EMEA Masters Spring 2024 Power Rankings

The spring edition of EMEA Masters will start next Monday. To introduce the tournament, all Sheep Esports reporters have ranked together the teams we expect to be the strongest.

This ranking might be controversial considering that Team BDS Academy faltered to Karmine Corp Blue in the LFL finals; however, this series can still be considered an upset.

Despite a slow start in the first three weeks of LFL, the new BDS squad, rebuilt around Midlaner Steven "Reeker" Chen, ended first in the regular season. In playoffs, Team BDS Academy first beat Karmine Corp Blue with a score of 3-0. The team went as far as a 14-game winning streak before reaching the finals. Finally, BDS's winning streak ended as Karmine Corp got their revenge and lifted the LFL trophy.

The roster comprises some of the most robust ERL veterans and some of the most promising young players. Indeed, keep an eye on jungler Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan, who has had the best split of his career, and support Polat "Parus" Furkan Çiçek, who recently won the LFL MVP and might be the best player at this tournament.

- Brieuc "LEC Wooloo" Seeger

2024 is a special year for Karmine Corp. Indeed, the French organization offered itself a ticket to Berlin and the LEC bringing with them the core members of the club. A new project had to be built for the LFL: Karmine Corp Blue. Despite many changes in the roster, the team's ambitions remain the same: the title.

While the LFL Spring Split started positively, Karmine Corp Blue had to settle for second place in the regular season (13V-5D) before winning the Playoffs.

Karmine Corp Blue relied on a dynamic Mid / Jungle duo to pack the games, often around their aggressive bot lane. For his part, Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin showed some strong performances, being the second player with the fewest deaths in the league despite playing in Weak Side most of the time. The team also proved its resilience by beating BDS Academy 3-1 in the Playoffs final, after the latter had sent them into the Loser Bracket on a 3-0 match. Logically, Karmine Corp Blue is among the favorites to win their beloved tournament for the fifth time.

- REMA

Los Heretics are another contender for the EMEA Masters title this year, as Víctor "Machuki" Machuca Segura's boys are the champions of the Superliga's regular and playoff stages.

Los Heretics Academy is a roster of familiar faces in the competitive scene along with an addition that has sparked a furor in the Superliga, Carl Ulsted "Carlsen" Carlsen, who has been proclaimed the rookie of the split and is one of the players that will have more attention from top European clubs.

The Spanish team started the regular season 8-0 with a clear goal: assert dominance in the league. After Artur "Zwyroo" Trojan's departure to the LEC and Daniel "Sertuss" Gamani's addition, the team went through a few weeks of adaptation, and they are on a hot streak for the European competition.

Although the team features members who already lifted the EMEA trophy in the summer of 2022, this Heretics squad is much more versatile without heavy reliance on the bot lane. Still, with the same goal as that year, captain Jakob "Jackspektra" Gullvag Kepple will lift the cup again.

- Eros

Highly anticipated for its arrival in the LFL, Gentle Mates had a colorful first season with many ups and downs. The team built an extremely competitive roster with the former LDLC Topside that won LFL and EMEA Masters champion Jeong "BAO" Hyeon-woo. Despite this, the team disappointed for much of the regular season, flirting with elimination and finishing in sixth place.

Luckily, Gente Mates woke up in playoffs thanks to solid performances from Jérémy "Eika" Valdenaire, who returned to form. Ultimately, Gentle Mates secured its place in the EMEA Masters as underdogs with a 3-1 victory over BK ROG, followed by a 3-0 win against Vitality.Bee. Eventually eliminated by Karmine Corp Blue 3-1, Gentle Mates arrive at the EMEA Masters in good form but with some significant exploitable weaknesses that could make it difficult for a team that is otherwise at the top individually.

- Thibaut "Drako" Vancaeyseele

With a roster looking like a superteam centered around former LFL stars Duncan "Skeanz" Marquet and Jakub "Jactroll" Skurzynski, Papara SuperMassive was eagerly anticipated in a TCL that seemed slightly below their level.

Supermassive's season took time to get going, finding themselves mid-table halfway through the season and finishing first only narrowly, tied with BoostGate Esports and Beşiktaş Esports. The latter corrected them with a resounding 3-0 in the Winner Final, and it took a reverse sweep for SuperMassive to get their revenge and ultimately win the TCL, not without facing significant challenges.

Despite this title, SuperMassive's season was challenging, as evidenced by the coaching staff change midway through the season. To aim higher in these EMEA Masters Spring, they will rely on İrfan Berk "Armut" Tükek, who has returned to his best form and plays a crucial role in his team's game, accustomed to high-stakes matches and significant occasions.

