LCS Summer Split 2026 Power Rankings

The LCS is set to return tomorrow, and so is Sheep Esports’ LCS coverage, with our honestly very solid ability to predict the future: Our LCS Lock-In and Spring Power Rankings articles were both pretty accurate, especially the latter (only one off!) With that track record in mind, the best and brightest here at Sheep have concocted another list, evaluating the teams and predicting their standings in the LCS split to come after a chaotic double-international lineup just finished. As the teams ready to compete for the LCS trophy, and with Worlds qualification on the line, all eight teams will be fighting tooth and nail to make it to the top.

LYON was unanimously voted by the Sheep team as first-place in the coming LCS split. And if there was one player on every fan and commentator’s mind worthy of a vote like that, it’s jungler . The LYON is indeed the king of the jungle in the LCS, where Inspired has picked up the championship in both Lock-In and Spring Split already this year. At MSI, LYON had more to show, picking up an impressive international third-place after crushing G2 Esports, and coming tantalizingly close (as Inspired teams are known to do) to beating an LCK team in the 2-3 semifinals vs. eventual tournament winner Hanwha Life Esports.

Coming back into the LCS, the feeling of the potential three-peat through yet another Inspired trophy is in the air: he just wins. Though Inspired will debut weeks late, with subbing in, the feeling of the eventual three-peat upon his return is in the air: Inspired just wins.

Team Liquid has been on a noticeable upward trajectory this year. In Lock-In, they placed 4th, then failed to qualify to EWC after losing to FlyQuest. Yet, in Spring, they seemed to distinctly level up, getting revenge on FLY before clean-sweeping Cloud9 to make it to finals. That level-up came off the progress of players like former LCS MVP and star Latin American jungler , who have been building their synergy all year. While their MSI performance failed to impress, if Team Liquid can grow further, Worlds and even an LCS Championship seem within reach.

Cloud9 brought in a new botlaner and midlaner for this split. And yet, their botlaner and midlaner from last split remains. It’s a seven-man setup for C9, complete with a shuffle in the coaching staff that’s left Christian “IWDominate” Rivera in the head coach position, with two new assistant coaches by his side. To put it simply, these changes need to evolve C9 past the stagnant place they’ve been for years, always near the top of the LCS, but never at the top. With the explosive gameplay of now in their arsenal, and the consistent midlaning of the rejoining , alongside and ’ own talents, perhaps the team can bring it all together, add some new strategies, and finally reach the heights of C9 past.

FlyQuest was the big story at the start of the year, losing key players in their long-maintained Inspired super roster, only to replace them with exceptionally fresh talent. Bringing in additions like and the straight-out-of-Tier-3 , FLY was one big question mark. Most understood the caveat: with such a fresh roster, it’d likely take around a year before anyone could expect results to start coming in. Now, much of the year has passed by. A middling placement in Lock-In followed a stronger 4th in Spring. If they can keep stepping up, FlyQuest could be aiming for a 3rd or higher, giving a developing roster the best chance to really develop, on the coveted Worlds Stage.

Sentinels has had a strange first year in the LCS. They got off to an undeniably strong start: with their team’s being made up of 3/5 players of last year’s DSG, plus two great additions in the always-superb veteran and skilled OK BRO player . That strong start meant a 3rd in Lock-In, and a qualification right to EWC. And yet, in Spring, they looked lackluster, losing 0-3 to the same FlyQuest they’d beaten earlier, and failing to make it to MSI. Their appearance at EWC was short-lived, winning exactly one BO1 to Vietnam’s Team Secret before getting trounced by GEN.G and Karmine Corp. It looks as if the initial strength of the team’s having played together before, is wearing off as other LCS rosters get more familiar, and in other facets, SEN have shown limited growth.

This year has left much to be desired for the SR fans out there. LCK CL import simply hasn’t been living up to the hype built up around that league’s multi-time MVP and Best Mid award winner. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster has looked tepid. This split, they’ve made a roster alteration, but it’s not one that inspired tremendous confidence: the return of support , who has already played for SR throughout 2024, that time itself part of a career resurgence since last playing LCS beforehand in 2020. Zeyzal’s career was impressive all those years ago, but his return was just okay, and he’s spent another year-and-a-half since in Tier 2 play.

Disguised may have had a rough year, following a rough last year. But some players on the roster show serious promise. Now sticking with toplaner after bringing him in as a mid-split substitute for the departing , Srtty joins exciting players like and in making up the second high-potential developmental roster of the league. Even the coach, Ian “ido” McCormick, is a rookie! But while FlyQuest has been steadily developing all year, the roster shakeup and worse results thus far may prove to slow DSG’s growth relative to their competitors.

DIG does have a new toplaner this split. They’re bringing in Noah “Denathor” Erikson, who recently finished an impressive 3rd in NACL and 2nd in CLOL. Certainly, Denathor is a player with potential to grow. But on Dignitas? It’s unlikely. Dignitas isn’t a team that has fostered talent, but one that’s stifled it. And with their toplaner replacement rate, having swapped them out nonstop for years, who knows how long they’ll even give Denathor a shot to prove himself. Dignitas is our second unanimous vote of this Power Rankings, a unanimous last to LYON’s unanimous first: Inspired teams just win, and DIG just loses.