RLCS X: Power Rankings NA - Edition #10
The Swiss Stage of the North American Major saw a few surprising series, like Alpine beating G2 Esports and eUnited taking down Team Envy. Overall, it didn’t matter all that much for the standings. The top eight stays the same, and everything has to be decided on the final day of the Fall Split, in the Playoffs. These teams look the hottest at the end of the season.
#10 - Susquehanna Soniqs (+5) - Shock, jruss, Roll Dizz
You win some, you lose some, and that’s alright. But for the Soniqs it must have been pretty tough to sweep the Peeps and KCP, just to lose the next three series to miss the Playoffs. In every round, they met a team that would go on to make it to the top eight, so they had a much rougher day than many other teams. Essentially, the Soniqs are like Rogue, but without the high expectations. This time, the team played with Shock. He shocked everyone with some highlight plays, even against fierce opponents like NRG.
#9 - XSET Gaming (+1) - tcorrell, JPow, AlphaKep
Just as the Soniqs, XSET only played against top-eight teams in the Swiss Stage of the Major. They managed to do what they struggled to do before, though - they beat some teams ranked above them. It wasn’t enough to make it past the Swiss Stage, but taking it to round 5 definitely made it interesting. XSET showed they’re still a team to look out for.
#8 - Rogue (-1) - Kronovi, Firstkiller, Turinturo
Rogue got swept in two series, and swept the opponents themselves in two as well. It’s all or nothing for Rogue. It will do Rogue fans good to see that they kept it cool under pressure, and took the 3-0 victory in round 5. They don’t get to rest, though. The pressure is still on them for the Playoffs, where they start off against G2.
#7 - Alpine Esports (+1) - percy., Jordan, majicbear
Alpine had a rough time a few weeks ago. Now, the road looks better ahead, and it’s going up. It’s a testament to their skill that the Alpine rookies can play at the level of so many RLCS veterans - and with more and more consistency. In points, they’re a little behind on the teams they challenge, but that doesn’t matter. They’re here to play, and make an even better run in the next Split.
#6 - The Peeps (+0) - Gyro., AYYJAYY, Allushin
It has to be said: The Peeps struggled a little in the Major. They had to take the victory in round 5, but they made it. They get a chance to prove themselves in the Playoffs against NRG, although they’ve already proven to be a solid top-six team throughout the season.
#5 - Kansas City Pioneers (-1) - rapid, Memory, BeastMode
KCP will meet Spacestation Gaming in the quarterfinals of the Major, and it’s hard to say who’s the stronger team right now. The Pioneers have been getting stronger and stronger, while SSG have fallen off slightly. In the ASTRONAUTS Star Circuit Season 2 Finals last week, KCP beat SSG head-to-head, but they couldn’t win the tournament. Their Swiss Stage didn’t make them look as strong as in the last Regional Event, but given their form lately, they could easily turn that around and jump in hot.
#4 - Spacestation Gaming (+1) - Sypical, Arsenal, Retals
If it weren’t for a lost overtime in game 5 against Alpine, SSG could have made it to the Playoffs without going down once. On top of that, they won the ASTRONAUTS Star Circuit Season 2 Finals last week. Even though that doesn’t mean much for the standings, as the top-three teams didn’t play, it’s a positive statement from Spacestation. They might not be the final boss of NA, like they were mid-season, but they’re still up there with the rest.
#3 - Team Envy (-2) - Atomic, Mist, Turbopolsa
To make it to the Grand Finals, you can’t lose a single series next weekend. Team Envy had to warm up against eUnited in the first round of the Swiss Stage, and got taken down. If they do the same thing next weekend, Alpine will take advantage of them. Envy can still take it all, after winning the third Regional Event, but they’re rather hot and cold at times, so it’s difficult to tell how far they can make it.
#2 - G2 Esports (+1) - Jknaps, Rizzo, Chicago
G2 managed to keep it short by securing a spot in the Playoffs in three rounds. They didn’t let their opponents get close, and only dropped one game each series. At this rate, they can get very far into the Major. Everyone is going all out to win, though, so they will need to play well - even for G2 standards.
#1 - NRG Esports (+1) - GarrettG, Jstn, SquishyMuffinz
It’s very close at the top in NA. There’s no clear favourite to win it all, with this many talented rosters. NRG Esports is amongst the most consistent teams out there, only dropping two games thus far in the Major. They, too, will have to bring out their best plays for the Playoffs, but if there’s one team who consistently does that under pressure, it’s NRG. In any case, the rest of the Major shows great promise to be spectacular.
Image via ZeeboDesigns
