AJS ZERO’S OFFICIAL SWAIN BADDY LEAGUE SEASON 7 POWER RANKINGS
Hello Swainbros, and welcome to another season of POWER RANKINGS. As always, if you get butthurt easily, I wouldn’t recommend reading on.
One major note: Some players have a rust warning. When signups occurred, I tracked each player’s oldest game in their match history to give an idea of which players took the few months between SBL seasons off of the game. Any player with the rust warning tag should be a considered concern for team owners and teammates alike, because even if these players go hard at practice, it could still easily take the first month of the season to achieve strong form again. And if they don’t start practicing hard, they could see a major dip in play from where they were at last split.
Also, assuming you can do basic math, you will notice: Every player on this list will be drafted.
And for anyone interested, a Season 5 Ranking breakdown of this league:
Diamond (3)
Diamond 3 - Thrifty Senpai
Diamond 4 - Viveret, Master Splinter
Platinum (12)
Platinum 2 (2) - Blabooer, Salvo
Platinum 3 (2) - Resqect, Thirty
Platinum 4 (6) - Albinojoe, Im Just Dan, Mai Wang, Scotchonaut, TheXmasTree, Dubdrum
Platinum 5 (2) - Purplepicklepie, Thermador
Gold (17)
Gold 1 - Evolite
Gold 2 (4) - Kraegin, FailedDestiny, RNG KazeOkami, Thor Odinsson
Gold 3 (3) - Ajs Zero, Madam Strippe, EPIK
Gold 4 (4) - Miciro, MR C0FFEE, OnTheWind, Swordandmace
Gold 5 (5) - boomtrooper, Dr Maximilian, KKing, Zwirbs, Ghost32
Silver (3)
Silver 2 (3) - Cheezeburgler, Zaku13x, Lord Cruzmaster
Unrated (1)
ManlortheMiracle
1400 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 10, Mid: 6, ADC: 1, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $9.50 draft price, jungler for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
Reigning SBL Champion, reigning power rankings champion, and if we have actually done an SBL Awards Show last season, would-be reigning MVP: Master Splinter.
That all has a nice ring to it, but for the first time in his career, I feel like Master Splinter is on a decline. He was good last season, but he didn’t feel like the same threat he had been for the 2-or-so years prior. Was that because his Team Salt Shaker was so good that he could afford to take it easy? Maybe. Does he look worse by comparison because more of this league is climbing into Platinum than ever before? Maybe. But I don’t think he was as good last split as he’d been in the past.
Of course, I don’t think he’s declined enough to not be the obvious choice for best player in the league. And unlike any of the players on the spots below him on this list, Master Splinter is the complete package. You know he’s going to come in and gladly be the star player with all attention on him, while putting up strong, consistent performances every week, no matter the circumstance. You know he’s going to shotcall aggressively and decisively, and put his team in the best position to succeed around him. And you know he’ll be the leader outside of game too, pushing his teammates to go above and beyond and keep practicing as much as possible.
You know he’ll gank early, gank often, and his opponents will have a constant fear that something’s always near - especially in the new, less-vision Season 6 League of Legends. And you know he’ll sometimes even take an extra buff or kill, so that he can personally carry even harder. That’s why the most important thing you can do with Splinter is draft some supportive carries who can mesh well with that style - Scotchonaut and mitchurugi were perfect compliments for Master Splinter and Keinhosen last split, and the chance of a repeat for Splinter will greatly benefit from having a lane or two like those again.
And if you’re willing to pay the $10ish dollars it takes to get him, you might as well commit to building around him.
2. Viveret (Last season's power rankings: 4th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 4
1213 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 7, Mid: 9, ADC: 10, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $8.25 draft price, mid laner for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Viveret was fairly awesome last split. He’s the only multi-role threat Diamond player in the league. Given all the talent at support and the fact that most teams feel a need to put their best players in carry roles where possible, I expect Viveret to be in either the mid lane again or at ADC this split. He’s a very consistent player who practiced hard in-season last split, and if drafted early (like diamond players usually are), gives a team a ton of options to play out the rest of their draft, since he can be switched between his 3 roles.
He was debatably as good as Thrifty Senpai was last split, although he doesn’t bring the intangibles that Thrifty does. However, he’s still playing regularly and will presumably have improved slightly since last split, while Thrifty has likely declined further. Combined with the versatility he offers in the draft strategy, Viveret has done something this league has waited a long time to see: Ended the permanent top-2 of Master Splinter and Thrifty Senpai.
3. Thrifty Senpai (Last season's power rankings: 2nd)
Rust warning (November 21st game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 3
1650 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 5, Mid: 10, ADC: 7, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $9.00 draft price, mid laner for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Have you ever heard the phrase “Form is temporary, class is eternal” in reference to professional players? Because if you draft Thrifty, you’re going to really be hoping that’s true.
He’s lost a lot of his drive to play the game recently, and it’s reasonable to doubt him getting the fire back again. However, even if he takes his biggest step back ever, he still offers plenty to a team. He’s one of the SBL’s elite shotcalling talents. And if you can somehow pair him with another shotcaller, you can fully unleash his untouchable laning phase.
You also should already know that Thrifty’s champion pool is as diverse as it gets. He can play almost every champion, in every style of pick, to a consistently high level.
You just have to hope the drama of being in season motivates him to care about League of Legends again, because he’ll be starting the split in catch-up mode.
4. Salvo (Last season’s power rankings: 7th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 2
1647 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 6, Mid: 6, ADC: 10, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $6.00 draft price, ADC for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
When you quit your job and spend a few months working solo queue, you set the expectations very high for yourself. Near the top of Platinum for the first time, Salvo will rightfully be expected to be the best Salvo he’s ever been. And like always, that’s going to mean committing to building a team around Salvo that plays to his strengths.
He’s never been a very cerebral player, but Salvo has the potential to make up for that with the best mechanics in the SBL. However, if you decide to put Salvo on your team - you have to draft players that can control him. Will Salvo know which champion fits into the team comp best? Half the time. Will Salvo know what items to build? Half the time. Will Salvo know whether to position in front of his tanks or behind them? Half the time.
You get the idea. Those 50% add up to really bad odds very fast… unless someone’s there guiding Salvo. Because if you can do that, you have the hardest carry in the SBL, who will use his cheatcode-level positioning to hard carry teamfights.
5. Blabooer (Last season's power rankings: 8th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 2
1838 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 8, Mid: 10, ADC: 1, Support: 7
SBL Season 6: $4.50 draft price, mid for 4th place Forces of Nature
What a sad end to the great Season 6 Blabooer had. A legitimate MVP candidate through the first 2/3rd-ish of the split, Blabooer as a whole was awesome last season. With Viveret likely returning to the bottom lane, Blabooer has a realistic chance of becoming the best mid laner in the SBL this split. His mage play is incredible every time he picks one (Vel’koz bans will be returning this season, guaranteed), and he is mechanically one of the 3-5 best players in this entire league.
However, while he’s incredible as an individual player, he is nowhere near a shotcaller, and does have some communication issues in game. He can also be tilty when the game is going either poorly or slowly, which can snowball into a team issue. Like many of the top players this split, this means he’s going to need a team with strong direction to be built around him to be utilized most effectively.
6. Scotchonaut (Last season's power rankings: 19th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1507 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 8, ADC: 4, Support: 9
SBL Season 6: $3.25 draft price, jungler for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
Talk about raising your stock a ton in your debut season. Scotch was incredible for TSS last split as a supportive rock in the top lane, in a league full of players who shy away from that style. And with all of the ego personalities at ADC and Mid in this league, I expect he’ll be playing facilitator a lot again this season. And that’s a great thing for whichever team he’s on.
