Unofficial Week 8 Gold Power Rankings & Predictions - By Jayyster

Hey all you cool cats and kittens (Carole Baskin is a murderer and uses this tagline as a sick cover up to sound all innocent). Anyways, I am Jayyster, and I am back with my second week of Power Rankings and Predictions. This time, I am putting more effort into this than just looking at current standings and basing my predictions off that. Last week, I got 8 correct predictions and 3 incorrect predictions. Not bad for my first time at it! This week, we are aiming for 100% correct predictions. Anyways, enough chit chat, let’s begin with a slightly different format from last week! Heading into the final 3 weeks before playoffs, we are starting to see who the “top” 3 teams of each division will be heading into playoffs. Now, it is just the battle for seeding, so this week, I will look into each teams paths to playoffs and discuss what places are possible given the best and worst case scenario. At the end, we will do week 8 predictions and my top 16 power rankings! Given the fact that every team has 3 matches remaining, the most points a team can achieve is 18, while the least is 6 (assuming no one FFs). North Division: CB Rangers 6-1, 12-2, 38 Points Highest Possible Points - 56 Lowest Possible Points - 44 Matchups Remaining: Gob Squad, Imperial Gaming, KQC CB Rangers are looking to lock in first seed, but have Oasis NADS, Gob Squad, and Imperial Gaming all trailing just a little bit behind. So long as CB Rangers win their matchups vs Gob Squad and Imperial Gaming, they should be a shoe in for 1st seed. The KQC match will most likely be a free win, given the standings, but to guarantee that 1st round playoff bye, they have to take care of dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s in weeks 8 and 9.

Oasis Nads 4-3, 9-7, 30 Points Highest Possible Points - 48 Lowest Possible Points - 36

Matchups Remaining: KQC, Gob Squad, Final Esports Of the three teams battling for the 2nd seed, Oasis NADS has debatably the easiest final three weeks, with only one match being a non bottom 2 team. Assuming they easily beat Final and KQC, they should be fine dropping the series to Gob Squad as long as they pick up at least 1 game win. Ideally, they close out the season 3-0, but they have the most wiggle room with their matches, considering one of them should be free, while another should be a bit closer. Make sure to win those easy matchups, do not take them too lightly or you could lose a free match and make your chance at second seed harder. Gob Squad 4-3, 9-7, 30 Points Highest Possible Points - 48 Lowest Possible Points - 36

Matchups Remaining: CB Rangers, Oasis NADS, Imperial Gaming Of the three teams battling for the 2nd seed, Gob Squad has the hardest final three weeks, battling the current first place team AND both of the other teams battling for 2nd seed. Honestly, Gob Squad needs to show up to these matches if they do not want to get knocked out barey into the 4th place, which does not go to playoffs. Of their matches, they actually are the only team to have beaten CB Rangers in the past, so maybe they can show up in that match again, and then they just need to edge out either NADS or Imperial Gaming in one of the remaining matches to guarantee a top 3 finish in this group.

Imperial Gaming 4-3, 10-8, 29 Points Highest Possible Points - 47 Lowest Possible Points - 35

Matchups Remaining: Final Esports, CB Rangers, Gob Squad The final team battling for 2nd to 4th place in this group is Imperial Gaming. After a back and forth series against Oasis NADS last week, this team barely lost out, which is going to cost them a lot of stress going into the final 3 weeks. Luckily, their first match is against Final Esports will be their easiest of the remaining matchups, hopefully allowing them to ramp up into their CB Rangers and Gob Squad matchups the final 2 weeks. Final Esports will not necessarily be easy, but assuming they win that matchup, they would need at least 1 game win vs CB Rangers and either a 2-1 vs Gob Squad, or if they do not pick up a game win on CB Rangers, then a 2-0 for their final match. As long as they keep their matches close, they have a shot at snagging 3rd seed, but being one point behind the other teams fighting for 2nd-4th, it makes the final season stretch a bit more dependent on how those other two teams perform.

Final Esports 3-4, 6-9, 25 Points Highest Possible Points - 43 Lowest Possible Points - 31 Mathups Remaining: Imperial Gaming, KQC, Oasis NADS Given the points, out of all the current 5th place teams in the league, this one actually has a decent shot at making playoffs. Given a perfect week from them, they could somehow snag a 2nd place seed heading into playoffs. Given the remaining matches, I could see them beating Imperial Gaming and KQC, and having a close series vs NADS to secure a 3rd place seed. That being said, they realistically only need to win against one of IG and NADS. Thankfully, they play one of them next week, and that matchup vs Imperial Gaming is likely the match to watch for the division if you want to see what teams make playoffs underneath CB Rangers.

