League of Legends global power rankings through July 27

Welcome back to our League of Legends global power rankings. Every week, we look at each team in the five major regions and rank them according to how they are performing.

We're starting with Week 8 of the North American/European League Championship Series, Week 9 of League Championships Korea, Week 8 of the League Pro League and Week 6 of the League Master Series. The +/- indicates change since the previous ranking.

Nos. 1-10 -- World contenders

Nos. 11-20 -- Playoff contenders

Nos. 21-30 -- Middle of the pack

Nos. 31-40 -- Struggling

Nos. 41-50 -- Bottom of the barrel

World contenders

1. ROX Tigers

Record: 12-3 (24-10) | League: LCK | +/-: +1

The Tigers find themselves back at the top spot in our Global Power Rankings after its arch-nemesis SK Telecom T1 dropped its second series of the split to the up-and-down Afreeca Freecs. While the first-place seed in most regions only means a first-round bye or less, gaining the regular-season title in South Korea is everything. If the Tigers can run the table in its final two weeks of the season -- ROX doesn't play T1 again -- then it will advance directly into the finals of the LCK summer season.

2. EDward Gaming

Record: 13-0 (26-5) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

With SK Telecom T1 faltering to Afreeca Freecs and Team SoloMid falling to Phoenix1, it's clear that EDward Gaming, the only undefeated team, is back as the second best in the world. The team has looked good in its wins, taking commanding victories over Newbee and Game Talents. As playoffs and worlds approach, EDward Gaming look like the best shot for China to impress at the highest level internationally.

3. SK Telecom T1

Record: 12-4 (26-10) | League: LCK | +/-: -2

SKT T1 is still the odds-on favorite to win the Summoner's Cup in three months time, but a costly 2-0 loss to the Freecs means its standing in the Global Power Rankings had to drop. On the bright side, T1 followed up its upset loss with a one-sided victory over ESC Ever, and Kang "Blank" Sun-gu, the team's much-criticized jungler, had his best match of the split after falling on his face versus Afreeca.

4. KT Rolster

Record: 10-5 (23-14) | League: LCK | +/-: +3

A dominant 2-0 sweep of the half-alive Longzhu Gaming has put KT Rolster right back in the position to grab the third seed in the LCK playoffs. Next week, the final week of regular-season play, will be the marquee matchup for KT: a one-on-one series against Samsung Galaxy to most likely decide which team finishes third.

5. Samsung Galaxy

Record: 10-5 (20-12) | League: LCK | +/-: +3

Samsung, after rebuilding for a year and a half straight, has finally -- and I mean, finally -- made it back to the postseason. It has been almost two years since Samsung White and Samsung Blue all left to join higher-paying teams in China. Ultimately, Samsung's strategy of slowing revamping the roster has paid off, and the former Summoner's Cup-winning organization now has a chance of returning to worlds after missing last year's event.

6. Immortals

Record: 15-1 (31-7) | League: NA LCS | +/-: no change

How do they keep getting away with it? The team's erratic and hazardous play that sometimes leaves it in a midgame hole makes you wonder how it's doing it again. Immortals are 48-8 in regular-season games heading into a fateful showdown with TSM on Friday for the first-place spot in the NA LCS. A bit too brash at times? Maybe. Exceptionally talented? No question.

7. Royal Never Give Up

Record: 11-2 (24-8) | League: LPL | +/-: -2

Royal Never Give Up lost this week to its group B adversary Team WE 1-2, which drops it some in the rankings. However, it's still a good team and deserving of top-10 spot in the world, as China looks strong as a region. If Royal gets third or higher in playoffs this split, it will qualify for the World Championship automatically, where it will probably be a top competitor and make it to the bracket stage.

8. Team SoloMid

Record: 15-1 (31-5) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -5

After SKT T1 dropped to Afreeca midweek, the second-place spot in the Global Power Rankings was open for SoloMid if it could have stretched its winning streak to 20 with a perfect match record of 16-0. Unfortunately, Phoenix1 happened, and TSM tumbled down our rankings. An angry SoloMid showed up the next day against the free falling Team Envy to take a quick 2-0, but now TSM will need to beat Immortals this upcoming Friday in possibly NA LCS' biggest regular season clash to secure the top spot heading into the postseason.

9. Team WE

Record: 9-4 (21-13) | League: LPL | +/-: +3

Before last week, it could be debated which teams stood as third best in China. This week, however, Team WE not only cemented itself among the top, but challenged and ultimately beat Royal Never Give Up. Two of the games were close, but WE managed to win, making itself a contender on the world stage. If it doesn't qualify for worlds via points or first place, WE makes the best case for winning China's gauntlet.

