This LCS season honestly feels like something we haven’t had in a long time. Almost every team has gone all in, whether that’s pulling in big imported talent, taking chances on rookies who are finally getting their shot, or trusting veterans who’ve proven they can still hang at the top level. With Worlds being hosted here in North America, everyone is chasing the same dream, and it’s pushed the whole league into a different gear.
And with that kind of pressure, the big question becomes: who actually looks the strongest right now? Who’s built a roster that can win from day one, not just hope things click later? That’s where we come in. We dug through player history, org track records, and yeah, maybe a little bit of glazing, to rank every team and get a real picture of where the league stands heading into the season.
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LCS 2026 Team Power Rankings
1. Team Liquid
First on the list entering into the 2026 LCS season is last year’s first split champions, Team Liquid. This roster enters the new year with high expectations, built around the same bot lane that delivered one of the most stable and reliable performances in the league. Yeon and CoreJJ showed across the entire split and on the international stage that their synergy holds up under pressure, and how their consistency shaped Team Liquid’s identity. Their lane control and mid game stability give TL a dependable win condition every match, allowing the rest of the roster to play confidently around a bot lane that rarely falters.
What elevates TL heading into this season is their rebuilt topside, which brings a new level of depth and flexibility. Morgan joins after a strong run in the LCK, offering the weakside discipline and teamfight structure TL has lacked in past iterations. CBLOL star and former LCS jungler Josedeodo returns to NA with a sharper, more proactive style as one of his biggest points of growth since leaving the league. Pairing him with Quid, arguably the most sought-after mid laner of the offseason, creates a core that raises the team’s ceiling even further. Team Liquid may have only won one split last year, but with the firepower and balance of this roster, expectations are already leaning toward another number one finish.
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2. LYON
LYON comes in at number two on this list, but make no mistake, they are every bit as dangerous as Team Liquid heading into 2026. The organization secured one of the strongest core duos in the league by pairing Inspired with Saint, a mid jungle combination that controls tempo, dictates objectives, and punishes even the smallest misplays. Adding rookie top laner Zamudo only sharpens that strength. He was the standout top talent coming out of the NACL, known for crisp mechanics and a willingness to take isolated matchups into his own hands. With Berserker in the bot lane as the primary carry threat, this roster balances experience, raw firepower, and individual playmaking better than almost any other team in the league.
The reason LYON sits just slightly below Team Liquid isn’t a lack of potential, but rather a question of consistency. When LYON is locked in, playing on their best champions and trusting their fundamentals, they look like a team capable of taking every domestic title available. Their ceiling is absurdly high, driven by the star power they’ve collected at every position. But this rosters players have shown moments where momentum swings hit harder than they should, and keeping their composure across a full split will define their season. If they avoid mental boom and maintain confidence in their drafts, LYON can push for the number one spot just as convincingly as the current favorites.
3. Shopify Rebellion
Shopify enters the league this year as a genuine dark horse. Their rise last season from a bottom team to one that could upset top contenders showed how much potential the roster already had. Even though they made a respectable run toward their first title, the mid and jungle synergy never quite reached the level it needed to carry them through the final stretch. With Palafox gone and Zinie joining from KT Rolster Challengers, that gap finally feels addressed. Zinie brings sharp mechanics, clean laning, and the kind of confidence this roster can build around, making the transition into this season feel much smoother for Shopify.
What gives Shopify such a promising outlook is how much of their core remains stable while still upgrading one of their most important positions. The rest of the roster already proved last year that they can hold their own against the best teams in the league, and now they enter the new split with even better tools to work with. The structure, experience, and calm decision making that defined their late season run are still intact. With a stronger mid lane and a clearer identity, Shopify is set up to push past last year’s ceiling and become a real contender for the championship title and a chance to represent NA at Worlds.
4. Cloud9
Cloud9 is running back a roster that feels very familiar, and that is exactly why they land in the top half but still sit comfortably in the middle of the ranking. They come into the year with what might be the strongest top laner in the league and a mid jungle pairing of Blaber and APA that should give them a stable foundation. The concern is that this roster looks almost identical to the one that collapsed last season, and they are doing it with a mid laner who is not as dominant in lane as their previous setup. They have the talent to be competitive, but the question is whether they can avoid repeating the same issues that dragged them down before.
The upside for Cloud9 is that without FlyQuest tearing teams apart through macro and individual play this season, they have room to climb higher if they find their rhythm early. Zven, Vulcan, and Blaber have all shown elite potential in the past, and when this team is firing on all cylinders, they can beat anyone in the league. The challenge is proving they can reach that level again and maintain it over an entire split. If they can stay steady and avoid the mid season slide that has hurt them before, Cloud9 has a path to surprise people. Until then, they remain a team with clear strengths and a few glaring questions that need real answers on stage.