His laning phase was always a little shaky, and that’s a source for worry since he most likely won’t have the Master Splinter Experience to help him through it this split, but even with all the strong laning phase top players we had last (and this upcoming) split, Scotch never looked to have TOO much of a problem. And his excellent teleport plays and teamfighting made up for this entirely. He’s been a very positive player for team atmosphere and someone that’s willing to put in the time to practice with his team, and I think his selfless attitude makes him one of the most valuable players in the league this split (especially given how inconsistent every other known top laner is)
7. Purplepicklepie (Last season's power rankings: 3rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 5
1000 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 8, Mid: 1, ADC: 1, Support: 1
SBL Season 6: $6.25 draft price, mid laner for 6th place WCF
After the embarrassment known as WCF, I’m really glad to see Purplepicklepie committing to fewer positions this season. He’s been very vocal about wanting to play top for a long time now, and his jungling with a key part of Season 5’s Championship team, Swift is Shit.
Purple is one of the most aggressive players in the SBL, and if you build a team around him, you’ll want players that are willing to commit to his calls, even if they aren’t necessarily always right. WCF’s issue was having 3 shotcallers, none of whom trusted each other or had the trust of their teammates. And don’t get me wrong, Purple’s shotcalling still needs development - but he needs teammates that are willing to grow with him instead of losing faith in him. I don’t think he’s a bad shotcaller either, but he’ll inevitably be compared to Ajs/Thirty/Splinter/Thrifty and, at this point in time, he’s not at that level.
If you get Purple, your team is going to fight a ton - through good and bad. Build your team accordingly and you’ll have the player that was a star in his first two splits of the SBL.
8. Resqect (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 3
777 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 8, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 9
First major thing to note about Resqect: He’s supposed to be a shotcaller. This is a major gamble with any rookie player, but something to consider if you build your team around him. Worst case scenario, you put him under too much pressure and he crumbles like every single rookie shotcaller the world has ever seen. Best case scenario is unlikely.
Beyond that, he’s another support player in a league full of support players. The Platinum 3 is slightly exciting, but otherwise he’s just another SBL support. He prefers Thresh, and he’s very aggressive. If you pick Resqect, you’ll get to live by that gamble.
9. Mai Wang (Last season’s power rankings: 10th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1500 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 8, Mid: 10, ADC: 6, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $5.75 draft price, jungler for 6th place WCF
It feels so weird to say this about someone that’s played in 5 seasons of Baddy League and has been in Platinum for the past year, but Season 7 really feels like a make-or-break split for Wang. His reputation was at an all-time low after the WCF experience, and most people reasonably doubted his ability to ever be an impact jungler in this League again.
Fortunately, he’s finally listened to me (and a few others) and made a serious attempt at switching to mid lane. And for those of you that weren’t around back then, he had a nice run of success as a mid player back in late Season 3 through mid-Season 4 (Riot Season 3-4, not SBL Seasons) - winning 4 consecutive LAN Tournaments, including the only ever undefeated Team Swain LAN Victory. More importantly, he had a very unique skillset as a mid laner. While he didn’t excel at the standard “Fight 1v1, slowly outcs your opponent, and transition that to more advantages” aspect of laning (that most of the SBL Mid laners play to), he had incredible map awareness and roaming presence (obviously a talent that transitioned from years of jungle maining). He also would regularly pull out solo kills against higher ranked opponents and speed up the process of winning early skirmishes with his team, regularly creating high impact games.
Oh, and unlike then, he’s a Platinum player that is training against more skilled opponents than before, and his laning should be better than ever. If he can still be the monster roamer that made his mid lane run so effective on Team Swain, he will be an incredibly exciting, dynamic player to watch in the SBL.
The issues with Wang are fairly well known at this point. He cannot be the primary leader on a team in-game or outside of game, and the lack of strong personalities has doomed his last two seasons. He’s definitely had his issues, but I believe that blaming his SBL failures on him entirely is incorrect analysis. He can succeed as a contributor, but owners must stop making the mistake of hoping he’ll be the sole shotcaller. It’s clear that isn’t his role. However, if he’s finally paired with strong leaders, I believe this will be the season that Wang is unleashed.
And for his sake, I’d better be right.
10. TheXmasTree (Last season's power rankings: 6th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1600 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 2, Mid: 6, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $5.50 draft price, ADC for 4th place Forces of Nature
The biggest issue with Tree this season is how good the other supports are. Long gone are the splits where Tree comfortably sits leagues ahead of every other support in the SBL. Fortunately for Tree, he brings a consistency and guarantee that most of the other supports don’t have. You know he’s going to play aggressively, you know he’s going to fight early and often in laning phase, and you know he can be the clutch teamfight engager or the super-peeler his team needs. Tree hasn’t changed much in the last 3 years, and that’s a good thing.
Tree’s also a reliable voice within the game, although he is not a shotcaller. He’s a great 2nd/3rd voice in the comms though, and as this league should have taught everyone by now - no one is Hai. We need those 2nd/3rd voices to achieve team success.
11. Dubdrum (Last season's power rankings: 13th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4**
1200 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 9, Mid: 5, ADC: 5, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $5.75 draft price, jungler for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
**Boosted
He’s a solid jungler, but much better at support. His jungling was defined by playing farm heavy, splitpush champions last season. However, with the weakness at jungle and major strength at support this season, there’s a good chance he’ll be jungling again this split.
As a support, he has a strong laning phase and peel ability. His Thresh and Braum were both iconic in his excellent Season 5.
He also has issues with not taking the game as seriously as most of the rest of the league. Obviously his results in his first 2 SBL Splits (1st and 3rd) weren’t affected by his personality, but some players may not react well to him, so team owners should be wary of the types of personalities they pair with him.
12. Thirty (Last season's power rankings: 5th)
Rust warning (October 21st game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 3
1042 Normal wins
Top: 4, Jungle: 10, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $6.50 draft price, support for 4th place Forces of Nature
The biggest worry with Thirty is the long break he took after his soul-crushing defeat to 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha in last season’s playoffs. His mechanics were traditionally one of the strongest aspects of his support play, and I don’t know what to expect out of him if he loses that edge.
However, Thirty has also traditionally been a major team player that never wants to let his teammates down. Any rusty player is a gamble, but I believe Thirty will be back in peak form within the first few weeks of the new season.
Don’t let his inglorious finish to SBL Season 6 linger in your memory. Thirty is one of the two best shotcallers in the SBL and should be valued accordingly. He’s also a great team captain that has traditionally made sure his team is very prepared with practice and draft plans.
He’s finally interested in a return to the jungle this split (where he played the first majority of his League of Legends career very well), and with the overabundance of wealth at the support position this season I think there’s a strong chance he will be there. Regardless of which position he plays, you can expect a player that knows when to dial on the aggression, and will do so without hesitation.
13. Thermador (Last season's power rankings: 20th)
Rust warning (November 17th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 5
904 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 10, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $1.50 draft price, jungler for 5th place Gorilla Radio
In a league where the jungle pool is basically “Master Splinter and then some other guys”, there’s a lot to have liked about Thermador’s debut last split. He showed a versatile champion pool, effectively playing each style of jungle (although gravitating a little more towards the carry-type champions). He was a positive team player even in a losing environment on Gorilla Radio. Thermador will most likely be the 2nd or 3rd best jungler in the league, and looks to be a safer pick than most of the other 2nd-tier jungle options.
