Lol Eu Lcs Teams
Following the conclusion of the 2019 League of Legends World Championships, China / the LPL have locked in their place as the World’s top region. This comes after back to back Chinese teams took out the game’s biggest yearly event, the World Championships.
With that in mind, we take a look at the Top League of Legends Teams of all time!
1. FunPlus Phoenix
We bring you the latest LoL editorial & data coverage, match schedules, and world rankings. Korean LoL players who join teams abroad face very different environments Those thinking of playing overseas must be prepared to work hard to adapt, says Ignar of Evil Geniuses By Lim Jang-won.
Only two years old, FunPlus is the undisputed top team in 2019, completely dominating their opponents in this year’s 2019 League of Legends World Championships. As this year’s world champions, they have earned our respect, placing first on our list.
FPX had defeated Fnatic and Invictus Gaming in the quarterfinals and semi-finals respectively, going 3-1 in both Bo5 sets. Ultimately, they completely rolled G2 Esports in the finals match, taking them down undefeated.
Despite this, their journey was an unexpected one. Placing 7th-8th in the LPL 2019 Summer Playoffs, nothing much was expected of the team. However, with the addition of Tian and Doinb, the team immediately pronounced results, ending first in the LPL 2019 Spring Split. They later cemented their position as the LPL’s top team, placing first in the LPL Summer Split and Summer Playoffs.
2. Invictus Gaming (LPL)
Invictus Gaming has previously been regarded as a Chinese team that always fell inches short of an LPL title and struggled to put together a solid showing at international events. However, their victory at Worlds 2018 made everyone reconsider this narrative.
This team has an overwhelming amount of talent, and its solo laners – TheShy and Rookie—have a solid claim to being some of the best players in the world. Combine that with explosive laning, relentless aggression, and decisive teamfighting, and it’s easy to see how Invictus Gaming took the League of Legends scene by storm. Granted, this accomplishment is somewhat undermined by their MSI 2019 loss to Team Liquid. But considering the sheer firepower of this roster, it’s hard to imagine Invictus Gaming being considered anything less than a top 2 team.
3. G2 Esports
When it comes to the top League of Legends team, it’s important to build a long-standing history of competitive success. Ever since they qualified for the EU LCS, G2 Esports towered above the competition.
Their playstyle combined refined strategies and strong mechanical execution, resulting in a perfect mixture of brains, and brawn. Indeed, the lineup of Wunder, Jankos, Caps, Perks and Mithy was one of a kind, and it’s rare to find players that so perfectly complement each other.
A top-4 finish at Worlds 2018 and a victory against the tournament favorites in RNG. G2 aimed for new heights in 2019, as they signed a mid lane juggernaut that is Caps and swapped their previous mid laner to the bot lane position. And while many thought of this move as insane, G2 put these doubts to rest by finishing first at the 2019 MSI and forever cemented themselves as one of the greatest LoL esports teams of all time.
G2 encountered plenty of bumps in their road to greatness, however their ability to overcome these obstacles earned them the name of Kings of Europe. One of their biggest shortcomings was failing to claim a title in the international scene. However, 2019 was the year for the Europeans, with G2 Esports finally claiming first in the 2019 Mid Seasonal Invitationals, an event only shadowed by the 2019 League of Legends World Championships.
4. SKT Telecom T1
Holding four consecutive Worlds titles, SKT T1 seemingly refuse the idea of failure. Their opponents are constantly on their toes because the smallest misstep can lead to SKT taking over the game, and when that happens, they never let go until they reach the enemy Nexus.
A core to the team’s success is SKT’s ability to keep the greatest player in the world, Faker, for so long. The man is a competitive titan, and his combination of razor-sharp mechanics and acute game sense turned the tide of countless battles. Granted, SKT have been on a downswing in recent years. But whether it’s a major tournament or an LCK split, anyone that’s into LoL team power rankings knows not to count out SKT T1.
5. Griffin
Despite losing to Invictus Gaming in the quarterfinals, sentencing them to exit the World Championships early on, they are without a doubt one of the world’s top teams. Coming into the 2019 League of Legends World Championships, they had taking first place in the LCK 2019 Spring and Summer Split, and placing runners up for the LCK 2019 Spring and Summer Playoffs, only behind SK Telecom T1. Griffin has been regarded as one of the top LCK teams ever since qualifying to enter the LCK in the 2018 Summer split. Despite Korea have declined as a region in the competitive scene, Griffin still possesses immense strength.
