LCS Lock-In 2026 Power Rankings

This Saturday, January 24, marks the start of the LCS Lock-In 2026, the opening tournament of the North American League of Legends season. The competition will begin with an eight-team Swiss Stage, followed by a playoff phase, with the eventual champion earning qualification for the first international event of the year, First Stand. Ahead of the tournament’s kickoff—an edition already disrupted by multiple visa issues affecting foreign players—Sheep Esports unveils its Power Rankings for the LCS Lock-In.

The Mexican Pride tops our LCS Power Ranking. Unshackled by the rule forcing them to field Latin American players, LYON brought in 2025 LTA Player of the Year, Kacper “Inspired” Słoma, to lead them to their first LCS Championship. Midlaner Kang “Saint” Sung-in will look to capitalize in his sophomore year, and will be joined by the return to North America of fan-favorite Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol. Though hyped up rookie Frankie "Zamudo" Lin had his visa denied, Niship "Dhokla" Doshi is familiar with joining teams out of the blue. Support Jonah "Isles" Rosario has played with Berserker before, and is the last piece of the roster.

Cloud9’s new roster is largely the same as the old roster. And their one new piece, midlaner Eain “APA” Stearns, already got a chance to practice with the team on the big stage, fielded alongside the rest in Cloud9’s solid showing at this year’s KeSPA Cup. His unique pool seemed to bring a new dimension to an already effective team. The addition of APA comes alongside some slight reshuffling in the coaching staff, including the promotion of Nick "Inero" Smith to head coach, and the full-time in-person joining of Christian "IWDominate" Rivera, both strategic thinkers with the ability to elevate the team.

Shopify Rebellion are going into 2026’s LCS with the fewest changes of any team, swapping out only their midlaner. However, this one seemingly small change carries great potential. Their new mid, Yoo “Zinie” Baek-jin, is a rising star Korean player with much more hype than many of his LCK CL contemporaries. The LCK CL’s three-time “Best Mid Award” winner, and two-time MVP, shocked the world by joining Shopify when many expected him to debut in Korean Tier 1 play. If Zinie can live up to the hype, and synergize well with the team's NA mainstays like jungler Juan "Contractz" Garcia, Shopify may be one of the most dangerous teams this season.

A fitting number for Team Liquid. Mid-season turmoil led to squandering away their expectations for 2025. The always confident botlane of Sean “Yeon” Sung and their captain, Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in, will be joined by a new party. Park “Morgan” Ru-han joins from LCK, Brandon “Josedeodo” Villegas from Isurus, and Lim “Quid” Hyeon-seung from 100 Thieves. Third-year Head Coach Jake “Spawn” Tiberi will aim to energize a team known for playing by the book.

Formerly known as Phoenix1, Sentinels will look to replicate the success they've achieved in VALORANT. This season, the LCS will feature five Korean midlaners. Sentinels decided on Isaac “DARKWINGS” Chou, who is looking to join the likes of APA and Joseph "Jojopyun" Pyun, as a NA native midlaner who has lifted an LCS trophy. Korean imports turned residents, Jeong “Impact” Eon-young and Choi “Huhi” Jae-hyun, will be paired with new Korean imports, Ham “HamBak” Yoo-jin and Cho “Rahel” Min-seong. Head Coach Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer’s Midas Touch will have the task to inspire another roster to break public expectations.

FlyQuest’s new roster is simply chock-full of rookies. Fahad “Massu” Abdulmalek and Song “Quad” Su-hyeong return to an otherwise all-new FLY with very fresh faces. The freshest, Michael "Cryogen" Luu, has only a few games played even in Tier 2, allowing fans to question if FLY's inexperience will prove difficult to overcome. But other parts of the team, like Johnson "Gryffinn" Le and İbrahim "Gakgos" Samet Bulut have already demonstrated, both during last split, the kind of serious potential that could develop into a top team. If FlyQuest does struggle in Spring, expect them to grow into real contenders sooner than many expect.

What does this team really bring to the table? After years of nonstop failure from Dignitas comes yet another roster seemingly hobbled together roster with little hopes of serious success. It seems unlikely that the team’s new botlaner, Victor “FBI” Huang, who did have a solid 2025, can salvage this otherwise pretty lackluster squad. In addition, Dignitas will begin the season with two stand-ins, David “Mobility” Rigley and support Brindon “Breezy” Keesey, due to visa issues preventing FBI and Lee “IgNar” Dong-geun from competing.

Though they successfully defended their LCS Slot in 2025, Disguised will most likely continue to struggle in 2026. Head Coach Ian “Ido” McCormick has a clear vision: development. NACL Split 2 Most Valuable Prospect “Sajed” Ziade and Christian “KryRa” Rahaian are new faces eager to prove their worth. Cho “Castle” Hyeon-seong will be the only returning player from 2025, where he will be joined by fellow countryman, Oh "Callme" Ji-hoon, who had a surging 2025 on the TCL.