The third and final split of the LEC - the EMEA elite of League of Legends - 2024 opens this Saturday. While G2 Esports once again looks set to claim the trophy and the identity of its direct pursuers is unlikely to hold any major surprises, the balance in the second half of the table is likely to be upset by the changes made during the off-season. Discover our Power Rankings for this summer split.

1. G2 Esports

It's a no-brainer. After winning the first two splits of the year, G2 Esports are the logical choice to top our Power Rankings for the Summer Split. The Samurai have further justified their presence at the top of the rankings by showing their mettle against the Asian giants during the Mid-Season Invitational held in Chengdu (China) in May. G2 gave T1 a hard time in the first round of the upper bracket, despite losing 2-3, and then destroyed Top Esports in the lower bracket (3-0). While the quintet as a whole showed a much more conquering face than at the last Worlds, it was, in particular, Rasmus "Caps" Winther's XXL tournament that enabled the kings of Europe to compete with the best teams in the world.

In fact, since 2023, the LEC has been almost a formality for G2 Esports. The club has won four of the five segments of the new championship format introduced last year, as well as the Season Finals for the 2023 season. The organization’s objective is not so much to pile up domestic trophies but to prepare as well as possible for international events. By the way, G2 will be heading to Saudi Arabia after the regular season to compete in the Esports World Cup League of Legends tournament, where the participants are much the same as at the MSI. It's potentially a very intense event, and it seems to be the only thing capable of really disrupting G2's rhythm before the start of the playoffs. On every level, G2 seems to be ahead of the pack, and it would take a small feat from one of its rivals to dent that supremacy.

2. BDS

BDS are now comfortably installed in the upper echelons of the LEC. In the Winter, the Swiss organization seemed destined for a final - and therefore at the very least a top 2 finish - but internal problems led to a last-minute replacement before the loser bracket final against MAD Lions KOI. The team had to do without one of its key players, toplaner Adam “Adam” Maanane, and lost in five sets (2-3) to finish third. During the Spring, BDS came close again to qualifying for the final but got reverse-swept by Fnatic at the same stage of the competition. Despite these defeats, BDS have shown far more consistency than their two rivals and seems more capable of going from strength to strength. Particularly on the botlane, where Yoon “Ice” Sang-hoon could well confirm his status as the league's best ad carry this summer if he keeps up the momentum, after winning the award in the spring.

However, the team is suffering from an affliction that seems to be sticking to it: BDS are unable to beat G2 Esports. Since a BO1 victory in the Summer of 2022, Ilias “nuc” Bizriken and his team have lost all their encounters with the Samurai, despite taking a few games in BO3 and BO5. Although the Swiss organization is probably the team that has shown the most promise against this opponent - notably in the winner bracket final of the Spring Split, which it lost 1-3 - the glass ceiling remains. Since the start of the year, BDS have been the second-best team in the LEC, with a real lead over most of its rivals, but there is also a real gap between them and the top step. However, at this stage, the structure seems best placed to shake up the established order, which justifies its place at number two in our rankings.

3. Fnatic

Part of Europe’s old guard and one of the most regionally followed organizations, Fnatic are once again back in the upper half of our rankings. Still, despite a second-place finish in the spring playoffs, severe consistency issues remain for the boys in orange. With a disappointing performance at the MSI, Fnatic are now back in Europe with plenty to fix and little time to do so. With the potential removal of lane swaps in 14.11, the team’s members will have to work hard to sharpen their individual skills.

While Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz Jiménez has shown improvement in recent matches, his performances along with those of Oh "Noah" Hyeon-taek remain the biggest question marks for Fnatic in the latter half of 2024. In addition to recent underperformance, the question of motivation also should come into play when discussing the team. Notoriously known to fans, star midlaner Marek "Humanoid" Brázda and his team have always displayed struggles when it came to taking regional matches seriously, which influenced their fourth-place finish in the winter playoffs. At this time, Fnatic remains a strong contender when it comes to European play due to the sheer caliber of players the team has, but growing pains surrounding the team are currently putting doubts in Fnatic’s long-term chances, notably at the upcoming Worlds 2024 event.

