One of the main points of contention amongst League of Legends fans is whether the global team rankings are accurate. After the MSI or Worlds, certain teams surge up the rankings, even though their form lasts for only a few weeks, whilst more consistent teams may remain underrated.
The problem does not lie in the existence of the rankings themselves, as they help to analyse team strength and assess tournament prospects. However, there is still no universal formula. Regional leagues have varying levels of competition, patches regularly shift the balance, and there aren’t enough international matches to accurately determine the strength of each team. In this article, we’ll consider whether the official global rankings really do fall short of the true picture.
Why Global Rankings Fail to Reflect Real Strength
Any global ranking is based on a specific algorithm. Some systems give the greatest weight to recent results, others take into account performance throughout the season, and some use mathematical models such as the Elo system, as seen in CS2 on Faceit. In practice, this leads to situations where teams’ rankings and points differ across platforms.
When analysing team performances, it quickly becomes apparent that win/loss figures alone are insufficient to assess the current strength of squads. To compile an accurate lol pro teams ranking, one must take into account the calibre of opponents, roster changes, results from international matches and even the specifics of the current patch. This is precisely why the gap between a team’s ranking position and its actual form can sometimes become too wide.
A good example is Gen.G, who demonstrated consistent results in the LCK last season, but after several unsuccessful international series, some rankings excluded them from the favourites at Worlds. Meanwhile, Bilibili Gaming received high praise following a strong performance at a single tournament, even though their season statistics remained less convincing.
For an accurate understanding of team levels, it is recommended to use portals such as Liquipedia, where information about all tournaments, roster changes, and regularly updated results is collected.
Recent Results Matter More Than Historical Reputation
One of the biggest problems of global rankings remains the excessive reliance on past achievements. If a team has won Worlds or MSI, of course they make it into history, but that does not mean that in 5 years they will play at the same high level.
T1 has repeatedly demonstrated how quickly the level of play can change. A roster with Faker is capable of delivering a brilliant international tournament, but just a few months later may face difficulties due to a new metagame or poor form.
In official rankings, a team usually drops down the table only after several poor tournaments, although a close analysis of matches allows conclusions to be drawn much earlier. This is precisely why professional analysts have increasingly learnt to use specific metrics to predict a team’s performance: farm rate, control of neutral objectives, average map completion time and team fight effectiveness.
My personal observation, based on watching LCK and LPL matches, is that a team’s true calibre often becomes more apparent towards the middle of a tournament, when they reveal all their strategies.
Regional Differences Distort Every Global List
The professional LoL scene is made up of regional leagues. Teams compete in the LCK, LPL, LEC and LCS, so comparing their performances is more difficult than it might seem at first glance. Each region has its own playing style, a different level of competition and a varying number of strong opponents.
For example, a team might perform brilliantly in the LCS with excellent win statistics, yet quickly lose at the MSI or Worlds to teams from Korea or China, whose leagues are more competitive. This isn’t always immediately reflected in the rankings, as a high win percentage still influences the overall assessment.
This results in the following problem. If a team regularly plays against Gen.G, T1, and other top teams, even a few losses may be less indicative than a series of wins against weaker opponents. It is precisely this factor that most rankings assess insufficiently accurately.
The official pages of LoL Esports and Riot Games publish full tournament statistics after each international championship; however, a complete picture requires analysis of drafts, winrate in the current patch, and many other indicators. Therefore, it is not surprising that more and more analysts are moving away from full reliance on global rankings and are building their own evaluation models.
What Would Make Power Rankings More Accurate
There will never be a completely accurate ranking, but it is entirely possible to make it more realistic. First and foremost, it is essential to respond much more quickly to changes in teams’ form. If, following a new patch, a squad demonstrates a different level of play, the ranking must take this into account almost instantly. Modern technologies, including AI, can be used to achieve this.
It is equally important to add several Tier-1 tournaments and increase the weighting of international matches. Currently, there are only two truly significant tournaments in LoL; the rest are regional leagues. The more a team plays against top-tier opponents, the more objective the assessment of its strength will be. A victory over a top LCK team should be rated higher than several victories over underdogs from a weaker league.
Special attention should be paid to personnel changes. The transfer of a single key player can sometimes completely change the team’s potential. It would also be useful to take into account the quality of macroplay execution, objective control statistics, lane stability, and other in-game indicators. This approach would allow for obtaining a rating that better corresponds to what viewers see during actual matches.
Conclusion
Putting all the facts together, it’s fair to say that global power rankings remain a handy tool for quickly comparing teams, but they shouldn’t be taken as gospel. They don’t always take into account patch changes, regional differences, the strength of opponents, or players’ current form. As a result, a team’s position in the official table may differ from its actual performance on stage, leading to upsets at tournaments that astute analysts have already predicted.
