If someone had claimed at the beginning of this year that Top Esports was the strongest team in the world, they would have been ridiculed for being “overconfident.” This is simply because, at that time in the LPL, powerhouses like Invictus Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix were still dominating; if you couldn’t even stand at the top of the LPL, what could you say about being world number one?
However, with the addition of JackeyLove, Top Esports has surged to the number one spot in the LPL, pushing the “former gods” down, and they are now rated by ESPN as the strongest team in the world at this moment.
Meanwhile, in the second position is still T1, currently the strongest representative of the LCK. However, aside from Faker and his teammates, the only other Korean representative in the top 10 is DragonX. It can be said that after a somewhat declining performance at international tournaments, the LCK’s status in the eyes of experts is extremely low; even the Spring champion T1 only holds the second position, which is quite alarming.
ESPN’s specific rankings are as follows:
1. Top Esports
2. T1
3. G2 Esports
4. Royal Never Give Up
5. JD Gaming
6. DragonX
7. Cloud9
8. Fnatic
9. Rogue
10. FunPlus Phoenix
Among the Chinese representatives, we can easily see that Invictus Gaming has dropped out of the top 10 strongest teams, and even the defending world champions – FunPlus Phoenix are only in the 10th position. The uncontrollable decline and the somewhat “feed-loving” playstyle of TheShy are making IG seem much weaker and more fragile.
In the LCK region, the issue does not lie with specific teams but with the mindset and gameplay system of this region. It is already 2020, and you cannot play perfect control anymore; if you could, your opponents wouldn’t allow it. Therefore, the certainty of the Koreans is gradually turning into stubbornness, and they are being surpassed by other regions. T1 and Faker are still excellent, but that alone is not enough for them to reclaim the glory of the past.
What has helped G2 Esports secure the third spot in this ranking is likely their reduction in “comedic” play and their more serious performance last week, achieving convincing victories. They may need a little time to readjust to the system with Caps going mid and Perkz playing ADC; when this team returns to its peak state, it will be hard for any team in Europe to stop them.
