Unofficial Week 3 Gold Power Rankings - By Toxin

Hello again, it’s Toxin! Last week, BOL turned into GOL for a special St. Patrick’s Day themed night of League of Legends. Although it was a little hard keeping up with all the name changes, it was definitely a fun night, filled with many surprise upsets that I definitely did not see coming. In terms of predictions for last week, my predictions did not update on the version of my power rankings put out on the BOL site, but surprisingly they ended up being on par with the rest of the panelist. Everyone, including myself, all got 9/12 correct last week, with the major upset win by Twin Spirits stumping everyone. The other matchups that we were split on were the Imperial Gaming win (FB Jayke was the only one who got this correct), the Collective Cosmic win (I was the only one to get this correct), and the Gob Squad victory (FB Jayke and I both predicted KQC). Also a special thanks to Altazi, who helped to write the East Division game reviews. Let’s get into the games.

North Division:

Imperial Gaming (W) vs Oasis NADS (L) 2-1

Starting off the week with one of the bigger upsets in the league is Imperial Gaming, who took down a struggling Oasis NADS team in three games. I think the biggest lane to highlight in this series is the bot lane on both sides. For Imperial Gaming, hats off to HowIMetYourTable and his fantastic performances in all three games. I think one of the major reasons that Imperial is finding so much success this season is that Azurexfire is not the only carry on the roster anymore. Now that Table is on the roster putting up performances like his 19 kills Kaisa game, Azurexfire is able to have much less pressure on himself to 1v9. I’m very impressed with how this team is performing, and I think that they can continue this momentum going into next week versus Final Esports. For Oasis NADS, I think Classy Trux has looked a lot more vulnerable this season as opposed to when he was laning with Electrifiehouse last season, and it's starting to become part of the list of problems NADS is facing this year. To his credit, the team around him is falling apart, with Bliss, VBU Plutonium’s ex Jungler, coming in to be their 3rd jungler in three weeks. They are also currently searching for another support in the LFT channels. This team definitely has strong pieces to build around, such as Classykru and his 15 kill Vayne game, but they need to stabilize the Jungle and Support roles, as well as get Natsu and Trux playing at the level they were playing at the end of last season, or else they will start freefalling towards the bottom. Hopefully their luck starts to turn around versus KQC this week.

Gob Squad (W) vs KQC (L) 2-1

Next up in the North division is the match between two of the bottom teams, Gob Squad and KQC. I’ll admit, I was kinda on the KQC hype train heading into this week after watching them play, but unfortunately they weren’t able to close out the series. Game one they started strong with an insane performance by Tnzley on Akali that rolled over Gob Squad. However, this ended up being a one hit wonder, as he couldn’t recreate the same magic in game two, or on Yasuo in game three. If this team wants to start racking up wins, they need their carries to be more consistent in their play. They play Oasis NADS this week. As for Gob Squad, the two things that really stand out to me are Dukee11 being able to have Hecarim three games in a row, and Raztastic being able to play Veigar three games in a row. The former kinda blows my mind a bit, as Hecarim is probably one of the best champions in the game right now, so I’m curious as to why they were allowed to have it for all three games. For the latter, I’m curious if Raztastic is the same “Raz” that used to play on Pod of Dolphins for a short time last split. He seems to be the main carry on this team, so if the two players mentioned are able to gain some synergy together, they might be able to crawl themselves into 3rd place. They play against CB Rangers this week.

CB Rangers (W) vs Final Esports (L) 2-0

Unsurprisingly, CB Rangers was able to take down Final Esports in a quick 2-0 last week. What stood out to be in this one is that Final Esports, a team newer to the BOL scene, chose to ban Skarner and Olaf against Anderson Cooper instead of his actual best picks, which he pulled out this week. The result was an outstanding 10-1-20 performance on Hecarim, and a solid performance on J4 where he went 4-4-27. At this point, all of the North division is very clearly scared of the almighty Cooper and his champion ocean. Perhaps next week, teams will ban other members of the Rangers instead. CB Rangers go up against Gob Squad this week, while Final Esports look to rebound against Imperial Esports.

