From Steel to Swiftwater to Turbine in the crazy, mixed map-pool of UGC but one thing it does do is give teams a fighting chance against the best. The top 10 hasn't really shifted about much all season but as we near the playoffs it is crunch time for those who practise regulary enough to want to win the league whilst those who like to turn up for a laugh are putting on their game faces, getting angry at the screen and mashing their keyboard and amazing themselves at how close they came to an upset. Still, the fight for positions and seeding is hotting up. Shoutout to the Couch Athletics, after winning eXtravision's first ever 'Community of the week' award they didn't play because their would-be opponents BRB-U due to them apparently folding - so poor CA will be behind a game this stage of the season. Anyhow onto the rankings:
1. Bonus Points!
It's boring to see the same team at the top every week but they have met every challenge set to them, winning against RANCH 2-0 this week, although rumour has it RANCH came within seconds of getting a round off the leaders. So Bonus will face off against our number 2 in the Power Rankings, Gangsta Gang Gaming this week on ctf_turbine_pro_b1. Just a quick pointer to our friendly UGC admins, why are we using an outdated version of the map with proven bugs and no access for the defending team to push out of banana - forcing them to go through vents as that main turbine choke is the worst place in TF2 to make a push out of.
2. Gangsta Gang Gaming
Also known as 'carried hard by Blaze', the defending champions had a bit of a grinded out encounter last week against The Syndicate, winning 2-1, never really looking too comfortable until towards the end of the game. Payload is a definite weakness for GG, you can definitely bet they will have to face whoever they face in the grand final on a Payload map. Oh? Am I being too forward? There is no question in my mind GG will make the final, and this weeks match against Bonus is 99% likely to be casted on eXtv and will probably be a preview of the Grand Final in 6 weeks time. Having scrimmed both sides within one painful night, I can say it will be an intriguing game - it is my belief that GG have a stronger offence but Bonus are defensively better. Demoman and Scout have the biggest part to play on this map, unf and blaze is a hell of a combination which may make the difference. Definitely tune in to this one.
3. Looking Handsome
As the season has gone on Looking Handsome seem to be the third wheel in the title race although it is far from the truth, being the only team to beat GG this season they are still big contenders but a loss on cp_steel against Tangerine puts them 6-1 in 4th spot, though this week they made a recovery with a routine win over Gangsta Posse (doing the GG double) and they will find themselves fighting hard for it against The Syndicate this week. I honestly can't call this game, if it wasn't overshadowed by GG v Bonus I would call it the match of the week.
4. Unbelievably Brave Sweethearts
The ELO rankings have been kind to my team this season, seeing how we have avoided the top 3 so far this season but we have had our fair share of tense matchups and last week's matchup against Tangerinewas no different. The game was so tense at one point it was sheer adrenaline and panic running the show, I recall running around cluelessly for 10 seconds trying to find polk and almost losing our uber. If Johnse hadn't sniped their medic we'd maybe lost the game. We're 3 games away from hearing the soft, gentle, raucious and rough voice of our star sniper. RANCH won't be a pushover, they haven't been for any of the top teams that have played them this season, we'll need to be at our best to keep the unbeaten streak continued.
5. The Syndicate
A team more famous for TMP and Stabby Stabby have been making ground this season with mostly solid results but the player really doing the business for them in their sniper JJK, who did huge work against GG, picking SEABASS a number of times.-ts- face up against Looking Handsome this week in another game I think will be close and tense, it may well come down to a few individuals. Go on TMP if you're the "best Pyro on the planet" prove it. Oh and cut your hair.
6. Tangerine
Also known as 'IB' or so they tagged up as Inglorious Broadcasters, trying to try and find some of that previous form they had back in season 3 and 4 against their old rivals, uBs but it wasn't enough. Mind you it was close...really close. Heart on mouth stuff after a hard fought match ending 2-1 to uBs, but overall it just means another loss for Tangerine and a 3-4 record, and with no easier matches having played everyone in the top 5 this season - they now get to play another top 8 team in Gangsta Posse.
7. Blunderful
Recovered from a couple of rough games recently with a victory over Axl Wat on Steel and A Tin Team on Swiftwater, leading the pack of 8 teams with 4-3 records from 6th-13th, bfllook likely to finish in the top half of the playoffs though their next opponents are Heating Up who have won their last 4 matches, but this would be the first geniune top 10 opponent for them.
8. Gangsta Posse
Another tough opponent for Gangsta Posse, having faced their big brother side Gangsa Gang Gaming and lost on Steel, they were beaten by Looking Handsome 2-0 on Swiftwater. Only Tangerine have had a harder draw of fixtures than them, and guess who they play next?
9. Axl Wat
The famous public community side Axl Wat finally come into the top 10 being the only one of the teams just outside the rankings to win and actually earn it, beating $5 fairly comfortably. They have been silently creeping through the season, looking to cause some trouble to the big boys and with a sniper like Chingster they can't be too far away.
10. Self-sustaining Mexican Cat Ranch
Last seasons 3rd place side gave Bonus! a scare coming close to stealing the rounds in a 2-0 loss. They have been urged to get their act together and practise by some of the opposition on the UGC forums so they can tumble the unbeaten uBs. Either way this sleeping Cat might prowl on Turbine this week, an upset on the cards?
That concludes the top 10 rankings for this week.ProN got a default win although they were likely to win their match against The Honey Badgers. Those elusive playoff spots from 6th-16th are starting to heat up with a lot of teams hitting form though LBT are a notable absence, having slumped to 3 defeats on the trot including to a resurgent Free Frag Network. Good luck all and have fun, thanks for reading.
Originally published on CommunityFortress on Sunday, 18 March 2012 10:06 by Hildreth.
Archived from UGC Platinum Power rankings - Week 7 as part of tf2esports.com's preservation of CommunityFortress's TF2 coverage. All rights remain with the original author and CommunityFortress; reposted for historical reference.