Hello, and welcome to the weekly UGC Platinum Power Rankings for Week 1 of Season 15! UGC Highlander has had a fairly eventful off-season, with teams forming, dying, requesting division changes. Various weapon bans were discussed (and complained about), with a handful being banned; certain maps were considered, debated, chosen or abandoned; and a special preseason showmatch was casted to start everything off. In the end of it all, a strong S15 Platinum is looking likely, with three teams directly in a race with each other for first place, and more teams with distinct possibilities of throwing upsets and perhaps even winning the gold for themselves, similar to Kids Next Door of last season.

Changes and Maplist

For those who do not keep track, a fair amount of Platinum teams died: Ginyu Force, Dunning-Kruger Effect, the Electric Temptations, and Tangerine (which had reformed for Season 15 but died to Invite and schedules) and of course everyone’s favorite plat team, bfl is gone after 10 seasons. The Loch-n-Load, Reserve Shooter, Beggar's Bazooka, and all Pyrovision items have been banned, and the three new weapons from the recent update have been approved and added to the whitelist. Significant changes were made to the map list, with old staples like Gullywash, Badwater, and Lakeside stepping aside for maps such as Sunshine, Borneo, and Ashville. The regular season's map list comprises of Upward, Process, Borneo, Viaduct, Steel, Sunshine, Ashville, and Swiftwater.

Without further ado, the S15 Platinum Preview!

Teams

Kids Next Door

Kid’s Next Door returns to S15 as the defending UGC NA Platinum Champions. Last season, they proved without a doubt that you don’t need to stack your team with Invite or HL “gods” in order to take home the title. With only two changes to their roster — adding Satan on Pyro and Ibby on Scout — knd. has, if anything, improved their already impressive roster. However, with the banning of Beggar’s Bazooka it’ll be interesting to see how this flank works as knd. was one of the teams that took full advantage of this devastating weapon. Overall, the flank will most likely still improve this season with Satan’s Flare Gun and Ibby’s Soda Popper hard at work.. Jarrett, Kresnik, and Nursey will look again to hold onto their title as the best, most coordinated combo in UGC, dealing great damage and out-positioning most opponents. Overall, it’s looking like knd. is going to continue to put to bed any doubts that that last season was a fluke, proving over and over that they can give any team an impressive fight. All signs point towards yet another top 3 finish for knd., if not a possible repeat of their winning it all.

Players to Watch:

• Satan [Pyro]: Typically Pyros wouldn’t get this attention, but then again, Pyros aren’t usually as good as Satan. knd.’s new Pyro is generally regarded the best Pyro in HL and for good reason: he’ll shut down opposing flanks and Spies to help his entire team push and stay safe. With how aware knd. is of Spies, Satan is going to get even more roaming done, which is going to be quite scary for any opposing flank classes.

• Jarrett [Demoman]: After just two seasons in Platinum, Jarrett has already made it known to other teams that he is the real deal. His DM is on par with the other High Plat Demomen and his survivability is scary. On top of that, his communication and ability to main call are so prevalent that some might attribute most of knd.’s coordination to his stellar comms. He’ll end the season in the top 3 and will be one of the biggest reasons knd. finds success

• Scizor [Sniper]: A scary Sniper who takes advantage of heals and rotating, making it really hard to counter-snipe him. Because of him, opposing teams trying to push to take ground will be significantly slowed down. It’s been said that Scizor will “shoot, rotate, shoot, rotate, rinse, and repeat”. Sciz might not always be the toughest Sniper to play against, but when he gets on a roll he just might be the most frightening player in the league to face.

Hateful Eight + Decimate

From the ashes of ET and Ginyu comes a team with some of the best players in North America, and, unlike a typical Max/stabby team, this one is likely to stick around for more than one season. PhAZE has amassed a terrifying roster of players from the top of Platinum and Invite alike. From the ET core of Kill ‘em All, phorofor, phAZE, and Hng, to the Invite powerhouses that are Decimate, blaze, and b4nny, with the sprinkling of frequent top-Plat players fathom and sigafoo, this team is primed and ready to win Platinum. This may be the season where the ET boys finally break their woes with big pick-up, most notably b4nny on Demo. The biggest concern for these players will be combo protection; in previous seasons these players have witnessed their respective Medics get repeatedly harassed and they need to figure out a solution, otherwise these gentlemen will once again watch as someone else is crowned champion. h8 is a team that shouldn't lose in the normal season, unless possibly to Kids Next Door and/or Menace to Society. However, that's if they don't get complacent with having an incredible roster and they take each match seriously, as last season proved that without proper strategy and coordination it doesn't matter how good, or how well-known, a team and its players are.

