RLCS S9: NA Power Rankings - Week 1

Written by

John Nolan

Published

13th Feb 2020 19:00

We at GGRecon are back to present our updated NA power rankings after week one of RLCS has concluded. Since the last power rankings two weeks ago, we’ve seen every team compete twice, in week one of RLCS and in the 4th Astronauts Star Circuit qualifier.

The GGRecon Power Rankings Committee:

Ben “notblondemonkey” Hurst - /r/RocketLeagueEsports mod and writer for GGRecon, The Players’ Lobby, GinxTV and others
John_aka_Alwayz - /r/RocketLeagueEsports mod and writer for GGRecon and Octane
Sly - RLCS Statistician and lead writer for Octane
Jake - Head of Operations for GGRecon & Rocket League fan.

#10 - Rogue - Wonder, Kronovi, firstkiller (-2)

A rough start to Rogue’s season has now got multiple members of our committee ranking them dead last, and it’s not hard to see why. The inconsistencies that plagued Rogue of old were still present vs G2. Sure, G2 look good but Rogue does not look at all threatening to any team in that top half of NA. Mistakes were plentiful, with all three individuals at fault in their RLCS showing. Their Astronauts performance was fairly standard, beat all the teams they were meant to beat, most notably Affinity of RLRS status, but when thrown up against an RLCS team, they fell to Ghost. They did at least get out to a 2-0 lead, with firstkiller in particular impressing. Unfortunately, Ghost fixed up their act and simply outclassed Rogue, ending an unremarkable week for Rogue, where they now find themselves bottom in our rankings.

#9 - Flight - rapid, Sea-Bass, Memory (+1)

A positive week for Flight, albeit a very small one, ultimately one in which the Flight guys will look back at with regret. They very well could have and arguably should have beaten Pittsburgh Knights. Sea-Bass was living up to his pre-season hype being a striking force for Flight. Yet, they allowed Pittsburgh Knights to come from 2-0 down to reverse sweep them, despite going up two goals in game five. Yes they showed to be competitive with a team who recently made playoffs at the world championship. Yes they showed to be a team not a lock to come last place in RLCS, hence their rise in the rankings. Nevertheless it could have been so much more, and they will likely be unfavored for most, if not all future matches, so they really have got to close out these series or their stay in RLCS will be short.

#8 - Susquehanna Soniqs - Satthew, Shock, Dappur (+1)

While fellow RLRS promotees Flight will look back at what could have been, Soniqs needn’t feel the same after taking titans NRG the full five games in their first RLCS appearance. You can say NRG wasn’t 100%, still it doesn’t take away from yet another team promoting from RLRS and instantly contending with the biggest names. Shock had a standout performance, even nominated for player of the week despite a loss, a true rarity for the RLCS. They really are the definition of a dark horse, if you weren’t convinced before, these guys are not to be slept on for a playoffs appearance.

#7 - Cloud9 - SquishyMuffinz, Gimmick, Torment (-2)

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Not to sound like its all doom and gloom for Cloud9, but if it weren’t for beating NRG in Astronauts two weeks ago, they likely would have been ranked here for week zero, yet seemingly, that performance vs NRG has ultimately just delayed their ranking of outside the playoffs. They played eUnited and got resoundingly swept and outclassed. The players looked like shells of their usual selves, not a good showing from anyone from the legendary trio. Simply put, they are not a top team anymore and desperately need to adapt to the new meta in professional rocket league, otherwise they look primed to have a late Valentine’s date with the relegation tournament.

#6 - eUnited - Hockser, Roll Dizz, ayjacks (-)

Going under the radar is the norm for eUnted. To some it’s still weird to see them ranked this high, though it’s hard to demote them below teams for sweeping Cloud9. C9’s woes have been mentioned above, but there are two sides of a coin, and eUnited’s shines bright. Everyone looked great, ayjacks won player of the week, Hockser continues to look like a star and Roll Dizz was very much involved offensively. They promptly reminded everyone why they qualified for the last world championship and eUnited again look like a legitimate threat that is not to be underestimated. Despite not moving up a spot, per our expert committee they’re only half a rank off a top four spot, so don't be deceived by the 6th place ranking.