10. J Team

Record: 8-2-0 | League: LMS | +/-: -1

It was a routine week for J Team, facing teams at the lower end of the standings. First place hasn't instilled much complacency in the team so far, as its victories this week were rather slow and methodical. Late-game decisiveness has clearly improved, but the team is clearly not one to be aggressive.

Playoff contenders

11. G2 Esports

Record: 9-7-0 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +2

G2 Esports rises in the rankings after a week of two solid victories with no ties. The team is still the best in Europe, which is hard to dispute, but the gap has closed a bit after Splyce managed to tie with G2. Where Europe falls is a toss up, but since the region looks shaky, it could be the worst of the five major regions at worlds this year.

12. Splyce

Record: 8-6-2 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +4

If an award for the most improved team of the year existed, that would have to go to Splyce. The rambling crew of Danish youngsters and Slovenian support Mikyx have showed up this split and recently took the title of second best in Europe with a win over Fnatic. It's hard to put them anywhere else besides the top 15 as they continually improve and show Europe their strength.

13. Afreeca Freecs

Record: 8-7 (18-17) | League: LCK | +/-: +2

What an interesting, peculiar season for the Freecs. It beats world champion SKT T1 for the second time this split, and then it follows up that momentous win with a loss to the Jin Air Green Wings team that seemed destined to fall into relegations after starting the side atop of the table.

14. Flash Wolves

Record: 7-2-1 | League: LMS | +/-: -4

Flash Wolves continue to bleed, dropping one to Hong Kong eSports in a lengthy game filled with messy team fights and poor objective play. MMD is beginning to wilt under tough lane pressure, unable to play the current lane bullies of Gnar and Trundle, leaving Flash Wolves with a gaping hole of weakness.

15. Cloud9

Record: 10-6 (24-16) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +6

C9 did what TSM couldn't do this past weekend by beating Phoenix1 and eliminating the underdogs from postseason contention. At 10-6 with only two matches left, C9 can secure the all-important third-place spot in the playoffs with another spotless weekend. Team Liquid stands in its way on Sunday in a battle that could secure the third-seed for either team.

16. I May

Record: 9-4 (20-10) | League: LPL | +/-: -5

I May beat OMG and LGD Gaming this week, two of the weaker teams in group B, but overall with Team WE's big win over Royal Never Give Up, I May falls in the rankings. It's still possible to be the fourth-best team in China, and its current ranking in the Chinese standings give it a shot at a good seeding for playoffs, but it's not as good as Team WE.

17. Counter Logic Gaming

Record: 9-7 (22-18) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +2

Oh look, CLG has made it to the playoffs. It was a slow start for the back-to-back champions, yet, as this iteration of Counter Logic has done time and time again, it fixed its issues and looks as if it could contend for its three-peat after all.

18. Fnatic

Record: 7-5-4 | League: EU LCS | +/-: -4

Coming into last week, many thought Fnatic was better than Splyce. We were wrong, as Fnatic fell to Splyce and took a tie with Origen. Whether or not the roster change for Kikis is to blame, Fnatic looks as if its place as Europe's second best for most of the split has gone away.

19. Team Liquid

Record: 9-7 (21-17) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +1

The thrown series to CLG will haunt Liquid for a long while if it can't make it to the semifinals this season. Currently in the NA LCS, all the top five playoff teams are playing well, and Team Envy, the most likely sixth-seed, is 2-9 in its last 11 matches and is ripe for the picks for whichever team can finish in the third spot. Liquid would much rather play Envy in the first round than set up a slugfest with either Cloud9 or CLG.

20. Ahq e-Sports Club

Record: 8-0-2 | League: LMS | +/-: -3

Ahq had as much of a light week as J Team, handily defeating the lower-tier teams, and even gifting Mountain a start over Baybay. Surprisingly, Westdoor has been rather decent on the mage-type picks of Cassiopeia and Malzahar, which bodes well for the team going forward.

Middle of the pack

21. Snake Esports

Record: 8-5 (17-14) | League: LPL | +/-: -3

Like I May, Snake falls in the rankings, but primarily due to the fact that it was taken to three games by both Game Talents and Invictus Gaming, the latter of which it should've stomped. Snake is not a bad team in China; in fact, it has a shot since it will most likely qualify for playoffs, but unless something shocking changes, it won't make it higher than fourth in the bracket stage.

22. Vici Gaming

Record: 6-6 (14-14) | League: LPL | +/-: no change

Next to Snake is Vici Gaming, a team in similar in form. Both have innate flaws, with Vici's AD carry talent pool being significantly weaker than its jungler and mid laner. Vici still makes a case for playoffs, and should qualify unless it falls out tremendously these two weeks.

