ESEA TF2 S8 Open Power Rankings - Week 2
(ESEAnews) - After our first week... err two weeks of matches have passed we're ready to see how the season progresses through power rankings as under rated teams will surface, good teams will get better and find out if our season favorites can stay at the top. With the way the Open competition is shaping up right now we seem to have established a top five between Eccentric, Nothing 2 Prove, Avoided and Spacemoney. These are teams that have six competent starters who all know their role, can compete at a top open level, and wouldn't ever need to replace a player through out their season. The rest of the teams below the top 5 who are listed here consist of teams that both have not lost yet, as well as a couple teams that had a tough break and lost a game, but still belong at the top of open.
TEAM
RANK
COMMENTS
? THERES STILL HOPE
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
1.
Eccentric TF2 was created after registration closed, as they were able to save a dead team's roster and bring some top level competition to open. It's no secret they are definitely going to be a top team this season but their real challenge will stem from sting being able to control his rage under frustrating circumstances. Right now they seem composed and possibly egotistical but appropriately so. Should they lose their cool, or suffer a huge loss, it's important for them to take it as a learning experience, and power through whatever difficulties might come to make sure they win the next game.
Important to mention is the rumor that dlay on their team is ametrine. Note that ametrine has played with snypes and ninjanick before, meanwhile dlay has gotten pretty good out of no where while ametrine has disappeared.
? Leviathan Gaming
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
2.
Some people might give me some flack for this one, and some might give Viper Gaming some flack for having two ex-invite players on their roster. Below average invite players, but still invite players nonetheless. However, their effect on the success of this team doesn't come from DM, fragging or play making ability but instead from raw experience; playing smart, not making mistakes, and above all, teaching and assuring that their line up is always in the right places and taking the right fights, at the right times.
What's playing a huge part to me ranking this team high is how well they did against the THPS off classing line up (which on a good day would be a top IM team) when they nearly beat us 4-5 on granary. Scrims are just scrims, and matches are something totally different, but this still means something. If viper gaming consistently plays as well as they did in that scrim, I don't see anyone stopping them this season.
? Dead Dazzle
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
3.
These next two teams could go in either order as they are both very talented with the right chemistry and teamwork to back it up. Shrew is coming up fast as a medic in the competitive TF2 world, and shares one of the most unspoken but valued medic traits - the ability to call for your team while you heal and uber. It's a talent that only a handful of medics have like CB, tragic, harbleu and some of the past greats like pyour and ruwin have done it as well. Another key to the success of Avoided is that the fragging classes have enough talent to capitalize on shrew's calls.
? Pinball Wizards
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
4.
Nothing 2 Prove or previously known as Pinball Wizards is pretty equal in skill to Avoided, the main difference being that Avoided has a better combo, where as Nothing 2 Prove has better scouts. Expect tang to put up some impressive numbers this season, while slipz has the experience and movement to get away with aggressive plays and distractions. Expect to see me talking about Nothing 2 Prove all season long.
? Spacemoney
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
5.
Not far off from the previously mentioned teams, in either rank or skill is Spacemoney. Realistically if someone came to me and told me I should put spacemoney at the top spot I wouldn't disagree. There's a reason I stated a "top 5" earlier and seeing them half way down the list shouldn't make you think they couldn't beat any of the aforementioned teams on any given day. Spacemoney definitely has some talent spread throughout their roster, but like Eccentric their main problem will stem from being able to handle losses, as the core of this team - june and letitriot have a two season long history of calling their team quits before the second week of the season. If spacemoney can hold it together, expect PlasmaSnake and DennisTheMenace to be star players all season long.
? fuck squider
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
6.
It feels so wrong to put a team that spadez starts on in the power rankings, it must feel wrong to read it too. Like it or not spadez has gained some talent lately and it showed last week when Root Plus Five took down SHPW in a thrilling 3-5 game. Some might disagree that Root Plus Five shouldn't be ranked this high, but until the teams featured in the power rankings start taking down other teams in the top 10, Root Plus Five holds on to a well earned sixth place.
? WOOOPS
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
7.
Okay, so maybe my opinion is a little bit jaded since Great Stalin is part of the THPS circle jerk. Nonetheless Pixel Smashers deserve to be a top 10 team, just where in the top 10 is another story, that we wont get to read until were further into the season. Pixel Smashers also come in at a respectable 7th place due to their win over squigglin with squiggle, who definitely aren't an easy win.
? MAKING A COMEBACK
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
8.
Steven Hawking Pro Wheelchair is one of two teams on the power rankings who have a loss. However, with 5-0 wins over two of the stronger open teams - Changing The Metagame and Dwight Gaming we can't dismiss them just yet. TC and Math are great scouts, while hubes and chapin (I believe thats hubes) have definitely performed above average throughout their past seasons of ESEA.
? Shrek FAQ Forums
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
9.
Simplicity has the worst record of all the teams listed here, but their talent is another story. I don't think anyone blames them for their devastating loss to Eccentric, who holds the top spot. Simplicity still has great cohesion and one of the best scout combos in open. So far they're having a tough schedule but I expect them to bounce back up and get some W's.
? PROkemans
Central
0-0-0 (.000)
Streak N/A
10.
PROkemans might have been blessed with one of the easiest schedules this season, with the exception of Just4Fame, who they powered through at 5-3. The combination of an easy schedule and a respectable win puts this team in the power rankings just over the other several teams I feel also deserve a spot. PROkemans should pull ahead this week with wins on viaduct but expect some trouble going into week 3 when they play Viper Gaming.
Originally published on ESEA on 2/8/2011, 9:45 PM by vhalin.
Archived from ESEA TF2 Open Power Rankings - Week 2 as part of tf2esports.com's preservation of ESEA's TF2 coverage. All rights remain with the original author and ESEA; reposted for historical reference.