Rankings:

1. CB Rangers (=)

2. Imperial Gaming (+1)

3. Oasis Nail and Day Spa (-1)

4. Final Esports (=)

5. Gob Squad (=)

6. KQC (=)

South Division:

CB Royal (W) vs Dead Orbit (L) 2-0

In the second blowout series in the south, CB Royal absolutely dismantled Dead Orbit in what can only be considered a slaughter. This matchup was not very close, with CB Royal averaging almost a kill per minute and dying only 10 times collectively throughout both games. One interesting addition to the roster last week was WildTortuga, who made his return to BOL in a standout fashion, going 13-0-10 on Jhin and carrying his team along with Astrhoe. Dilly was able to play in game two, and the result was no different. What’s more interesting about CB Royal is that there must have been some sort of falling out between them and the CB owner, as eight players on the roster decided to up and leave the team today. Unfortunately with the roster rules put in place, they are most likely losing three bans in their match versus NSG Amethyst next week. I’m unsure if Lone Wind, Boss Troll, and SweetDarkMelody will stay with the team long term, but unless one of them stays, they will instantly lose next week. I’m very curious to see what happens to this roster, but they instantly fall to last place until I see their new roster. For Dead Orbit, they hope to rebound this week versus Rawr. If they can win this week before Rawr makes their roster swaps, it’ll be a huge win for tie breakers in an attempt to finish third in the division. However, this team is also facing a ton of roster swaps, dropping three players and their coach this week.

NSG Infinity (W) vs NSG Amethyst (L) 2-0

Ladies and Gentlemen, it might have taken over 5 different series, but NSG as an organization has finally gotten their first win. Jokes about NSG’s only win coming off of themselves aside, it looks like the Infinity roster were able to shake out some more of their early season rust and start performing at the level expected of them in the preseason. It did take some members a little longer than others to get up to par (looking at that Lillia game Jayyster) but it seems like the roster should be good to go move forward. Unfortunately, they don’t have a match this week due to CB Royal completely blowing up, but they’ll be able to play against Rawr next week before they add all of CB Royal’s players to the lineup. This is a fantastic sign for them, and basically secures them a top two seed in the league. What impressed me about NSG Amethyst is that they actually put up a fight in game one. Outside of the fact that they drafted all AP in game one, they did a great job of keeping the game close. Although they fell off in game two, I think that this team has potential to crawl out of last place in the group if they are able to discover an identity. I think that Shugotenshi was a really good Shen player, so maybe if they commit to being weak side top instead of picking him Jax, the team may find more success. They play against Crimson Dolphins this week.

Crimson Dolphins (W) vs !Rawr Eternal Return (L) 2-0

The Crimson Dolphins hype train keeps chugging along with another win last week over !Rawr Eternal Return. Yet again, this team ends their games the fastest throughout the league and continues to make this division look easy. Yet again, Synirr stands out to me as one of the best top laners in the league with dominating performances on Urgot and Volibear. There’s not a lot to complain about with this roster, and they should be able to keep it going this week against NSG Amethyst. Rawr is in a bit of an interesting spot as they are kinda in a limbo where they are waiting to add almost all of the eight players dropped by CB Royal this week. Personally, if I was a current Rawr member, I would be infuriated. Why would I want to play on a team when the writing's on the wall about when I’m going to be replaced? Though at the time of writing this, Vixen is the only Rawr team member that left the team, I fully expect more players to leave very soon. If Rawr doesn't forfeit this week, they play Dead Orbit.

Ranking:

1. Crimson Dolphins (+1)

2. NSG Infinity (+1)

3. !Rawr Eternal Return (+1)

4. NSG Amethyst (+2)

5. Dead Orbit (=)

6. CB Royal (-5)

East Division:

Twin Spirits (W) vs Literal Monkeys (L) 2-1

Continuing the “Mental Boom” trend that seems to be taking over BOL as of late is Literal Monkeys falling to Twin Spirits. Literal Monkeys seem to be in roster limbo at the moment, with PacaPaul moving from Jungle to ADC and then back to Jungle, in addition to the starting roster not actually being set in stone. Game 2 seemed to be a glimmer of hope for them, but at the end of the day Mr. Lean’s weakside kingdom was too much for them to handle. The Literal Monkeys really need to sort out their roster problems, and with PacaPaul and Just Bobo hitting Platinum 4, it might be a matter of time before they are looking for two new starters. They will be tested again this week, as they face Mythos Purple in a fight for 3rd place. On the other hand, Twin Spirits seem to be on an impressive rise. As long as Riv60’s back doesn’t give out, they seem to be playoff locks. Emperor also seems to be a player to watch, as his KDAs and CS numbers stand out when looking at the post-game lobbies every week. This week, they will face VBU Argon in a clash that seems to be the fight for first place in a division full of uncertainty.