KQC 0-6, 2-12, 12 Points Highest Possible Points - 30 Lowest Possible Points - 18 Matchups Remaining: Oasis NADS, Final Esports, CB Rangers

Unfortunately for KQC, playoffs is out of the picture completely. The highest placement in this group possible is actually just 6th place. At this point, you either play to spoil Oasis NADS or Final Esports chances at a top 3 seed, or just completely focus on rebuilding your roster/mental for future seasons.

South Division: NSG Infinity 6-1, 12-3, 37 Points

Highest Possible Points - 55 Lowest Possible Points - 43 Matchups Remaining: CB Royal, Mad Rawrs, Dead Orbit It is time for NSG Infinity to fight for their 1st seed. They recently defeated Crimson Dolphins to move up from 2nd place to 1st after having their first and only loss to the same team back in week one. These final three weeks look like a tough road ahead, as CB Royal and Mad Rawrs are always pulling out unexpected wins AND losses. It will be hard to tell what these two opponents will bring during weeks 8 and 9. Week 10 may be the toughest week, as Dead Orbit has been ramping up very quickly in this second half of the season, being the new dark horse for this group. The lowest possible placing is 4th place, so these final weeks need to be at LEAST 1-2 in matches to guarantee playoffs.

Crimson Dolphins 5-2, 11-5, 34 Points Highest Possible Points - 52 Lowest Possible Points - 40 Matchups Remaining: NSG Amethyst, Dead Orbit, CB Royal Crimson Dolphins started off this season blazing hot, and surprised a lot of people with their week one performance (especially me, since I was on the receiving end of it). They have been slipping up just a tad bit in these more recent weeks, but I do not think it is due to them slacking, but just other teams ramping up. Crimson Dolphins have been consistent this season, which should be good enough for week 7 vs NSG Amethyst, but will not be good enough for the final 2 weeks. Looking to secure 2nd seed, they will need to defeat at least one of these final two opponents, and realistically, it could be CB Royal. Dead Orbit will be a fun match to watch, to see if Dead Orbit have what it takes to snag a top 2 playoff seed, or if Crimson Dolphins will hold strong.

CB Royal 4-3, 9-7, 28 Points Highest Possible Points - 46 Lowest Possible Points - 34 Matchups Remaining: NSG Infinity, NSG Amethyst, Crimson Dolphins Of the teams competing for a top 3 finish, this is the one that baffles me the most. This team based on points can end anywhere between 1st seed and dead last. Given recent weeks, this team is the most tossup team remaining in the playoff race. NSG Amethyst should be their easiest week remaining, with NSG Infinity and Crimson Dolphins being the matches that will test this teams true potential. If you win every series 2-0, and the teams above you go 0-2 for the rest of the season, you can snag a 1st seed going into playoffs.

Dead Orbit 4-3, 8-8, 28 Points Highest Possible Points - 46 Lowest Possible Points - 34 Matchups Remaining: Mad Rawrs, Crimson Dolphins, NSG Infinity The hardest final three weeks in this group has to go to Dead Orbit. But if theres any team in this group that could pull it off, it has to be Dead Orbit. This team started off cold in the season, but has brought the firepower recently. Every match remaining is a must win for this team if they want a spot in playoffs. A loss to Mad Rawrs risks dropping into 4th/5th place, while losses to Crimson Dolphins and NSG Infinity could mean a lower seed or a 4th place just out of playoffs. Now is the time to prove what you are made of, as every match matters.

Mad Rawrs 2-5, 5-10, 23 Points Highest Possible Points - 41 Lowest Possible Points - 29 Matchups Remaining: Dead Orbit, NSG Infinity, NSG Amethyst Mad Rawrs is currently the team on the outside looking in. Two of your matches will be very difficult, and one will be a little easier, but still very important. A loss to NSG Amethyst will spell doom, so even if Mad Rawrs manages to get wins vs Dead Orbit and/or NSG Infinity, a bad final week would most likely deny any playoff chances.

NSG Amethyst 0-7, 2-14, 16 Points Highest Possible Points - 34 Lowest Possible Points - 24 Matchups Remaining: Crimson Dolphins, CB Royal, Mad Rawrs Fortunately for NSG Amethyst, they are one of the current 6th place teams that COULD get a miracle run into a 3rd seed for playoffs. They will need a 2-0 vs Crimson Dolphins, CB Royal, AND Mad Rawrs. Given the recent weeks, the toughest match will be the Crimson Dolphins, and CB Roya/Mad Rawrs will be matchups they could get some wins against if they bring their a game. These final 3 weeks NSG Amethyst could prove that prior weeks were just off weeks, and that they can work on improving this roster with a few minor changes (either in players or gameplay) and try to make that miracle run, and also look forward to future seasons.

