Breloom and conductor here with our second open power rankings from our panel of 11 open teams. The first "two" weeks of league play has shown several upsets along with many rolls.
1) indust we trust (83) (UP) Indust we trust currently slates up as the best team in open. After having one one of harder starting schedules in the division, they've come through it unscathed with a 4-0 record. While the team may not be above and beyond the opposition in terms of dm, their cohesiveness has made them a dominant force early on in the season. One interesting development is their roster switch, with darkstar and billuster having swapped their pocket and scout positions. They've impressed even with the switch and can only get better as the season progresses. They should roll through their gullywash matches and begin to meet their real tests with what will most likely be a 6-0 start.
2) basics octopus emporium (58) (UP) Basic's octopus emporium was expected to be a high open team and they certainly haven't failed to disappoint. Having only dropped one round thus far to trans-autistic railroad, they've been muscling their way through lower level open teams and have a 4-0 start to the season. However, only in their most recent match have they played their supposed demoman starter, reemix. Their previous 3 matches had been played by an oh so mysterious up and comer, octopus. The cephalopod enthusiasts should face their next potential road block of the crunchy bunch in gullywash next week, but will in all likelihood also start the season with a 6-0 record. The question begging to be asked here is whether reemix or the elusive octopus will be playing from here on out.
3) Playground Tactics (54) (DOWN) Playground tactics sit at a 3-1 record with their only loss being a 4-1 game on viaduct against the current #1, indust we trust. Aside from this match they have only dropped 2 rounds against Kawaii Raptors, which can most likely be chalked up to early season inconsistency. Rikachu has done consistently well, having top damaged for his team in every match, opening up room for his scouts to rack up frags, while also managing to keep a notably low death count for himself. Playground Tactics have had a relatively light load for their initial schedule outside of indust and should start off the season with a 5-1 record.
4) BIG BOYS (37) (UP) As of this writing, BIG BOYS still have one viaduct match to play, but I don’t see it having much effect on their rating unless they completely throw it, which I don’t see them doing. In their only close match of the first two weeks, the BIG BOYS were able to triumph over the experienced baddies. Moolkey and Walka have had unusually high death numbers in their first two weeks, but that seems to just be the team's style, creating openings for pt- and hooli to deal massive damage. They should breeze through their gullywash week against an inexperienced Not Going to Lan and a team without a stable starting six in Aurora Lights.
5) children (34) (~) Children have started off the season strongly, currently sitting at 3-0, but have yet to face a real challenge. Having mauled both Dharma Initiative and Not going to LAN during process week, their first rounds dropped were unexpectedly in a 4-2 win against Friendship Quilting Club. Whether this is a sign of the quilting club being underestimated or one that children is falling short of expectations is yet to be seen. Something that should be pointed out regarding this class is that children were playing with a different than usual lineup. In place of nixnyte, they fielded the infamous mirel aka moonchild on roamer. Moonchild put out big numbers in this game, having out damaged even freddy, the team's demo. Bombdigiti will need to step up his game if this team wants to compete with the rest of the high open teams. His pocket play has left something to be desired, with aim plagued by inconsistency and bombs that come in at awkward times. How well this team does later on in the season may come down to whether moonchild takes up permanent residence as the team's roamer. Reign of Terror presents the team's first real obstacle of the season, but they should be able to come out of it with a win and a 6-0 start to the season.
6) Hanky Panky (27) (NR) After breezing through Process week and their first match of Viaduct, newly ranked Hanky Panky met their match in the Argentinian team rep. Against rep, Hanky Panky put up more damage and frags but ultimately lost, which shows signs of some teamwork, communication, or strategy issues on Viaduct. Upcoming on gullywash, they have Dharma initiative, which should be a relatively easy match, and a ffw from the former LpG.
7) trans-autistic railroad (22) (DOWN) By bsc of basic’s octopus emporium Trans-autistic Railroad hosts many experienced players who have yet to find their groove within this lineup. Conductor and breloom present a solid combo who put out a large amount of damage with formidable cleanup ability with the likes of Kohaku and Abramelin. LtCrumpet’s medic mechanics are well practiced and Ldk is quickly finding his comfort zone within the inner workings of this team. On paper, trans-autistic railroad looks like an incredibly strong team with high potential; in execution however, the team is lacking what it needs to compete with the top dogs this season at the moment. The current lineup lets other teams bring the fights to them and pick and choose their engagements. The entire squad needs a lot of polishing in order to keep up this passive play style if they want to win open this season. Too often has this team allowed their opponents to play into them and force mistakes on the part of the trans-autistic lineup.. If the aggression doesn’t come out or the kinks in this team aren’t removed trans-autistic railroad may struggle through playoffs and into lackluster results. Playoffs are in the mind of a lot of open teams this season but are still at least six weeks away – the trans-autistic railroad is probably looking to take their next two Gullywash matches with relative ease dropping a minimum of a round to either team. Although they’ve shrugged off two losses versus two of open’s strongest I’m willing to bet they’re disappointed with both results and are looking to do much more this season.
8) rep (21) (DOWN) A forfeit loss against indust we trust in week 1.1 robbed us of what could have been an excellent match. After getting their six together, rep has rattled off three consecutive victories. Following two easy matches, rep busted out the heavy/sniper and heavy/bomber play and defeated the higher ranked Hanky Panky in a close match. On gullywash, they have what should be a good match against another strong team that barely missed out on the top 8, LAZER BRYANS and what will most likely be an easy win against Badwolf.
RANKINGS (11 Voters) 1. Indust we trust (83) (^) 2. Basics Octopus Emporium (58) (^) 3. Playground Tactics (54) (v) 4. BIG BOYS (37) 5. children (34) (-) 6. Hanky Panky (27) (nr) 7. trans-autistic railroad (22) (v) 8. rep (21) (v)
Falling out of the top 8 are LAZER BRYANS and Tonight's Entertainment. Other teams receiving votes: The Crunchy Bunch (16), LAZER BRYANS (14), not bad for offclassing (6), feces and friends (5), zaboomacrew (5), my noodle is so moist (5), the astronerds (3), gettin cozy (3), the baddies (1).
If you want to be in on the poll, add me (breloom) or respond to my steam messages.