10. We Vicious (@WeVicious)
Roster: Jonathan Marstom, Mattie Morgan, Guiseppe Musico
Opening the top 10 list is none other than team We Vicious. This roster is stacked with accomplishments with each player having years of experience under their belt. Jonathan Marstom and Guiseppe Musico lead the way with recent success in the European circuit, while Mattie Morgan picked up some solid results during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. A well-rounded team for sure.
9. Carnage Gaming (@CGCarnageGaming)
Roster: Federico Turano, Dani Navarro, Pontus Westerlund
Another well-rounded team that is led by one of Latin America’s best in Federico Turano. Following him into battle are two impressive European players that have both recent impressive results and some dating back to earlier years. The combination of styles and format expertise should work well for Carnage Gaming in coming up with clever match strategies.
8. Kyoto Esports (@Kyoto_eSports)
Roster: River Davis, Joseph Ugarte, Estephan Valdebenito
Kyoto Esports is shaping up to be a dark horse that could take the league by storm. They have a consistently impressive Latin American player in Estephan Valdebenito, but two North American players that may appear as question marks for some. River Davis was a regional champion in 2017, has cut two regionals in both 2017 and 2018, and while he didn’t do a lot in the 2019 season, recently put up a 9-0 record in another online league. Meanwhile, Joseph Ugarte had a breakout tournament at the 2019 North American International Championships and has been an active player in the scene for a while. There is a high amount of potential here.
7. HyperBoomGG (@HyperBoomGG)
Roster: Chuppa Cross, William Sepesi, Lukas Muller
HyperBoom is a team led by experience, and its the two veterans in Chuppa Cross and Lukas Muller. William Sepesi took the most recent season off in terms of competing in live events, but a top four finish at Worlds back in 2017 (in the Seniors division) is nothing to scoff at.
6. 1NE Esports (@1neesports)
Roster: Melvin Keh, Matthias Loong, JS Deo
The immediate standout of this team is Melvin Keh, who is by far one of the most consistently good players in the entire world. Check any of the Top Cuts from the International Championships these past three years and one of the names you’ll see the most is Keh’s. Joining him are two more incredibly strong players from the Oceania region that have results all over Singapore and Malaysia’s major tournaments.
5. Team Esper (@TeamEsper)
Roster: Henry Rich, James Katsaros, Simon Konsti
Keeping with the theme of teams having players all from the same region, we have Team Esper. All three of these players are some of the best in Australia, having finishes within the nation and outside of it. With that being the case, the team synergy should be on point for Team Esper, and that’s a dangerous prospect for the rest of the league.
4. Arctic Roar (@arcticroar)
Roster: Oliver Eskolin, Allan Martinez, Case Bongirne
This team comes in with a lot of momentum considering they have two players who are in the process of reaching their peak with Oliver Eskolin and Allan Martinez. They’re back by another (relatively) new name to the scene in Case Bongirne, who brings a lot of experience along with a team building expertise that is rarely matched. This team has all the tools to do well, and proper coordination will be their key to success.
3. Justice Esports (@Justice_ESC)
Roster: Sam Pandelis, Mitch Kendrick, Gabriel Agati
Another team with some strong Australian roots, but this time they’re packing one of the best Latin American players in Gabriel Agati. Justice has already had some involvement in Pokemon VGC with them already having two sponsored players, and Agati’s addition will only make a strong team even stronger.
2. Good Game (@__GoodGameGG)
Roster: Justin Crubaugh, Tommy Cooleen, David Koutesh
The team behind the VGC Pinnacle league has assembled themselves quite a roster. Tommy Cooleen and Justin Crubaugh have been some of the best in the North American circuit for a while now, and adding a strong European player in David Koutesh is a perfect way to complete this trio. This team’s raw skill and experience make them a top contender from the get-go, and they will likely remain in the top five at the least.
1. Total Advantage (@TotalAdvantageG)
Roster: Nick Navarre, Stephen Mea, Hippolyte Bernard
Finally, at number one we have Total Advantage. This team made a fantastic entry into VGC with their sponsorship of Nick Navarre, one of the best North American players in recent years. Their draft was also impressive with them scoring another one of North America’s best in Stephen Mea who’s coming off a top eight finish at this year’s World Championships. If Hippolyte Bernard is a name you recognize, it’s because he also played in day two of Worlds this year with his fellow teammates. This team looks to be the best in the league going into the season, and they’re my personal pick to win the whole thing before the league kicks off.
There are our power rankings for the inaugural season of the VGC Pinnacle league. Battles will begin in just a few weeks from now and you can keep up with all of the action by following VGC Pinnacle as well as your favorite teams!
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