East Division: VBU Argon 7-0, 14-2, 40 Points Highest Possible Points - 58 Lowest Possible Points - 46 Matchups Remaining: Twin Spirits, Literal Monkeys, NSG Gold Looking at snagging 1st seed in the East Division, VBU Argon has to bring it as they battle the 2nd and 3rd place teams in their group for these next 2 weeks. A slipup against either Twin Spirits or Literal Monkeys could easily cost them a guaranteed round 1 playoff bye. And your final week is not against the 6th place team, so they also need to make sure to play by the books and close out their final week with a win as well to help make sure they maintain their dominant start to the season in this division. *Note added AFTER I wrote these on thursday after last weeks matches* - Weeks 8 and 9 become considerably more difficult if Kral Sultan is as important to VBU Argon as I believe he is. Without his shotcalling and playmaking, it may be difficult to beat the other two playoff contenders in the group. NSG Gold will also become a much closer and even losable match if they are not vibing with whatever jungler plays in Kral Sultan’s slot.

Twin Spirits 6-1, 12-4, 36 Points Highest Possible Points - 54 Lowest Possible Points - 42 Matchups Remaining: VBU Argon, NSG Gold, Mythos Purple Twin Spirits are looking at closing out the 2nd seed, and potentially snagging that 1st seed. To grab the 1st seed, their matchup next week is extremely important, as a win over VBU Argon could put them in position to take over that top seed. The best way to topple VBU Argon from my perspective would be just to bring a solid gameplan for both Draft and In-Game. At this elo, even the best teams are beatable by teams below them in the standings. Just like Literal Monkeys, the most important matchup is actually against Mythos Purple, make sure you do not slip up and give Mythos a 2-0 in their final week. *Note added AFTER I wrote these on thursday after last weeks matches* - With VBU Argon losing Kral Sultan, this is likely the best time to be fighting for that first seed. This is the week to play your best and take down Argon while they are hurting.

Literal Monkeys 4-3, 10-8, 30 Points Highest Possible Points - 48 Lowest Possible Points - 36 Matchups Remaining: Mythos Purple, VBU Argon, Classic Esports The most important matchup for Literal Monkeys in securing a playoff slot will be next week vs Mythos Purple. A loss to them would mean they HAVE to beat VBU Argon, which would not be the easiest task. Due to the points of the teams in this division, you cannot let up on the gas one bit in these final three weeks, as any team outside of Classic can knock you out of playoffs. For the East Division, the match to watch for the final three weeks, in my opinion, is Mythos Purple vs Literal Monkeys, as this match could determine which of the two teams go into playoffs and which does not. *Note added AFTER I wrote these on thursday after last weeks matches* - With VBU Argon losing Kral Sultan, week 9 may be an easier attempt at knocking VBU Argon down. If VBU Argon loses to Twin Spirits then Literal Monkeys, this team could have a shot at helping Twin Spirits and themselves take over seeds 1 and 2 for playoffs. However, shortly after hearing VBU Argon was losing Kral Sultan, I also heard that PacaPaul ranked out for Literal Monkeys, which could have similar effects on Literal Monkeys, and making their chances at playoffs become slightly slimmer.

Mythos Purple 3-4, 6-9, 25 Points Highest Possible Points - 43 Lowest Possible Points - 31 Matchups Remaining: Literal Monkeys, Classic Esports, Twin Spirits The final three weeks for Mythos Purple are not ideal, but also not the worst. Classic Esports should be a pretty secure win to count on, so as long as they win vs Literal Monkeys or Twin Spirits, I think this 4th place team could sneak up into a 3rd place playoff seed. Given the fact that both Literal Monkeys and Twin Spirits play the top team in VBU Argon, a win vs either of these teams would make it extremely likely that you secure a playoff seed, and a win against both gives you a shot at snagging 2nd seed. *Note added AFTER I wrote these on thursday after last weeks matches* - Literal Monkeys losing PacaPaul could give Mythos Purple a shot at playoffs, assuming they can capitalize on Literal Monkeys loss next week.