His communication wasn’t as top-notch as you’d prefer out of the jungle position, but given his strengths in so many other respects (and jungle’s weakness in the SBL), he should still be very valuable.
14. Evolite (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 1
862 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 4, Mid: 9, ADC: 9, Support: 5
Gold 1 rookie playing the two traditional carry roles. These (especially ADC) are the easiest for someone with minimal premade experience to step in and have immediate impact from, so I expect Evolite to be a contestable pick during the draft due to his rank.
15. Albinojoe (Last season's power rankings: 23rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
700 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 9, Mid: 2, ADC: 9, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $4.00 draft price, support for 6th place WCF
I’ve never seen an SBL player easily remain in Platinum for so long yet inspire so little confidence in the rest of the League. It’s hard to tell how much of Joe’s problems were a result of being on WCF and how much is him, but he was clearly part of the issue last split. First, Joe has a very stubborn champion pool. While Bard and Volibear can both have their place in the current game (Bard’s obviously seeing regular LCS Play), Joe likes to pick “his” champions, sometimes regardless of draft situation. Having a strong voice to plan out the draft will be a major key to unlocking Joe’s upside this split.
Joe also has a tendency to get too hypey in game sometimes. Sometimes this is a great thing, but sometimes it leads to boneheaded overaggression. Joe will need a strong voice on the team to rein him in emotionally when necessary for him to be successful.
So what are Joey’s upsides? First, he plays a TON. Even with his iffy champion pool, he should have the practice time and mechanics to add to his pool in a way his team needs. He also comes in with a gigantic chip on his shoulder that will hopefully motivate him to give his all towards the team game.
Hopefully.
16. Im Just Dan (formerly Zezimas My Main, ViktorYi) (Last season's power rankings: 29th)
Rust Warning (October 22nd game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1310 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 10, Mid: 7, ADC: 6, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0 draft price, top laner for 4th place Forces of Nature
Completely exceeded my expectations last split. Had one of the best laning phases of all SBL top laners and displayed awesome splitpush ability. He also takes the game much more seriously than he did in early seasons. He practiced a ton last split, which he’ll need to do early again this season to regain his form.
17. Ajs Zero (Last season's power rankings: 9th)
Rust Warning (September 26th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 3
1392 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 1, Mid: 5, ADC: 10, Support: 3
SBL Season 6: $4.75 draft price, ADC for 5th place Gorilla Radio
Reminder: I’ve had major starting players quit the League (MummzNutz in Season 5) or League of Legends entirely (Ahros in Season 6) the last two splits.
You know what you’re getting if you pick me.
18. Thor Odinsson (formerly Thorr74) (Last season’s power rankings: 26th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
846 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 10, ADC: 7, Support: 7
SBL Season 6: $1.50 draft price, top laner (and jungler, mid laner, ADC and support) for 5th place Gorilla Radio
Thor is a player I really feel lost on. He hasn’t taken a break from the game, but I (and other’s I’ve talked to) feel like he’s actually had his stock fall since last split. He’s simply been mediocre in every game I’ve been in with him recently, which is a shock after how consistently solid he was on Gorilla Radio.
If Thor’s just a player that only tries when the games matter and is able to step up for SBL, I expect he’ll be the same player he was for us. He was incredibly versatile and consistent - playing any type of top laner we needed and always playing solid. He was rarely a hard carry threat, but he was never a liability either, which was super important for a lineup with Thermador, Ajs Zero and Deathgodnero. His communication was okay and he generally knew what to do with teleports (which is a big question mark amongst SBL tops).
The major flaw he showed last split was not knowing what to do with leads. In a league where top lane laning phase is typically very swingy, this is a concern. And if he’s playing worse than last split his style could turn into a liability very fast.
19. Madam Strippe (Last season's power rankings: 15th)
Rust Warning (September 23rd game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 3
1200 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 5, Mid: 6, ADC: 9, Support: 5
SBL Season 6: $2.75 draft price, top lane for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Strippe’s downside is that he hasn’t been playing the game recently. Strippe’s upside is that he’s never needed to play much to keep his level up. If you select the SBL’s most infamous carry top, that’s the gamble you’ll be making.
Strippe is at his best playing carry tops and in situations where he wins his lane. If you pick up Strippe, you’ll ideally build a roster that can work around this skillset. His teamfighting is passable, although his teleports leave a lot to be desired.
His ADC is also very solid, although it’s been a long time since he’s played it within the league. His strength at AD was great teamfight positioning, and with the questions at the ADC pool this split, there’s a chance he’ll make a return to bot lane.
20. EPIK (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold something**
1500 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 10, Mid: 1, ADC: 5, Support: 5
**Note: Being placed into Gold 3 so early in the current ranked season makes me think he was in the mid-to-high gold range
Has not participated in, but has watched the SBL plenty the previous two splits. I have my issues trusting anyone that can’t remember what rank they hit last season, but a high gold jungler offers plenty as a prospect.
21. RNG KazeOkami (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
1503 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 9, Mid: 6, ADC: 4, Support: 8
Copy and paste the rationale behind EPIK and you have RNG KazeOkami. Could theoretically play support as well, but given this season’s standings that’s highly unlikely.
22. Miciro (Last season's power rankings: 16th)
Rust Warning (October 4th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1500 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 10, Mid: 10, ADC: 4, Support: 3
SBL Season 6: $3.50 draft price, jungler for 4th place Forces of Nature
Miciro’s always had a tendency to show up as clutch in the mid lane when gametime comes, but with the rust factor and rising level of midlane play this season, Miciro’s inconsistency scares me more than ever.
It’s harder to rate him as a jungler. Last split he seemed like a guy who could just show up and do the necessary work, but he never showed any “wow” factor.
23. OnTheWind (Last season’s power rankings: 14th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
650 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 5, ADC: 4, Support: 2
SBL Season 6: $3.25 draft price, top laner for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Despite the championship appearance, I felt last split was a bit of a disappointment for OnTheWind. He looked to have taken a step back from his wonderful championship win in Season 5, and strayed away from what his team needed to often. OnTheWind, so far, has been at his best supporting teammates, not as a carry. However, in a meta where Fiora and Gangplank are such high priority picks (and two of his favorite champions), I imagine he’ll be trying to play the carry role a lot again this split - something he isn’t as good at as many of the other top laners.
Maybe I’m wrong, and he’ll be a natural playing some of his favorite champions. Or maybe he’ll opt to play more tanks, Lulu, etc. this split and make his teammates look like superstars again. But I think this is more of a gamble than guarantee.
One other thing to note: OnTheWind is by far the best strategical top laner in the SBL. His teleports are on point, he knows when to split, he knows when to group, he knows how to do a ton of things that the other tops in this league cannot do at all. If he’s in the right situation and playing well (like Season 5’s Swift is Shit), this is a major value.
24. Kraegin (Last season’s power rankings: 35th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
1500 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 7, Mid: 6, ADC: 7, Support: 10
Did not play in SBL Season 6
After going undrafted in Season 6, I thought Kraegin was a high percentage chance to make a starting lineup this split… until the strong support pool happened.
At this point, his reputation precedes him. He likes to not take the game seriously, and he reacts poorly to criticism. Hopefully the undrafted experience humbled him a bit so that he can return a better team player this split.
However, the guy also maintains mid-high gold for a reason. As a presumably cheap pickup, there are plenty of roster situations he should be considered for.
