Edit: adding rosters
Thank you very much to JDuff who helped me with the team writeups, as well as Oppebo for helping me straighten out lineups. I will be writing these based on the top 16 overall teams in open, using the top 8 from each conference as these are the playoff spots teams are fighting for.
Open Power Rankings Week 4 Part 1/2
1) GrapeSquad
Scouts: Andrew+Pablo
Roamer: Lary
Pocket: Exile
Demoman: Trapster
Medic: Turkey
GrapeSquad have had a great start to the season, beating every team they've come across while dropping only 7 rounds in the past 4 matches. That isnt to say that they've had many difficult teams to play so far. Their most difficult adversary thus far has been High Altitude dreamworld, and while quite a solid roster, lost 2-5 quickly after a long and close first half. Exile's team will be under heavy pressure to retain their place as top team in Open as they have a difficult schedule the next 2 weeks, having matchups against dUmB cLaSsIcO, Landed In Open, and b1g brane.
2) Razer Synapse Loaded
Scouts: Duke-Em+Dunker
Roamer: Jsalz
Pocket: Trizzaa
Demoman: GGen
Medic: Sombre
Razer Synapse Loaded are shaping up to be quite the top contenders this season, currently going undefeated in the Central conference against an already somewhat difficult schedule. They've been pulling close wins against the likes of Carpool Cucks, SERENDIPITY FRAG MOVIE, and Depressed Weaboos, and otherwise stomping the rest of their competition. Their most recent 5-4 against Carpool Cucks was a somewhat questionable game, with Duke-Em being in Florida, as well as having their sub crash midgame and playing a small portion of the game 5v6. Reguardless, they stayed on the offensive the majority of the time, and lost their rounds due to being pushed back to last from midfights or one particular crafty backcap. All in all, I think Razer Synapse have earned their spot as 1st in the Central conference and 2nd overall. Look out for more close games this week, especially in their matchup against the Central runner-up team Power Surge.
3) Power Surge
Scouts: Zoey+Android
Roamer: Merc
Pocket: Juggernaut
Demoman: Shylo
Medic: Gollywobbler
Power Surge is a reformation of Reenergized from last season, with a few new additions to their roster. So far, the team has dropped a mere 3 rounds and has had fairly easy matchups the early season. Their latest match against ROPE proved to be the closest match so far this season, pulling out with a 3-2 victory. The team has plenty of experience in their roster, making for a team that could easily be a contender for top playoffs. Two fairly even matchups this coming week against Depressed Weeaboos (5-1) and the current leader of the Central conference, Razer Synapse Loaded (6-0) could give Power surge a run for their money.
4) Landed In Open
Scouts: Riot/Unconscious
Roamer: Dyl4n
Pocket: Maelstrom
Demoman: Yuno
Medic: Diashock
With both a strong roster and start to the season, Landed In Open proves to be a top contender for a playoff spot this season. With the team's only loss to Coon Platoon (5-2), it looks promising for the currently top-notch roster. With notable players such as Yuno, a high open veteran and Unconsious/Paul 's return to TF2 after being everyone's favorite puglord, the team is looking up this season. One of the most notable matchups of the entire week should be between Landed in Open and GrapeSquad (6-0) wich will be a truly stellar match to test two potentially play-off worthy teams early on in the season.
5) dUmB cLaSsIcO
(Take classes with a grain of salt)
Scouts: Wretch+Ictus
Roamer: ?
Pocket:Ranga
Demoman: Chriz Tah Fah
Medic: Aiera
There isn't really much to be said that hasn't been already about dUmB cLaSsIcO. The team won Intermediate in Season 21, took to Invite under the Sinful Gaming brand, and has dropped back down to open in pursuit of a casual scrim-free team. Despite their loss last week, they can still easily win open as long as Connor doesn't throw sandviches to enemies come postseason.
6) Carpool Cucks
Scouts: Phazon+Tetra
Roamer: Paradox
Pocket: Protag
Demoman: Georgi
Medic: Amulet
Carpool Cucks have had a fairly easy schedule this season; at least, until Process rolled around. Facing off last week against Real Housewives of ESEA and Razer Synapse Loaded proved to be quite the challenge for the team. Coordinated play from Paradox and Protag during midfights helped them secure a convincing 5-2 victory against Real Housewives, but they struggled a lot against Razer Synapse. In a match plagued by players going AFK after readying up, several pauses because of a game crash, and several key mistakes in a close matchup resulted in a 5-4 loss. Viaduct week should be a bit of a break for them, as they may likely take a forfeit win from likely dead THE GERMS, and have a matchup against mid-tier team Forecast.
7) Coon Platoon
Scouts: Rogue+Punisher
Roamer: Freederf
Pocket: Def
Demoman: Cheezus
Medic: Shining Star
Having a moderately difficult begining of the season, Coon Platoon have held their own in the infamous Eastern Conference. While Viaduct week has already started for the team as of last night, losing their first match against High Altitude Dreamworld (5-2), the team again faces a tough matchup against dUmB cLaSsIcO (5-1). With the team having many players with little to no experience, with exceptions of Def who played IM and Rogue who made playoffs last season, the team has a lot of work to do in order to prove themselves as playoff contenders.
8) Depressed Weaboos
Scouts: Murmur+Kezia
Roamer: Sully
Pocket: Felsen
Demoman: Playmo
Medic: Bagel Friday
When the core of Kritzcast banded together again, I was very interested to see how they would perform. Sure enough, they are handling their season very well so far. They have won outright 5-1 and 5-0 in every match, other than an incredibly close 2-1 loss against Razer Synapse Loaded, the conference's current leader. They have a tough schedule ahead of them however, having to face off against Power Surge, kkk-ferris-wheel, ROPE, and Carpool Cucks in the upcoming weeks. Felsen chalks his team's success up to their medic's calls and decision making, as well as stellar performances from the Murmur-Kezia scout duo. It'll be interesting to see where the team stacks up in the coming weeks.