Players to Watch:

• Decimate [Scout]: Probably the best Scout in HL right now. Decimate has been doing more than just decimating teams, he’s been obliterating them. There’s not many that can stop this man, let alone slow him down, as long as H8ful Eight can play off his picks and aggression this team will be flying to victory.

• b4nny [Demo]: Regarded as not just the best Demoman, but best player in TF2, any team he is on automatically makes them a contender in ESEA and UGC. He also brings something else to the “ET” diggas, a Demoman with a voice. This should make things easier for Kill ‘em All and phorofor now that their Demoman has a vocabulary larger than the word “use.”

• PhAZE [Sniper]: With Max! Retiring and stones... gone, phAZE looks to take the mantle as Highlander’s best Sniper. A man who rarely misses his shots or has bad games, phAZE has had matches where he has completely lit up the entire opposing team. PhAZE has earned the title of most consistently devastating sniper this season, but everyone is waiting to see how he does in S15 playoffs.

Menace To Society

Aside the teasing of Tangerine (rest in peace), the revival of Menace to Society was probably one of the most exciting news bits in the offseason. mTs is a team known for raw skill and knowledge, as well as obtaining a solid 1st, 2nd or 3rd spot... Every season… A common occurrence with mTs seems to be that they only care enough in the regular season to obtain a spot in playoffs and then kick it into high gear. With more and more people who take Highlander seriously being added to the team, and Harbleu moving off Medic, that mindset may become one that was more relevant in seasons past than now. mTs will definitely miss the coordination that Harbleu brought to the team as Medic, but it seems like Giraffe is fully willing to place himself in those big shoes. mTs brings a type of aggression back to HL that we haven’t seen since DRS, however mTs has always does it better. This season, look for mTs to bring an exciting style of play - with the smarts to back it up. As long as Indust stays alive and keeps the heals on Giraffe, this team should do fine despite loss of M4risa during the regular season. Keep in mind that this will be a completely different team in the postseason when M4risa reclaims her position as Sniper.

Players to Watch :

• Giraffe [Demoman]: Typically the spot for Demo on mTs is reserved for Invites, could this be the foreseeable future for a once-considered Pyro main? Giraffe will fit in well with a Harblue-esque mTs team that’s all about aggression and damage. All jokes aside, Giraffe brings a seriousness and talent to the team that mTs has lacked in some of their previous season and is certainly a welcome addition.

• Spamfest [Engineer]: One of the smartest and skilled Engineers in the game, and he’s also one of the sneakiest. You’ll always see him on the point fighting around his mini sentry, chipping away at anyone foolish enough to come within range. You’ll often see him flank entire teams on 5CP maps and get combo picks. He’s definitely one of the more frustrating Engineers to play against.

• Acooma [Spy]: Regarded now as the best spy in HL, Acooma will definitely be able to continue with that title with a team like mTs. Acooma has taken some time off, and it will have to be seen if he is going to regain his dominance that he has shown in previous seasons however, It sure is going to relieve a lot of stress on mTs and Katsy now that they don’t want to worry about facing acooma.

Dead Ringer Storage

DRS is alive! DRS returns! mustardoverlord returns once again with Dead Ringer Storage, a team that despite the roster changes it goes through in every iteration, remains in its mid-high Platinum position. While it will struggle against the teams above it, DRS should reliably be able to take games, or at least rounds, against anything that isn't the top three. For the most part, this is a roster that mustard can really get moving. Each player has no fear of holding the W key and that’s something he’s always looked for. If the entire team can play the game mustard's way, with a little bit of luck they could pull an upset and snag one of the top three slots. The last time Dead Ringer Storage was in Platinum was in S13, when mustard had high hopes for his “ragtag” gang, but things fell apart after a crippling defeat on cp_steel.It willl be interesting to see if mustard can keep the group rallied together this time. DRS is a team where mistakes are put under the spotlight and discussed and if mustard continues to have issues with rallying the team together in game it could be disaster part two. However, if this team can make it through the season without wanting to kill each other, than this will be a team that’ll definitely finish in the top 5.

• Linkuser [Scout]: A standout player from last season’s QC, linkuser has returned this season as the starting scout for DRS. Mustard’s eye for talent did not let him down this time, linkuser has solid aim, timing, and positioning even by Platinum standards. He chases down frags and, if left unchecked, can punish an unsuspecting flank.

• Tech [Sniper]: From Iron to Silver to Gold to jail to Plat to retirement and back to Plat again. Tech has had an interesting career, but it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been remarkably successful throughout the entirety of it. His aim is incredible and, if he decides to show up, he is a monster, even in Plat.

