Broxah and Youngbuck were affected by those issues. Only aspect I'm concerned, is Mithy’s lack of experience as a coach. 

4. FC Schalke 04 

Cameron: 3

Call me old fashioned, but the king of the Bot Lane has returned and while I am predicting a slow start to their season, once (and of course if) this team find their groove, they have the capacity to wage war with anyone and everyone. Gilius is a slight downgrade from Trick if you ask me, but they have a solid squad everywhere else making them essentially the CLG of the LEC, just better all around.

Miika: 5

FC Schalke 04 had great last year, but during winter they only kept their solo laners and lost/replaced everyone else. Losing Upset and replacing him with FORG1VEN is maybe the most interesting roster change of the off-season, but we will see how it affects their game. Bot lane is completed with LEC-veteran Dreams. Another interesting “new” player is Gilius as a jungler. Both FORG1VEN and Gilius are known to be vocal and direct with their teammates, so I hope they get along with each other and with the other team members. Maybe some time off from LEC has humbled them both, we will see.

5. Rogue 

Cameron: 5

Rogue remains an inspired team with a lot to prove. Their Spring Split looked abysmal last year but they really turned it around come Summer. With an upgrade coming in with Hans Sama over Woolite, they can contend with the middle of the pack and come out on top. With the right amount of luck they could overtake the likes of Fnatic and Schalke.

Miika: 4

Roque was one of the strongest forces last summer and it just dropped out from Regional qualifiers. I’m pretty sure that we would have seen Roque in Worlds if they didn’t choke against Schalke 04 in the playoffs. During winter they made only one change and that was a massive upgrade. HeaQ/Woolite to Hans Sama is a total game changer and this team is going to be a completely different team from last spring.

6. Excel Esports 

Cameron: 6

Here we get into the nitty gritty where I start to not recognize player names and fail as a journalist. From what I can tell, of the remaining teams this is the last one that has a roster that left an impression on me last year. Unlike Rogue they are an uninspired lot with great potential. With YoungBuck leading the way, they may just shape up in time for Playoffs.

Miika: 6

Excel as a roster is kinda better teams leftovers put as a team, but when Youngbuck is head coach miracles can happen. This team was definitely the worst team of 2019 and they only changed bot lane during winter, so without new Head Coach i would have placed this team 2-3 ranks lower. But I do really trust the newcomers Youngbuck, Norsekeren (or nowadays Tore) and Patrik, so i’m convinced that this team can compete for playoffs-spot.

7. Team Vitality 

Cameron: 7

Standing as a shadow of their former selves, Team Vitality have fallen so far that even YamatoCannon has been replaced. A near completely overhauled roster can lead to improvements in play but in this case, the likes of Milica and Comp are set to face a challenge the likes of which they've never had before, wishing them luck can only do so much.

Miika: 7

Team Vitality was one of the biggest disappointments last year, so they let their Head Coach YamatoCannon go during winter. Duke (formerly Head Coach of Splyce) is now leading the team and they have some new players too. Jiizuke left for the LCS and Attila to Spanish League. Replacing both of these experienced players we got upcoming talent from regional leagues. Comp will take his spot in bot-lane and one of the most interesting new talents, Milica, will be stepping at Jiizuke’s shoes. Right now both of these changes are downgrades, but these players will probably take huge steps during their first year in LEC so they can be upgrades by the end of the year.

8. SK Gaming 

Cameron: 8

This roster doesn’t give too much hope to fans. Trick and Crownshot will look to make this roster a force to be reckoned with but the likelihood they leave an impression on the Spring Split is low.

Miika: 8

SK Gaming was fighting for playoff-spots last year, but now their brightest stars left for bigger teams and they are mostly replaced by rookies. Only veteran newcomer, Trick, is downgrade from last year (Selfmade) so i’m not very optimistic about their spring split. Saving grace for them is that they are definitely not the only team in the same situation. We see massive uprising of the new generation this split. It’s hard to rate these teams with multiple rookies, since their rankings can vary a lot during spring split depending how rookies can handle the pressure of the big stage.

9. MAD Lions

Cameron: 10

I want to take a shot at EU fans for trying to say that their region is just better all around. MAD Lions replaced Splyce? Sounds like a cruel joke. Then I remember that Echo Fox existed, and before them 2015 Team Coast. I can’t see this team making a splash in Europe and although Humanoid remains from Splyce his talents will be wasted on this roster. Unless of course, they destroy the bottom of the pack and secure a disheartening 7th place spot on the table.

Miika: 9

I was about to place MAD Lions above SK Gaming, but more i researched players i came to the conclusion that SK Gaming’s rookies are more ready for LEC than this newly branded Splyce-team’s. Humanoid in the mid-lane will have to work hard to carry if this team wants to compete for playoffs-spot. But the same as SK Gaming, the real prize is waiting in the summer split.

10. Misfits Gaming 

Cameron: 9

Another roster that is almost unrecognizable finds itself at the bottom of the table for the LEC. Maybe there is some leftover NA Bias here for my memories of Febiven in the LCS or the fact that they lost Maxlore and Hans Sama for Razork and Bvoy respectively but this roster doesn’t jump off the page in terms of first impressions. Hey, maybe they end up being the best team out of the EU, but probably not.

Miika: 10

If you only look at these teams and players in the paper, you wouldn’t place Misfits last. But I see multiple problems with this team. Firstly Febiven, who had a terrible time at NA and was only a shadow of “old Febiven '' last year, will have to improve massively to compete against other EU mid laners. Secondly they imported upcoming bot-lane talent from Korea, but they have no Koreans to smooth his transition so there is a possibility that these Korean talents are going to struggle in the EU, as they have in the past. Third thing is that this organisation was in total disarray last year and even after multiple staff and player changes we can’t be really sure if the problems are now solved. These problems combined with the roster with multiple rookies is enough to drop this team to bottom. Which might even be good for the team so they have no pressure during spring and they can solve their problems, which by the way are all solvable.

Anything is possible and each Spring Split is a fresh slate for anyone willing to take the opportunity as another chance to prove themselves to the world. I expect to be wrong and hope that teams I placed at the bottom of the table take their chance and go into Summer with some extra confidence in themselves and their teammates.