25. FailedDestiny (Last season's power rankings: 30th)
Rust Warning (October 29th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
343 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 8, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $2.00 draft price, support for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Was consistently solid for his team last season, but never seemed to show the domination factor so many other supports in this league had. He could have a hard time becoming a starter solely because of the strength of other supports this season, but this could also result in him becoming a major value pick for a team late in the draft. And as always, the rust warning scares me on players without long histories of 5v5 experience.
Was also the ‘Best Thresh SBL’ last season.
26. KKing (Last season’s power rankings: 11th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
2042 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 1, Mid: 2, ADC: 10, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $2.75 draft price, bench player for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
King was unfortunately on a team with Keinhosen last split, which made his benching an inevitability very early in the season. However, he’s had a long run as one of the SBL’s solid AD Carry players. WIth all the good supports he could be paired with, he has potential to be fine again this split.
If he starts practicing. He seems to have taken a few steps back since his 1st place in Season 5, mostly due to inactivity. He needs to fix his attitude and actually dedicate to practicing the art of ADC again, because he’s had too much of a “I’ll show up and it’ll work out” approach to League lately, which he doesn’t seem willing to acknowledge as a problem.
Don’t even consider playing him at any other role.
27. Ghost32 (Last season’s power rankings: 36th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 1
812 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 5, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0 draft price, bench player/ADC for 4th place Forces of Nature
Stepped in for a third of the season while TheXmasTree was going through moving pains and was a clear downgrade. Also a player with minimal premade experience. Will need to learn a lot more about the premade game since he will almost assuredly be a starter this split.
28. Zwirbs
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
1100 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 7, Mid: 9, ADC: 4, Support: 8
Did not play in SBL Season 6
Was a solid low priority mid player for 2nd place Team Flashlight in Season 5, but mid looks to be significantly more dangerous than 2 splits ago, which will hurt Zwirbs’ chances of making a starting lineup. His weakness at the time was occasionally getting smashed in lane, which will be more of a factor in a split with so many Platinum+ mids starting.
However, was an incredibly positive team player and a great part of team atmosphere, from what I’m told. If he can put in practice and get his laning phase to passable enough, he’s a great cheap compliment for carry threats elsewhere on the team.
29. ManlortheMiracle (Last season’s power rankings: 32nd)
Season 5 Unrated
1134 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 5, Mid: 7, ADC: 7, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0.50 draft price, bench player for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
The SBL’s greatest enigma of all time. Due to the support pool this split it’s almost a guarantee that he sees playtime at another role (if he’s a starter), but he’s had some very strong showings off the bench in mid lane the previous two splits. Manlor is a player that has managed to constantly defy expectations every time he’s seen action for the past 3 years. And for the first time in his career he seems to be delving into ranked a bit.
I still have basically no clue what to feel about him. If Manlor randomly kept up with Thrifty Senpai in a playoff series, just enough to win it for his team, would that surprise anybody? Because it wouldn’t surprise me. At the same time, would him bronze building his way out of a game be too out of character for anyone?
All I can say is, bench or starter: if you draft Manlor, you’ll be in for a ride.
30. Swordandmace
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1167 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 7, Mid: 7, ADC: 1, Support: 7
Did not play in SBL Season 6
Swordandmace is like a lower-variance version of ManlortheMiracle to me. He hasn’t been playing as much lately, but other than that, he’s pretty much a safer alternative to what you’d expect out of Manlor who also plays more positions. Like Manlor, his mental game isn’t outstanding, but he’s traditionally been a player with good playmaking potential from any role he’s playing. And with 4 roles selected, he’s someone that could fit into any team as a teachable 5th or very strong bench player.
31. MR C0FFEE (formerly LockemDown) (Last season’s power rankings: 33rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1256 Normal wins
Top: 9, Jungle: 9, Mid: 1, ADC: 2, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $0.50 draft price, bench/support player for Thomas the Dank Engine
Likely the SBL’s most beloved bad player, MR C0FFEE has strong chances to crack a starting lineup due to the questions at both top and jungle. I feel he’s shown more potential as a jungler, where his laning phase weakness can be ignored. He also has a tendency to tunnel vision extremely hard during teamfights, so he’ll be most effective on a team with strong direction from shotcalling. However, he is very open to feedback both in and out of game, which is ideal for a team’s weaker players. He works very hard to improve for his team, and with the right direction can be a solid role player.
32. Zaku13x (Last season’s power rankings: 38th)
Rust warning (October 25th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
372 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 3, Mid: 5, ADC: 7, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $0.00 draft price, support/bench player for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Poor Zaku. He’s steadily improved in his previous splits and completely surpassed my expectations last split, having a few high impact games that were even drawing bans (on a team with OnTheWind, Thrifty Senpai, and Salvo!!!). Unfortunately, with the excess of support talent and the fact that he hasn’t been playing lately, it’s very likely that he’ll be put back onto bench duty for any team he’s on this split.
His biggest issue was always a small champion pool, which is extra worrisome when a player has been on hiatus from the game. However, from my understanding he’s always been a good teammate to work with in the past, so any team that drafts him won’t have to worry about that concern.
33. boomtrooper (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
848 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 3, Mid: 7, ADC: 9, Support: 7
I invited this guy even though I’ve never played with him, so if he totally blows…. Sorry :)
If he’s a starter, there will be a lot of pressure on his support to help develop him. However, ADC is the easiest role to jump straight from solo queue to premade as, and plenty of SBLs have been won by cheap drafted, low priority ADC players. Would be best to draft him with a 2nd option at ADC and let them compete for a spot to start.
Boomtrooper doesn’t seem like a rager from my interactions with him, which is a major plus for any rookie.
34. Lord Cruzmaster (Last season’s power rankings: 17th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
1100 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 1, Mid: 9, ADC: 6, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $4.00 draft price, support for 5th place Gorilla Radio
You might think I’m just tilted from 5 straight seasons of playing with Cruzmaster (in addition to too many to count PONG LANs and the few other local tournaments we’ve played), but I really feel that Cruzmaster’s value is at an all time low. He hasn’t been playing a ton lately, and support is by far the deepest position in the SBL this split. This lowers Cruz’s value substantially. In addition, because of work, he will not be available to practice any night of the week with his team, and he is not self-motivated enough to practice on his own. Unless you have a team that intends to practice later than 1am on a regular basis or early on weekend afternoons, you will never be able to practice with Cruzmaster, which is a major detriment to team morale.
His experience will obviously be more attractive to some owners and teammates than it is to me, but if you want to make Cruz a starter on your team it will come at a cost.
However, if you do have Cruz, his top strength is the same as ever - incredible vision control. Cruz places a lot of wards and, more importantly, places them in important parts of the map. However, he will need teammate support, as he doesn’t always communicate his intentions well and occasionally gets picked in enemy territory because of this.
35. Dr Maximilian
Rust Warning (August 16th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
511 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 7, Mid: 5, ADC: 1, Support: 10
Has the biggest margin of rust of anyone in the SBL this split, a low ranking, and plays the most stacked position the SBL has ever seen. Almost no chance he makes a starting lineup, and would require someone who hasn’t played the game in years to not be the bottom of these power rankings.
36. Cheezeburgler (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
634 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 7, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 9
Not a true rookie (was a bench player in Season 1 or Season 2 of the SBL), but basically is one. Only played a handful of games in the past 2 years and at no point in his League career has shown a level of play to get worked up over. However, he has been playing a lot in the past month during his return to League, and could be drafted with hopes of him taking a step forward.
One major note: Some players have a rust warning. When signups occurred, I tracked each player’s oldest game in their match history to give an idea of which players took the few months between SBL seasons off of the game. Any player with the rust warning tag should be a considered concern for team owners and teammates alike, because even if these players go hard at practice, it could still easily take the first month of the season to achieve strong form again. And if they don’t start practicing hard, they could see a major dip in play from where they were at last split.
