1. China
The frightening aspect of the LPL region is not how strong they are, but rather the consistency among their teams. About six months ago, after watching FunPlus Phoenix win the World Championship, we could say that LPL only had FPX to worry about, but now names like JD Gaming and Top Esports are also extremely dominant.
Looking at how the LPL teams crushed the Koreans at the recent China-Korea Grand Battle, we can see just how strong they are. With a well-structured system for training young talent, new players are given opportunities to compete rather than losing their spots to foreign stars, the LPL is expected to continue to dominate League of Legends for the next few years.
2. Europe – Korea
These are perhaps the only two regions that can compete with China, but they both have certain issues and are unlikely to rise to the top.
The European region continues to face issues with skill gaps, as G2 Esports easily dominated the LEC Spring 2020, despite any antics they might pull. Perhaps this year’s Summer Split story will be similar to last year, with G2 Esports continuing to dominate Europe, performing excellently at Worlds before being defeated by the world champions. The question is, if G2 Esports suddenly underperforms, who will replace them?
Korea is currently in a generational transition as most of the roster of top teams consists of young players. While LCK has seen a world champion Faker at 17, not everyone can be a “Demon King” and replicate that achievement. Perhaps LCK fans should be patient with the rookies and young faces of this tournament, giving them more time to mature and compete evenly with the LPL.
3. North America
The LCS region has shown some improvements as their champion – Cloud 9 – is no longer reliant on foreign stars and is introducing a talented North American player, which the tournament has lacked in recent years. However, it is hard to believe that LCS can surpass Europe or Korea, let alone the LPL teams.
Perhaps one Cloud 9 is not enough for LCS to no longer be seen as a “Foreign League” when names like Team Solo Mid, Evil Geniuses… still rely heavily on stars from Europe or Korea. Therefore, in the upcoming international tournaments, it would not be surprising if North America continues to receive disappointing results, such as being completely eliminated from the group stage like at Worlds 2019 last year.
4. PCS
It can be said that PCS is nothing more than an expanded LMS, with teams from Taiwan or Hong Kong still completely dominating. Their complete victory over the two strongest representatives of VCS in the recent friendly tournament shows that the strength of Taiwanese teams is still far superior to Vietnamese teams, making it easy to understand why they rank below the four major regions.
5. Vietnam
The comprehensive failure at the recent friendly tournament has made Vietnamese fans more aware and have a more accurate view of the strength of the VCS region. We still have our unique playstyle and competitive edge, but it is not enough to win against opponents, especially well-organized teams, which is why VCS ranks below the PCS region. A positive sign for VCS this summer is that transfer dramas and behind-the-scenes dealings have decreased compared to previous years.
