League of Legends LCK Week 9 power rankings – turbulence at the top

5. Afreeca Freecs (24-19)

Speaking of, the Afreeca Freecs is indeed just above Gen.G in these rankings entering that last week. Simply put, they win and they’re at least playing for a tiebreaker against Gen.G or SKT for the Gauntlet spot. Given that they’re facing Hanwha Life, this is a series they should expect to take.

4. Sandbox Gaming (24-15)

Even though they’re not mathematically locked into the Gauntlet, with two series to play in Week 10 (one against KT) and a one-game lead on the four teams in the hunt for the first-round match-up, Sandbox is basically already in. The question is where they will fall in the Gauntlet.

They’re currently tied in series wins with Damwon, who they do not own the tiebreak with, so it’s unlikely that they can leapfrog them to the second spot absent some help. They took the first series against SKT meaning they could clinch that tiebreaker with a win (given they’re a series ahead of SKT in the standings, that would be all she wrote for SKT passing them). In all likelihood, they’re destined for the second round of the Gauntlet, which won’t make their path to Worlds any easier.

3. Damwon Gaming (24-15)

Two weeks ago they were the best team in the LCK. Now they’re down in the third spot following some devastating losses to Afreeca and Hanwha Life in Week 8.

Like Sandbox, they’re a series ahead of the rest so it’s unlikely they’ll be playing in that first round of the Gauntlet. Considering they also hold the tiebreaker with Sandbox, they should be looking to challenge Griffin for that top spot in their two series this week.

2. SK Telecom (24-14)

You might be wondering how the hell the team that could end up in the first round of the Gauntlet, or even miss the playoffs if things go wrong, the second-rated team in our power rankings? The fact of the matter is that SKT is surging right now, having won nine series in a row before inexplicably losing to Hanwha Life.

This team should be favored in their two match-ups with Sandbox and Damwon and with more opportunities to win a series and clinch a playoff spot over the other teams around them they should be in a strong position. They are definitely not a team I would want to face in one of the early rounds of the Gauntlet.

1. Griffin (25-13)

After a start where no one could catch them and a mid-season where they looked lost, Griffin has returned to form. In Weeks 8 and 9, they won all three of their series against teams in playoff contention, Afreeca, Sandbox, and Gen.G.

Now, as the only team locked into the playoffs, they’ll get to feast in Week 10. They play Jin Air and Hanwha Life in their last two series of the split, with every likelihood they will be able to clinch a spot at the end of the Gauntlet, putting them one series win away from a spot at Worlds.

The LCK will return on Thursday, August 16 at 4:00 AM EST on Twitch.tv/LCK