• Feint [Spy]: feint has milled about in Plat for several seasons now, always on the cusp of being a top tier Spy, but, as of yet, has not made it there yet. This season, however, feint is tired of being left out of the “best spy in plat” debate and is bringing his A game. If his scrim performance is anything to go by, he is going to be one of, if not the, best Spies in plat.

Bote

Bote arrives this season as a team with big dreams, and even bigger memes. Seriously though bluebird, you need to settle down. This team is a little bit of QC meets Honk! with the addition of some strong sixes players rounding out the roster. Bote is looking to be the strongest of the “new” teams with an impressive flank of invite players and pick classes that are nothing to scoff at. The team overall is still getting a feel for one another and will certainly come into itself in the latter half of the season, meaning they need to be on upset alert, especially for the first few matches. However, if this team can start to really mesh they certainly have the talent to make a deep run into playoffs. With so many variables to the team’s success it’s hard to pick out key factors in their success. To focus on just one, it comes down to how well new Plat Demo muma can adjust to stiffer competition and mesh with an otherwise fairly solid combo. Bote team is certainly a team to watch this season, as they are capable of both faltering against a weaker opponent or upsetting a top seed.

Players To Watch:

• Corsa [Sniper]: Without a doubt one of boat’s most fearsome players, corsa has arrived this season tired of mediocre finishes and ready to blast some heads. Considered by some as the best Sniper in Plat this season, corsa has been backing it up by demolishing almost everyone but one or two top Plat snipers. He allows bote to push faster and capitalize on the insane damage and picks he gets nearly every game.

• Freestate [Scout]: New to HL scout, Freestate is quickly learning how much Mini-sentries suck; fortunately for bote; however, he is learning how to rip teams apart even faster. Freestate clearly has some of the best DM in Plat, but it still remains to be seen if he can learn the meta and how to play around his teammates. If he does, he may be competing be one of the best Scouts in UGC this season

• Justin Time [Medic]: The only Medic to make the list (honorable mention to Nursey.knd), Justin Time is an essential part of bote’s success. His excellent heal distribution, solid positioning, and smart comm’s are going to be a huge factor in bote’s season. Additionally, his kryptonite, the Beggers Bazooka has finally been banned, so Justin will only improve from seasons past.

Just Kidding!

Just Kidding returns to Platinum again, but look to be practically reborn roster-wise. Jewfro, Spyro, Conner, and Mario are the only returning players. Given that jk! began reforming during last season’s playoffs, this team has had more time to jell together than the other reformed and new teams, giving them the potential to upset some teams that might have other advantages over them. The roster on the whole is not as awe-inspiring as the teams higher up on the list, however the natural coordination of its players seems to be more than making up for it. If they can keep the team together (stop trying to cut Connor) they show a lot of promise. This is a team that will want to slip into the higher levels of Platinum and, if they continue to play like they have in the offseason, they certainly can. It will be interesting to watch to see if they can contend solidly throughout the season and deep into playoffs, especially with a lack of “top players” that will be a constant thorn in their side. However, the last time that was said, knd. won Platinum.

Players to Watch:

• Jewfro [Scout]: after a couple seasons of Platinum, jewfro is finding his footing and showing that he is more than capable of hanging with other top Scouts. He excels at working around his team and punishing players that are out of position. While he may not be invite, he is certainly a solid player on jk!’s flank.

• Bobby [Demoman]: Moving Bobby to Demo is an interesting decision, as he was definitely one of the better Soldiers in HL only a few seasons ago. However, bobby seems to be hitting his stride and playing quite well with the jk! lot. His solid dm and the team’s overall coordination help to make bobby a constant threat.

• Bowswer [Sniper]: Without the invite dm and high plat experience of other plat teams, jk! is going to needs some solid picks from bowswer this season. Although he tends to play off of more heals than the average Sniper, he will usually not let them going to waste, getting solid amounts of picks and solidifying himself as a high Plat Sniper.

Route From TG

Of all the Gold move up teams this season, mtn. looks most likely to make playoffs. Most of these players were considered top players in their respective positions in Gold. Although Bryan is the only player with Platinum experience, scrims have proved that this team can hold their own in Mid Platinum. The problems that mtn. face this season are the same that have tested many a Plat team over the seasons: a lack of an invite flank, untested pick classes, and a combo that has not yet “meshed” as well as it needs to. However, mtn. is not a team that should be underestimated and is one of the few Gold team moveups in the past seasons that looks like a promising contender for the 7th or 8th playoff seed. Although they may have trouble with high Plat teams, often struggling to keep up with the speed of the game in Plat, they have shown they are still a cut above the rest in this season’s mid-low Plat.