NSG Gold 1-6, 5-13, 20 Points Highest Possible Points - 38 Lowest Possible Points - 26 Matchups Remaining: Classic Esports, Twin Spirits, VBU Argon Unfortunately for NSG Gold, playoffs will be extremely difficult, but still possible. Next week they should have their easiest remaining matchup, which will give them plenty of time to improve on what they are good at. Unfortunately again, the team you have the best chance in edging out points wise to snag that 3rd seed, Literal Monkeys, is not even in your remaining matches to play. NSG Gold need to both win out their remaining matches AND hope that Literal Monkeys lose out on their remaining matches.

Classic Esports 0-7, 3-14, 15 Points Highest Possible Points - 33 Lowest Possible Points - 21 Matchups Remaining: NSG Gold, Mythos Purple, Literal Monkeys Classic Esports is in the same boat as KQC and Silverline, and have absolutely zero ways into playoffs. That being said, they are in a position to either improve their roster for future seasons, or play spoiler to the teams they have remaining, as all three of the teams they face NEED to win as many games as possible in their race to make top 3 in this division.

West Division: CB Obsidian 7-0, 14-2, 40 Points Highest Possible Points - 58 Lowest Possible Points - 46 Matchups Remaining: Shrimp Fried Rice, Collective Cosmic, Limitless Chaos

Out of all the current 1st place teams, CB Obisidian is likely the most solid. Seeing as they were extremely successful last season as NSG Obsidian, with the org change, they remain the same strong force in BOL Gold. I do not see this team dropping out of that playoff bye seed, however they do need to focus up on weeks 9 and 10 as they are against the current 2nd and 3rd place teams. Solid wins in their final weeks would make me put this team as the playoff favorites to win the entire season.

Collective Cosmic 5-2, 11-5, 34 Points Highest Possible Points - 52 Lowest Possible Points - 40 Matchups Remaining: Silverline, CB Obsidian, VBU Plutonium Collective Cosmic is looking solid going into week 8. After a win over Limitless Chaos to secure a 2nd place moving forward, they have easier matchups (outside of CB Obsidian) to close out their season. Given the fact that both Silverline and VBU Plutonium are likely pretty easy weeks for this team, the match they need to focus on the most is actually the CB Obsidian match, as a victory there could slot them into the first seed if Limitless Chaos also knocks them down. A win against CB Obsidian will also prove they can battle the top teams in the league, and have a higher chance of beating 1st seeds from other divisions as well.

Limitless Chaos 4-3, 10-7, 31 Points Highest Possible Points - 49 Lowest Possible Points - 37 Matchups Remaining: VBU Plutonium, Shrimp Fried Rice, CB Obsidian After a tough loss vs Collective Cosmic sliding this team from 2nd to 3rd place, Limitless Chaos really have to show up in their final 3 weeks of matches to hold on to their playoff spot. Shrimp Fried Rice beat VBU Plutonium last week, helping this team keep their top 3 spot a little bit easier, so as long as you win weeks 8 and 9, a top 3 slot is guaranteed. If they do win weeks 8 and 9 AND Collective Cosmic beat CB Obsidian in week 9, this week 10 matchup would be a massive chance at knocking CB Obsidian down from 1st seed and making this division extremely spicy.

Shrimp Fried Rice 2-5, 6-10, 24 Points Highest Possible Points - 42 Lowest Possible Points - 30 Matchups Remaining: CB Obsidian, Limitless Chaos, Silverline

Fan favorites Shrimp Fried Rice have a shot at playoffs, although their fate is more in LX and CC hands than their own. Focusing up and getting a big win over LX could give you the opening you need to snag a playoff seed.

VBU Plutonium 2-5, 4-11, 21 Points Highest Possible Points - 39 Lowest Possible Points - 27 Matchups Remaining: Limitless Chaos, Silverline, Collective Cosmic Unfortunately for VBU Plutonium, they have the toughest closing weeks of the three bottom teams of the West Division. Given that, I do believe now is the best time to adjust your roster (whether it's changing out players, or working on your playstyle/draft). VBU Plutonium’s only chance at playoffs is if they win every game moving forward AND Limitless Chaos loses their remaining games.