4. Team Vitality

There were plenty of questions surrounding Team Vitality at the start of the Winter Split, with the Matyáš “Carrzy” Orság - Zdravets “Hylissang”’ Galabov bot lane struggling at the end of its stint with MAD Lions, Vincent “Vetheo” Berrié still on the road to redemption following a failed split with EXCEL in early 2023 and Kacper “Daglas” Dagiel just promoted from the academy team. This roster was probably one of the most unreadable at the start of the year, but soon showed some real promise. For example, the Bees claimed the scalp of G2 in the regular season Winter Split, but more importantly, finished fourth in the Summer. Vitality finished the regular season in first place (6-3) but were beaten in the playoffs by BDS and Fnatic, who were generally better prepared.

Like last year at this stage, Vitality are on the rise. The Hive has given itself the means to continue its growth by recruiting Linas “Lyncas” Nauncikas. Winner of the LFL (France) Spring Split with Karmine Corp Blue, the Lithuanian jungler has long been close to the Vitality coaching staff. From a strictly individual point of view, Lyncas appears to be a slight improvement on Daglas, but this remains to be confirmed in the Summoner's Rift. Barring a catastrophe similar to last season's, Vitality should at worst hover around fourth place. The French organization can hope to do a bit better, for example by overtaking Fnatic or even BDS, but at this stage, the quest for the title still seems a long way off.

5. Team Heretics

After middling results in the last two splits, Team Heretics are currently expected to retain their fifth-place ranking heading into the Summer Split. While the team has generally shown improvements after a disastrous Winter Split, expectations remain rather low for the veteran-packed squad in the latter half of 2024. Though the addition of Artur "Zwyroo" Trojan has proved to be a breath of fresh air for the squad, Heretics still have much to prove if they want to break past the top four teams of the league.

While remaining unlikely, only time will tell if the recently announced coaching staff changes will bring major improvements to Team Heretics and help fix their ongoing issues. While Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski still looked like one of the best junglers in Europe last year, several other players in his position have now risen up to contest the veteran, and the former first-blood king has now struggled in a largely improved league. Regardless of recent developments, while a return to form for the veterans remains possible, all signs seem to point toward Heretics retaining their middle-of-the-pack status.

6. SK Gaming

After a more than convincing start, SK Gaming were soon disappointed. The Schroet Kommando finished third in the regular season of the Winter Split but fell flat on their face in the playoffs, before missing out on their Spring campaign (8th). The team therefore decided to readjust its line-up by replacing the botlane Thomas “Exakick” Foucou - Mads “Doss” Schwartz, who had undeniably struggled during the Spring Split. The pair, who flew over the LFL with LDLC OL in 2022, will lose their place in the EMEA elite after a year and a half. The duo also parted ways after two years together, with the support joining SK Prime in the Prime League, while the Frenchman turned down the offer. To replace them, the club imported two Korean players: Cho “Rahel” Min-seong and Lee “Luon” Hyun-ho. The former is a product of the DAMWON academy in the LCKCL, and the latter of the Nongshim academy in the same league.

If SK Gaming can get this bot lane to work, the team will be able to move forward again. But the gap with more established teams seems too wide to aim much higher than sixth place. SK can count on two relatively solid solo lanes: on their toplane, Joel “Irrelevant” Scharoll was tipped as one of the players to watch at the start of the year, praised by his peers as the one who could impose his law on the toplane. The German actually lived up to expectations, and his performances were no stranger to SK Gaming's good form. On the midlane, Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer remains a benchmark in his position in the LEC. In the jungle, Ismaïl “Isma” Boualem has yet to fully convince.

7. Karmine Corp

Karmine Corp can only do better. Last of the two previous splits with the same 2-7 record, the Blue Wall returns to the Summoner's Rift with three new faces. On the toplane, KC welcomes one of this summer's main attractions, Kim “Canna” Chang-dong. A semi-finalist at Worlds 2021 with T1, the Korean was a world reference and is therefore a great addition to Karmine Corp. In the jungle, the French organization has brought another experienced player, Can “Closer” Çelik. The Turkish player spent three years with 100 Thieves in the LCS, winning a title along the way in the Summer of 2021. Like Canna, Closer did not play in the first few months of 2024 and is therefore also making his return to competitive play. Finally, on the midlane, KCorp is promoting Vladimiros “Vladi” Kourtidis. The Greek made a sensational debut in the LFL during the Spring, winning the split with Karmine Corp Blue.

