The 2025 LEC Winter Split begins this Saturday, January 18, at 6 PM (UTC+1). To mark the occasion, Sheep Esports presents its Power Rankings of the ten competing teams. Each member of our editorial team had the opportunity to contribute and to make his own tierlist, and we've calculated the average placement for each team to provide you with a comprehensive overview.

1. Fnatic (1.55)

While the first place was very close between Fnatic and G2 Esports, the consensus seems to agree that Black and Orange enter this split with strong potential to finally win a title in Europe after more than six years of drought. Their offseason has gone rather well. After another disappointing performance at Worlds, they part ways with their botlane to reconnect with an AD Carry they know well, Elias "Upset" Lipp, and the support who has tormented them over the past few years, Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle.

Adding to that, Iván "Razork" Martín can be considered the best jungler in the league, Marek "Humanoid" Brázda has always been closely behind Rasmus "Caps" Winther as the second-best midlaner, and Óscar "Oscarinin" Muñoz is among the best toplaners in the LEC, so there is strong potential for a title this year. Moreover, every team seems to say it: Fnatic are monsters in scrims. Now, they just need to translate that into success in the Berlin studio, starting with a face-off against KOI in their first match.

- Clément Chocat

2. G2 Esports (1.73)

The league emperors enter a new phase of their reign. After dominating the region for the past two years with the same five players, the roster undergoes some changes in an attempt to break the cycle of their international failures. They welcome the best ERL prospect in the jungle, Rudy "SkewMond" Semaan, as well as the most consistent LEC support of last season, Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis.

Aside from these changes, the Samurais retain their three main carries, considered the best players in their respective roles over the past two years. The team will rely on their solid foundation to form a new collective capable of performing at least as well as the previous one. However, as appealing as the team looks on paper, it is likely that slight adjustments will be necessary, as we haven't yet seen if the machine of Europe's number 1 organization is still running smoothly. Known for their demanding and thorough coaching staff, there's no doubt that we will once again see G2 start their year strong, as they have won the first split of the year in Europe seven times.

- Clément Chocat

3. Movistar KOI (3.27)

The Spanish organization was surely one of the most talked-about teams this offseason, and for good reason: the team has recruited one of the most sought-after players: Joseph "jojopyun" Pyun. The arrival of the Canadian midlaner seems to be one of KOI's best possible additions. Indeed, from an individual point of view, Jojopyun should be an upgrade on Bartłomiej "Fresskowy" Przewoźnik. Having already some experience at the highest level with 1x LCS title and appearances at MSI and Worlds, "Jojo" is strongly established and he's regarded as a very big Western talent.

Aside from the recruitment of the midlaner, the rest of Movistar KOI's roster remains unchanged, which is why it features so prominently in our Power Rankings. The team seems to have improved its midlane while keeping the other parts the same, thus retaining automatisms, playing habits, established gameplay, working methods similar to last year etc. KOI will therefore be able to concentrate on what they have to improve to try and reach the giants of the region without starting all over again from 0. Last year the team already showed great things with a roster that exceeded expectations, whether at the Winter Split, the Seasons Finals or by securing their tickets for the Worlds.

- Rémi "REMA" Candau

4. Karmine Corp (4.45)

There is no debate about it, Karmine Corp is one of the teams that has attracted the most attention during this offseason. Now it is time to prove. After a disastrous 2024 Winter and Spring, the organization had already made significant roster changes before Summer. Their offseason has thus followed a direct continuation of their previous actions. They benefit from the arrival of one of the best junglers in the LEC over the past two years, Martin "Yike" Sundelin, and the most promising prospect in the entire European League of Legends ecosystem for the botlane, Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert.

With these two extremely skilled additions, Karmine Corp will once again be a team closely watched at the start of the year, and no one is expecting them to be at the bottom of the standings this time. Even though the shadow of last year's performance looms over them, the roster has already had the chance to play against G2 at the Red Bull League of Its Own (though it was a show match) and had even turned the tables on them. The real question remains how well they will manage to enter the league, as they face G2 again in their opening match this Saturday.

- Clément Chocat

5. GIANTX (5.00)

This is probably one of the LEC's best offseason with a significant upgrade on paper compared to its 2024 squad. GIANTX made four changes, recruiting Eren "Lot" Yıldız on the toplane, Can "Closer" Çelik in the jungle and Oh "Noah" Hyeon-taek & Yoon "Jun" Se-jun on the botlane. Lot was secured fairly quickly by the team, which is logical since he was one of the most coveted rookies due to his very promising performances in the LFL. In the jungle, although the team also tried to recruit Yike, they seem delighted to have finally got their hands on Closer, as Head Coach André "Guilhoto" Pereira Guilhoto hints in our interview.

It will also be interesting to see the Closer/Adam "Jackies" Jeřábek duo come together, given what the Turkish jungler was able to bring to Karmine and Vladimiros "Vladi" Kourtidis during the Summer Split 2024. On the botlane, the team brings one of the strongest botlanes of 2024 with Jun and Noah. Although the latter has been widely criticized for his irregularity, especially in high-stakes matches, the Korean ADC has bounced back well, notably at Worlds, where he was, by far, one of Fnatic's best players. With this giant mercato, we think GX can significantly improve on its two 8th-place finishes in Winter and Spring and a 6th-place finish at Summer. We therefore believe that GIANTX can move into the top half of the table, and even challenge for a Top 4 finish.

