Season 14 of League of Legends has arrived. With it come a bevy of changes, both to the game itself and its competitive landscape. The LCS has gone from a 10-team to an eight-team league. On top of that, many other shifts are being made to revitalize interest in NA League of Legends. The teams are on board and will be fielding their rosters to try and top the new pecking order. Here is our LCS Spring 2024 Pre-Season Power Rankings.
Image Credit Riot Games | Marv Watson
LCS Spring 2024 Power Rankings
8. Immortals
Immortals were the worst team in the LCS throughout 2023, and it doesn’t look like their situation got much better. They finished 9th and 10th in spring and summer, respectively, winning the fewest games of any team. The sad part is they completely revamped their roster coming into 2024, and the outlook is just as bleak.
Bot laner Edward “Tactical” Ra is the only returning member. The rest of Immortals consists of a mix of LCS talent of years past and LCK trainees brought over to a new continent. Jungler Jonathan “Armao” Armao is looking to give his career another spark. The same is true of support for Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung, now 29 years old and returning from his Korean military service.
The reality is that this Immortals team has very little going for it off the bat. Between the past-their-prime core and the uncertainty of adapting two young LCK imports, it would be a miracle if Immortals get even within sniffing range of playoffs.
7. Dignitas
Much like Immortals, Dignitas spent most of 2023 near the doldrums of the LCS. Despite paying out for the experienced Danish duo of Lucas “Santorin” Larsen and Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, the team came in dead last in the Spring. They made some changes and looked much better in Summer, narrowly sneaking into playoffs at 7-11. They even won a playoff series, beating TSM in their last match in the LCS ever.
Even then, peaking at top six was not what this team wanted coming into the season. They’ve opted for a half rebuild, replacing the Danish mid/jungle duo with Korean import Kim “Dove” Jae-yeon and Academy jungler Lawrence “eXyu” Lin Xu. The main issues with this Dignitas lineup are the lack of star power and in-built cohesion.
Their most promising player is probably top laner Lee “Rich” Jae-won, the brightest spot on the 2023 roster. And, of course, having half the team speak native Korean and the other half native English will be a communication hurdle early on. Someone will need to take the reins of this team, attempting to be the leading voice in their shot calls.
6. Shopify Rebellion
The newest face in the LCS has some big shoes to fill. Purchasing the spot of former mainstay TSM, Shopify Rebellion is looking to make a name for itself in 2024. Looking at their roster, the hope is there, but they should be tempered slightly. They’ve opted to bring over two players from the 2023 TSM squad while rebuilding the rest.
The significant acquisitions are support Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam and top laner Aaron “FakeGod” Lee. Both players are known for their time in the LCS under Cloud9 and 100 Thieves, respectively. After not finding starting spots in 2023, they moved down to the NACL and helped lead disguised to a title. Zeyzal specifically has experience on the big stage, having appeared in two LCS Finals and Worlds before.
The other new face for Shopify Rebellion is journeyman ADC Ju “Bvoy” Yeong-hoon. Bvoy has played in more leagues than almost anyone over his eight-year career. Adapting to a new environment should be easier for him than most Korean players coming to America for the first time. The big question with this SR roster is their ceiling. Playoffs are a goal for sure, but how far they can go depends on how much they can quickly grow as a team.
5. 100 Thieves
100 Thieves’ motto this off-season was out with the old, in with the new. The expensive 2023 roster that featured legacy players like Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho, and Can “Closer” Celik finished eighth in the Summer. The new look, 100 Thieves, is indexing into both new talents while ensuring a veteran presence.
The most accomplished player is easily Kim “River” Dong-woo. The Korean jungler first made a name for himself on the Taiwanese PSG Talon team before coming to America and bringing Golden Guardians to the LCS Grand Finals. In terms of fresh blood, the Canadian duo of Brandon “Meech” Choi and Rayan “Sniper” Shoura will be making their LCS debuts.
If Sniper sounds familiar, it’s because years ago, a mechanically skilled 12-year-old named General Sniper reached Challenger on the NA ladder. General Sniper was the younger brother of active LCS player Omran “V1per” Shoura, so many watched his development with great interest. Fast forward five years, and now, Sniper is ready to make his first LCS start after playing on 100T’s Next and Academy teams since 2022. His performance could be a big factor in 100 Thieves returning to the playoffs.
