DWG KIA & Cloud9 fight for first in LoL team rankings at MSI

TL;DR

  • DWG KIA enters MSI 2021 as defending world champions and clear tournament favorites
  • Cloud9 represents North America’s best chance to challenge Korean dominance in international League of Legends
  • MAD Lions carries Europe’s hopes after their surprising LEC championship victory
  • Group stage placements create immediate high-stakes matchups between top contenders
  • Team rankings will see significant shifts based on MSI 2021 tournament performance outcomes

The final WIN.gg League of Legends team ranking release preceding the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational arrives with substantial competitive landscape adjustments. The international tournament creates pivotal opportunities for ranking position advancement.

Previous rankings heavily featured LCK and LPL squads heading into regional playoffs. Multiple organizations have now declined following underwhelming postseason showings, opening pathways for MSI-qualified teams to ascend the global standings throughout the competition period. Currently, DWG KIA maintains commanding leadership, though both Cloud9 and Royal Never Give Up demonstrate narrowing distance.

WIN LoL team ranking

  • Here’s how the WIN.gg rankings work

WIN.gg’s evaluation system incorporates multiple performance dimensions including recent match results, player form metrics, draft strategy effectiveness, and international tournament historical performance. Teams receive weighted scores across these categories, with current season performance carrying the highest importance at 45% of total rating.

The methodology emphasizes consistency across splits while accounting for roster changes and meta adaptations. International tournament performances receive 25% weighting due to their competitive significance and cross-regional comparison value.

Cloud9 looks to challenge DWG KIA at MSI 2021

DWG KIA’s competitive supremacy persists, cementing their premier standing in the global team hierarchy. The organization dominated the 2021 LCK Spring Split comprehensively and shows no indications of deceleration approaching MSI. As reigning world titleholders and consensus pre-tournament frontrunners, their top-ranking entry expectation remains unsurprising.

Since mid-2020, DWG KIA has operated with mechanical precision resembling optimized machinery. Tournament observers find it difficult to envision scenarios where the squad underperforms during MSI competition. This trajectory suggests potential ranking lead expansion unless opposing teams successfully interrupt their momentum.

Cloud9’s acquisition of the secondary ranking position establishes them as DWG KIA’s primary MSI adversary. These two squads represent the exclusive top-five ranked participants attending the tournament, guaranteeing their competitive confrontation. The substantial ranking differential necessitates Cloud9 achieving significant upset victories to diminish the separation.

Fortunately for Cloud9 supporters, tournament grouping places DWG KIA alongside the LCS champions. This scheduling provides Cloud9 dual group stage opportunities to defeat DWG KIA and validate LCS claims to ranking leadership. The confrontation will undoubtedly prove challenging for North America’s representatives, though international events historically feature unexpected outcome patterns.

Cloud9

MAD Lions, PSG Talon chase top 10 spot

Current standings include numerous prominent organizations absent from MSI 2021 participation. These include Gen.G, Team Liquid, and EDward Gaming, all positioned within the elite top five. Despite impressive spring split demonstrations, these teams’ MSI absence creates advancement possibilities for attending squads.

Royal Never Give Up represents the subsequent MSI participant listed at sixth position, possessing legitimate opportunities to penetrate the upper three rankings. Further down reside LEC representatives MAD Lions and PCS representatives PSG Talon, ranked twelfth and fourteenth respectively. Both organizations aggressively pursue top-ten positioning.

Both teams confront substantial validation requirements at MSI. MAD Lions commands particular attention from enthusiasts and analysts following their improbable LEC championship secured by defeating Rogue after G2 Esports’ dethronement. This marks MAD Lions’ inaugural MSI appearance while attempting to maintain European trophy possession following G2 Esports’ 2019 victory. The organization encountered difficulties during their most recent international appearance at the 2020 World Championship, becoming the initial major region representative eliminated during the play-in stage.

Despite commendable spring split performances, MAD Lions remains excluded from top-ten classification. This status could transform following MSI performance in subsequent ranking revisions.

Strategic observers should monitor early-game objective control as a key performance indicator, particularly dragon and Herald prioritization patterns. Teams demonstrating adaptive draft strategies against DWG KIA’s methodical approach may discover competitive advantages. For emerging regions, establishing early tournament momentum proves critical for confidence building and ranking advancement.

Common strategic errors include over-prioritizing specific matchups while neglecting macro-game fundamentals. Advanced teams optimize their preparation by analyzing opponent VODs from the past three months to identify pattern tendencies.

Projected ranking movements suggest Cloud9 could ascend to top-three positioning with semifinal advancement, while MAD Lions requires minimum top-four placement for top-ten inclusion consideration.

Action Checklist

  • Analyze group stage matchups between DWG KIA and Cloud9 for early tournament indicators
  • Monitor early objective control rates as team coordination metrics
  • Compare regional playstyles through draft diversity and early game strategies
  • Track MAD Lions’ adaptation to international competition pressure

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