I decided to do my own Power Rankings for Open because nobody is doing articles this season and it is fun to write stuff at work to pass the time. It also made no sense to do power rankings until each team has played the first 8 matches because that is just a popularity contest.
Let me first say that I think this season of Open is going to be fantastic. There is not a single sandbagging team of invite rejects trying to get a quick paycheck by “off-classing all season”. That leaves a lot of hungry players and teams close in skill level with a very attainable goal at the end of the road. I expected to see some great matches in the weeks ahead as the top teams jockey for playoff positions.
My rankings are based off a few factors.
--Match Performance (most important)
--Schedule Difficulty
--Knowledge of the players/teams
--Scrim Results (least important)
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#1 – Weiner Bros (8-0)
Scheduled Strength: Above Average
With 4 of their first 8 matches coming against teams in or around my Top 10, the Weiner Bros have performed as expected with a clean 8-0 record. Even before the season started, many had these guys pegged as the team to beat this season. They have solid players at every position and the combo of Shiki/Peyote has few rivals in this division. I was hoping to see them have a tougher Gully schedule but they should cruise with 2 solid victories this week.
#2 – Mutual Consent (8-0)
Schedule Strength: Average
Mutual Consent had a very easy schedule until Snakewater week where they were twice put to the test. While I expected the sockheads match to be very close the Strafe Power result was more surprising. This team has arguably the strongest and most aggressive scout pair in open. Brrton and Pinkushin will be difficult for most teams to deal with as they clean-up this teams heavy hitting projectile classes very well. Gullywash week shouldn’t be much of a challenge, expect 2 solid wins.
#3 – sockheads (7-1)
Schedule Strength: Strong
Socksheads have easily had the most difficult schedule during the first 8 matches having played teams ranked 2, 5 and 6 in my Top 10. All were competitive matches that illustrated how even the top teams are right now. The wealth of experience on this team should serve them well when playoffs begin and they will be a scary team to face. Gullywash week should offer little challenge for this team.
#4 – Elite Pwnage Squad (8-0)
Schedule Strength: Average
EPS is a team with lots of talent and despite the 8-0 clean sheet they sport, it has not been the smoothest start. They have not faced off against a Top 5 team yet and the matches they had against contender teams were shaky wins at best. The most recent being a 4-3 win over rip john wayne kayc that could have easily been a loss. Gullywash week will continue the trend of weak scheduling and a 10-0 start is highly likely. Perhaps on metalworks week, they will get a Top 5 team to face.
#5 – BLANC Esports (7-1)
Schedule Strength: Below Average
BLANC is my team and I have a lot of confidence in my teammates. We are getting stronger each week and by playoffs, I feel we will be a difficult team to defeat. That aside, our schedule has been soft for the opening half of the season. Only the match against sockheads was a real test and look forward to the rematch down the line. Looking at our current schedule, I anticipate a 9-1 record after Gullywash week. With hopes of a Top 5 opponent for Metalworks.