All these changes appear to be individual improvements to the KC squad. All that remains now is to create the right chemistry, find the right recipe, and overcome any obstacles that may stand in the way of this new roster, starting with the language barrier for Canna. On paper, however, Karmine Corp have a good chance of climbing out of tenth place. In addition to these three recruits, the two members of the botlane - although they have not shown their worth to date - are also excellent players who could bounce back in this new team. Elias “Upset” Lipp was until recently one of the best ADCs in the league, and Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé, who may have been unrecognizable since the start of the year, has seen much better days in the LEC, where he lifted the 2022 title with G2. KC even looks capable of aiming even higher... but first, they need to start waking up.

8. MAD Lions KOI

Shocking the foundations of the LEC and coming in as runner-ups in the winter playoffs, the wild ride of MAD Lions KOI has now come to a stop. Despite a promising start to the year, the young squad ran into severe issues in the spring season and seemed to have been mostly figured out by other top contenders in the league. While MDK retains its explosive and surprising factor, the team’s chances ahead of the Summer Split appear quite low. Though experience will come in handy for the squad, performances in the previous split seem to indicate that the team has potentially already reached its ceiling in the first half of 2024.

While calling the team uncompetitive would be a vast overstatement, the chances of MAD Lions KOI making a significant impact in this split seem pretty slim. Known for their cheese picks and non-standard strategies, the team is expected to pick up a few wins in best-of-one matches before eventually falling off in the latter stages of the league. Though fans will have rejoiced to hear about the contractual extension of Alex "Myrwn" Pastor Villarejo for the next two years, the toplaner has unfortunately struggled in the second split of the LEC despite having good performances at the start of the year. Boasting large confidence and dedication to their craft, the young squad will have to work twice as much if they wish to upset the rest of the league and, at this time, are expected to slot in the lower half of the standings.

9. GIANTX

GIANTX returns to the LEC after a sixth-place finish and a long offseason. While the roster might be the worst of the league on paper, there are also reasons to believe that GX can upset a few teams in the rankings. The addition of Antonio "Th3Antonio" Espinosa Bejarano has been controversial among some international fans. While the player is popular in Spain, he has often seen criticism regarding his ability to play in ERLs. Seeing him in the LEC was, therefore, unforeseen by many as he’ll have big shoes to fill following the benching of toplaner Andrei "Odoamne" Pascu.

However, what is certain is that Antonio is motivated to defy expectations as shown in a recent Sheep Esports interview. The Spanish player has been spamming solo queue ever since the news of his LEC promotion and will be ready. The promotion of former world champion Lee "Juhan" Ju-han to the LEC roster should help the team too as many consider it an upgrade over Lee "Peach" Min-gyu. However, the road to Worlds will be difficult as all teams are set to give it all this Summer. With a lower ceiling, GIANTX will struggle to find many wins.

10. Rogue

Like Karmine Corp, Rogue have remained at the bottom of the LEC since the start of the year, twice finishing in ninth place. However, unlike the French organization, Rogue decided to trust the same players for the third and final split of the year. The team had changed one player after the Winter Split, bringing Finn “Finn” Wiestål back into the toplane. Though problems persisted, and the slightly reshuffled roster remained far too wait-and-see for most of the Spring Split regular season. Things had in fact started to move in the third week. The team had defeated G2 Esports and then SK Gaming the following day, earning a playoffs tie-break against the German team. Even if this tie-break had been lost, Rogue will be able to build on their last good spring performances to get the ball rolling this summer.

In addition, the team is said to be doing quite well in scrims and is therefore showing some positive signs. But that's still very meager in comparison with the counter-performances of the beginning of the year. Mark “Markoon” van Woensel has shown big weaknesses in the jungle and the duo Emil “Larssen” Larsson-Markos “Comp” Stamkopoulos, winners of the LEC in the summer of 2022, are far from their best. Théo “Zoelys” Le Scornec is still trying to justify his promotion to the LEC. The French support had made a strong impression in the LFL in the spring of 2023, but has since largely faded away. Rogue therefore have everything to prove this summer and currently stand at the last place in our rankings.