RLCS X: Power Rankings NA - Edition #1
At last, RLCS Season X is here for North America. The season is already well underway for Europe, but NA is just getting started. The Grid kicked off last week, and this week will be extra busy for the top teams, with both The Grid and the first weekend of the first NA Regional Event. There’s also The Field, which basically provides teams with opportunities to scrim other teams in a more official setting. Not a whole lot of teams have made use of that yet, though. GGRecon’s NA Power Rankings look at where the teams stand coming into this big week for the region.
#10 - XSET Gaming (+0) - AlRaz, JPow, AlphaKep
XSET consistently beats former RLRS teams, but the teams coming from last season’s RLCS are often a little too much. They will have to prove themselves in the closed qualifier to secure a spot in the first NA Regional Event, so this week will be huge for them and their spot in the rankings.
#9 - eUnited (+0) - Hockser, Ayjacks, WondaMike
In their first showing this season, eUnited made it to the top eight of The Grid. What got them there was a close win versus The Peeps and a victory over the Pittsburgh Knights. Nothing spectacular for eUnited, but a decent result, nonetheless. The team has the potential to grow throughout the season, with WondaMike on their side. To move up the Power Rankings, however, they will have to show that potential in the coming weeks.
#8 - Plot Twist (+0) - Mectos, Taroco, Sosa
Plot Twist may not have made it to the playoffs in Week 1 of The Grid, but the legend of Sosa is stronger than that. They still look like a promising team, who could stand out with their performance. They keep their eighth place in the Power Rankings to show what they’re worth.
#7 - Version1 (+0) - Torment, Gimmick, AxB
Last week, Version1 narrowly beat Team Envy, the runner-up of The Grid Week 1, to make it to the quarterfinals. There they, unfortunately, met Spacestation Gaming, who went on to win in the finals. Still, Version1 took Spacestation to game five after multiple overtimes. That is truly an impressive feat. The team has struggled to make it back to the top with AxB, but that’s all history if they manage to keep this up.
#6 - Omelette (-1) - Freshness, Luke, LionBlaze
Omelette dropping a place in the Power Rankings has more to do with G2 moving up a place than anything else. Their games still manage to surprise, with a win over Spacestation Gaming in the group stage of The Grid. Whether their good performances in the BTS Summer Shuffle and last week translate to consistent results in the rest of the season, though, is very much unknown.
#5 - G2 Esports (+1) - Jknaps, Rizzo, Chicago
Coming into Season X of the RLCS, it wasn’t clear if G2 could bring back their old dominant self to the big stages. They failed to impress in the off-season, but they might be winning back their confidence. Their place in the top four in The Grid must have been a great relief to many G2 fans around the world.
#4 - Team Envy (-1) - Atomic, Mist, Turbopolsa
Any team with Turbopolsa can be a threat, and Team Envy is no different. The winners of The Brawl 10 are still looking strong in The Grid, although not as dominant as you might expect, losing a series against Version1. It took Envy three overtimes to defeat the Susquehanna Soniqs, and Spacestation Gaming was too strong for them in the end. Still, they’re in an excellent position to fight for the win, and that’s all that matters.
Click to enlarge#3 - Spacestation Gaming (+1) - Sypical, Arsenal, Retals
This team has been pulling off great results in the off-season, and they continue to do so. Spacestation Gaming having the edge over Team Envy last week is what brings them into the top three this week. Spacestation Gaming look scary, like they could beat any team on any given day. How far can they take it? To the moon!
#2 - Rogue (+0) - Kronovi, Firstkiller, Turinturo
Week 1 of The Grid wasn’t so great for everyone. Rogue didn’t manage to get out of the group stage with a loss against Plot Twist and Team Envy. However, they’re incredible off-season, and their consistent good results probably mean that they just had a bad day. It happens to the best. If their past performances are anything to go by, they can make up for it the next chance they get.
#1 - NRG Esports (+0) - GarrettG, Jstn, SquishyMuffinz
The first week of The Grid was even more disastrous for NRG: they immediately lost to the Soniqs and The Peeps, and only managed to pick up a single game. Their utterly dominating run through previous tournaments means that they will keep their spot at number one, despite last week’s mishap. The real test will be during the following weeks, so make sure you stay tuned for all the action!
Images via ZeeboDesigns