League of Legends global power rankings through Jan. 24

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 currently performing.

We're starting with Week 2 of the LMS, Week 3 of the NA/EU LCS and Week 4 of the LPL and LCK. The +/- indicates the 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. SK Telecom T1

Record: 3-0 (6-0) | League: LCK | +/-: No change

Hey, we didn't screw this one up! Yeah, it's SK Telecom T1, and picking them first isn't rocket science, but there is no doubt who the best team in the world is at this moment. SKT T1 has been untouched in its first six games of League Champions Korea, and the team has been clinical in its attack and objective play. Heo "Huni" Seung-hoon has been the story of the season so far, becoming an adaptable top laner (finally) who has primarily played tanks through the start of the season, outside of an impressive Gangplank game. With Huni's progression and the rest of the club looking even scarier in an attack-first configuration, is there any team in the world that can stand up to the power (and flexibility) of the back-to-back world champions?

2. KT Rolster

Record: 2-0 (4-0) | League: LCK | +/-: No change

It hasn't been as pretty as SKT, but wins are wins, and KT Rolster (at least at this moment) sits unblemished at 4-0 through its first two matches. To the opposite spectrum of SKT T1, KT Rolster has been playing like SKT of years past, methodically grinding teams into dust with superior talent and shotcalling. Far from their full potential, KT Rolster could become the same boa constrictor-type team Samsung White deployed to win the Summoner's Cup in 2014. We're still a month away from the first Telecom War of the year, so KT Rolster still have a few matches to work out the kinks in the machine before the ultimate test.

3. Samsung Galaxy

Record: 2-1 (5-3) | League: LCK | +/-: No change

The Worlds finalist Samsung has mostly lived up to expectations so far. The lineup had some trouble with the Afreeca Freecs, but still had little issue dispelling Longzhu and MVP. Also, despite Kang "Ambition" Chan-Yong being the catalyst of Samsung last year, ex-CJ Entus jungler Kang "Haru" Min-seung has been impressive and seen more playtime.

4. Afreeca Freecs

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

Afreeca has truly revealed itself as the wildcard of LCK. It reigned triumphant over Samsung with Jang "MaRin" Gyeong-Hwan's on-hit Kennen build, but was also stifled by mid-tier team MVP. The top side of the map has certainly been the name of the game for Afreeca, while one wonders how exactly it's going to succeed when MaRin and Lee "Spirit" Da-Yoon don't take over the game.

5. Longzhu

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

Longzhu seems to be having a pretty slow start to the season, but it's already a clear improvement over anything Longzhu showed in all of 2016. It will have to decide on whether Song "Fly" Yong-Jun or Gwak "BDD" Bo-Seong is the ideal mid laner before it can take a real team direction.

6. Cloud9

Record: 2-0 (4-1) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +1

As expected, Cloud9 started its season with a week of two victories. While the set against Team Dignitas was close, don't let it fool you; they substituted Jeon "Ray" Ji-won in for the second game, which proved costly but wasn't the end of the world. Cloud9 is very much the current strongest in North America, and two wins over Team SoloMid and Dignitas show that.

7. G2 Esports

Record: 2-0 (4-1) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +1

The 2016 European LCS champions have reminded opponents and observers alike why they led the region for two consecutive splits in a row with a thrashing of ROCCAT (2-0) and a nail-biting series against Fnatic (2-1). The latter helped them spotlight minute gameplay issues stemming from offseason rust, and iron out their macro play. Their next step: refining micro as much as possible.

8. EDward Gaming

Record: 2-0 (4-0) | League: LPL | +/-: +17

How can they keep getting away with this? On paper, EDG was dead on arrival, rolling out a significantly worse starting five than the one that went undefeated last summer split. Yet, here we are, two matches in, and the emperor of China is back on top, having won all four of its map, and the latest against Team WE, the club we had pegged as the top of the LPL coming into the season. Hae "Zet" Sung-min has adopted the marksmen role like he's been playing it professionally for years, and Lee "Scout" Ye-chan has embraced the role of team ace, mowing down the mid competition in week one. We'll see if Ming "Clearlove" Kai makes his return to the starting lineup in the next few weeks, or if Zhao "Fireloli" Zhi-Ming can hang onto the jungler position following two solid performances.

9. H2K Gaming

Record: 2-0 (4-0) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +7

H2K Gaming squashed doubts regarding the ability of its players to mesh and communicate; the showing against Splyce attests to that. But the game they may learn from the most is their relatively sloppy 2-0 victory against Origen, as some of their attempts to take control during the early game nearly backfired. Considering how early in the season we are, H2K might be slightly ahead of schedule.

10. QG Reapers

Record: 1-0 (2-0) | League: LPL | +/-: +5

To preface: It was against Game Talents, but QG Reapers did win its first match in style, outscoring its opponent 40 kills to seven. Kim "Clid" Tae-min was massive for the team in the blowout victory, amassing a scoreline of 8/2/19 (kills/deaths/assists) on Lee Sin. It was also a successful re-debut for former standout support Hu "Cloud" Zhen-Wei, showing why he was once considered one of the most talented players at his position back in 2014 when his former club OMG made the world semifinals. A gigantic roster, it'll be interesting which players the Reapers field throughout the season, or if it'll attempt to keep the opening match starters intact with minimal switching back and forth.

Playoff contenders

11. I May

Record: 2-0 (4-1) | League: LPL | +/-: +11

12. Snake Esports

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: LPL | +/-: +9

13. Flash Wolves

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: LMS | +/-: -2

14. Team Dignitas

Record: 1-1 (3-3) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -1

Despite the loss to Cloud9, Team Dignitas' win over Phoenix1, another team with a lot of changes and new South Korean import players, shows they have a chance to be a competitor. The Cloud9 loss did not look awful; Kim "ssumday" Chan-ho lived up to expectations, while mid laner Jang "Keane" Lae-young exceeded his own. Team Dignitas will compete to be a top team over the coming weeks.