Also, assuming you can do basic math, you will notice: Every player on this list will be drafted.
And for anyone interested, a Season 5 Ranking breakdown of this league:
Diamond (3)
Diamond 3 - Thrifty Senpai
Diamond 4 - Viveret, Master Splinter
Platinum (12)
Platinum 2 (2) - Blabooer, Salvo
Platinum 3 (2) - Resqect, Thirty
Platinum 4 (6) - Albinojoe, Im Just Dan, Mai Wang, Scotchonaut, TheXmasTree, Dubdrum
Platinum 5 (2) - Purplepicklepie, Thermador
Gold (17)
Gold 1 - Evolite
Gold 2 (4) - Kraegin, FailedDestiny, RNG KazeOkami, Thor Odinsson
Gold 3 (3) - Ajs Zero, Madam Strippe, EPIK
Gold 4 (4) - Miciro, MR C0FFEE, OnTheWind, Swordandmace
Gold 5 (5) - boomtrooper, Dr Maximilian, KKing, Zwirbs, Ghost32
Silver (3)
Silver 2 (3) - Cheezeburgler, Zaku13x, Lord Cruzmaster
Unrated (1)
ManlortheMiracle
- Master Splinter (Last season’s power rankings: 1st)
1400 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 10, Mid: 6, ADC: 1, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $9.50 draft price, jungler for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
Reigning SBL Champion, reigning power rankings champion, and if we have actually done an SBL Awards Show last season, would-be reigning MVP: Master Splinter.
That all has a nice ring to it, but for the first time in his career, I feel like Master Splinter is on a decline. He was good last season, but he didn’t feel like the same threat he had been for the 2-or-so years prior. Was that because his Team Salt Shaker was so good that he could afford to take it easy? Maybe. Does he look worse by comparison because more of this league is climbing into Platinum than ever before? Maybe. But I don’t think he was as good last split as he’d been in the past.
Of course, I don’t think he’s declined enough to not be the obvious choice for best player in the league. And unlike any of the players on the spots below him on this list, Master Splinter is the complete package. You know he’s going to come in and gladly be the star player with all attention on him, while putting up strong, consistent performances every week, no matter the circumstance. You know he’s going to shotcall aggressively and decisively, and put his team in the best position to succeed around him. And you know he’ll be the leader outside of game too, pushing his teammates to go above and beyond and keep practicing as much as possible.
You know he’ll gank early, gank often, and his opponents will have a constant fear that something’s always near - especially in the new, less-vision Season 6 League of Legends. And you know he’ll sometimes even take an extra buff or kill, so that he can personally carry even harder. That’s why the most important thing you can do with Splinter is draft some supportive carries who can mesh well with that style - Scotchonaut and mitchurugi were perfect compliments for Master Splinter and Keinhosen last split, and the chance of a repeat for Splinter will greatly benefit from having a lane or two like those again.
And if you’re willing to pay the $10ish dollars it takes to get him, you might as well commit to building around him.
2. Viveret (Last season's power rankings: 4th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 4
1213 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 7, Mid: 9, ADC: 10, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $8.25 draft price, mid laner for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Viveret was fairly awesome last split. He’s the only multi-role threat Diamond player in the league. Given all the talent at support and the fact that most teams feel a need to put their best players in carry roles where possible, I expect Viveret to be in either the mid lane again or at ADC this split. He’s a very consistent player who practiced hard in-season last split, and if drafted early (like diamond players usually are), gives a team a ton of options to play out the rest of their draft, since he can be switched between his 3 roles.
He was debatably as good as Thrifty Senpai was last split, although he doesn’t bring the intangibles that Thrifty does. However, he’s still playing regularly and will presumably have improved slightly since last split, while Thrifty has likely declined further. Combined with the versatility he offers in the draft strategy, Viveret has done something this league has waited a long time to see: Ended the permanent top-2 of Master Splinter and Thrifty Senpai.
3. Thrifty Senpai (Last season's power rankings: 2nd)
Rust warning (November 21st game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 3
1650 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 5, Mid: 10, ADC: 7, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $9.00 draft price, mid laner for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Have you ever heard the phrase “Form is temporary, class is eternal” in reference to professional players? Because if you draft Thrifty, you’re going to really be hoping that’s true.
He’s lost a lot of his drive to play the game recently, and it’s reasonable to doubt him getting the fire back again. However, even if he takes his biggest step back ever, he still offers plenty to a team. He’s one of the SBL’s elite shotcalling talents. And if you can somehow pair him with another shotcaller, you can fully unleash his untouchable laning phase.
You also should already know that Thrifty’s champion pool is as diverse as it gets. He can play almost every champion, in every style of pick, to a consistently high level.
You just have to hope the drama of being in season motivates him to care about League of Legends again, because he’ll be starting the split in catch-up mode.
4. Salvo (Last season’s power rankings: 7th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 2
1647 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 6, Mid: 6, ADC: 10, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $6.00 draft price, ADC for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
When you quit your job and spend a few months working solo queue, you set the expectations very high for yourself. Near the top of Platinum for the first time, Salvo will rightfully be expected to be the best Salvo he’s ever been. And like always, that’s going to mean committing to building a team around Salvo that plays to his strengths.
He’s never been a very cerebral player, but Salvo has the potential to make up for that with the best mechanics in the SBL. However, if you decide to put Salvo on your team - you have to draft players that can control him. Will Salvo know which champion fits into the team comp best? Half the time. Will Salvo know what items to build? Half the time. Will Salvo know whether to position in front of his tanks or behind them? Half the time.
You get the idea. Those 50% add up to really bad odds very fast… unless someone’s there guiding Salvo. Because if you can do that, you have the hardest carry in the SBL, who will use his cheatcode-level positioning to hard carry teamfights.
5. Blabooer (Last season's power rankings: 8th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 2
1838 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 8, Mid: 10, ADC: 1, Support: 7
SBL Season 6: $4.50 draft price, mid for 4th place Forces of Nature
What a sad end to the great Season 6 Blabooer had. A legitimate MVP candidate through the first 2/3rd-ish of the split, Blabooer as a whole was awesome last season. With Viveret likely returning to the bottom lane, Blabooer has a realistic chance of becoming the best mid laner in the SBL this split. His mage play is incredible every time he picks one (Vel’koz bans will be returning this season, guaranteed), and he is mechanically one of the 3-5 best players in this entire league.
However, while he’s incredible as an individual player, he is nowhere near a shotcaller, and does have some communication issues in game. He can also be tilty when the game is going either poorly or slowly, which can snowball into a team issue. Like many of the top players this split, this means he’s going to need a team with strong direction to be built around him to be utilized most effectively.
6. Scotchonaut (Last season's power rankings: 19th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1507 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 8, ADC: 4, Support: 9
SBL Season 6: $3.25 draft price, jungler for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
Talk about raising your stock a ton in your debut season. Scotch was incredible for TSS last split as a supportive rock in the top lane, in a league full of players who shy away from that style. And with all of the ego personalities at ADC and Mid in this league, I expect he’ll be playing facilitator a lot again this season. And that’s a great thing for whichever team he’s on.
