Top 10 Strongest Teams at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship

Edward Gaming (EDG) is a professional esports organization based in Shanghai, China. EDG’s League of Legends team competes in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL). They are the only LPL team to have claimed victories in both the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship, winning the latter in 2021. EDG became the first team to achieve this feat, having played all five games in a Bo5 series in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.

The team's standout players are certainly from the bot lane. Viper is considered one of the best ADCs in the world, with a solid laning phase and a playstyle that revolves around carrying fights, with Meiko providing vital support. There were concerns when Viper’s signature champions (Zeri, Sivir, Kalista) were nerfed, and how this might impact EDG’s performance. The team heavily relies on their jungler to dictate the pace of the game, and struggles when their jungler underperforms. Fortunately for them, Jiejie has made a strong comeback during the playoffs and regional finals.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Yang "Maokai" Jisong
• Top Lane: Li Xuanjun
• Jungle: Zhao Lijie
• Mid Lane: Lee Ye-chan
• Bot Lane: Park Do-hyeon
• Support: Tian Ye
• Substitute: Huang Xiang

T1 is an esports organization owned by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between the South Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom and Comcast Sports Ventures, a fund invested by Comcast Corporation. T1 was formerly known as SK Telecom T1 (SKT), owned solely by SK Telecom. In late 2003, SK Telecom signed Team Orion StarCraft (formerly 4U), led by Lim Yo-Hwan, marking the team’s debut.

Under the leadership of Lim Yo-Hwan, T1 became a part of SK Sports, which also owns the SK Wyverns baseball team from Incheon, the SK Knights basketball team in Seoul, and Olympic gold medalist Park Tae-hwan. The team has sponsorships from brands like New Balance, Kraze fast food, and pharmaceutical companies Dong-A and Otsuka. SK Telecom's League of Legends team, coached by the legendary Bae "Bengi" Seong-woong and featuring the immortal Faker, won the World Championship in 2013 and 2015, and is considered one of the greatest teams in esports history. T1 also ranked first in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) international tournament.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Bae "Bengi" Seong-woong
• Top Lane: Choi Woo-je
• Jungle: Moon Hyeon-joon
• Mid Lane: Lee Sang-hyeok
• Bot Lane: Lee Min-hyeong
• Support: Ryu Min-seok
• Substitute: Kim Tae-gi

Royal Never Give Up (RNG) is a Chinese League of Legends team competing in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL). The team won the LPL Spring Championships in 2016 and 2018, the LPL Summer Championships in 2018, the Demacia Cup in 2018 and 2019, and also claimed victory in the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational. RNG’s sponsors include HP, Logitech G, DouyuTV, KFC, Yili Guliduo flavored milk, and LYNX. RNG is the only team in this list that had to go through the qualification stage. Despite being the fourth seed, RNG has a good chance of making it through the play-in stage and securing a spot in the group stage.

While most Chinese teams have shown highly competitive performances, compared to MSI, RNG has not evolved as quickly as other teams. Their greatest strength lies in their ability to play different team compositions and to be strong in either the top lane or bot lane, depending on the draft. However, their flexibility doesn't allow them to dominate in any specific playstyle. When facing teams that are better in certain aspects, RNG may struggle.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Xie Junhao
• Top Lane: Chen Chen
• Jungle: Yan Yangwei
• Mid Lane: Li Yuanhao
• Bot Lane: Chen Wei
• Support: Shi Senming
• Substitute: Liu Wen-Kang

G2 Esports (G2) is a European esports organization based in Berlin, Germany, with teams competing in League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, and iRacing. The organization was founded in Spain on February 24, 2014, as Gamers2 by former League of Legends pro Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago and investor Jens Hilgers. The organization rebranded as G2 Esports on October 15, 2015.

It may come as a surprise that the second seed from the EU is ranked higher than RGE, but there are several reasons behind this decision. Firstly, G2’s preparation for the LEC finals was not up to standard. They may have been expecting to face Fnatic, which led them to not adequately prepare for RGE, and the meta didn’t favor their playstyle, especially putting Flakked in a catch-up role. When it comes to playstyle, G2 is similar to DK in that both teams like to play around their mid-lane duo. However, unlike the Korean team, G2 also boasts Targamas, one of the most in-form supports in the LEC. With most teams having strong ADCs and bot lanes, G2 may look to have Flakked hold his own while finding ways to play through other lanes.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Dylan Falco
• Top Lane: Sergen Celik
• Jungle: Marcin Jankowski
• Mid Lane: Rasmus Borregaard Winther
• Bot Lane: Victor Lirola Tortosa
• Support: Raphael Crabbe
• Substitute: Rodrigo Domingues Oliveira

DWG KIA is a professional esports team from South Korea. Their League of Legends team competes in the LCK, the highest level of competition in the Korean region. Damwon clinched their first LCK title on September 5, 2020, defeating DragonX in the Summer LCK Finals. On October 31, 2020, Damwon reached the League of Legends World Championship Finals. After three years of absence from the top of the LCK, Damwon was highly regarded for having standout players. In the finals, they triumphed over Suning with a 3-1 victory, earning their first-ever World Championship title.

Damwon Kia has had an up-and-down season thus far. While they remain in the top 3 of the LCK, they have found themselves in a strange position, struggling against the top 2 teams but performing better than the rest. The roster changes made this season don’t seem to have caused a decline, and the results appear to back up this claim. Players like Nuguri and Burdol have not stood out compared to other top laners, and their bot lane has struggled to match the level of T1 or Gen.G.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Lee "Zefa" Jae-min
• Top Lane: Noh Tae-yoon
• Jungle: Kim Geon-bu
• Mid Lane: Heo Su
• Bot Lane: Jang Yong-jun
• Support: Cho Geon-hee
• Substitute: Lee Ho-jong

Rogue is a European League of Legends esports team competing in the LEC. Known for their strategic approach, Rogue has earned a spot in the Summer LEC Playoffs and enters the World Championship with elevated expectations. As the number 1 seed from Europe, they will face immense pressure representing the EU region and the tough challenge of overcoming Eastern teams. However, Rogue has shown great promise this year.

