LCS Summer 2020 Week 9 Power Rankings: On To the Playoffs

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 1: — during 2020 LCS Spring Split at the LCS Arena on February 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.. (Photo by Tina Jo/Riot Games) /

LCS Summer 2020 Week 9 is in the books, here is where the teams sit in our LCS power rankings ahead of the playoffs.

3. TSM (12-6)

Elo: 436

First-round match: Golden Guardians

While they missed out of a possible first-round bye after losing a tightly-contested game to Team Liquid, TSM is heading into playoffs on a 6-2 run since swapping in their support Erik “Treatz” Wessén. They’ll also have one of their better-possible first-round matchups against Golden Guardians, who are coming off an 0-2 Week 9 and who haven’t beaten TSM all year.

From there, they would have to face the pre-split prohibitive favorites to win the LCS title in Cloud9. This would be a brutal match-up, but it’s far superior to TSM having to face Team Liquid who have had their number all year. TSM has an excellent road to semifinals and Worlds, but they’ll need to elevate their play still.

2. Cloud9 (13-5)

Elo: 442

First-round match: Bye

They came into this split the runaway favorites to beat everyone and win the LCS title walking away, just like they did in spring. Instead, C9 went 4-5 in the back half of the Summer Split and finished in the number two spot. This means that they will not have control of their own destiny as the playoffs unfold.

While Team Liquid will get their pick of the two winners of the TSM/GGS and EG/FLY series, C9 would get the team Liquid does not want to face. Cloud9 only swept the season series over one of those three teams: FlyQuest.

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1. Team Liquid (15-3)

Elo: 494

First-round match: Bye

In the spring, they were a laughing stock. From four-time champions to missing playoffs altogether, the Liquid legacy was starting a new chapter of the greatest failure in LCS history. Just one split later, they’re furiously erasing that chapter as a mere blip in their legacy. TL went 11-1 in their last six weeks, one of the most-impressive stretches of play in the LCS this season.

They capped in Week 9 by taking down lowly Immortals and then asserting their dominance over hot-shot TSM. When Liquid gets the opportunity to pick their opponent for the next round, I would actually hope that they pick TSM for their matchup.

Liquid has beaten TSM in every match-up this season and definitely owns a spot in their former AD Carry Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng’s head now that his replacement Edward “Tactical” Ra and former lane partner Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in have become the strongest bot lane in the league. In addition, this would also set up their biggest threat for the LCS title – C9 – in an unfavorable matchup against FlyQuest, who they have not beaten all year. Liquid is a team that has very clear weaknesses in terms of draft and playstyle, but they continue to make few mistakes and beat out the rest of the sloppy LCS teams.

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