His laning phase was always a little shaky, and that’s a source for worry since he most likely won’t have the Master Splinter Experience to help him through it this split, but even with all the strong laning phase top players we had last (and this upcoming) split, Scotch never looked to have TOO much of a problem. And his excellent teleport plays and teamfighting made up for this entirely. He’s been a very positive player for team atmosphere and someone that’s willing to put in the time to practice with his team, and I think his selfless attitude makes him one of the most valuable players in the league this split (especially given how inconsistent every other known top laner is)
7. Purplepicklepie (Last season's power rankings: 3rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Diamond 5
1000 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 8, Mid: 1, ADC: 1, Support: 1
SBL Season 6: $6.25 draft price, mid laner for 6th place WCF
After the embarrassment known as WCF, I’m really glad to see Purplepicklepie committing to fewer positions this season. He’s been very vocal about wanting to play top for a long time now, and his jungling with a key part of Season 5’s Championship team, Swift is Shit.
Purple is one of the most aggressive players in the SBL, and if you build a team around him, you’ll want players that are willing to commit to his calls, even if they aren’t necessarily always right. WCF’s issue was having 3 shotcallers, none of whom trusted each other or had the trust of their teammates. And don’t get me wrong, Purple’s shotcalling still needs development - but he needs teammates that are willing to grow with him instead of losing faith in him. I don’t think he’s a bad shotcaller either, but he’ll inevitably be compared to Ajs/Thirty/Splinter/Thrifty and, at this point in time, he’s not at that level.
If you get Purple, your team is going to fight a ton - through good and bad. Build your team accordingly and you’ll have the player that was a star in his first two splits of the SBL.
8. Resqect (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 3
777 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 8, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 9
First major thing to note about Resqect: He’s supposed to be a shotcaller. This is a major gamble with any rookie player, but something to consider if you build your team around him. Worst case scenario, you put him under too much pressure and he crumbles like every single rookie shotcaller the world has ever seen. Best case scenario is unlikely.
Beyond that, he’s another support player in a league full of support players. The Platinum 3 is slightly exciting, but otherwise he’s just another SBL support. He prefers Thresh, and he’s very aggressive. If you pick Resqect, you’ll get to live by that gamble.
9. Mai Wang (Last season’s power rankings: 10th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1500 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 8, Mid: 10, ADC: 6, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $5.75 draft price, jungler for 6th place WCF
It feels so weird to say this about someone that’s played in 5 seasons of Baddy League and has been in Platinum for the past year, but Season 7 really feels like a make-or-break split for Wang. His reputation was at an all-time low after the WCF experience, and most people reasonably doubted his ability to ever be an impact jungler in this League again.
Fortunately, he’s finally listened to me (and a few others) and made a serious attempt at switching to mid lane. And for those of you that weren’t around back then, he had a nice run of success as a mid player back in late Season 3 through mid-Season 4 (Riot Season 3-4, not SBL Seasons) - winning 4 consecutive LAN Tournaments, including the only ever undefeated Team Swain LAN Victory. More importantly, he had a very unique skillset as a mid laner. While he didn’t excel at the standard “Fight 1v1, slowly outcs your opponent, and transition that to more advantages” aspect of laning (that most of the SBL Mid laners play to), he had incredible map awareness and roaming presence (obviously a talent that transitioned from years of jungle maining). He also would regularly pull out solo kills against higher ranked opponents and speed up the process of winning early skirmishes with his team, regularly creating high impact games.
Oh, and unlike then, he’s a Platinum player that is training against more skilled opponents than before, and his laning should be better than ever. If he can still be the monster roamer that made his mid lane run so effective on Team Swain, he will be an incredibly exciting, dynamic player to watch in the SBL.
The issues with Wang are fairly well known at this point. He cannot be the primary leader on a team in-game or outside of game, and the lack of strong personalities has doomed his last two seasons. He’s definitely had his issues, but I believe that blaming his SBL failures on him entirely is incorrect analysis. He can succeed as a contributor, but owners must stop making the mistake of hoping he’ll be the sole shotcaller. It’s clear that isn’t his role. However, if he’s finally paired with strong leaders, I believe this will be the season that Wang is unleashed.
And for his sake, I’d better be right.
10. TheXmasTree (Last season's power rankings: 6th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1600 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 2, Mid: 6, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $5.50 draft price, ADC for 4th place Forces of Nature
The biggest issue with Tree this season is how good the other supports are. Long gone are the splits where Tree comfortably sits leagues ahead of every other support in the SBL. Fortunately for Tree, he brings a consistency and guarantee that most of the other supports don’t have. You know he’s going to play aggressively, you know he’s going to fight early and often in laning phase, and you know he can be the clutch teamfight engager or the super-peeler his team needs. Tree hasn’t changed much in the last 3 years, and that’s a good thing.
Tree’s also a reliable voice within the game, although he is not a shotcaller. He’s a great 2nd/3rd voice in the comms though, and as this league should have taught everyone by now - no one is Hai. We need those 2nd/3rd voices to achieve team success.
11. Dubdrum (Last season's power rankings: 13th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4**
1200 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 9, Mid: 5, ADC: 5, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $5.75 draft price, jungler for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
**Boosted
He’s a solid jungler, but much better at support. His jungling was defined by playing farm heavy, splitpush champions last season. However, with the weakness at jungle and major strength at support this season, there’s a good chance he’ll be jungling again this split.
As a support, he has a strong laning phase and peel ability. His Thresh and Braum were both iconic in his excellent Season 5.
He also has issues with not taking the game as seriously as most of the rest of the league. Obviously his results in his first 2 SBL Splits (1st and 3rd) weren’t affected by his personality, but some players may not react well to him, so team owners should be wary of the types of personalities they pair with him.
12. Thirty (Last season's power rankings: 5th)
Rust warning (October 21st game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 3
1042 Normal wins
Top: 4, Jungle: 10, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $6.50 draft price, support for 4th place Forces of Nature
The biggest worry with Thirty is the long break he took after his soul-crushing defeat to 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha in last season’s playoffs. His mechanics were traditionally one of the strongest aspects of his support play, and I don’t know what to expect out of him if he loses that edge.
However, Thirty has also traditionally been a major team player that never wants to let his teammates down. Any rusty player is a gamble, but I believe Thirty will be back in peak form within the first few weeks of the new season.
Don’t let his inglorious finish to SBL Season 6 linger in your memory. Thirty is one of the two best shotcallers in the SBL and should be valued accordingly. He’s also a great team captain that has traditionally made sure his team is very prepared with practice and draft plans.
He’s finally interested in a return to the jungle this split (where he played the first majority of his League of Legends career very well), and with the overabundance of wealth at the support position this season I think there’s a strong chance he will be there. Regardless of which position he plays, you can expect a player that knows when to dial on the aggression, and will do so without hesitation.
13. Thermador (Last season's power rankings: 20th)
Rust warning (November 17th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 5
904 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 10, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $1.50 draft price, jungler for 5th place Gorilla Radio
In a league where the jungle pool is basically “Master Splinter and then some other guys”, there’s a lot to have liked about Thermador’s debut last split. He showed a versatile champion pool, effectively playing each style of jungle (although gravitating a little more towards the carry-type champions). He was a positive team player even in a losing environment on Gorilla Radio. Thermador will most likely be the 2nd or 3rd best jungler in the league, and looks to be a safer pick than most of the other 2nd-tier jungle options.
His communication wasn’t as top-notch as you’d prefer out of the jungle position, but given his strengths in so many other respects (and jungle’s weakness in the SBL), he should still be very valuable.
14. Evolite (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 1
862 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 4, Mid: 9, ADC: 9, Support: 5
Gold 1 rookie playing the two traditional carry roles. These (especially ADC) are the easiest for someone with minimal premade experience to step in and have immediate impact from, so I expect Evolite to be a contestable pick during the draft due to his rank.
