LPL team power rankings – January 30
By Josh Tyler
8. EDG (2-2)
If you look up the word “inconsistency” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of this EDG line-up. This team managed to lose to WE and Snake, and needed three games to take down Vici Gaming. All of this is surprising because if you look at the names on this roster, they should be better than this!
Yes, Haro is rated the third most effective jungler in the LPL right now, but outside of him, everyone else is underperforming. Meiko currently has one of the worst gold and damage contributions of any support, iBoy is barely beating out contemporaries like Chelly and Kramer in KDA, while Ray has some of the lowest kill participation in the league.
Worst of all, EDG has only faced teams below them in the LPL power rankings. After the break ends, they’re going to have to face RNG and Suning. If this team doesn’t snap out of this slump, they could go bad fast.
7. RNG (1-1)
The team with the fewest matches played, it’s hard to make any sweeping comments about their performance so far other than this: LGD has won all of two games out of the four series they played. One was against Rogue Warriors, the other against RNG.
I don’t care that they won that series and that their only other loss was a sweep at the hands of powerhouse Suning. Losing to LGD is unacceptable if you fancy yourself a top-tier team in the LPL power rankings.
6. JD Gaming (2-1)
When you take down the defending champions, you get some respect. Of all the teams currently sitting in a playoff spot, JD Gaming had the hardest strength of schedule through the first three weeks.
They took down Rogue Warriors and lost to FunPlus Phoenix, as expected, but then, in the last match of week two, they became the first team to dethrone Invictus Gaming in a three game series. While we do wish their series against Rogue Warriors had been a bit cleaner, and they got swept by FunPlus Phoenix, there’s no denying that JD Gaming has impressed so far.
5. Bilibili (2-1)
The case against Bilibili gaming is quite simple: they haven’t played anyone. Their first three games this split came against Victory Five, OMG, and LGD. Yes, they swept both LGD and Victory Five, but then they were defeated by OMG in an 0:2 series.
On a raw talent basis, we have Bilibili actually indexed as the third-best team in the LPL by our metrics. They have the best top laner in the LPL in ADD, second best mid laner in Kuro, and third best support in Mni. Every single one of their players is rated above average at his position, but the jury is still out as to whether those stats are inflated due to them playing against inferior competition.