Silverline 1-6, 2-12, 18 Points

Highest Possible Points - 36 Lowest Possible Points - 24 Matchups Remaining: Collective Cosmic, VBU Plutonium, Shrimp Fried Rice Just like KQC, and Classic Esports, Silverline is in the no route to playoffs category. Use the remaining time in the season to work on rebuilding for future seasons, or upsetting any of the remaining teams chances at a playoff seed. Week 8 Predictions: Imperial Gaming (W) 2 vs Final Esports (L) 1

KQC (L) 0 vs Oasis NADS (W) 2 CB Rangers (W) 2 vs Gob Squad (L) 1 NSG Amethyst (L) 0 vs Crimson Dolphins (W) 2 CB Royal (L) 0 vs NSG Infinity (W) 2 Mad Rawrs (L) 0 vs Dead Orbit (W) 2 Twin Spirits (W) 2 vs VBU Argon (L) 1 Classic Esports (L) 0 vs NSG Gold (W) 2 Mythos Purple (L) 1 vs Literal Monkeys (W) 2 Silverline (L) 0 vs Collective Cosmic (W) 2 Limitless Chaos (W) 2 vs VBU Plutonium (L) 0

Shrimp Fried Rice (L) 0 vs CB Obsidian (W) 2 Top 16:

Any changes from last week will be shortly described next to the team. 1 - CB Obsidian (=) 2 - CB Rangers (=)

3 - NSG Infinity (+1) Only moved up from 4th due to VBU Argon losing their main shotcaller in Kral Sultan ranking out.

4 - VBU Argon (-2) This team could still be top 2 or 3, but having Kral Sultan rank out is probably a big hit. We need to see how weeks 8 and 9 go to see how far down this team could slip, or if they can stabilize with a replacement.

5 - Collective Cosmic (+3) A win over Limitless Chaos, and having CB Obsidian in your group moves you up a few spots.

6 - Limitless Chaos (+1) Despite the loss last week, I see your divisions top 3 teams as the strongest set of the top 3 teams of any division.

7 - Twin Spirits (-3) Moved down only due to CC and LX looking to be very strong 2nd and 3rd seed teams from their division.

8 - Oasis NADS (+3) Cannot have you underneath Imperial Gaming after beating them last week.

9 - Gob Squad (+6) Moving them up, honestly my last week power rankings had Gob Squad and Imperial Gaming a bit off, but the two teams are definitely super close to each other. 10 - Imperial Gaming (-1) They are currently below Gob Squad in the real standings, so until I see a bit more, they will be placed just under Gob Squad

11 - Crimson Dolphins (-4) Crimson Dolphins having a close series to Mad Rawrs pulls them down a few slots, and the fact that the south seems to be one of the weaker divisions as a whole.

12 - Literal Monkeys (=)

13 - Dead Orbit (=)

14 - CB Royal (-4) Despite currently being tied in standings with Dead Orbit, and having been above them on this list last week for me, I do not see CB Royal improving as rapidly as Dead Orbit.

15 - Mythos Purple (+1) This team likely will not make playoffs, but I think they are slightly above Mad Rawrs, and given how the final weeks go, they could slide up above CB Royal, or stay right in the 15-16 range.

16 - Mad Rawrs (-2) Barely staying on the list and honestly could fall off if they do not get many more wins in the remaining weeks.

Just Out - Final Esports, VBU Plutonium, Shrimp Fried Rice Closing Thoughts Every division is looking spicier and spicier the more I think about it. I do believe every division has at least 1 strong team, with the West Division currently sending the strongest teams into playoffs. That being said, the teams I have making playoffs and their seeds for playoffs are as follows: North Division: South Division: 1st - CB Rangers 1st - NSG Infinity 2nd - Oasis NADS 2nd - Crimson Dolphins

3rd - Gob Squad 3rd - Dead Orbit *East Division: West Division: 1st - VBU Argon 1st - CB Obsidian 2nd - Twin Spirits 2nd - Collective Cosmic 3rd - Literal Monkeys 3rd - Limitless Chaos

*East Division becomes quite a bit spicier with VBU Argon losing their jungler, Kral Sultan. This could drastically impact their macro, and therefore could have Twin Spirits taking the first seed, and may even give the second seed to Literal Monkeys if VBU Argon cannot pull a strong enough performance out in their final 3 weeks without Kral Sultan.

Teams Battling for Playoff Seeds/Knocked Out of Playoffs:

North Division: South Division: CB Rangers NSG Infinity Oasis NADS Crimson Dolphins Gob Squad CB Royal Imperial Gaming Dead Orbit Final Esports Mad Rawrs KQC - Unable to make playoffs NSG Amethyst East Division: West Division: VBU Argon - Playoff Seed Guaranteed CB Obsidian - Playoff Seed Guaranteed Twin Spirits Collective Cosmic

Literal Monkeys Limitless Chaos Mythos Purple Shrimp Fried Rice NSG Gold VBU Plutonium Classic Esports - Unable to make playoffs Silverline - Unable to make playoffs