15. Albinojoe (Last season's power rankings: 23rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
700 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 9, Mid: 2, ADC: 9, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $4.00 draft price, support for 6th place WCF
I’ve never seen an SBL player easily remain in Platinum for so long yet inspire so little confidence in the rest of the League. It’s hard to tell how much of Joe’s problems were a result of being on WCF and how much is him, but he was clearly part of the issue last split. First, Joe has a very stubborn champion pool. While Bard and Volibear can both have their place in the current game (Bard’s obviously seeing regular LCS Play), Joe likes to pick “his” champions, sometimes regardless of draft situation. Having a strong voice to plan out the draft will be a major key to unlocking Joe’s upside this split.
Joe also has a tendency to get too hypey in game sometimes. Sometimes this is a great thing, but sometimes it leads to boneheaded overaggression. Joe will need a strong voice on the team to rein him in emotionally when necessary for him to be successful.
So what are Joey’s upsides? First, he plays a TON. Even with his iffy champion pool, he should have the practice time and mechanics to add to his pool in a way his team needs. He also comes in with a gigantic chip on his shoulder that will hopefully motivate him to give his all towards the team game.
Hopefully.
16. Im Just Dan (formerly Zezimas My Main, ViktorYi) (Last season's power rankings: 29th)
Rust Warning (October 22nd game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Platinum 4
1310 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 10, Mid: 7, ADC: 6, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0 draft price, top laner for 4th place Forces of Nature
Completely exceeded my expectations last split. Had one of the best laning phases of all SBL top laners and displayed awesome splitpush ability. He also takes the game much more seriously than he did in early seasons. He practiced a ton last split, which he’ll need to do early again this season to regain his form.
17. Ajs Zero (Last season's power rankings: 9th)
Rust Warning (September 26th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 3
1392 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 1, Mid: 5, ADC: 10, Support: 3
SBL Season 6: $4.75 draft price, ADC for 5th place Gorilla Radio
Reminder: I’ve had major starting players quit the League (MummzNutz in Season 5) or League of Legends entirely (Ahros in Season 6) the last two splits.
You know what you’re getting if you pick me.
18. Thor Odinsson (formerly Thorr74) (Last season’s power rankings: 26th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
846 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 10, ADC: 7, Support: 7
SBL Season 6: $1.50 draft price, top laner (and jungler, mid laner, ADC and support) for 5th place Gorilla Radio
Thor is a player I really feel lost on. He hasn’t taken a break from the game, but I (and other’s I’ve talked to) feel like he’s actually had his stock fall since last split. He’s simply been mediocre in every game I’ve been in with him recently, which is a shock after how consistently solid he was on Gorilla Radio.
If Thor’s just a player that only tries when the games matter and is able to step up for SBL, I expect he’ll be the same player he was for us. He was incredibly versatile and consistent - playing any type of top laner we needed and always playing solid. He was rarely a hard carry threat, but he was never a liability either, which was super important for a lineup with Thermador, Ajs Zero and Deathgodnero. His communication was okay and he generally knew what to do with teleports (which is a big question mark amongst SBL tops).
The major flaw he showed last split was not knowing what to do with leads. In a league where top lane laning phase is typically very swingy, this is a concern. And if he’s playing worse than last split his style could turn into a liability very fast.
19. Madam Strippe (Last season's power rankings: 15th)
Rust Warning (September 23rd game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 3
1200 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 5, Mid: 6, ADC: 9, Support: 5
SBL Season 6: $2.75 draft price, top lane for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Strippe’s downside is that he hasn’t been playing the game recently. Strippe’s upside is that he’s never needed to play much to keep his level up. If you select the SBL’s most infamous carry top, that’s the gamble you’ll be making.
Strippe is at his best playing carry tops and in situations where he wins his lane. If you pick up Strippe, you’ll ideally build a roster that can work around this skillset. His teamfighting is passable, although his teleports leave a lot to be desired.
His ADC is also very solid, although it’s been a long time since he’s played it within the league. His strength at AD was great teamfight positioning, and with the questions at the ADC pool this split, there’s a chance he’ll make a return to bot lane.
20. EPIK (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold something**
1500 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 10, Mid: 1, ADC: 5, Support: 5
**Note: Being placed into Gold 3 so early in the current ranked season makes me think he was in the mid-to-high gold range
Has not participated in, but has watched the SBL plenty the previous two splits. I have my issues trusting anyone that can’t remember what rank they hit last season, but a high gold jungler offers plenty as a prospect.
21. RNG KazeOkami (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
1503 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 9, Mid: 6, ADC: 4, Support: 8
Copy and paste the rationale behind EPIK and you have RNG KazeOkami. Could theoretically play support as well, but given this season’s standings that’s highly unlikely.
22. Miciro (Last season's power rankings: 16th)
Rust Warning (October 4th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1500 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 10, Mid: 10, ADC: 4, Support: 3
SBL Season 6: $3.50 draft price, jungler for 4th place Forces of Nature
Miciro’s always had a tendency to show up as clutch in the mid lane when gametime comes, but with the rust factor and rising level of midlane play this season, Miciro’s inconsistency scares me more than ever.
It’s harder to rate him as a jungler. Last split he seemed like a guy who could just show up and do the necessary work, but he never showed any “wow” factor.
23. OnTheWind (Last season’s power rankings: 14th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
650 Normal wins
Top: 10, Jungle: 6, Mid: 5, ADC: 4, Support: 2
SBL Season 6: $3.25 draft price, top laner for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Despite the championship appearance, I felt last split was a bit of a disappointment for OnTheWind. He looked to have taken a step back from his wonderful championship win in Season 5, and strayed away from what his team needed to often. OnTheWind, so far, has been at his best supporting teammates, not as a carry. However, in a meta where Fiora and Gangplank are such high priority picks (and two of his favorite champions), I imagine he’ll be trying to play the carry role a lot again this split - something he isn’t as good at as many of the other top laners.
Maybe I’m wrong, and he’ll be a natural playing some of his favorite champions. Or maybe he’ll opt to play more tanks, Lulu, etc. this split and make his teammates look like superstars again. But I think this is more of a gamble than guarantee.
One other thing to note: OnTheWind is by far the best strategical top laner in the SBL. His teleports are on point, he knows when to split, he knows when to group, he knows how to do a ton of things that the other tops in this league cannot do at all. If he’s in the right situation and playing well (like Season 5’s Swift is Shit), this is a major value.
24. Kraegin (Last season’s power rankings: 35th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
1500 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 7, Mid: 6, ADC: 7, Support: 10
Did not play in SBL Season 6
After going undrafted in Season 6, I thought Kraegin was a high percentage chance to make a starting lineup this split… until the strong support pool happened.
At this point, his reputation precedes him. He likes to not take the game seriously, and he reacts poorly to criticism. Hopefully the undrafted experience humbled him a bit so that he can return a better team player this split.
However, the guy also maintains mid-high gold for a reason. As a presumably cheap pickup, there are plenty of roster situations he should be considered for.
25. FailedDestiny (Last season's power rankings: 30th)
Rust Warning (October 29th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 2
343 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 8, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $2.00 draft price, support for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
Was consistently solid for his team last season, but never seemed to show the domination factor so many other supports in this league had. He could have a hard time becoming a starter solely because of the strength of other supports this season, but this could also result in him becoming a major value pick for a team late in the draft. And as always, the rust warning scares me on players without long histories of 5v5 experience.
Was also the ‘Best Thresh SBL’ last season.
