RLCS Season X: Pre-Season Power Rankings - EU
#10: Endpoint - Virtuoso / RelatingWave / Metsanauris
The off-season began so well for this trio, with a top-three finish in the Spring Series. However, disappointing performances have troubled the British organisation since bringing on Metsanauris as a permanent third, with defeats at the hands of Top Blokes and Singularity knocking Endpoint out of the Eurocup before another loss against Top Blokes ended their Summer Grand Prix campaign in ninth place. This lineup has some serious work to do ahead of the new RLCS season, with their demolition-heavy playstyle no longer being as effective as when they shocked the scene with their strong performance in the Spring Series.
#9: Top Blokes - FlamE / Kassio / archie
Following the roster’s release from Veloce Esports and subsequent replacement of Freakii with Clappers star archie, Top Blokes had a relatively average off-season. Despite not qualifying for the Eurocup thanks to defeats against BDS and Monkeys, they fought back in Rocket Baguette’s Summer Grand Prix. Wins against Solary, Giants and Endpoint secured their spot in the Group Stage, but their run ended in 7-8th place after winning just one game in their group. However, losing to Vitality and BDS is certainly nothing to get too upset about for Top Blokes fans.
#8: Vodafone Giants - Tox / Zamué / Stake
Yes, they finished last in the Summer Grand Prix and lost to Top Blokes and Monkeys, both ranked below them. But the Giants proved in both the Spring Series and the Eurocup that they’re capable of challenging (and beating) Europe’s top teams! A top-four finish in the Spring Series, featuring a win over the reigning regional champions just over a month after their triumph, plus wins over Oxygen Esports and Dignitas again in their top-four Eurocup run showed the world that the Vodafone Giants are here to stay.
#7: Dignitas - ViolentPanda / Yukeo / Joreuz
When they won the European Regional Championship against Renault Vitality at the end of Season 9, nobody thought Dignitas would end up as far down as seventh. With that being said, poor performances ever since their big win have plagued their off-season, especially with Joreuz’s addition to the roster in place of AztraL. Losses to BDS and Giants knocked them out of the Eurocup before crashing out of the Summer Grand Prix without winning a single series. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for DIG fans. This time last year, similar doubts were being raised about the roster when AztraL was first signed and, although it took almost an entire season for results to improve, that trio went onto finish top four at the World Championship.
#6: Guild Esports - noly / ThO. / Scrub
The newest organisation to acquire a Championship Series roster, Guild Esports made headlines after picking up the Singularity roster. Backed by David Beckham, Guild means serious business and the roster showed it by reaching the top six in the Summer Grand Prix. It’s been a bumpy off-season for the surprise team of the year, with the team failing to qualify for the Eurocup after losing to Monkeys in the qualifier. Nevertheless, a strong SGP performance and some huge backing behind the team has left the trio in a strong position as they look to cement themselves in Europe’s elite.
Click to enlarge#5: FC Barcelona - Deevo / Ronaky / Itachi
Moroccan star Itachi made his return to the European RLCS over three years after being disqualified on ZentoX by joining an FC Barcelona side in a strange place following Flakes’ removal from the roster. However, he’s certainly shown himself to be more than capable among Europe’s top sides. FCB was the Summer Grand Prix’s surprise package, finishing third with wins over Oxygen, Singularity (now Guild) and BDS securing a strong finish. On the other hand, in the same event, FCB did also lose to both Singularity and Oxygen and it remains to be seen whether the Catalonian side will be able to repeat their wins once the season begins.
#4: Team Liquid - kuxir97 / Speed / fruity
Oh, Liquid. Where did it go wrong? An absolute howler of a day saw TL win just one game out of seven against Oxygen and BDS, crashing out of the Summer Grand Prix in 5-6th place. It was an unfitting end to what had been an off-season just as promising as it had been turbulent. Fruity’s addition bore immediate fruits (if you will) as mousesports finished second in the Eurocup before signing onto one of esports’ biggest and most decorated organisations in the form of Team Liquid. Liquid’s Rocket League story got off to a perfect start as wins over BDS and Vitality put them through to the playoffs before the aforementioned shocking Saturday knocked them out early. The big question heading into the first Regional Event is - which Liquid will we see? The one that swept the best team in Europe, or the one that collapsed over the course of one day?
#3: Team BDS - MaRc_By_8. / M0nkey M00n / Extra
Quite possibly the best move of the off-season saw Extra elevating his new BDS side to new heights. In their first event together, BDS won the Eurocup with a victory over mousesports before signing the Frenchman permanently. Another strong outing, this time in the Summer Grand Prix, cemented BDS’ spot in the upper echelons of European Rocket League as they took down Top Blokes and Team Liquid on their way to a fourth-place finish. Will their ascent to the top continue or will they falter back down to the spots that they occupied before their big move?
#2: Oxygen Esports - Ferra / Chausette45 / AztraL
Although Oxygen definitely had a rough start to the off-season - failing to qualify for the Spring Series before finishing last in the Eurocup - AztraL’s addition seems to have revitalised the roster. Were it not for many, many moments of madness at the end of their Summer Grand Prix grand final matchup with Vitality, they may very well have found themselves at the top of the rankings. With plenty of time to adjust to their new third throughout the new season, Oxygen fans have plenty to look forward to as their team looks to prove that they should’ve been at the top of the rankings.
#1: Renault Vitality - Fairy Peak / Kaydop / Alpha54
How ironic that the only team to not make a change during this off-season would find themselves at the top of the rankings. Winning two out of the three events certainly helped, with the Spring Series and (barely) Summer Grand Prix titles ensuring that Vitality found themselves at the top of the Power Rankings. The French powerhouse has shown no sign of yielding its dominant position at the top, with the trio heading into the first Regional Event as the favourites.
Images via Zeebo | DreamHack
