RGL S5 Main Power Rankings Pt. 2 of 2?
2/15/2021
Season 4 of RGL Main was one of the mostly evenly matched seasons of any RGL division so far with a five way tie for most wins, a three way tie for second most wins, and some upper bracket seeds being sent packing in the first round. This season, four games are left and five teams are tied for most wins once again - it looks like everyone shooting for a title is in for a serious grind.
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#1 Sea Shanty 2 (9-3) [+7]
Scouts: tanline, vin
Soldiers: zotoh, ydna
Demo: drip_rater
Medic: PatricK
I believed Sea Shanty 2 would be one of the top teams before the season kicked off. They didn't take Neptune's throne immediately and lost to rival playoff teams during the opening weeks. Since then, the waters have calmed as they've conquered the remaining playoff teams and are on track to sail into an upper bracket seed.
#2 VideoGameHighSchoolDropouts (9-3) [-1]
Scouts: rkcbb, PrtyN8ked
Soldiers: Protag, dala
Demo: Georgi
Medic: GrumpyKoala
As noted previously and as predicted by several members of VGHS, this team kind of sucked ass at Product. They blew so bad their team almost imploded and the heartbreaking next game on Sunshine which they lost in golden cap didn't help. Fortunately, the toughest mid-terms are finally over, their combo scout actually has more than 20 FPS, and they've got some momentum back with three wins in a row so the future, at least for this next quarter, looks bright.
#3 FRESH INSTALLS: BLACK (9-3)
Scouts: rive, dalenu
Soldiers: segamw, Kronky
Demo: MiG-21
Medic: Poli
While clearly established as a top team, Sega and the squad hasn't had an easy run by any means, trading games back and forth with rival teams. It seems that the mere presence of Segamw gives their opponents extra motivation which may contribute to the intensity of their matches.
#4 Coo Coo Cachoo Fan Club (9-3) [+3]
Scouts: Unity, tracker
Soldiers: cookie, smiths
Demo: Redd
Medic: Mdodo
The fan club's performance these last three weeks is more what I expected from them going into the season in contrast to their first three weeks. For a team that almost played Advanced, 3-3 was a touch disappointing, albeit the games were close. Now, they're on a division best six win streak, have ironed things out, and got the tight games going their way.
#5 butta dawgs (9-3) [-3]
Scouts: juha, kots
Soldiers: saxophone, Sweezy
Demo: averted
Medic: footsocks
As one of five teams tied for the best record, the dawgs have split games versus their peers 2-2, taking out CCC and VGHS and falling to FRESH INSTALLS and Sea Shanty. It's a perfect example that there isn't enough difference between all the guys at the top to say anyone has a clear edge over the other. Come playoffs, it's all going to come down to circumstances, match-ups, mentality, map picks, and perhaps a bit of luck.
#6 Phantom Troupe (8-4) [-2]
Scouts: mudkip, dickers
Soldiers: @ybg.tara, daren
Demo: .json?
Medic: Bradasparky
The Troupe is not far behind the 9 win teams. They've already proven for certain they can hang - especially on Product where beat Sea Shanty 2 and sent VGHS spiraling into a deep, near team killing depression. And with three losses by a single round, they could've easily been reigning above the rest of the pack if they had closed it out better in those neck-n-neck games. Constant line-up shuffles is the only thing I see that could hold them back.
#7 DerpGaming LLC (7-5) [-2]
Scouts: Jayytee, gaschlong
Soldiers: Math, wrawar (peniferous)
Demo: asura
Medic: Rave_AC
The stock forecast for DerpGaming LLC was promising in the first two quarters of the season as they competed well with Phantom Troupe and upset the now flaming hot CCC Fan Club. Although the stock has trended down recently, the addition of veteran player wrawar/penny could give them the extra firepower they need to tick upward again.
#8 sv_cheats 2 (6-6) [-3]
Scouts: scouty, 673950163925
Soldiers: gloob, M17
Demo: yoob
Medic: Pal
Annihilating DerpGaming on Metalworks and nearly sinking Sea Shanty 2 looked like a good sign mid-season, but eventually, you've got to close out versus top teams to get into playoffs and sv_cheats 2 hasn't quite been able to do that. The good news: They've already faced (and lost to) the top 6 seeded teams. If they win out, which they very well could with their remaining schedule, they've still got good odds for playoffs.
#9 Poki Mains (5-7) [+3]
Scouts: Comanglia, TheS4rr
Soldiers: Juggernaut, johnnytsunami
Demo: rev
Medic: gollywobbler
Comanglia and crew (the guy from the config as well as other ventures) don't even have a positive record, yet have put even the elite teams in danger. Every week, their schedule has been hard as balls and as they prepare to face two bottom ranked teams, I'm sure they're happy to have a little respite before gearing up for the final week.
#10 Axolotl eSports (7-5) [NPR]
Scouts: marco5, jsuu
Soldiers: MoisDM, Jenn
Demo: tony
Medic: jigsaw
After a mediocre start in which Axolotl eSports eluded our last rankings edition, the script has been flipped for the Sons of Axolotl/PERUTECH alumni. At least, it appears that way looking at their record. Their only notable win is a 5-4 barn burner where they upset DerpGaming on Sunshine. This week, they get two chances to prove their mettle versus CCC Fan Club and butta dawgs.
#11 whatever works (6-6) [-1]
Scouts: Obamid, fishee
Soldiers: jhaeiou, xFactr
Demo: deimos
Medic: willsux
It would be an exaggeration and unfair to everyone else to say it's only Deimos doing work - jhae, Obamid, and others have all had their nights. Still, there's consistently one standout on the team and he'll need to continue to perform while some others step up in these upcoming big matches if they want to secure one of the few remaining playoff spots.
#12 Digi (7-5) [NPR]
Scouts: trux, enthrow
Soldiers: yams, dave2
Demo: mak
Medic: arcadia
Digi is performing about as expected for a team of strong players that aren't sweating too hard. They've amassed a fair share of wins, but I can't see them beating the contender teams VGHS and FRESH INSTALLS on Clearcut this week.
Honorable Mentions
ShawtyBendBackLiketheMatrix (6-6) [P#11]
It's been a rough stretch since the last edition of the rankings. Not only have they gone 2-4 (only one win versus a team with a positive record), their roster was straight up marked dead briefly. They need to bend it back hard and fast.
Big Dog Big Nuts (6-6) [NPR]
An unlikely playoff contender, they still have a dog in the fight. A couple times, winnable games slipped the leash and if they can get it under control, they might find themselves a place.
simply bon3d (5-7) [P#9]
A similar squad edged their way into playoffs last season and even won a map against the top seed. However, with so many old guys, maybe age is finally getting to them. They'll need to win out to have even a chance at playoffs.
Portland B-Siders (7-5) [NPR]
The Portland G-League team is hanging around the picture with a good record, but they remain unproven. All of their wins have come to middle or low tier teams. At the end of the day though, their previous losses to the contender level teams won't matter if they can finish the fight strong, and considering their mid-season line-up shift putting PRC and RoL on scout, I could see it happening.
Other Teams: Occam's Razor (5-7), Fellas in Paris (5-7), Gummy Bear Inc. (5-7), fgp (5-7), Sort By Deaths (4-8), Glovebox Glock (2-10), Tanking For Medal (2-10)
Graveyard: Cube and Ball Tulkas (2-4), Truckroid (0-2)
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Good luck to everyone on the last stretch.