15. Unicorns of Love

Record: 1-0 (2-0) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +14

Splyce's monumental stagger against H2K Gaming makes Group B more intriguing than it previously was, especially since the Unicorns of Love have showcased that they had not skipped a beat since IEM San Jose. The roster changes seemed to help them ascend to new heights, as Vitality could attest from their faceoff. Their upcoming clash against H2K may help them assert themselves as a regional powerhouse, or spotlight gameplay issues.

16. Invictus Gaming

Record: 1-1 (3-2) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

17. Team SoloMid

Record: 1-1 (2-3) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +3

Team SoloMid wasn't what it once was but the team doesn't look terrible, either. The loss to Cloud9 isn't the end of the world, especially considering Cloud9's expectations, and the win over Immortals makes Team SoloMid one of the competitors at the top, just no longer the clear cut favorite.

18. Team WE

Record: 1-1 (2-3) | League: LPL | +/-: -12

19. FlyQuest

Record: 2-0 (4-1) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +17

FlyQuest now sits at the top of the standings after beating Team Liquid and Team EnVyUs. Liquid is fairly competitive so that's a good win for FlyQuest, while EnVyUs could live at the bottom of the standings for most of the season. FlyQuest did better than expected, earning them a significant bump in the rankings as a result.

20. Phoenix1

Record: 1-1 (3-2) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +8

Middle of the pack

21. Team Liquid

Record: 1-1 (3-2) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +10

22. Fnatic

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -5

If you're Fnatic, the way you lost puts you a cut above a number of squads that may have won their clashes in a shaky manner. That said, Fnatic did end up to dropping to G2 in hit and miss series. Still, Rasmus "Caps" Winther's dazzling show of skill attracted attention to the squad, but Paul "sOAZ" Boyer and Maurice "Amazing" Stückenschneider had the most noticeable impact. Should the tendency enforce itself, the duo may help Fnatic recapture their former glory.

23. bbq Olivers

Record: 1-1 (2-3) | League: LCK | +/-: +7

As it turns out, the BBQ Olivers are the best chicken-themed team in the world at the moment. Although its olive oil wasn't strong enough to fend off Huni and SKT T1 in BBQ's match against the world champion, its spicy, crunchy goodness was too much for MVP to handle in its first match of the split. The Olivers might not make it to Worlds in a league with the likes of SKT, KT, Samsung and Afreeca; it's okay, though, they're spreading the love of chicken worldwide, and that's enough for us.

24. ahq

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: LMS | +/-: +2

Ahq e-Sports Club gave Wong "Chawy" Xing-Lei the nod in its opening series against Flash Wolves and quickly showed his value on Leblanc and Orianna. On top of that, Xue "Mountain" Zhao-Hong performed surprisingly well on Lee Sin and Kha'Zix, which bodes well for ahq's future.

25. Misfits

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +7

26. Immortals

Record: 1-1 (3-3) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -2

27. Splyce

Record: 0-1 (0-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -17

Splyce's story differs from Fnatic, considering the way they lost to H2k-Gaming. Its attempts to force plays spectacularly backfired, and that may lead the group to consider other options - rather than brute-force aggression to recover from deficits. The upcoming clash against Vitality may help them in brushing on the fundamentals and contend with H2k for first place in Group B.

28. MVP

Record: 1-3 (3-5) | League: LCK | +/-: -16

29. ROX Tigers

Record: 1-2 (2-5) | League: LCK | +/-: -2

30. Royal Never Give Up

Record: 1-1 (2-3) | League: LPL | +/-: -21

Struggling

31. Counter Logic Gaming

Record: 1-1 (2-2) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -12

32. Vici Gaming

Record: 1-1 (2-3) | League: LPL | +/-: +5

33. J Team

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: LMS | +/-: +6

34. Giants

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -1

35. LGD Gaming

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: LPL | +/-: +3

36. Newbee

Record: 0-2 (2-4) | League: LPL | +/-: -2

37. Machi

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: LMS | +/-: -2

38. Jin Air Green Wings

Record: 0-2 (1-4) | League: LCK | +/-: -15

39. Kongdoo Monster

Record: 0-2 (1-4) | League: LCK | +/-: -25

40. Vitality

Record: 0-1 (0-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: no change

Bottom of the barrel

41. Echo Fox

Record: 0-2 (1-4) | League: NA LCS | +/-: +2

To be fair to Echo Fox, its 0-2 open was at the hands of decent teams, but the early writing's on the wall: this team is still not very good. They may end up fighting for a higher seed in relegation, as the rest of North America look more capable of success.

42. Hong Kong eSports

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: LMS | +/-: +4

43. Extreme Gamers

Record: 1-0 (2-1) | League: LMS | +/-: +7

44. Origen

Record: 0-1 (0-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: +1

45. ROCCAT

Record: 0-1 (0-2) | League: EU LCS | +/-: -4

46. OMG

Record: 0-2 (1-4) | League: LPL | +/-: +2

47. Fireball

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: LMS | +/-: +2

The new pick-ban system has resulted in many teams failing to lock in a ban, but Fireball suffered when Fei "Dreamsha" Chuan-Yuan accidentally locked in the Heimerdinger top. It was humorous, but ultimately cost Fireball the chance to defeat Hong Kong eSports in its first best-of-3 this split.

48. Wayi Spider

Record: 0-1 (1-2) | League: LMS | +/-: -1

49. Team EnVyUs

Record: 0-2 (0-4) | League: NA LCS | +/-: -7

50. Game Talents

Record: 0-1 (2-4) | League: LPL | +/-: -6