23. Giants Gaming

Record: 7-2-7 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +4

Like Splyce, Giants have improved this split and with recent wins over Vitality and Origen, it makes a case for the fourth- or fifth-best team in Europe. This year, Giants will get its first playoff berth since last summer. In playoffs, the team makes a decent case for being able to make it to the semifinals, depending on who it faces.

24. MVP

Record: 6-9 (15-19) | League: LCK | +/-: -1

MVP's 1-2 to loss to ESC Ever all but takes it out of the hunt for the last playoff spot in the LCK. Unless the Afreeca Freecs fall completely apart in its final three games and MVP can run the table (still has the Tigers left), the rookie club's promising inaugural season is going to end with a whimper instead of a bang.

25. ESC Ever

Record: 5-10 (13-23) | League: LCK | +/-: +4

Although it almost certainly won't make the postseason this split, ESC Ever was able to play spoilers to rookie rival MVP with its 2-1 win this past week. Now it's time to think about escaping relegations, and a final two matches of Jin Air and CJ Entus is the best ESC could have hoped to see to stay out of the promotional matches.

26. Hong Kong Esports

Record: 3-3-4 | League: LMS | +/-: no change

This week probably featured the most HKE-type performance of the split, as the talent-filled team took a game off reigning champions, Flash Wolves, but also gifted Team Mist its first win of the season. Team priorities are also very clear, as HKE look much better with Maplesnow on lane-dominant top laners and with Olleh on Thresh.

27. Jin Air Green Wings

Record: 6-9 (16-21) | League: LCK | +/-: -3

You don't want to know where we ranked Jin Air before it finally grabbed a victory over the ascending Freecs. With three matches left, the Green Wings should avoid the complete disaster of falling into relegations if it can take two of its last three against MVP, SKT T1, and ESC Ever.

28. H2K Gaming

Record: 5-6-5 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +3

Alongside the Unicorns of Love, H2K is very close to qualifying for playoffs if it wins or ties its next two games this week. The team has had arguably its roughest season yet, and with AD carry Freeze recently announcing that he has tendonitis, it's not going out hot. H2K has a lot to fix ahead of playoffs.

29. Unicorns of Love

Record: 5-5-6 | League: EU LCS | +/-: -4

After an abysmal start to the split, Unicorns of Love have bounced back. They lost to G2 Esports last week as expected, but beat Team ROCCAT, something their middle of the pack peer Schalke couldn't manage to do.

30. Longzhu Gaming

Record: 5-11 (12-24) | League: LCK | +/-: no change

Longzhu's rise up the rankings has become stagnant after falling like a stack of dominoes to possible worlds-bound KT Rolster. The Dragons have done well to fight back from a last-place spot at the midpoint of the season, yet, with ESC Ever, Jin Air Green Wings, and MVP all bunched together above them, it's going to be a fight to be the team to join CJ Entus in the promotional matches against the two best teams from the South Korean minor league.

Struggling

31. Phoenix1

Record: 4-12 (12-28) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +5

Rise, Phoenix1! Rise! Hey, we know that the team was eliminated from postseason contention this past week, but the scrappy long shots took TSM's perfect record with them. P1 is 4-3 in its last seven games, and the club's only losses are to C9, TL, and CLG, the trio of teams fighting hard for the third-place spot in the playoffs. P1 hasn't looked out of place playing the best teams in NA, and if not for an awful 0-9 beginning to the season, we'd probably be talking about them as the team best suited to take the sixth playoff spot in NA.

32. Apex Gaming

Record: 6-10 (17-23) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +8

Apex probably shouldn't still be in the playoff hunt at a below average 6-10 record, but Team Envy's plummet has given it a slight chance of making the playoffs coming into the final week. It'll need Envy to continue dropping matches, and the Lions will need to pull off major upsets against the upper echelon of the league in Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming.

33. Midnight Sun Esports

Record: 3-3-4 | League: LMS | +/-: +1

MSE solidified itself as decidedly mid-tier, splitting a bo2 with Machi and showing little against Flash Wolves. Wulala has turned it a bit up this split and while it's clear that M1ssion is the main carry, success is largely driven by Wulala's performance.

34. Origen

Record: 2-8-6 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +8

Origen may be toward the bottom of the standings, but its record is not an indication of how it is as a team. It has brought on Araneae as coach and Toaster as its new AD carry, while also still using xPeke in its bottom lane on-and-off. The team is inconsistent but it's better at the core than the rest of the bottom.