4. Team Liquid
As we reach the halfway point, it’s important to note that there is a vast divide between the perception of the top four and bottom four teams going into LCS Spring 2024. Every team from here on out believes that they can contend for the championship out of the gate. In fourth, we have Team Liquid. TL has kept the same bot lane duo and has committed to their rookie breakout mid-laner, Eain “APA” Stearns.
This story was notable because APA was an American player who spoke English only, playing on a team and speaking Korean on stage. That may or may not change this year, as TL’s top and jungle replacements are also native Koreans. Legacy top laner Jeong “Impact” Eon-young is making his much-awaited return to Team Liquid.
Impact can speak English just fine, as can Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in and Sean “Yeon” Sung. The main pain point for Team Liquid will be communication with their new jungler, Eom “UmTi” Seong-hyeon. UmTi is a tenured LCK jungler who’s played in Korea for seven years. This will be his first year away from his home nation. Essentially, TL has four Korean speakers and four English speakers. Communication could suffer some hiccups but should be improved overall from last year. If TL irons out these issues, they could be terrifying.
3. FlyQuest
FlyQuest took the biggest risks this off-season. After finishing a disappointing ninth place in the Summer of 2023, they blew up the entire thing. Five new players and a new head coach are coming together to make this roster, and what an interesting one it is.
For their import slots, FlyQuest has paid out for jungler Kacper “Inspired” Sloma and top laner Gabriel “Bwipo” Rau. They’ve gone with a stable presence in the mid-lane, signing Jensen. Lastly, the bot lane duo consists of a rookie and a second-year star. ADC Fahad “Massu” Abdulmalek is a 19-year-old who was just promoted from FLY Challengers, while support Alan “Busio” Cwalina is coming off his first LCS season with 100 Thieves.
On paper, this roster has a lot to be excited about. Bwipo has been one of the best free agent prospects in the West for a while now, as he spent 2023 as a content creator. Inspired and Jensen have experience at the top level, and this young bot lane could be a potential breakout. That said, many have cited potential issues regarding personalities or playstyles. Personally, we believe that this team is hungry to prove themselves.
2. NRG
North America’s darlings are back with the exact same roster that they took to the LCS Championship and top eight at Worlds 2023. NRG is running it back with the team that gave the region a spark. In the 2023 season, NRG had much to prove on all fronts. Organizationally, the team came in purchasing one of the legacy LCS teams in Counter Logic Gaming.
The top side core of Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, Juan “Contractz” Garcia, and Christian “Palafox” Palafox came over from the CLG roster. All these players were native NA talent that had been in the ecosystem for a long time but either were cycled out quickly for new players/import talent or not given a proper shot on the big stage. NRG added veteran bot laners Ian “FBI” Huang and Choi “huhi” Jae-hyun, both players who had been to LCS Finals and Worlds before.
The team started humbly in Summer, earning a respectable 9-9 record and qualifying for playoffs. However, everything clicked there, and NRG began to look like world-beaters. Upset after upset went their way, and eventually, they came from the lower bracket to beat Cloud9 in the finals. The rest is history. Now defending champions, NRG is looking to continue their reign over LCS Spring 2024. They’ll have a good shot at it, with one major rival staring them down.
1. Cloud9
Cloud9 was North America’s top team throughout the majority of 2023—first place in the Spring Regular Season, Spring Playoffs, and Summer Regular Season. The perfect year was within their grasp but was stolen away by NRG at the last minute. Now, C9 is out for revenge. They’ve retained the strongest parts of their 2023 roster, re-signing Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol, Robert “Blaber” Huang, and Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami.
The additions, however, can put this team over the edge. Last year, C9’s weakest link was their mid-laner Jang “EMENES” Min-soo. Now, they have the hottest native mid-lane free agent in the LCS. Joseph “Jojopyun” Joon Pyun has been freed from Evil Geniuses and joins Cloud9 as their new mid-laner. Despite all the controversy EG got itself into, jojopyun was always a bright spot. His talent and raw carry threat have been a treat to watch in a region sorely lacking native mid-lane prospects.
And, of course, support Phillippe “VULCAN” Laflamme, who is returning to the Cloud9 organization he made his name with. VULCAN has been one of the best native supports throughout his career. His value has fluctuated in recent years, but he’s still a solid option that C9 will be happy with. The only real question is how fast his synergy with Berserker will develop. This Cloud9 team has it all, and it’s hard to imagine them not making it to the Spring Finals at the very least.