VBU Argon (W) vs Classic Esports (L) 2-1

In typical Argon fashion, last week started out with a bang. Their mid, Kaiten, was unable to connect until minute 20 of game 1, leaving them to fight a 4v5 for the first portion of their first real BOL match. Surprisingly, they lasted 31 minutes in a game that was hotly contested until their lack of a 5th player caught up with them. That game was the longest game of the series, as they came back with Buckbee the savior to defeat Classic eSports in quick fashion. Fun fact: Buckbee only did 2k more damage in game two than Kaiten did in game one. That aside, he really stepped up in game three and did well on Ahri. I think that for Classic Esports, the player to watch is Silver Rookie. I really liked what I saw from this player on the two control mages that he played, however his Yasuo was lackluster. What makes this even more egregious is that they built him a Yasuo comp and he was unable to shine. I think if they stick to having him on control mages, and if ASAP Ishe stands out in his debut, this team can start climbing out of last place. VBU Argon plays Twin Spirits this week with a roster full of question marks, and Classic faces NSG Gold in a fight to see who-is-not-last.

Mythos Purple (W) vs NSG Gold (L) 2-1

In their first week in the league, Mythos Purple showed that they belong in BOL. With strong carry performances from A Clogged Toilet on his Viktor and Best Plunger on Caitlyn, this team looks to be a strong contender for playoffs. That isn’t to discredit NSG Gold, however. This team always seems to be able to take off a game off whoever they face, and those points will add up when they eventually face the weaker teams in the division. Their drafts are relatively strong, and BarbaricChampion always seems to minimize deaths and pop off whenever his team gives him the chance to do so. They have a chance to flex their power in a match against Classic eSports this week, who look to be the weakest team in the division. Mythos Purple will face Literal Monkeys in what should be a hotly contested match for Top 3 in the division. Tune in to the blueotterleague twitch channel to find out who comes out on top.

Rankings:

1. VBU Argon (=)

2. Twin Spirits (+2)

3. Literal Monkeys (-1)

4. Mythos Purple (+2)

5. NSG Gold (-2)

6. Classic Esports (-1)

West Division:

CB Obsidian (W) vs Silverline (L) 2-0

Well Silverline, you definitely tried your best this week and performed well in retrospect. That being said, you did go up against one of the best teams in the league, so it’s hard to say you had much of a shot in this one. What I will say is that Cobber played very well in the series, and put up performances on Zilean that really impressed me despite going up against JJH. While your strategies didn’t quite work last week, I think there’s a lot to build on from these games. As long as this team has the right mindset of taking the first round robin to figure out their own strengths and focus on improvement, they should be a strong contender in the second half of the season. For CB Obsidian, they looked as dominant as ever, with two swift wins. Snowlife, their major win con, looked incredible in both games and really showed why he’s considered one of the best ADCs in gold. They get another easy week this week against a weaker Shrimp Fried Rice lineup, while Silverline gets another hard week against Collective Cosmic.

VBU Plutonium (W) vs Shrimp Fried Rice(L) 2-1

VBU Plutonium rose like phoenixs last week after their insane amount of roster turnover, where they were able to takedown Shrimp Fried Rice in a three game series. My original judgement of them may have been a little too harsh, as they seem to have adapted adequately to the BOL landscape. After losing game 1, Plutonium bounced back in strong fashion, stomping Shrimp Fried Rice in game 2 and getting the 2-1 victory in game 3. Gh0st popped off in the games he played, and the team is looking to continue their win streak against Limitless Chaos this week. I think that TheOtherNerd was very good in his Fizz game in game one, but his games on control mages leaves something to be desired. Maybe they should leave him on assassins for them to get more wins. Shrimp Fried Rice seem to be a good teamplay-oriented team, and they look to bounce back this week against CB Obsidian.