35. Team EnVyUs

Record: 7-9 (14-23) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -7

While Envy will most likely make the playoffs, it has been anything but smooth sailing since the rookie organization started off its inaugural season so hot. The club is 2-11 in its last 13 maps; however, even with its horrible record the past few weeks, those two wins were against Apex Gaming, the one team left with a chance to pass them in the standings for the final postseason spot.

36. Game Talents

Record: 5-8 (12-18) | League: LPL| +/-: -1

Group A is weaker than group B in China, which makes Game Talents -- the current third in group A -- below most of its group B adversaries. Game Talents will make it to playoffs, but its chance of success there is very low in comparison to some of its peers.

37. LGD Gaming

Record: 4-8 (11-17) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

Unless Vici Gaming crashes and burns and LGD Gaming practically soars in the remaining two weeks, LGD Gaming will not qualify for the League Pro League playoffs. However, in group A, Newbee and Game Talents likely will. Unfortunately for LGD, there's little it can do to change that.

38. Newbee

Record: 5-8 (12-20) | League: LPL | +/-: +3

Likely Group A's final playoff seed, Newbee isn't very deserving of that title. Had it been in group B, it would've been worse off and it's hard to argue that the team is better than LGD Gaming.

39. Machi E-sports

Record: 2-4-4 | League: LMS | +/-: -1

Machi was like night and day in its games this week, showing the trademark Machi aggression, but also lost a 40-minute game featuring only three kills. There was an interesting mix-up where Machi played BoBo mid, but it seemed more of a gimmick than anything.

40. CJ Entus

Record: 2-13 (10-28) | League: LCK | +/-: +3

Here lies CJ Entus. It was once a great organization full of hope and wonder. Before Faker became "God of League," there was Hong "MadLife" Min-gi. Years have past since then, and here we stand, peering down at the seemingly lifeless and mis-coached husk that was once the organization everyone in the world aspired to become. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, see you in relegations, CJ Entus.

Bottom of the barrel

41. Vitality

Record: 3-7-6 | League: EU LCS | +/-: -8

Vitality continues to plummet this week after falling to Giants and H2K Gaming. The team will likely not qualify for playoffs, the first time since it joined the LCS in January 2016.

42. OMG

Record: 3-10 (10-21) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

OMG has performed pretty terribly all season, but not nearly as bad as some below it on this list. The team lost to I May and Team WE this week and cemented itself as the bottom of group B, unless something drastic happens to LGD Gaming. That'll put it in the promotion tournament.

43. NRG Esports

Record: 4-12 (12-25) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -6

Never mind, NRG Esports isn't getting it together at the right time. This team is set to take part in the relegations, and it'll be up to the "King of the Promotions" himself, Alan "KiWiKiD" Nguyen.

44. Invictus Gaming

Record: 2-10 (10-21) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

Invictus Gaming's loss last week to Snake Esports almost certainly puts it in the promotion tournament.

45. Team ROCCAT

Record: 2-5-9 | League: EU LCS | +/-: +2

ROCCAT disappointed this season after many expected great things out of their new lineup. It'll likely be the worst seed in the promotion tournament, having to win two games to make it back into the LCS.

46. Saint Gaming

Record: 1-11 (6-22) | League: LPL | +/-: -3

They may have won a game this season but it's apparent that Saint Gaming is the worst in the LPL.

47. FC Schalke 04

Record: 3-7-6 | League: EU LCS | +/-: -15

Just when you think Schalke would look good, it falls back to seventh, a tradition in the line of Elements' former spot.

48. eXtreme Gamers

Record: 1-1-8 | League: LMS | +/-: no change

It was an underwhelming week for eXtreme Gamers, but that's no surprise as the seventh-place team matched up against J Team and ahq e-Sports Club. The team was thoroughly outclassed, but at least SuwaKo continues to be good.

49. Team Mist

Record: 0-1-9 | League: LMS | +/-: +1

Mist broke the streak and finally took its first victory of the split, in a decent victory over Hong Kong eSports. Mist finally realized that running the mid-jungle duo of K and Benny was the highest talent cap possible, with Zor being the worst performing mid laner this split.

50. Echo Fox

Record: 1-15 (8-30) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -2

Hold up, we didn't rank a Taiwanese team at 50 for the thousandth week in a row? Team Mist actually took a game off Hong Kong Esports last week, and that means Echo Fox, losers of four straight games this past weekend, are our last-place team in the rankings. Once a team with aspirations of doing well in the playoffs and making a run at worlds, Echo Fox is currently 1-15 in the standings.