- Rémi "REMA" Candau

6. Team BDS (5.18)

Last year's bronze medal specialists have reshuffled their cards. They were one of the very first teams to make moves during this offseason, bringing in Joel "Irrelevant" Miro Scharoll, one of the first big dominoes of the market on the top lane, and Doğukan "113" Balcı, who himself had a very strong year in the LFL. Surrounding them are two of the best carries in the league on the mid and bot lanes, but the most interesting move is the promotion of Polat "Parus" Çiçek, also considered one of the best prospects of this offseason after his impressive performances with the academy.

While the carry roles are supposed to be very strong, the team holds an important X factor before the Winter split begins. The explosiveness known of 113 in the early game and his synergy with Parus remain the cornerstone of a composition that seems capable of reaching for the stars but also could falter if the plan doesn't work out as expected. Although Irrelevant's arrival brings more stability to the top lane, it will be crucial to ensure that the team functions together and finds their rhythm of play.

- Clément Chocat

7. Team Vitality (7.73)

After a disappointing year, coaches James "Mac" MacCormack and Patrick "Pad" Suckow-Breum worked hard to forge a roster in their own image, a thing they were not able to do in 2024. The objective is very clear: to play an aggressive, fast-paced League of Legends inspired by the LPL. To achieve this, Vitality has promoted two rookies from its LFL team, Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan on the toplane and Mateusz "Czajek" Czajka on the midlane. It's these two changes that have been the talk of the town, between those who criticize this choice and those who believe in the development of these two talents. The rest of the team remains unchanged, which seems logical given the gameplay the Bees are aiming for.

The stakes will revolve around the adaptation of the two former residents of the academy, the evolution of Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas and the shape of the botlane, which can be one of the best as well as having some complicated moments. While we believe the team can scale as the year progresses to climb the ranks, we don't think the honey will take as early as the Winter Split. However, we don't see the Bees struggling at the bottom of the table, since the team has retained a certain continuity in its roster, has worked hard and its players seem capable of defying certain expectations.

- Rémi "REMA" Candau

8. Rogue (7.91)

During this offseason, Rogue rebuilt its roster as effectively as circumstances allowed rather than according to its ideal vision. The attempt to sell the slot hindered the organization’s planning. Yet, it has emerged with an interesting: Adam “Adam” Maanane, Kim “Malrang” Geun-seong, Emil “Larssen” Larsson, Patrik “Patrik” Jírů, and Lee “Execute” Jeong-hoon. Despite the roster’s attractive names, several questions persist: can the team adapt to Adam's distinctive playstyle, or will the toplaner broaden his strategic repertoire?

What version of the Malrang-Larssen duo, which dominated in 2022 but became overly predictable in 2023, will Rogue showcase this season? Will Patrik regain his level before 2023, which had established him as one of the league's top ADCs? Will Execute, who previously played in the LEC as Jeonghoon, bounce back after a challenging 2024? On paper, Rogue has assembled a squad capable of competing at the highest level if they perform at their peak. But the stars will have to align.

- Lucas Jacque

9. SK Gaming (8.18)

After a strong summer in 2024, SK Gaming lost three standout players—Joël “Irrelevant” Scharoll, Yasin “Nisqy” Dinçer, and Lee “Luon” Hyun-ho—and replaced them with three bets. On the toplane, the German organization is giving Janik “JNX” Bartels another opportunity after his tenure with the LEC team between 2020 and 2022. On the midlane, Steven “Reeker” Chen will have the opportunity to erase his mixed split with MAD Lions in Spring 2022. On the botlane, Kim “Loopy” Dong-hyeon aims to recapture the synergy that secured him an LCK CL title alongside Cho “Rahel” Min-seong.

Although both sololaners enjoyed an outstanding year with BDS Academy and have demonstrated they belong in the upper echelon, they may require time to adjust to the highest European level. In the jungle, despite his undeniable talent, Ismaïl “Isma” Boualem faced several challenges last season. There are therefore still plenty of question marks at this stage, justifying SK's ninth place in our rankings.

- Lucas Jacque

10. Team Heretics (10.00)

With three rookies on its roster—Carl “Carlsen” Carlsen, Paul “Stend” Lardin, and Kamil “Kamiloo” Haudegond—Team Heretics is, naturally, the team with the most uncertainties heading into the season. Both the toplaner and midlaner come off excellent year—Carlsen secured both LVP titles with the Heretics academy, while Stend delivered an impressive individual performance with Vitality.Bee in the LFL. However, Kamiloo has yet to compete in ERL1.

In fact, the midlaner is the first player in history to ascend directly from an ERL2 league (LFL Division 2) to the LEC. The team can rely on Victor “Flakked” Lirola and Théo “Sheo” Borile, two strong foundational players, but Heretics will start the winter split trailing their rivals, and therefore sitting in tenth place in our Power Rankings. That said, the potential of their new recruits is undeniable, and if the team’s formula clicks, they could soon disrupt the established order.

- Lucas Jacque