Due to the total number of games under our belt this season and a desire to go more in-depth with each ranking, we are extending this week’s Power Rankings into two pieces. The second set of rankings will come out in the next couple of days and will cover the teams in the top six spots. Until then, you can be left to wonder which team will sit atop the rankings.
For now, though, we look to the lower end of the table, where some very interesting stories are beginning to develop. With last week’s results, three teams are in contention for a playoff spot in Group B, setting up an exciting and very important last week of matches. But, before we head off for the holiday break in anticipation of these matches, let’s see which teams are holding down the bottom half of the table.
Each of these three teams is theoretically in the playoff hunt. If the Legion win against XL2 and NRG lose to Second Wind, the Legion will jump them for the 3rd place finish. Team Envy needs a convincing win and either an NRG loss or a convincing Legion loss to get into the 4th place spot. With all of this confusion and madness within Group B, look for these teams to give it all this week.
Had the Legion managed to secure that victory against Second Wind in week 1, we may be looking at a completely different ranking for this team. However, due to that loss and their failure to beat NRG, this team sits appropriately at the #7 spot this week. If the Legion hopes to secure their spot in the top eight and qualify for playoffs, they are going to need to bring the same energy they brought back in week 1.
SIX MAN EARTHSHATTER?!
A clean 3-0 with @Panker_OW leading the charge. pic.twitter.com/ZU1Y1zIzt8
— Gladiators Legion (@GLALegion) December 20, 2018
For their final match of the season, with playoff hopes and dreams on the line, the Legion take on XL2. Of all of the teams they could have asked for this week, an XL2 team fresh off of a loss is probably the last thing they had hoped for. Either needing a win or at least a close loss to potentially qualify, the Legion have their work cut out for them this week. Stay tuned late Thursday night for this one.
Each week, we have been waiting for this Envy team to show up. After three weeks, it finally seems to have happened. Looking near-flawless in their victory against NRG, Team Envy looks to ride this wave to a late-season playoff run. With a convincing win against the Skyfoxes next week and a Gladiators Legion loss to XL2 standing in their path, they look poised to do so. This may be the makings of quite the late season story, so keep your eyes on this team.
We take the 4-0 vs. @NRGgg – This means we have a good shot at making playoffs, just gotta pop off after the break 🤠
— Envy fischer🐟 (@fischerable) December 20, 2018
This week they climb in the standings over an NRG team that has a better record based on the sheer dominance displayed in the head to head. Had it not been the 4-0 that it was, Envy would likely be coming in at #9. As they climb in the rankings this week, look for them to keep the pace next week after a probable grounding of the Skyfoxes in next week’s matchup. They’ll want the 4-0 for playoff security. Will they get it?
Image Courtesy of @NRGgg
This team has had the most polarizing performances of any team in NA Contenders this year. NRG has been in a constant back and forth between getting swept and winning matches, making them an incredibly difficult-to-rank team. In the end, they fall three spots this week due to losing head-to-head against Envy in convincing fashion and simply not looking consistent enough to thrive in the playoffs.
What’s worse, they get Second Wind this coming week. Sitting on top of the world, NRG’s only hope is that Second Wind arrives to the match with a sense of privilege and fails to prepare for them. On the other hand, NRG has seemed to go back and forth between looking dismal and incredible. With their poor performance last week keeping on track, they may be due for a stellar showing against Second Wind. If you’re an NRG fan, break out your rabbit’s foot and cross your fingers – you’re going to need all the luck you can get.
Image Courtesy of @MayhemAcademy
Things have not worked out for a Mayhem Academy team that is much better than their 0-4 record would suggest. In each of their last two games, against two undefeated teams, they were able to go to a 5th map and nearly win the series. Either of those wins would have been monumental for this team. Sadly, they could not pull either off and remain among the three winless teams in the league.
If this team were to keep the exact same roster next year and play consistently on the meta, I could see them making a playoff run with ease. Mayhem Academy reminds me a lot of Team Envy in this way. Each has a good roster but clearly not enough time to gel and coordinate properly. In a meta like GOATS, these are paramount for teams to succeed. They may be out of the playoff hunt here, but expect them to end the season on a win against an equally dismal Kungarna side.
While Kungarna remains one of the best-branded teams in the league, the pretty tweets have not led to pretty matches for this team. With their playoff hopes dashed, Kungarna finishes the year playing for pride. There are a few players on this team that I would imagine will be looking to join other teams next season, as their current situation does not seem to be working here. The same can be said of players on Skyfoxes, I’d imagine.
With the loss on Route 66, we lose the series and our playoffs dream comes to an end. We’ll finish out our season with pride, and we’ll take what we’ve learned for next season. GGs to @UprisingAcad! pic.twitter.com/agAjKtnbb5
— Kungarna (@Team_Kungarna) December 19, 2018
They get one last shot against the best of the 0-4 teams, Mayhem Academy in what is sure to be a full-on pillow fight. In all seriousness, though, this match will undoubtedly mean a lot for both sides. Similar to how the Florida Mayhem and Shanghai Dragons approached their games towards the end of the Inaugural Season of the OWL, these teams will look to find a positive note wherever they can looking ahead to 2019. With Mayhem Academy looking far-improved after working on their GOATS comp, this may be a bitter end for Kungarna.
Image Courtesy of @SkyfoxesOW
No team in NA Contenders has ever gone 0-5 without winning a single map. If the Skyfoxes get swept by Team Envy in their final match, they will be forever enshrined as the only team to ever do so, finishing with both a 0-20 map record and a 0-5 match record. For the sake of the players, coaches and fans, I genuinely hope that this will not be the case.
All season, this team has struggled to find their identity amongst their massive host of players and coaching staff. Perhaps this final week of the season, they can find it.
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