1. DWG KIA
They won the World Championship last year around and should be in prime position to do it again. While DWG KIA might not look as dominant as they were previously, they’ve got the star power they need with players such as mid laner Heo “Showmaker” Su and jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu. With coach kkOma providing an experienced voice, DWG KIA remains the biggest team to beat.
2. Edward Gaming
Edward Gaming makes a return to Worlds and actually looks like a serious contender. While there is still debate surrounding their individual talent, there’s no doubt EDG is a robust team that knows how to bounce back when it’s needed most. Most eyes are on mid laner Lee “Scout” Ye-Chan, who is an experienced veteran in the mid lane, while bot laner Park “Viper” Do-Hyeon is their go-to carry option. It’ll be interesting to see if they can hold up.
3. FunPlus Phoenix
The second seed of the LPL remains one of the top contenders at Worlds 2021. Many see their performance against EDG in the finals as a fluke, as they’ve been mostly consistent throughout the season. With mid laner Kim “Doinb” Tae-Sang as their ultimate superstar, they’re known for bending the rules during games and finding interesting angles, which might be just what they need on the international stage.
4. MAD Lions
LEC fans and Europe as a whole needs to be a bit more proud of MAD Lions. They’ve won two splits back-to-back and are the undisputed champions. They’re not the same team that flunked out of play-ins anymore and have shown they can be dominant internationally at MSI 2021. They’re more experienced, are scrappy and they bank on strong teamfighting. Here’s to hoping they don’t slack during groups.
5. Royal Never Give Up
Despite winning the Spring Split of the LPL and MSI 2021 as well, RNG kind of had a fall from grace in summer and seem to be in somewhat of a slump. Despite all that RNG is a team that knows how to show up internationally and with Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-Hao, they still have one of the best top laners around, in a meta that has some strong carry top laners.
6. T1
Those who say T1 often think of legendary mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. While T1 comes into Worlds 2021 as one of the favorites according to many fans, their performance has been a little consistent in the past and there’s no doubt that some of their players have play styles that can clash. Park “Teddy” Jing-seong and Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong are both fighting for that bot lane position, while aside from Faker and Keria, there’s not a lot of Worlds experience to be found.
7. Gen.G
Gen.G hasn’t been performing all too well and looked quite pale and bleak in the LCK. They’re a team that’s quite prone to slumps and peaks in their performance and that seemingly wasn’t fixed during Summer. Despite all that, they remain the third seed in the LCK and are still strong contenders.
8. PSG Talon
PSG Talon is one of those teams that keep surprising every time they take to the international stage. They’re extremely dominant in their local competition and should get far more credit than they often receive. With star mid laner Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang ready to go and bot laner Wong “Unified” Chun Kit back in the starting line-up, PSG Talon might just go further than everyone expects them to go.
9. Fnatic
Fnatic made the most of what they got and made it to the LEC finals in Summer, surprising many and taking out G2 Esports along the way. The team has an interesting story behind it and their aggressive playstyle can either be a big advantage or serious disadvantage. They’ve got a healthy combination of internationally experienced players and fresh faces, with rookie top laner Adam looking to prove his status as the next big thing.
10. 100 Thieves
Winning the LCS Summer Split, 100 Thieves have consistently improved throughout the year to end up where they are now. While they’re not doing anything revolutionary or new, they’ve got the basics down. Bringing in Felix “Abbedagge” Braun gave them some more punch and star power and they’ve got experienced players in the form of Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho in the 메이저놀이터 top lane and Can “Closer” çelik in the jungle. Their bot lane of Ian “FBI” Victor Huang and Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun is also one to watch.
11. Rogue
When talking about losing form and slumping, Rogue seemed to be right in the middle of it. They’ve been dominant throughout the season but seem to have trouble closing out matches, especially when something is on the line. It’ll be interesting to see if they manage to regroup during Worlds, but being grouped in with teams such as DWG KIA and FunPlus Phoenix doesn’t bode well.
12. Team Liquid
Finally we’ve got Team Liquid. While they’re by no means a bad team, they’ve failed to impress during the LCS Summer Split and it did look like they’ve had some chemistry issues alongside disagreements composition-wise on the rift. They have individual stars with top laner Barney “Alphari” Morris and mid laner Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, but they’ll have to come in with a plan, which they’ve been lacking the last time we saw them.
