The European Masters 2022 Spring main stage begins on Thursday now that groups have been drawn. They seem to be quite balanced at first glance with the Ligue Française de League of Legends teams perhaps coming out at a slight advantage. However, can any team overcome Fnatic TQ? It’s time for an EU Masters power ranking to find out.
1. Fnatic TQ, Superliga
Fnatic TQ are done stomping Spain, as they finished the SuperLiga 2022 spring split with a 16-2 record and managed to 3-0 BISONS ECLUB in the league finals. Óscar “Oscarinin” Muñoz Jiménez has been crushing every top laner in the league, Magnus “Maxi” Kristensen is probably the best jungler across the European Regional Leagues and Rúben “rhuckz” Barbosa should get similar credit for his role in the team’s performance. Word on the street is a League Of Legends European Championship (LEC) team wanted to buy all those players as a package.
But, let’s not forget about Louis “BEAN” Schmitz — who’s having a performance as good as his play in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship — and João Miguel “Baca” Novais — who’s the consistent, dream mid laner any player would want to emulate. This roster could compete in the LEC, and winning EU Masters must be their objective.
2. LDLC OL, LFL
The LFL has been extremely competitive at the top of the standings this year and it’s hard to say who’s the best. However LDLC OL managed to finish first during the regular season and ended up winning the finals. Martin “Yike” Sundelin had an incredible rookie split, but even the veteran Jérémy “Eika” Valdenaire stepped up a lot.
Onurcan “Ragner” Aslan is one of the top laners to watch for during EU Masters, as LDLC OL won several games in the finals through his lane. Meanwhile Thomas “Exakick” Foucou will carry a lot of late game teamfights paired with Mads “Doss” Schwartz. Doss sometimes takes risks, but he isn’t afraid to setup his team, often successfully.
On the whole, this roster stood out in the LFL and wants to repeat that at EU Masters.
3. Team BDS Academy, LFL
Honestly, Team BDS Academy could have won the LFL finals. They were very close to winning the first two games and, despite some throws, their mental kept up enough to bring the series to five games. Some would argue they were the better team, and I also considered putting them second in this ranking. I could see this team winning EU Masters.
However, the reason BDS Academy can be so good is also why I won’t put them second: They rely a lot on momentum. If BDS keep a hot streak going, they will perform incredibly well. But while Francisco José “Xico” Cruz earned MVP awards in both Turkey and Spain during his career, he also has his weaker moments. Fortunately for BDS, toward the end of the split, Xico has performed extremely well. He never stops . That’s why Juš “Crownshot” Marušič and his team are my third favorite to win the whole thing.
4. GamerLegion, Prime League
After an undefeated first half of the split, GamerLegion slumped in the second half of the Prime League First Division Spring Split. The German organization then lost 0-3 to Eintracht Spandau before playing them once again in the finals for a 3-0 victory.
Overall, the Prime League champions come in as the favorite from the DACH region. Their jungler, Daniel “D4nKa” Golzmann is young, but he positions himself as one of the most promising junglers in ERLs.
GamerLegion’s roster generally surprised many this split, and now that they lifted the trophy at home, they’re coming to EU Masters with high ambitions. Plus, remember that at the EU Masters 2020 Summer, GamerLegion finished second place.
5. Karmine Corp, LFL
The reigning EU Masters champions come back to the event after an undefeated performance in the play-ins. Karmine Corp have some of the best players in the ERLs, with LEC-level stars such as Lucas “Cabochard” Simon-Meslet and Martin “Rekkles” Larsson.
While they are a very strong team, Karmine Corp don’t look as dominant as last year. They lost to both Team BDS Academy and LDLC OL during the LFL playoffs. While this earns them a lower place in the ranking, Karmine Corp can very well contend for the title if their LFL playoffs performance turns out to be a slump they’ve managed to overcome.
6. Vitality.Bee, LFL
Vitality.Bee have one of the best top/jungle duos in ERLs with Mathias “Szygenda” Jensen and Duncan “Skeanz” Marquet. But despite a strong roster, they did show some weaknesses this split. For example, while they comfortably got out of play-ins, they also dropped a game against Ultraliga’s Iron Wolves.
Leading up to EU Masters, Vitality.Bee were eliminated by BDS Academy during LFL playoffs, losing 2-3. However, their mere presence in the tournament should earn a sigh of relief for the French organization, as they failed to qualify from play-ins twice last year.
7. X7 Esports, NLC
The Northern League Of Legends Championship’s team Bifrost eliminating Barça eSports maybe have been the biggest surprise of this tournament, but X7 Esports beat Bifrost to become the NLC’s champions. Their roster is a combination of former LCK and LEC pro players with the young bot laner, Nataniel “Nata” Fikrisellasie Asrat.
Kang “Tempt” Myung-gu and Kang “Haru” Min-seung are among the best at their roles for the tournament and it will be interesting to see how they match against top teams from other ERLs. As always, the NLC as a whole plays the underdog that can still go far in the tournament.
8. Eintracht Spandau, Prime League
Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe’s team Eintracht Spandau had a difficult start to the split. However, they managed to finish the split second place with a 12-6 record and they beat GamerLegion in their first match against them during the playoffs.
Despite a departure from Fnatic Rising last year, Mahdi “Pride” Nasserzadeh earned the Prime League MVP award this split, showing strong performances while earning a good amount of solo kills in the process. Olivier “Prime” Payet may also be one of the supports to keep an eye on this tournament.
9. UOL Sexy Edition, Prime League
10. AGO Rogue, Ultraliga
11. BISONS ECLUB, Superliga
12. Bifrost, NLC
13. Team ESCA Gaming, Ultraliga
14. Atleta Esport, PG Nationals
15. Crvena zvezda, EBL
16. Team Phantasma, GLL