#5 - G2 Esports - Jknaps, Rizzo, Chicago (+1)

Minimal movement for G2 in the rankings does not mean people’s evaluation of them hasn’t risen. A comfortable sweep over Rogue quelled any doubts that G2 will be returning to the relegation tournament, with a more passive playstyle showing the fruits of their labour from the off-season. Understandably, scepticism is still high on their top-four hopes, as they have only beaten our bottom-ranked team, it therefore made their performance in the Astronauts cup all the more interesting, a sweep over RLRS favourites Charlotte Phoenix is further reassurance of not being a bottom tier team, however it was their high profile encounter vs Spacestation Gaming which raised eyeballs, in which they only fell in a game seven overtime. Again, it’s not enough to say they will make the LAN finals in Dallas, but G2 will certainly be in contention for one of those four spots. At worst they are sure-fire playoffs material.

#4 - Ghost Gaming - Allushin, Atomic, mist (-)

There isn’t too much noteworthy to say about Ghost. They had a tough week one showing vs Spacestation Gaming, a competitive one, yet they never looked like a major threat to SSG. However, they took home their second consecutive Astronauts Star Circuit qualifier, with wins over eUnited, Rogue & Spacestation in the finals. It raises concerns on whether Ghost are overperformers in the off-season and then under-performers come the big RLCS matches. A question we probably won’t have answers for a while. If indeed they can transfer their non RLCS form into RLCS, they are a force to be reckoned with, here’s hoping they do as talents like Atomic & mist continue to make highlight plays.

#3 - Pittsburgh Knights - ExplosiveGyro, Retals, AyyJayy (-)

Another team with no movement in the rankings, albeit it could have been a very different story. The other side of Flight getting reverse swept by Knights was the major step up by the Knights players once faced with a deficit, particularly from Retals, a true standout among all the players competing this week. AyyJayy had a shaky performance, double-committing a lot, yet his moments of brilliance were critical to PK’s success, something that if a regular occurrence, will cement Knights as a team making Dallas. Attention now shifts to a grudge match vs an in-form G2, a match that could have major implications on our rankings.

#2 - Spacesation Gaming - AxB, Sypical, Arsenal (-)

A successful week for Spacestation Gaming, something which is becoming a recurring theme. They came out of their RLCS match vs Ghost victorious, with all players looking good in the process. They’re at a status now where the good they do is going to be glossed over, because it’s simply expected of them, they are the consensus #2 team among fans, fellow professionals and our expert committee. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t mention the exceptional, which there are two points of interest from the Astronauts cup. First of all, they defeated NRG 3-1 in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately un-streamed, so what level of NRG turned up can be disputed, but a win over NRG is very impressive, and unlike Cloud9, they have other good results to suggest it mightn’t be a one-off. Secondly, they took G2’s best efforts and were victorious vs them after being down 3-1, with spectacular defence from Sypical shutting out the potent G2 offence in a very impressive display. Not even a loss to Ghost in the finals doesn’t undo all the positives about SSG this week.

#1 - NRG Esports - GarrettG, jstn, Turbopolsa (-)

Admittedly, it’s tough to envision NRG will lose their top spot at any point this season, although they are trinkets to suggest it isn’t impossible. Going the full five games with Soniqs was unexpected, yet they were victorious. Turbopolsa in particular was on the ball, quite literally, always well positioned to intercept Susquehanna passes and lead the team when jstn had an unusually quiet game offensively. The team did look far better than the squad that lost to Cloud9 two weeks ago, it’s not like the world champion’s curse has plagued NRG and death is inevitable, although a loss to Spacestation Gaming in Astronauts, the team ranked directly below them domestically is a point of interest. Even if in a downward trajectory, it’s not like their dominance is ending. Yes the trend is downwards, but it would be extremely difficult to somehow improve on previous seasons as rocket league gets even more competitive. And despite the loss to SSG, they are simply so far ahead that it’ll take far more than a sole loss to have them even considered to not be #1 domestically.