Players To Watch:

• DC [Demoman]: An aggressive Demo who will need the heals, so as long as Mojoe keeps him buffed up he’ll consistently put out damage for the rest of this roster to follow up on. Solid pipe aim will make him a solid, if underrated, Plat demo.

• Route [Soldier]: Really aggressive as Soldier. He likes splash damage and numbers. This can either go good for his team or bad. He’ll look to get through the flank to lay a bomb on unsuspecting combos, don’t be surprise if he consistently out-damages other low-mid Platinum Soldiers because of this.

• Bryan [Sniper]: He’s played Scout and Soldier already in Platinum for teams like the Last Bosses and SYOPS, now he’s getting a chance at Sniper. Though he has struggled against high Platinum Snipers, he’s done solid against other low-mid Plat teams. He’ll be a driving force force for this team. So long as he’s hitting his shots, mtn will have a lot more room for mistakes and slip ups.

A Million Ways

“The writing’s on the wall.” A Million Ways appears to be a bfl’ resurrection under new leadership and they “won’t let you down.” “Upside down and inside out”, this is the team with the most experience when looking at low and mid Plat teams. Enryu returns to HL and he’s going to “let it rain” with stickies. A solid demoman with good positioning, he’ll bring credibility to this combo. Ok enough with the quotes for a while. Seriously though, ·aMw· has been quite a surprise this off-season, procuring a group of solid players and making it clear that they are no longer bfl’ and that they are determined to get some W’s. Digresser’s new team has found its way solidly into the 8th seed on our list and with good reason: untested against most high Plat teams, aMw·has been beating up on the low Plat “newbies”. Hungry for a solid season, A Million Ways is looking fairly solid in a volatile lower Plat.

Players to Watch:

• Jordan_ [Scout]: An all-around great player, there’s really nothing Jordan can’t do. Although some might argue that his real calling is on the Engineer class, Jordan has fought off that life for yet another season. A real “white knuckles” kind of player, he’ll leave opposing teams breathless with his grip of pressure. He’ll find “a million ways to be cruel.”

• Enryu [Demoman]: Before taking a break, Enryu was a solid Mid-Plat Demoman. A type of player who never really got much credit when talks of really good Platinum Demos. The combo on paper looks uneasy and untested, but Enryu is a great caller and so long as the team plays around him and listens there shouldn’t be an issue.

• Split_ [Sniper]: Really overlooked last season on Scout and most likely will be overlooked again on Sniper. As long as he shoots the rifle as well as he did the Scatter, this team should be roll on fine. Otherwise they’ll have to find some other way to “get over it.”

Highlight Matches

mTs vs H8

Already in Week 1, we have a matchup that will be seen in the latter half of playoffs. Neither team will really want to go into Week 2 with a loss, unless they’re pulling for an easy ride for the next couple of weeks. Of the two teams, mTs seems far more likely to be content with the weird looks from coming out with a loss Week 1 if it plays into their strategy, but it largely depends on the atmosphere of their Mumble come match night. Squid vs Decimate and Harbleu vs Blaze should be interesting matchups, although Payload isn’t quite the format suited for flank 1v1s. Of the classes that will likely interact with each other the most, being Heavy, Sniper and Demo, it’s hard to bet against Hateful Eight’s players, although if Ginyu on Upward was any indication, Dill’s playstyle may throw the H8 team for a loop or two. This match will be casted by EXTV. 2-0 in favor of Hateful Eight.

bote vs DRS

This matchup is very fortunate to come early in the season, as it will be a large moral boost for the winning team to have taken a win against the team that will likely be compared to them for the remainder of the season. corsa is definitely going to give bote an advantage right off the bat, as tech is good but still a bit rusty due to missing a fair amount of scrims, and corsa has played without stop for a very long times. A lot will come down to bote’s ability to withstand 7+ DRS players holding W into them, but the team seems to have solidified an understanding of how they want to play defense. It’s a shame that Linkuser and Freestate are going to be useless for at least half of the game, as both are amazing Scouts and could change the matchup a lot if it was played on a KoTH or 5CP. Justin Time will be a lot more solid than Couches, unless Couches takes mustard’s in-game tutoring to heart and it works out fantastically for them. This match will be casted by EVL TV. 2-1 in favor of bote.

Thanks again to everyone who helped out.

• Writer college kid who loves paint: Grizz

• Editors and Grammar nerds: Digresser and Yosh

• Format Wizard: brooky