- Thibaut "Drako" Vancaeyseele

The faithful shall be rewarded! From ending the group stage in 5th place to reverse sweeping NNO Prime and upsetting the giants of SK Gaming Prime, Eintracht Spandau has exceeded all expectations this season. A well-rounded squad, HandOfBlood's organization is ready to upset the competition at the EMEA Masters. With an impressive 17 games played in the playoffs alone, EINS has gone through hell and back to reach this result.

While the team has statistically struggled to generate leads in the early game, veteran mid-laner Tristan "PowerOfEvil" Schrage has stepped up massively for the team, racking up an impressive 30.4% damage share in the regular season. Still, Johannes "Fun K3y" Werner and Philipp Samuel "Lilipp" Englert are not to be underestimated. With the team's support being involved in 52.9% of first blood and their ADC having had the most solo kills of any bot laners in the playoffs, the duo has proved to be a force to be reckoned with.

While the Prime League remains a weaker ERL than others, EINS is now looking to upset the odds and put the DACH region back on viewers' radars. Despite good playoff results, the team will now be tasked with proving that they can uphold their recent results and have what it takes to achieve the same consistency that SK Gaming Prime showcased throughout the spring season.

- Armand Luque

SK Gaming Prime built one of the most exciting rosters for the German ERL in years. While the success and level of play is here, it didn't come without any challenges. The team barely missed out on first place during the regular season, finishing just below NNO Prime. Both teams were sitting on a score of 15-3.

In playoffs, SK got their revenge, beating NNO with a score of 3-2. Sadly, their run was cut short in the finals by Eintracht Spandau, who had an awe-inspiring playoff run and came down from fifth place.

Expect a lot of action created by Midlaner Dimitri "Diplex" Ponomarev combined with former LEC AD Carry Matúš "Neon" Jakubčík. While the team is rumored to do well in scrims, they will have to show a good performance when it matters this time.

- Brieuc "LEC Wooloo" Seeger

Almost everyone expected them to be at the bottom of the Spanish league standings; no one saw them making it to the playoffs, let alone advancing in them. However, they proved us wrong. Guasones reached the final of the Spanish Superliga, leaving a very positive impression. The team ended up having a solid regular season as they finished second.

In a tightly contested playoff series, Guasones defeated the GIANTX academy team, one of the top teams in the league. This is significant because the primary team is considering promoting some players to the LEC.

Guasones shines brightly due to the leadership of Francisco José "Xico" Cruz Antunes, who consistently exceeds all expectations split after split. The team has become solid with all the pieces that FearlessS put together. Keep an eye on promising rookie Muhanad "Spooder" Sharad, who took a step forward in the playoffs to help the team get to where they are standing now. Guasones is a cohesive team with clear ideas hoping to make waves in this EMEA Masters and surprise some contenders.

- Alejandro "anonimotum" Gomis

Less anticipated than the top-ranked Turkish team in our power ranking, Beşiktaş Esports displayed a consistently high level throughout the season, never leaving the top of the TCL. Thanks to its two Korean imports, Lee "Hoon" Jang-hoon and Jeong "Mireu" Jo-bin, the team came very close to winning its first TCL title since 2015 by showcasing a fast-paced and aggressive style of play, centered around its carry duo of Mireu and Muhammed Hasan "Kaori" Şentürk.

The Korean mid-laner, who competed in the MSI less than a year ago with Rainbow 7, was central to his team's game and almost led his team to victory in the grand final with excellent performances. Relying on him, as well as on a determined Kaori looking to exact revenge after being eliminated in the Play-Ins in the previous edition, will be crucial to allowing BJK to surprise the best teams from ERL.

- Thibaut "Drako" Vancaeyseele

Last but not least comes Zero Tenacity. Hailing from the Polish & Baltic ERL, this Serbian-owned organization is set to make waves in the EMEA Masters. Despite struggling against the league's second seed, Orbit Anonymo, the team reminded viewers and opponents alike why it should be feared by conquering the Ultraliga Finals in a 3-0 fashion. Weaponizing strong versatility, Zero Tenacity is here to assert dominance and showcase the strengths of the Polish region through a veteran mid-jungle duo of Dániel "bluerzor" Subicz and Emre "Kofte" Akça, both former EMEA Masters champions.

Still, despite showcasing flashes of greatness locally, the organization will have much to prove as they move on to face the best teams in the EMEA Regional Leagues. Qualifying through a relatively weak league, Zero Tenacity remains untested mainly and will now need to fight against much stronger opponents, leaving them with the status of dark horses. The team must work hard to achieve the level showcased by major region squads. Having last made waves on the European stage in 2020 with AGO ROGUE and K1CK Neosurf, the Ultraliga now rests its hopes in one of the league's most decorated organizations recently.

- Armand Luque