Gold Open Power Rankings Week 7

12) NSG Black

Started from the bottom and is still at the bottom should be the title of a NSG Black documentary. The season started extremely rough for this team because they were unable to field a full roster for multiple weeks during the season. As of recent weeks, they were finally able to put out 5 players in hopes they can end their season strong. Even though it is impossible for them to make the playoffs unless half of the teams drop, their goal is to learn and improve each week so that they can possibly come back next season and be a playoff contending team. So far, they weren’t able to secure a victory with their roster but hopefully they can pull an upset in the last 3 weeks of the season.

11) TPG Blue

While TPG Blue is only 5 points out of a playoff spot, their record of 4-8 is inflated due to FF wins. During the first 6 weeks, they have received three FF wins so they have only defeated one team in a game which was Atlas Academy. On the bright side, most of TPG’s losses have come from middle to top tier teams so if they are able to clean up their gameplay a little more, they could snag some of those games for themselves. With a new manager and some roster changes, we could see a turnaround from this team.

10) Atlas Academy

Atlas Academy is in a very similar situation that TPG Blue is in. They are both sitting at 4-8 records and both have multiple FF wins. While these FF wins are out of control for the team that receives them, it’s extremely difficult to take them into account when determining the overall potential of a team. Currently, Atlas Academy has a roster consisting of very familiar faces. Some of them were in open last season and almost had a shot at playing for a Gold Master League spot. They definitely have some strong players but they seem like a group that wants to play for fun which is perfectly fine. The current roster is not the same roster that beat Crosspoint so it will be interesting if the roster was upgraded or downgraded. With a little practice, I believe this new Atlas team could beat any non-playoff team and be competitive with some of the playoff contenders.

9) CE Praetorian

CE joined Gold open very recently and have only played for 1 week. They beat Atlas Academy but lost to Crosspoint in about 40 minutes. The roster consists of a few familiar faces that have played in other leagues and were successful in them. There’s not much to say about this team because we have only seen them play a couple games. If CE joined the league at the beginning of the season, we would probably see them in the 5th or 6th spot in the standings right now. If they do extremely well these last few weeks, there is a possibility they will have an opportunity to play for a playoff spot.

8) !rawr

The world renowned esports organization graced us with their presence once again. After taking a break, DokFTW has finally put together some rosters that are competing in Gold open and Plat. They have multiple championships under their belt (according to Doki) but it looks like they may have to wait another season to add more trophies. !rawr is currently sitting at 5-7 and 4 points behind the last playoff spot. They have yet to beat any current playoff team but also they have yet to lose to any non-playoff team. They are now branded as the gatekeepers between the top tier and bottom tier teams in Gold open. Their roster consists of some familiar faces but most of them are new. They aren’t far behind the last playoff spot but it will take a very good last 6 games from them to be able to make it.

7) Crosspoint Southpaw

Currently, Crosspoint is on the playoff bubble and the first one out. Their season got off to a slow start after they couldn’t field a roster the first week which resulted in 2 FFs. They’ve had one of the harder schedules having to face against the some of the top teams multiple times. Throughout the course of the season, Crosspoint has hit many highs and lows. Some of the highs include handing Team Aquila their first loss and defeating Rabid Raccoons. On the flipside, they lost to Atlas Academy. It’s not a secret that they have major upset potential but will they be able to end the season strong and secure a playoff spot?

6) Weebs & Waifus

While this team is 9-3, they have only one win against a current playoff team (Night Kids). The other wins consisted of Rawr (2) , Atlas Academy, TPG Blue, and wins by FF. I do think this team is good enough to be a playoff team but their very unique play style, specifically in the mid lane, could be exposed in the last couple weeks/playoffs. Their mid laner, known as Randomain, has pulled out Rakan mid multiple times and had a significant amount of success with it. Whether or not they make a deep run in the playoffs, they are definitely one of the most entertaining teams to watch.

5) Rabid Raccoons

Another team that is currently sitting at 9-3, the Raccoons are looking like a solid bet to make the playoffs. Overall, their losses are scattered which were against NSG Gold, Crosspoint, and Night Kids. All of those teams are playoff caliber teams and it shouldn’t worry the Raccoons as long as they learned from their losses. I have not seen a lot of gameplay from them or most of the teams in gold open for that matter so it’s hard to judge them on their gameplay. They seem to have a solid roster and a lot of time on their hands to get better. I’m looking at you The Reals. This team is my sleeper pick to win the league.

4) NSG Gold

9-3 pogs. NSG Gold has been a very consistent team but with a mixture of a mediocre strength of schedule and multiple FF wins, I can’t justify putting them any higher than 4. So far, they have only one quality win over Rabid Raccoons and have lost to Night Kids (2) and Team Aquila. Out of all the current playoff teams right now, I believe NSG Gold is still the most questionable. We have seen some great performances from the team and some amazing performances from Karma Divine. However, I personally don’t think they win a series in the playoffs. Prove me wrong.

3) Night Kids

I’m either going to look like genius or get flamed for this one. At number 3, with a record of 7-5, is Night Kids. Looking at their record, any rational league of legends player would think this is a team that should be ranked at 4 to 6. However, this team had the hardest strength of schedule so far. They started out extremely poorly and went into week 2 game 2 with a 0-3 (1 FF). They secured their first win against NSG Gold and it was all uphill from there. While they have yet to play Team Aquila, Nights Kids have defeated Rabid Raccoons, Weebs & Waifus, NSG Gold (2), and Crosspoint. Those are some extremely high quality wins. On top of that, 3 out of 4 losses came from Rabid Ravens (2) and Weebs & Waifus. As long as they keep this up, we will see them in the playoffs.

2) Team Aquila

Team Aquila was aiming toward an undefeated season until their dreams were crushed by Crosspoint Southpaw. While that was a blemish on their record, they have continued to show dominance against other teams in the league. Their only other loss was to Rabid Ravens which brought their series record to 1-1. This team will be extremely hard to beat in a series because they have shown a lot of dedication and drive to win this league. Even though they got smashed by Rabid Ravens two weeks ago, I expect them to bounce back and go 2-0 this week.

1) Rabid Ravens

Finally, the number 1 team this week is none other than the Rabid Ravens. Even though they are currently sitting at 9-3, they have 2 FFs (reversed from wins) so they have only 1 legitimate loss. That loss came from Team Aquila. The bot lane consists of Meapl and Hawnted who have consistently performed extremely well and seem to have solid synergy together. The rest of the map is no joke either. I think every player on the Rabid Ravens roster is a force to be reckoned with and any major mistake while playing them is a death wish. The Ravens are my favorite to win the league right now but that could change if they lose any of their starting players.