26. KKing (Last season’s power rankings: 11th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
2042 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 1, Mid: 2, ADC: 10, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $2.75 draft price, bench player for 1st place Team Salt Shaker
King was unfortunately on a team with Keinhosen last split, which made his benching an inevitability very early in the season. However, he’s had a long run as one of the SBL’s solid AD Carry players. WIth all the good supports he could be paired with, he has potential to be fine again this split.
If he starts practicing. He seems to have taken a few steps back since his 1st place in Season 5, mostly due to inactivity. He needs to fix his attitude and actually dedicate to practicing the art of ADC again, because he’s had too much of a “I’ll show up and it’ll work out” approach to League lately, which he doesn’t seem willing to acknowledge as a problem.
Don’t even consider playing him at any other role.
27. Ghost32 (Last season’s power rankings: 36th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 1
812 Normal wins
Top: 8, Jungle: 5, Mid: 5, ADC: 8, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0 draft price, bench player/ADC for 4th place Forces of Nature
Stepped in for a third of the season while TheXmasTree was going through moving pains and was a clear downgrade. Also a player with minimal premade experience. Will need to learn a lot more about the premade game since he will almost assuredly be a starter this split.
28. Zwirbs
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
1100 Normal wins
Top: 1, Jungle: 7, Mid: 9, ADC: 4, Support: 8
Did not play in SBL Season 6
Was a solid low priority mid player for 2nd place Team Flashlight in Season 5, but mid looks to be significantly more dangerous than 2 splits ago, which will hurt Zwirbs’ chances of making a starting lineup. His weakness at the time was occasionally getting smashed in lane, which will be more of a factor in a split with so many Platinum+ mids starting.
However, was an incredibly positive team player and a great part of team atmosphere, from what I’m told. If he can put in practice and get his laning phase to passable enough, he’s a great cheap compliment for carry threats elsewhere on the team.
29. ManlortheMiracle (Last season’s power rankings: 32nd)
Season 5 Unrated
1134 Normal wins
Top: 6, Jungle: 5, Mid: 7, ADC: 7, Support: 8
SBL Season 6: $0.50 draft price, bench player for 3rd place Shark Bait Hoo Haha
The SBL’s greatest enigma of all time. Due to the support pool this split it’s almost a guarantee that he sees playtime at another role (if he’s a starter), but he’s had some very strong showings off the bench in mid lane the previous two splits. Manlor is a player that has managed to constantly defy expectations every time he’s seen action for the past 3 years. And for the first time in his career he seems to be delving into ranked a bit.
I still have basically no clue what to feel about him. If Manlor randomly kept up with Thrifty Senpai in a playoff series, just enough to win it for his team, would that surprise anybody? Because it wouldn’t surprise me. At the same time, would him bronze building his way out of a game be too out of character for anyone?
All I can say is, bench or starter: if you draft Manlor, you’ll be in for a ride.
30. Swordandmace
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1167 Normal wins
Top: 7, Jungle: 7, Mid: 7, ADC: 1, Support: 7
Did not play in SBL Season 6
Swordandmace is like a lower-variance version of ManlortheMiracle to me. He hasn’t been playing as much lately, but other than that, he’s pretty much a safer alternative to what you’d expect out of Manlor who also plays more positions. Like Manlor, his mental game isn’t outstanding, but he’s traditionally been a player with good playmaking potential from any role he’s playing. And with 4 roles selected, he’s someone that could fit into any team as a teachable 5th or very strong bench player.
31. MR C0FFEE (formerly LockemDown) (Last season’s power rankings: 33rd)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 4
1256 Normal wins
Top: 9, Jungle: 9, Mid: 1, ADC: 2, Support: 6
SBL Season 6: $0.50 draft price, bench/support player for Thomas the Dank Engine
Likely the SBL’s most beloved bad player, MR C0FFEE has strong chances to crack a starting lineup due to the questions at both top and jungle. I feel he’s shown more potential as a jungler, where his laning phase weakness can be ignored. He also has a tendency to tunnel vision extremely hard during teamfights, so he’ll be most effective on a team with strong direction from shotcalling. However, he is very open to feedback both in and out of game, which is ideal for a team’s weaker players. He works very hard to improve for his team, and with the right direction can be a solid role player.
32. Zaku13x (Last season’s power rankings: 38th)
Rust warning (October 25th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
372 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 3, Mid: 5, ADC: 7, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $0.00 draft price, support/bench player for 2nd place Thomas the Dank Engine
Poor Zaku. He’s steadily improved in his previous splits and completely surpassed my expectations last split, having a few high impact games that were even drawing bans (on a team with OnTheWind, Thrifty Senpai, and Salvo!!!). Unfortunately, with the excess of support talent and the fact that he hasn’t been playing lately, it’s very likely that he’ll be put back onto bench duty for any team he’s on this split.
His biggest issue was always a small champion pool, which is extra worrisome when a player has been on hiatus from the game. However, from my understanding he’s always been a good teammate to work with in the past, so any team that drafts him won’t have to worry about that concern.
33. boomtrooper (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
848 Normal wins
Top: 5, Jungle: 3, Mid: 7, ADC: 9, Support: 7
I invited this guy even though I’ve never played with him, so if he totally blows…. Sorry :)
If he’s a starter, there will be a lot of pressure on his support to help develop him. However, ADC is the easiest role to jump straight from solo queue to premade as, and plenty of SBLs have been won by cheap drafted, low priority ADC players. Would be best to draft him with a 2nd option at ADC and let them compete for a spot to start.
Boomtrooper doesn’t seem like a rager from my interactions with him, which is a major plus for any rookie.
34. Lord Cruzmaster (Last season’s power rankings: 17th)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
1100 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 1, Mid: 9, ADC: 6, Support: 10
SBL Season 6: $4.00 draft price, support for 5th place Gorilla Radio
You might think I’m just tilted from 5 straight seasons of playing with Cruzmaster (in addition to too many to count PONG LANs and the few other local tournaments we’ve played), but I really feel that Cruzmaster’s value is at an all time low. He hasn’t been playing a ton lately, and support is by far the deepest position in the SBL this split. This lowers Cruz’s value substantially. In addition, because of work, he will not be available to practice any night of the week with his team, and he is not self-motivated enough to practice on his own. Unless you have a team that intends to practice later than 1am on a regular basis or early on weekend afternoons, you will never be able to practice with Cruzmaster, which is a major detriment to team morale.
His experience will obviously be more attractive to some owners and teammates than it is to me, but if you want to make Cruz a starter on your team it will come at a cost.
However, if you do have Cruz, his top strength is the same as ever - incredible vision control. Cruz places a lot of wards and, more importantly, places them in important parts of the map. However, he will need teammate support, as he doesn’t always communicate his intentions well and occasionally gets picked in enemy territory because of this.
35. Dr Maximilian
Rust Warning (August 16th game in match history)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Gold 5
511 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 7, Mid: 5, ADC: 1, Support: 10
Has the biggest margin of rust of anyone in the SBL this split, a low ranking, and plays the most stacked position the SBL has ever seen. Almost no chance he makes a starting lineup, and would require someone who hasn’t played the game in years to not be the bottom of these power rankings.
36. Cheezeburgler (Rookie)
Season 5 Peak Ranking: Silver 2
634 Normal wins
Top: 3, Jungle: 7, Mid: 7, ADC: 5, Support: 9
Not a true rookie (was a bench player in Season 1 or Season 2 of the SBL), but basically is one. Only played a handful of games in the past 2 years and at no point in his League career has shown a level of play to get worked up over. However, he has been playing a lot in the past month during his return to League, and could be drafted with hopes of him taking a step forward.