Doinb, who has led FPX to the top of the LoL power rankings

LoL global and regional power rankings for July 27

Upcomer Staff

Published: Jul 27, 2021 12:00 pm

The latest iteration of our weekly LoL power rankings is in, and compared to the chaos of last week’s list, we aren’t seeing quite as many new additions. As the summer split is slowly coming to a close around the globe, we welcome back WE and crown a new number one team.

10. Team WE, LPL

Record: 8-4 (18-12) | This week: 2-0 (4-0) | Movement: New

Team WE take the number 10 spot on our rankings after their impressive 2-0 wins against LGD and Edward Gaming. In the series against LGD, WE lost only one tower in each game, as their opponents found it difficult to break them down. Their mid laner, Cui “Shanks” Xiao-Jun showed why he’s known as one of WE’s carry players with a 6/2/11/ Kill/ Death/Assist ratio in Game 1 on Sylas.

Furthermore, WE finished both games in their series against EDG with more than a 9,000 gold lead. They also claimed all neutral objectives in the games. All WE players looked more coordinated than EDG in most lanes, especially in Game 2. The team’s bot laner, Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao, only got killed once in the entire series with 27 kill participations to his name. Additionally, he went deathless in games where he played on Ezreal.

Since losing to JDG in Week 5, WE have now won four in a row, including wins over two teams in the top four. They currently sit at No. 5 in the LPL standings and will look to extend their winning streak when they face Rogue Warriors and Invictus Gaming.

— Rashidat Jimoh

9. Gen.G, LCK

Gen.G in their game against Afreeca Freecs — Gen.G have clear problems with their playstyle and the team says they know it. | Provided by Riot Games

Record: 9-4 (20-14) | This week: 0-2 (2-4) | Movement: -4

It looks like the Gen.G hype train may be coming to a screeching halt. A devastating 0-2 week against Liiv SANDBOX and Afreeca Freecs slots these trailblazers of early summer into their lowest position yet on our rankings.

We’ve mentioned before that their tried and true bot lane-focused style centered around ADC Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk won’t be enough to keep them at the top for long. The current meta rewards strategic flexibility and we still have yet to see Gen.G utilize Ziggs, the premier bot lane mage at the moment. If they aren’t comfortable adapting to playing with and against these styles on stage now, playoffs will be an uphill battle.

The wins that Gen.G raked up at the beginning of summer are their saving grace right now as DK, LSB and T1 nip at their heels. They’re been vocal about the fact that they’re well aware of their issues and can still find crucial wins if they’re able to draft to their strengths. In the meantime, though, things aren’t looking great for the boys in black and gold.

— Nick Ray

8. Rare Atom, LPL

Record: 9-4 (21-12) | This week: 2-0 (4-1) | Movement: +1

The enigmas of the LPL were back in full force in Week 7. After a brutal 0-2 week in Week 6, Rare Atom managed to clutch out a 2-0 week for the first time since Week 3. However, they did play against the bottom dwelling Ultra Prime squad and the middle of the pack Bilibili gaming — though they took care of business.

Against BLG, RA played as expected. Game 1 was a methodical stomp on the side of RA as they closed out BLG in 28 minutes thanks to the combined efforts of Hu “iBoy” Xian-Zhao and Chu “Fofo” Chun-Lan. iBoy picked up player of the game honors. In Game 2, BLG struck back hard as they made RA look silly in a 23 minute dispatch. But just as RA has shown all year, they clutched out the series win in Game 3, as RA’s support “Hang” had himself a game on Thresh going 2/1/17.

In their second match of the week, RA played the lifeless UP squad. Game 1 went to RA in 28 minutes with a masterclass effort from FoFo’s Leblanc. RA took 35 minutes to close out Game 2 but were always in the driver’s seat. UP only managed to take a single dragon and only two turrets before losing their base and the series.

RA’s 2-0 week puts them in third place in the LPL standings with an impressive 9-4 record. With shaky but good wins and also bad losses, RA showed once again they can’t be counted on or counted out, which is why they are in the lower half of our LoL power rankings.

