RLCS S9: NA Power Rankings - Week 3
We’re back for the GGRecon power rankings of the NA RLCS. Another six games have been played, another Astronauts cup as well, plenty of matches to influence the ranking so lets hop right into it.
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 - Flight - rapid, Sea-Bass, Memory (-1)
Any argument that Flight wasn’t the worst team in the league pretty much died with a loss to fellow minnows Cloud9. And it’s not that they lost, its the manner in which they did it. A vulnerable weak C9 roster would have been the perfect chance for Flight to notch up their first win, instead they opted to give Cloud9 ample space on the pitch, which is never going to bode well, irrespective of C9’s form. Most, if not all offense vs Cloud9 was a direct result of the opposition’s incompetence. Their showing vs G2 yielded more positives however, rapid & Sea-Bass having standout games and being within seconds of going up 2-1 vs G2. They took it to G2 more than Knights did last week, but it must be noted that G2’s shooting accuracy left a lot to be desired, on another day it probably would have been a bloodbath. Overall, 0-4 in series, 4-12 in games, last in the league and therefore last in our rankings.
#9 - Cloud9 - SquishyMuffinz, Gimmick, Torment (-)
Escaping their match vs Flight with any win was the bare minimum expectation for Cloud9, and that’s what they accomplished. It wasn’t a pretty showing, one that would hardly confuse Cloud9 is even capable of making the playoffs, but it was enough to best Flight 3-1. Gimmick had his shooting boots on, scoring eight of C9’s eleven goals in, three games no less after C9 was held scoreless in the first game. All of those eleven goals were assisted too, a combined ten by Torment & Squishy. Next week, they will face G2 Esports, and it’s hard to recall encounter between both sides that has never been so lopsided on paper, such is the gap between a roster that has rebounded vs a roster that has seemingly peaked, especially after C9’s embarrassing 3-0 loss to RLRS side Absolute Leverage in the recent Astronauts cup.
Click to enlarge#8 - Rogue - Wonder, Kronovi, firstkiller (-)
Despite a loss, Rogue exit week three with their heads held high, arguably off to their best start to a season since Rogue signed the old Flyquest roster in early 2019. While the first week was a rocky start vs G2, Cloud9 saw a change in fortunes and the good form continued vs Susquehanna Soniqs. Only ever losing by single goals in their losses, all while outshooting the Soniqs, in an alternate dimension Rogue realistically takes this series win. However it was that shooting that cost them, often rattling the crossbar, where just a slight increase in accuracy would have seen Rogue take Susquehanna to multiple overtimes, if not game wins. Because truthfully, most goals conceded were simply as a result of being outplayed by the better team. No need to press the panic button for Rogue yet, they pass the eye test with flying colors and will be a big threat for future opponents.
#7 - eUnited - Hockser, Roll Dizz, Ayjacks (-)
Similar to Flight last week, eUnited faced the best team in the league and got defeated in a very standard series. Unlike Flight they managed to take a game off the titans, Roll Dizz capitalizing on uncharacteristic NRG defense to score a brace. Unfortunately, that was as good as the going went for eUnited, as NRG would shut them out for the next thirteen minutes.
Apart from a sweep over Cloud9, this season thus far has been wholly unremarkable for eUnited, not close to the top four but not at a major threat of demoting to Rival Series.
#6 - Susquehanna Soniqs - Satthe, Shock, Dappur (-)
The Soniqs hype train continues to steam ahead, with another victory, they find themselves currently 3rd in the RLCS standings, which is no fluke given two of those matches have been against the two highest-rated teams domestically in NRG & Spacestation. In whats becoming a weekly tradition, Shock was again nominated for player of the week, scoring five of Susquehanna’s eight goals, but he wasn’t alone in the spectaculars. Both of Satthew’s strikes in the second game were crucial in doubling the Soniqs’ lead, yet Dappur truly turned back the clock to 2017, assisting six of the eight goals scored. And not just any regular passes, double taps or boomers downfield to feed his teammate, and often with pinpoint accuracy, all the while making heroic saves to prevent a fifth game.
#5 - Ghost Gaming - Allushin, Atomic, mist (-1)
Ghost slides a bit after a loss to Pittsburgh Knights, yet they looked defiant in defeat. They still look good when they play, connecting with great passes, Atomic & mist still look like superstars. But the growing concern among the Ghost gang, is at some point, irrespective of how good you “look”, you have to win these big matches at some point. Yes they also made another grand final of an Astronauts cup, albeit falling and unable to do achieve a hat-trick of victories, but such has been the Ghost Gaming way since way back. Seldom do their best performances happen in RLCS and if that doesn’t change soon, the Ghost banner maybe perennially cursed.
#4 - Pittsburgh Knights - ExplosiveGyro, Retals, AyyJayy (+1)
The other side of the coin from Ghost’s loss, is that Pittsburgh Knights looked to have fixed some issues that had caused major concern before. Defensively solid, double commits a none issue, all while retaining their lethality on offense, the win over Ghost puts Knights back in the positive for this season, and back into our top four. The confidence boost is timely as a huge matchup with Spacestation Gaming awaits them this weekend, an opportunity to climb even higher in the standings, but at worst Knights will be 2-2 with a majority of the tough matchups played.
#3 - G2 Esports - Jknaps, Rizzo, Chicago (-)
The only undefeated team on this list, G2 continues to march forward on their road redemption. However the road was a little rocky this past weekend, their 3-1 win over Flight being far closer than expected to be. Shooting accuracy is still an issue for Chicago & Jknaps, last week could be excused, everyone has their off days but two weeks in a row raises eyebrows. Credit where it’s due, Rizzo stepped up to score some stunning solo efforts and help G2 over the line, but in an ideal world, the expectation shouldn’t be on Rizzo of all players to lead the historically lethal G2 offense. It must also be noted that for as good as G2 looks in RLCS, they still have a way to go to prove they are worthy of being placed above our top two teams.
Click to enlarge#2 - Spacestation Gaming - AxB, Sypical, Arsenal (-)
If we haven’t sung SSG’s praises enough these past few weeks, are there any doubts about their quality now? Taking down NRG Esports 3-2, and thus becoming the first side to defeat the current world champion trio twice since the start of last season’s RLCS, Spacestation has even earned some calls to be considered the #1 team in the region. Their showing vs NRG was truly one of a top tier squad. NRG gave them little inches of tiny mistakes, but that’s all SSG needed. Arsenal & Sypical are still as fantastic as ever, the main factors of their success last season en route to a top-four placing at worlds. However AxB has stepped up big time, on his being on par if not exceeding his MVP caliber teammate’s level of play. His heightened shooting prowess and general greater effect on the pitch have elevated Spacestation to be in the conversation of a lineup worth of top tier status.
#1 - NRG Esports - GarrettG, Jstn, Turbopolsa (-)
Yes, despite the loss to Spacestation, NRG is still our collective top dog in NA. It’s not like their losses to Spacestation have been blowouts, the recent defeat saw them one goal from vanquishing their opponents 3-1 before AxB heroics. The gap between them and the pack has closed, but NRG remains the top dogs. When they’re on, they still are incredible, as evident in winning last Monday’s Astronauts cup, sweeping Spacestation & Rogue, and dropping a solitary game to Ghost in the finals. It’s not even a knock against their opponents, the positives about Rogue’s rise and Ghost’s individual brilliance still stand, NRG was just that good, and a new rival rising in Spacestation may have potentially awoken a sleeping dragon.
Here's how the committee came to these rankings:
Click to enlargeImages via ZeeboDesigns.