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Shopify Rebellion Roster 2026 LCS
5. FlyQuest
FlyQuest is the sleeper team of the split and easily one of the most exciting rosters to watch develop. Bringing in three rookies while keeping the steady and humble core of Massu and Quad gives this lineup a mix of youthful energy and grounded leadership. Gakgos, Gryffinn, and Cryogen all play with an edge, and each of them has been vocal about wanting to prove they deserve their place in the LCS. It is the kind of roster that instantly feels easy to root for because every player is coming in with something to prove and the drive to back it up.
Even though FlyQuest does not have the immediate dominance or star power they showcased last year, they make up for it with hunger, ambition, and genuine upside. This is a roster built for growth rather than instant perfection, and if they find their synergy in the first half of the season, they could ramp into a real threat by the second or third split. The ceiling is higher than people realize, and with enough time on stage, FlyQuest has everything they need to turn their rookie heavy lineup into one of the most exciting long term projects in the league.
6. Sentinels
Sentinels come into their first LCS season with a roster that edges out the bottom teams purely off the strength of the Disguised core they picked up and the additions of HamBak and Impact on the top side. The lineup is a blend of different backgrounds and career stages, mixing an import in HamBak, long time veterans like Impact and Huhi, and rising talent in DARKWINGS. On paper there is a clear structure here, and the team has strong individual pieces that are more than capable of competing. The question is whether they can bring all of these different playstyles and experiences together quickly enough to matter in the standings.
The biggest concern for Sentinels is that Impact, Rahel, and Huhi are all in a stage of trying to return to their previous forms. Betting on players with proven peaks is not a bad strategy, but it comes with real risk for a debut split. If the roster connects and those players rise back to their higher levels of play, Sentinels could push up the table and surprise people. For now, though, they sit in the lower half until they show that everything can come together on stage. The potential is there, but the results will depend on how fast they can stabilize and find their identity as a new roster.
7. Disguised
Disguised enters the split in a similar position to FlyQuest, leaning heavily into rookies while adding a major centerpiece in star LCK mid laner Callme. Keeping Castle in the top lane gives them a familiar anchor, and pairing him with a veteran presence like Lyonz in the bot lane gives the roster a sense of stability they will need early on. Sajed and KryRa step up from the NACL after dominant performances, and both have talked openly about their experience scrimming close games against LCS teams. There is no doubt this roster has talent, and their individual ceilings are higher than people outside the developmental scene may realize.
The reason they land lower in the standings is that they are essentially rebuilding an entire roster while bringing in multiple first time LCS players. That kind of reset takes time, and competing with more established teams like Cloud9 or LYON will be a massive challenge from the start. Even so, they have enough firepower to push FlyQuest and Sentinels and potentially climb if things click faster than expected. There is plenty of promise in this lineup, but they still need to prove they can translate their momentum from the NACL Relegation Tournament into real consistency on the LCS stage again.
8. Dignitas
In last place I have Dignitas. Last season they hovered around the six to seven range mostly because Disguised and LYON struggled to stay competitive, but Split Three told a different story. Disguised surged past them and Dignitas ended up tied with LYON for last place. With both of those teams upgrading their talent this year and Sentinels entering with a complete, well structured roster, Dignitas ends up looking like the clear outlier. Their offseason moves brought in Palafox, brought back eXyu, pulled IgNar out of retirement, and added FBI as the one major standout signing. It is a mix of returning pieces, big names from the past, and a single strong carry pick up.
The roster has shades of the old NRG core that made an incredible run to Worlds, so there is always the chance that everything comes together, but the recent form of these players makes that a difficult bet. Several of them are on the tail end of their careers or coming back from time away, and relying on all of them to return to peak form at the same time is a huge gamble. On paper, this lineup simply does not stack up with the rest of the league, and the improvements made by the teams around them push Dignitas to the bottom of the standings. Until they show something different on stage, this is where they safely remain.
The 2026 LCS season is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, with every team carrying its own mix of promise, pressure, and unanswered questions. The top squads come in with clear strengths and established stars, while the middle of the pack is filled with dark horses looking to break through with smarter roster moves and rising talent. Even the teams projected toward the bottom have compelling pieces and the potential to surprise if things fall into place. With veterans trying to reclaim their peaks, rookies looking to prove they belong, and several rosters undergoing major identity shifts, this split feels wide open. No matter where each team starts, the season ahead is set to deliver fresh storylines, breakout performances, and a level of competition that could shake up the standings from top to bottom.