— Warren Younger

7. PSG Talon, PCS

Record: 11-0 | This week: 3-0 | Movement : +1

PSG Talon have once again been given the tools for success this weekend as they finish Week 3 11-0. This PCS team has doubled down on their identity by successfully roaming with effective team comps. Their first game was a bit of a challenge due to early-game pressure and out scaling from BOOM Esports. By mid-game, PSG found their way to success by relying on poking and drastic decision making. While the game was pretty even in terms of gold, kills and objectives, the team ended the 49-minute game via a 3-man teleport to BME’s Nexus.

Fortunately for PSG, the first game was the toughest throughout the entire weekend. The second one went by quick, as PSG had a strong bot lane with an effective team comp. PSG bot laner Wong “Unified” Chun Kit, on Jhin, side-stepped most hits and provided engagement from the backline. Overall, he earned a well-deserved MVP title as he went 2/0/6. PSG mid laner Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang and jungler Kim “River” Dong-woo also played exceptionally well in this game, with great combos and focus throughout the match. The game ended with a gold difference of almost 16K.

Similarly to the second game, their third game against Beyond Gaming ended in a stomp. They pushed toward the enemy Nexus unafraid, claiming the game as their own. Overall, PSG have been utilizing plenty of tools to keep them on the road to success. Creative plays, great compositions and daring decisions have kept them as the top team in their region for the entire summer split. Let’s see if they stay that way.

— Carolynn Soba

6. Top Esports, LPL

Record: 7-5 (16-12) | This week: 1-1 (2-3) | Movement: -3

Top Esports had been looking pretty good before their series against Invictus Gaming. Unfortunately for TES, Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok finally returned, and he was an incredible force to be reckoned with throughout both games in their series.

TES has had a bit of difficulty getting all their members on the same page at times throughout the split. Despite that, they’ve always got a rock in the mid lane with Zhuo “knight” Ding. He’s in the top three across most relevant mid lane stats according to Oracle’s Elixir, and boasts a 24.5 KDA on his most played champion, Sylas.

For TES to make it to Worlds, they have to get through the incredibly strenuous LPL playoff bracket, but they aren’t even guaranteed a spot in the playoffs yet. They’ve got a ton of work left to do if they want to return to the pantheon of esports competitions, the League of Legends World Championships. If they tweak their drafts, find a solid strategy for the early and mid game and repair their synergy, they could become favorites yet again.

— Parkes Ousley

5. DWG KIA, LCK

DWG KIA's Canyon posing — DWG didn’t have much to prove this week, but they managed to notch another win. | Provided by Riot Games

Record: 9-4 | This week: 1-0 (2-0) | Movement: +2

DWG KIA recorded a solid win this week against a struggling DRX side and stay in the mid table of our LoL power rankings this week. There wasn’t too much to gleam from their one match other than DWG KIA can deal with lower level teams without much of a problem. In both games, they steadily earned leads and turned them into even bigger leads as the game went on.

Heo “ShowMaker” Su continued his great streak of games with a deathless showing on LeBlanc — and he even pulled out Trundle in the mid lane. Jang “Ghost” Yong-jun looks to be back to his 2020 self as the bot lane meta opens up with two great performances on Kalista, going deathless across both games against DRX. Next week is where DWG KIA may get a chance to vault up the LCK and our LoL power rankings thanks to games against the LCK’s improving mid table: KT Rolster and Afreeca Freecs.

— Declan McLaughlin

4. Edward Gaming, LPL

Record: 10-3 (20-7) | This week: 0-1 (0-2) | Movement: -3

In a shocking week for Edward Gaming, the former top team in the world tumbled in this week’s LoL power rankings, but it’s unclear for how long. Heading into their lone match of Week 7, EDG decided that switching out Zhao “Jiejie” Li-Jie for EDG legend Ming “Clearlove” Kai with playoffs right around the corner was a good idea. Based on the series result, it was not.

