Current Standings
Noble Esports
Wow, were Noble fun to watch last week or what? On Thursday they took a 2-0 victory against Team Allegiance, a team viewed as top three. Then they took a very hard fought 2-0 against eUnited, who was looking like a team poised to make a run for DreamHack. Up until Week Three, Noble hadn’t picked up a single game. Now they’re sitting in fifth place, with six points and a shot at DreamHack.
Technically speaking, only Flash Point is out of the running for DreamHack as of right now, but Noble is the last team with a legitimate shot. They don’t control their own fate, however, but they can put themselves in a pretty good situation. They have two sets remaining this split, one with AI, and the other with Flash Point, both of which are behind them in the standings.
Should Noble take a 2-0 in both games, they will end up with 12 points. They will need some help from the other teams, as the teams ahead of them are in a much better situation.
In Memory of Gabe (Now Trifecta)
IMOG was right there during the Spring Split. They were so close to clinching a spot at Smite Masters. Not much has changed for them, and yet again they’re a squad right on the edge of a spot at DreamHack. They’ve done enough to put themselves in this position, but it will take a strong performance out of them the final two weeks to clinch a spot.
Gabe plays AI, Luminosity, and Team Allegiance in their final three sets. On paper, and based on the standings, the way these games should go are 2-0, 0-2, and 1-1, which would give IMOG a total of 11 points. As with Noble, that point total doesn’t look like it will be enough to clinch a spot, and they too will need some help from the other teams.
If they don’t want to have to rely on others, however, Gabe can easily clinch on their own. Taking a game off of Luminosity, and then a 2-0 on ALG, IMOG will end up with 14 total points, which would be enough to make DreamHack. It’s all on Gabe to show up and perform at their best in the final two weeks.
Team Allegiance
ALG underperformed in the Spring Split. With the roster they had, there was no reason they shouldn’t have been competing for a spot at Masters. They’ve turned things around this split, and have positioned themselves to make DreamHack.
Allegiance is in the same boat as IMOG. On paper, they should be splitting 1-1 with both of their remaining opponents, IMOG and Monkey Madness. But if ALG is going to make Dreamhack, they’ll need to take at least 1 2-0.
The game they’ll need to find the 2-0 in will be the Monkey Madness game, as that’s the one that comes first. That’s a tall task, as MM is currently tied atop the North American standings. However, MM lost 2-0 against Luminosity, a team that ALG split with. If you believe in the transitive property, and ALG = Lum, Lum > MM, then ALG > MM. But they play the game for a reason, and anybody has a shot here.
Monkey Madness
They’ll probably be under a different name by the time DreamHack comes around, but Monkey Madness is in one of the best positions to make it there. They are tied for first place in North America with Luminosity and have complete control of their destiny.
It’s simple – if MM win 2-0 in their game versus ALG this weekend, they clinch. No relying on anyone else, just win and they’re in. Losing against ALG is where things could get messy. It wouldn’t mean they are out, but it would mean they could only total 13 points, and ALG, IMOG, and Luminosity all have the ability to end with at least the same amount of points.
Luminosity Gaming
Luminosity has been one of the top teams in North America for a while now and currently sit in first place by tie breaker. With three games remaining for Luminosity, and two of those games against some of the bottom teams, Luminosity has the best shot at making DreamHack.
Just like Monkey Madness, Luminosity controls their fate. Unlike Monkey Madness, they can’t clinch just by winning their next set just based on their schedule. On paper, Luminosity should 2-0 all three teams they have left to face. This would give them a total of 19 points, and clinch first place in North America.
Should Luminosity choke, they could be in a bit of a bind. As unlikely as it is, they could end up getting beat 2-0 or splitting 1-1, and a combination of those could spell disaster for them. In the end, Luminosity is a veteran team, and they’re going to do what it takes to clinch their spot as soon as they can.
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Feature Photo by Hi-Rez Studios