The World Championships are fast approaching, the culmination of a year of competitive League of Legends. Teams at the top of the regions are coming to North America this year to battle it out for the ultimate prize.
Whether you're just looking for the ones to watch, or if you're trying to decide which teams to favour in the pickems, we have all the information you could want about the teams competing this year.
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LOL Worlds Teams Tier List
Below is our full tier list for all the teams headed into the play-ins and group stage at the League of Legends World Championships this year. Full explanations for all the teams will also be included. They're also ranked left to right within tiers.
S+ Tier - JDG and GenG
JDG and GenG are teams that need no introduction. JDG bested Top Esports in the LPL final (and the semifinal) to emerge victorious. They look untouched in the LPL, despite individual game losses to TES. They look consistent, which is good for Best-of-ones in groups, and proven in best of 5s.
GenG looks similarly a head above the rest of the LCK. Ruler and Chovy have both shined this year, and the supporting cast is consistent and reliable. They will likely excel in the inevitable scaling meta that comes with Worlds.
S Tier - RNG and Top Esports
Slightly behind, but not by much, are RNG and TES. They can certainly challenge the S+ tier, and may take best-of-one wins, but will likely fall just short in Best-of-5 knockouts.
RNG might be the 4th LPL seed, but they are rock solid in best-of-5s. They are consistency embodied, and while Xiaohu has been muted for parts of this year, he is known for stepping up internationally. Breathe is also a fantastic addition, adding some flair and clutch factor to the team.
TES falls only slightly behind, mainly from a consistency standpoint. When the team is on form, they can contest and defeat the best, but Jackeylove is crucial and has looked shaky despite Mark's best efforts. If the meta favours Knight in the mid-lane, he can solo carry the team to a top 4 finish.
A Tier - T1 and EDG
Both World Champions, these teams would have been S+ tier 6 months to a year ago respectively. Recently, however, cracks have started to show. They are heavily meta-reliant, and a swing there could place them in S tier or higher.
T1 had one of the strongest spring splits possibly, with the hypercarry meta of Jinx/Aphelios in bot lane playing to Gumayusi's tune. However as the meta shifted, T1 looked deflated, with Guma having a rough summer, and the team not finding the innovation that they were so successful with.
EDG is a controversial placing this far down, but the magic of 2021 seems missing for now. Nerfs to Lucian/Nami will hurt their bot lane, but Viper is not to be ignored. Scout will have to step up big time but he has shown us greatness before, as the Worlds 2021 MVP.
B Tier - Damwon Kia, G2, and Cloud9
These teams make up the top of the 'pack' where they will likely make it out of groups, but will almost certainly fall before the final stages. Their ceiling is high, but they are a step below the above tiers.
Damwon, following a rebuild in 2021, has failed to capture the same success. Despite a good performance vs LSB in the regional finals, the addition of Nuguri has overall failed to make an impact. Showmaker and Canyon can carry them a decent way, but the bot lane will have to step up.
G2 come in just above Rogue, despite the LEC Finals result. With limited preparation for Rogue, expecting Fnatic, they were blindsided early, in draft and in game, and simply failed to recover. Their player calibre and experience though is unmatched in Europe, and Caps can go toe- to-toe with the best in the mid-lane. They have fantastic draft innovation with Dylan Falco, which will help them adapt quickly to the Worlds meta.
Cloud 9 stormed through the LCS playoffs, looking unbeatable. Jensen sets a record this year, with 8 consecutive Worlds appearances, and is key to the team. Willing to play facilitators and carries very well, he is much of the reason the C9 bot-lane looks so unstoppable regionally, creating space around them to thrive.
C tier - Rogue, DRX, and Fnatic
These three teams are roughly equal to B tier, lower by a hair. All 6 teams in these tiers can contest and take games off each other, but B tier is slightly more likely to impact the higher teams.
Rogue is a team no one expected to be this high, but has more than earned their place. Showing variety and skill in draft and playstyle against G2, if they are on form they can really make a mark on the international stage. Read more here about their finals victory and what made it possible.
DRX are likely to make short work of play-ins, and contest groups well. Deft is one of the most experienced players at Worlds, with 586 LCK career games, and makes a formidably bot-lane duo with World Champion Beryl. Despite some setbacks, they have looked consistent recently and strong in their victory over LSB to make Worlds.
Fnatic makes this tier largely based on player calibre, but put on an incredible underdog performance in the LEC playoffs. With Humanoid showing uncharacteristic variety, and the early game formula of Razork and the bot-lane looking solid, they can make a real mark if they are on form.
D tier - MAD, SGB, EG and 100T
The D tier is comprised of teams that can make it out of groups with some luck and clutch performances but are unlikely to make a huge impact.
Mad Lions will need to show the early game dominance that made them so successful regionally. If Nisqy, Elyoya and Kaiser can be consistent and allow Unforgiven and Armut to make plays, they have a shot, but they have looked flimsy of late, not winning a single best-of-5 in playoffs.
Saigon Buffalo have a certain X-factor coming into Worlds groups. Largely unproven against the other teams at Worlds, they have a solid calibre of players, and as the sole VCS representative, they will have a unique take on the meta which could serve them well.
Evil Geniuses have looked good at times, and mediocre at others. Inspired and Impact have looked the best top-jungle duo in the LCS, but with their star ADC Danny stepping down, the other players will have to step up big time.
100Thieves rank just below EG, largely based on international experience. They fell only to C9 in the LCS finals, but the victory was resounding, and the Zeri/Lulu that has been such a crutch for them is now in a worse spot in the meta.
E/F tier - All Other Teams
These are teams that will likely be confined to the play-ins, and whose wins will likely come from other members of these tiers. Worth a mention are DFM and CFO.
DFM has taken wins off higher teams internationally before. The sole LJL seed, they are known for being fantastic to watch and holding their own when it counts. That being said though, with Worlds as stacked as it is, they are unlikely to go far.
CFO is a brand new team coming from the PCS. Usually represented by PSG Talon, CFO has the potential to do very well against other teams in this tier, but only time will tell.
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