Team WE were on the come up heading into the EDG match, having won three straight series. Taking advantage of EDG’s out of nowhere roster swap, WE dismantled EDG in a sub 30 minute rout in Game 1. In Game 2, EDG swapped out Clearlove for their third string jungler Yu “Junjia” Chun-Chia, and he didn’t put up much of a fight, either. WE cleaned up the 2-0 victory as EDG looked bad without their starting jungler.

It is currently unknown why EDG decided to bench Jiejie, who has helped lead EDG to first place in the LPL. EDG is a completely different team with Jiejie starting, but if this jungler experiment continues, not only would EDG’s chances of reclaiming their No. 1 spot be in jeopardy, their place on the LoL power rankings in general could be in question, too. If Jiejie comes back and EDG play like themselves again, expect to see EDG back near the top going forward.

— Younger

3. Royal Never Give Up, LPL

Record: 7-5 (18-11) | This week: 2-0 (4-1) | Movement: +3

The 1-5 RNG of earlier this split is gone and the RNG of MSI is back thanks to a 6-0 streak in the last three weeks. At the start of the split, the team was essentially Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao versus the world, sometimes aided by Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei as an inconsistent sidekick. The rest of the team seemed to be lagging behind after their delayed summer split start due to MSI travel.

Recently, however, the rest of the team has stepped up and begun performing as expected, with Yuan “Cryin” Cheng-Wei and Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming each taking one MVP from their series against JD Gaming. RNG still needs some shaping up, particularly around bot lane, but if they continue improving at this pace, they’re easily Worlds contenders. They could even complete that “grand slam” that eluded them in 2018 by completing their year with another LPL title and their first Worlds trophy.

— Ousley

2. NongShim REDFORCE, LCK

Members of NongShim REDFORCE posing — NongShim REDFORCE rise to No. 2 on Upcomer’s LoL power rankings thanks to the flexibility of deokdam. | Provided by Riot Games

Record: 10-3 (22-12) | This week: 1-0 (2-1) | Movement: +2

NongShim REDFORCE continue their meteoric rise in the LCK with a solid win against lower table Fredit BRION. The team only had one match this week and capitalized off of DWG KIA’s and Gen.G’s recent fall from grace. However, the team is still a powerhouse in their own right. Seo “deokdam” Dae-gil is slowly becoming one of the top bot laners in the LCK, if not the world, and thanks to the current meta, he can play whatever the team needs in the moment.

He can carry on Ezreal, maintain a solid backline and anti-dive presence with Aphelios or pick up the odd Miss Fortune game. He is also top ten in the league for average damage dealt to champions per minute, at 506, according to Factor. Along with deokdam, NongShim have top three players in the mid lane and jungle with Lee “Rich” Jae-won slowly coming into form, much like deokdam against the top of the league.

NongShim are looking scarier by the week and, come the World Championships, they may be the team everyone eyes as potential favorites (or, at worst, a dark horse).

— McLaughlin

1. FunPlus Phoenix, LPL

Record: 10-3 (22-10) | This week: 2-0 (4-1) | Movement: +1

If you are trying to impress your friends and you want to super prematurely pick a team to win Worlds this year, go with FPX. Sure, EDG have been at the top all summer, and their recent slump may not be much of a slump at all, but FPX are just so exciting and fast paced. They’re worth your pick. They have the fastest average game time of any team across the top four major regions that has won at least half of their games.

Of course, a ton can change before Worlds, and the LPL favorites never win. But if Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang stays at his current level, there may be no hope for anyone else. Doinb is having the best split of his career, and may even be the best player in the LPL right now. Stats aren’t everything — and Doinb is likely even better than his numbers suggest — but according to Oracle’s Elixir, right now he is third in KDA, third in kill participation, first in CS per minute, third in damage per minute, first in earned gold per minute and at the very top of vision control, as well.

The rest of FPX is also looking great, of course, and the team is rightfully in second place, encroaching on EDG’s first place position. If you’re looking for the best, most exciting League of Legends, go watch FPX.

— Ousley