League Of Legends Eu Lcs Teams
6. Fnatic
Fnatic have a rich history. Their competitive journey started with a victory at the first-ever World Championship, and it got even wilder as years went by. That said, old-school fans will remember the xPeke days and the clutch outplays that came with them.
What’s surprising, though, is that Fnatic became even stronger after losing their captain, and the following Huni/Reignover roster remains one of the most explosive European lineups in LoL esports history. They also have a great international record, and you can count on Fnatic to hold their ground against the best League of Legends teams in the world. Their second place finish in the 2018 League of Legends World Championships opened up the eyes of the world, showing EU is able to well contend with top regions like China and Korea.
Heading into 2019, Fnatic has performed strongly in LEC despite losing their top spot. Despite this, they managed to hold a minimum of 3rd place in the various tournaments in Europe. Entering the League of Legend World Championships, Fnatic were cursed, and sent to the group of death. Shocking the whole crowd, they had miraculously defeated both SKT and RNG in their final two games, narrowly allowing them to advance into the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Fnatic were matched against FunPlus Phoenix in the quarterfinals, who eventually went to the end to take the World Championship.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50618443/29221884351_569640286c_k.0.jpg "Lcs")
7. Damwon Gaming
Damwon Gaming have had a track history of quickly improving. Damwon had been created with the signing of MiraGe Gaming, a team that had freshly qualified for the Korean Challenger scene. Competing in their first Challenger series, the team had faired as expected, placing 5th. However, next split in the CK 2018 Spring Split, they quickly improved, this time placing second. By the end of 2018, Damwon Gaming decisively took first in the CK 2018 Summer Split, with only one loss to their name.
After qualifying for the 2019 LCK season, they had surprised many, placing 5th in the 2019 LCK Summer split, a momentous achievement for a newer team. Follow on, Damwon further improved, finishing 4th and 3rd in the LCK 2019 Spring Playoffs and Summer Playoffs respectively. While their performance had not been enough to place them in the main 2019 World events, they entered as Korea’s third seed through the play-in stage after topping the LCK 2019 Regional finals.
8. Royal Never Give Up (LPL)
Royal Never Give Up (RNG) may as well be cursed. This is a team that consistently stands at the top of most League of Legends team rankings, and yet, it’s only in 2018 that RNG won their first LPL title. But what they lack in domestic success, RNG make up through stellar international showings. Whether its IEM, MSI, or even Worlds, you can bet on RNG to make a deep run and challenge top League of Legends teams in the process. 2018 was their most impressive year to date, as Royal Never Give Up won 5 out of 6 competitions they’ve attended.
The driving force behind their success is their superstar AD carry, Uzi. Another thing to note is that RNG never miss an opportunity to upgrade their roster. At different points in time, they’ve fielded top-tier players like inSec, Mata, NaMei, and Xiaohu, and it’s this combination of ambition and smart talent management that allows Royale Never Give Up to stay at the top.
9. Team Liquid
Up until recently, Team Liquid was rarely—if ever—included in the conversation about great League of Legends lineups. The organization enjoyed a lot of success in other games, but bizarrely enough, it struggled to find a foothold in the world of LoL esports.
Things started to change in 2018. After finding themselves on the verge of relegation, Team Liquid went above and beyond to put together the superstar lineup of Impact, Xmithie, Pobelter, Doublelift, and Olleh. These players led them to two back-to-back LCS victories, cementing the organization as the best League of Legends team in North America.
Lol Eu Lcs Teams Standings
Still, despite their domestic results, they had a hard time holding their own at international tournaments. And Team Liquid wasn’t going to stand for that. In 2019, the organization brought in Jensen and CoreJJ in place of Pobelter and Olleh. The new roster clicked, and Team Liquid took over North America to produce their third consecutive LCS title. They kept the momentum going at the MSI 2019, and while they couldn’t get the trophy, their semifinals victory over the reigning world champions—Invictus Gaming—finally made them one of the top League of Legends teams in the West.
10 Flash Wolves
While Flash Wolves were not able to make it to the 2019 World Championships, they deserve to be in our list of the top 10 teams. Flash Wolves had taking runners up in the 2019 LMS Spring split, only to decisively claim first in the Spring Playoffs with a 3-0 win against MAD Team. While Flash Wolves had stumbled closer to the end of 2019, they had still qualified for the MSI, finishing 5th place, just one place behind SK Telecom T1.