Collective Cosmic (W) vs Limitless Chaos(L) 2-1

In one of the biggest upsets of the week, Collective Cosmic was able to reverse sweep Limitless Chaos in this three game series. What makes me happy is that I was the only one to correctly call this one right, so shout out to them for saving my predictions for this week! I think the biggest player to look at for Limitless Chaos is TheFireOfTheFox1. When he subbed in for games two and three, suddenly his team started to lose. Is this a poor omen for things to come, or did he just have a rough week this week? We’ll see this week as Limitless Chaos go up against VBU Plutonium. For Collective, this win was huge in cementing them as the second best team in this division. The player of the match by far in this series was SayJoe, as he was the rock that held this team together and led his team to victory with insane games on Vladimir and Cassiopeia. They get an easier week this week for their troubles, where they go against Silverline.

Ranking:

1. CB Obsidian (=)

2. Collective Chaos (+1)

3. Limitless Chaos (-1)

4. VBU Plutonium (+2)

5. Shrimp Fried Rice (-1)

6. Silverline (-1)

Matches to Watch This Week:

There’s not many stellar matchups this week that jump out to me on paper, but the one matchup I will highlight is NSG Infinity versus CB Royal. I think that this matchup is probably the most interesting to watch, because it’ll let us know if NSG Infinity is a legitimate top three team in their division or lucky to be in the South. Unfortunately, since writing this, CB Royal has blown up and forfeited their games this week. I’m really interested in seeing what happens to this team moving forward. Outside of that matchup, I think that all of the series in the East are the ones to watch this week. This week, #1 plays #2, #3 plays #4, and #5 plays #6 in terms of my power rankings. The results of this week will definitely help me to get a better grasp on where teams fall in relation to one another in the division. On top of that, one of these matchups, Literal Monkeys vs Mythos Purple, will be the streamed game of the week. The final close matchup to highlight is VBU Plutonium vs Limitless Chaos. Is the new VBU roster actually a strong roster vying for the 3rd seed? Will Limitless Chaos mental boom after one loss like other teams have done in this league already? We’ll find out on Wednesday!

Top 16:

Instead of writing out a paragraph highlighting a few of the changes I made, I think that this method of giving a small explanation on the side is better. This way, every team knows the reason why they moved up, down, or stayed the same. If there’s any questions, feel free to @ me in general chat for clarity or trash talk to argue what you would change about my list!

1. CB Obsidian (=) No reason not to put them first. Look like the team to beat

2. CB Rangers (=) Still looking strong, but Obsidian still looks stronger

3. VBU Argon (=) - Not gonna fault them for losing a 4v5 game

4. Collective Cosmos (+2) - Huge win over Limitless Chaos

5. Crimson Dolphins (+4) - Same as CB Royal

6. Imperial Gaming (+6) - Beat NADS and instantly move up

7. Limitless Chaos (-2) - Lost a key series but is still looking strong

8. Twin Spirits (+6) - Big win over the Literal Monkeys moves them up

9. Oasis NADS (-5) - More internal struggles and starting to worry me

10. NSG Infinity (=) - a win over your sister team doesn’t warrant a change

11. Literal Monkeys (-4) - big upset loss, really need to find roster stability

12. Mythos Purple (NEW) - Liked what I saw but need a bigger sample size

13. NSG Gold (-2) - Winning games but not series.

14. VBU Plutonium (NEW) - Good to see them win with their new roster

15. Final Esports (-2) - Lost this week, but still probably the best of the rest

16. Gob Squad (=) - here because CB Royal blew up tbh, but a solid week last week

Dropped out: Classic Esports, CB Royal

Predictions for this Week:

CB Rangers beat Gob Squad 2-0

Imperial Gaming beat Final Esports 2-1

Oasis NADS beat KQC 2-1

Crimson Dolphins beat NSG Amethyst 2-0

!Rawr beat Dead Orbit 2-1

NSG Infinity beat CB Royal 2-0 (FF)

NSG Gold beat Classic Esports (2-1)

Mythos Purples beat Literal Monkeys (2-1)

VBU Argon beat Twin Spirits (2-1)

CB Obsidian beat Shrimp Fried Rice (2-0)

Collective Cosmic beat Silverline (2-0)

Limitless Chaos beat VBU Plutonium (2-1)