All members of the team have performed admirably in the playoffs, but Larssen and Malrang are the standout players to watch. Larssen, the Swedish mid laner, is known for his risk-taking style, often playing scaling mages. In the G2 final, he made a bold move by picking LeBlanc, showing his readiness to step out of his comfort zone. Meanwhile, Malrang, the jungle powerhouse, has dominated the map with the highest kill participation rate in the playoffs. Rogue enters the World Championship with high hopes, and this tournament presents a chance for the team to aim for even greater achievements.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Fredy Payne
• Top Lane: Andrei Pascu
• Jungle: Kim Geun-seong
• Mid Lane: Emil Larsson
• Bot Lane: Markos Stamkopoulos
• Support: Adrian Trybus
• Substitute: Nico Jannet

Cloud 9 is an American esports organization sponsored by HTC, previously known as Cloud 9 G2A. C9's teams compete in a variety of games including League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Super Smash Bros, Halo 5: Guardians, Smite, Heroes of the Storm, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Their League of Legends team competes in the North American LCS and has earned two championships and two second-place finishes in the 2013 Summer split. The team is owned and managed by Jack Etienne. After a somewhat lackluster summer split, Cloud 9 found great success in the LCS, dominating 100 Thieves in the finals. Despite being in a tough group alongside teams like T1 and EDG, Cloud 9 now has a roster with the potential to flip the script.

The team combines seasoned veterans with emerging young talent. Fudge has proven he can play a variety of roles, from tank to duelist, and excels at creating advantages in isolated situations. Blaber, considered one of the top junglers in NA, has worked through his previous inconsistencies and now aims to prove himself on the international stage. While he may not always top the individual stats in the LCS, he's consistently ranked among the best in key metrics.

Additional Information:

• Coach: De Cesare
• Top Lane: An Le
• Jungle: Juan Arturo Garcia
• Mid Lane: Nicolaj Jensen
• Bot Lane: Zachary Scuderi
• Support: Andy Ta
• Substitute: Michael Kurylo

JD Gaming (JDG) is a professional esports organization based in Beijing, China, with two League of Legends teams: their main team competes in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), the highest level of professional play in China, while their Joy Dream team plays in the League of Legends Developmental League (LDL). JD Gaming is highly regarded for their strong early-game play and teamfighting, with Kanavi being the standout player. As a highly flexible jungler, Kanavi excels in multiple positions and has shown impressive form recently. In a team like JDG, he is given a great deal of freedom to influence the game.

JD Gaming has received considerable attention and expectations to continue carrying the LPL's torch. They are the last LPL team standing in the 2022 World Championship. While their performance has not been dominant, their gameplay is marked by consistency and precision. They may not always win lanes, but they consistently excel in teamfights, making them one of the best at it in the tournament. JDG faces an even greater challenge this time around, as they prepare for a semifinal matchup against T1, who are known for their ability to snowball advantages early in the game. Yagao and his teammates will need to devise a strategy to take on the formidable T1 squad.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Sung-young
• Top Lane: Zhang Xingran
• Jungle: Seo Jin-hyeok
• Mid Lane: Zeng Qi
• Bot Lane: Lee Dong-wook
• Support: Zuo Minghao
• Substitute: Gao Yaze

Gen.G Esports is a professional esports organization with offices in Santa Monica, Seoul, and Shanghai. According to Forbes, Gen.G was ranked as the sixth most valuable esports organization worldwide in December 2020, with a valuation of $185 million USD. In the 2022 LCK Summer Split, Gen.G claimed their first LCK title, defeating T1 3-0 in the finals, securing their spot as the number one seed for the 2022 World Championship. At Worlds, Gen.G progressed through the group stage, eventually facing Korea's DWG KIA in the quarterfinals, whom they defeated 3-2.

Ruler and Lehends are the uncontested number one bot lane duo in the LCK, able to adapt to various champion compositions and always leaving their mark on the game, regardless of their gold lead. Chovy continues to dominate the mid lane and teamfights, with Doran holding his own in the top lane. The biggest surprise has been Peanut, the LCK Finals MVP. After several challenging years, he's returned to top form, showing immense improvement, especially in his game sense and adaptability. While still mechanically strong, it's his strategic adjustments that have made him incredibly valuable this year.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Dong-bin
• Top Lane: Choi Hyeon-joon
• Jungle: Han Wang-ho
• Mid Lane: Jeong Ji-hoon
• Bot Lane: Son Si-woo
• Support: Ruler
• Substitute: Ko Yeon-jae

Top Esports is a Chinese esports organization with its League of Legends team competing in the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), China's premier esports league. Founded on December 21, 2017, Top Esports joined the LPL, taking over the spot previously held by DAN Gaming. Top Esports became the LPL Summer 2020 champions and represented the region at the 2020 League of Legends World Championship, where they finished an impressive third overall. Their gameplay has sometimes been marked by overconfidence, with moments like JackeyLove's pivotal Zeri pick in the LPL Summer Finals, where Top Esports secured the second game in both series, only to fall short in the decisive fifth game. This could be attributed to the mounting pressure throughout the tournament.

Additional Information:

• Coach: Luo "Crescent" Sheng
• Top Lane: Huang Renxing
• Jungle: Gao Tianliang
• Mid Lane: Zhuo Ding
• Bot Lane: Yu Wenbo
• Support: Ling Xu
• Substitute: Yu Zihan