Flash Wolves may not have a multitude of international success, however, they always manage to make it to the international scene, and take out a surprising win. Their unpredictability, while a double-edged sword, makes FW a formidable team.
Read our Top 10 LoL Players and find out who is the best league of legends player of all time!
Those thinking of playing overseas must be prepared to work hard to adapt, says Ignar of Evil Geniuses
League of Legends 2020 Worlds Finals (Riot Games) |
With Korean players enjoying success in the League of Legends World Championships since 2013, teams from all around the world are keen on importing Korean talents to help them enter and win the big tournament.
Koreans were the most represented nationality at the world stage every year since 2013, with the exception of 2014 when LMQ, consisting of all Chinese players, played for North America. Two of the five players in the two Chinese teams that won the world championships in 2018 and 2019 were Koreans who were pivotal to their wins.
Although Korean players need to learn new languages and adjust to different lifestyles when they head to different regions of the world, their mechanical performance is highly sought after by overseas teams. Before the recent adoption of the franchise system in Korea, going abroad usually meant higher pay or a better chance at getting a ticket to the World Championships. Consequently, more and more Korean players have headed to teams all over the world, including Turkey, Brazil, Japan, China, Europe, North America and Oceania among others.
As talented Korean players spread across the world, the players experience regional differences in the playing environment. This is especially true for Lee “Ignar” Dong-geun who has played in Korea, North America and Europe. Even now, as one of the veterans in the LoL scene, he takes the time to watch most Korean and European league games.
“In Korea, I was comfortable in many aspects of professional life. In the US, however, I had to work hard to adjust to the different lifestyle that was unfamiIiar,” said Ignar in an email interview with The Korea Herald.
Many LoL fans remember Ignar, who currently plays for LoL Championship Series’ Evil Geniuses, for his key performance as Leona and Blitzcrank in Europe’s Misfits Gaming against former SK Telecom T1 at the quarterfinals of the 2017 Worlds. Ignar went to the World Championships again last year with US’ Fly Quest.
“The reason why I headed for North America was that I felt it was a good opportunity for me. But I think there’s always a part of me that wants to go back to Korea and play there,” he said. “For players considering playing abroad, I want to tell them to have a mindset of working hard to adapt.”
Leaving home to play abroad portends many changes for young players.
Playing in a foreign team means that the players are required to learn the local language on top of the daily practice. As a result, world-class players like Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang and Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, who both won Worlds in the Chinese teams in which they play, are able to speak fluent Chinese after spending years on the Chinese LoL scene.
Another difference playing abroad is that the environment in the West is much more relaxed and lighter than the atmosphere in Korea when players have time off.
“There isn’t much of a difference in the daily number of practice hours for teams in NA, EU and Korea, but the main difference is that after scrims (online practice matches) are done, the environment in the US is more free. There are many teams in the LCS that have a light atmosphere,” said Ignar. “I think I enjoy the relative freedom LCS teams have. Another plus side of the LCS is that the offseason vacations are much longer.”
Daily life for pro players in North America also differs as teams wake up earlier than their Korean and European counterparts. Many Korean players in Korea play individually until late at night and wake up late.
Ignar’s hopes were dashed however with the ongoing pandemic as it meant not being able to enjoy various fun, outdoor activities that the US’ had to offer.
Playing abroad also meant leaving the comfort of Korea.
“I couldn’t eat Korean food often when I played in Europe, but I can easily find Korean food in America. I still miss going to a Korean barbeque place in Korea and eating pork belly,” Ignar said. “When I first went abroad to play in other countries, I had a hard time and missed my family. But after playing abroad for many years, I’m used to it. I think I miss them for around two to three months after leaving home.”
The league format and level of play is also different by region, requiring players to adapt.
“In terms of skill and gaming understanding, LoL Champions Korea is on a higher level,” Ignar said. “In the LCS, with only one game played instead of a best-of-3 like the LCK, a relatively weaker team just has to win against a stronger team once to pull off an upset, so fun results happen frequently.”
COVID-19 has made it more difficult for foreign teams to scout Korean players in the country this offseason and the adopted franchise system offering higher pays for top players meant fewer players have headed to foreign countries, with the exception of China.
Still, foreign teams are always a possibility that many Korean pros consider, and many are ready for the challenge of playing in a new environment.
By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)