With i55 fast approaching, it’s now clearer than ever that there are five top teams with a realistic chance of taking the gold. But there have been so many results and roster changes lately that it’s been hard to keep in mind the biggest question of all: who will win i55? Consider this article your first-hand guide as the fateful weekend approaches. Let's get into the power rankings!

1. Reason #

• KnOxXx
• kaptain
• Mike
• kaidus
• Hafficool
• Forsak3n

Reason looks strong right now. Really strong. After picking up Knoxxx and Mike, Reason dominated the ETF2L S21 finals; they have not dropped a map since picking up the famed Frenchman and his Welsh sidekick. The fatal error of past European superteams has been slacking in the summer months, going on holiday and avoiding TF2 altogether. Reason are not repeating this mistake, and have been scrimming hard in the past weeks.

In fact, the only thing they lacked after making those initial roster changes was a game-changing sniper. In past I-Series LANs, snipers like Clockwork, Jukebox, and Sheep have made their enemies petrified of stalemates. Well now, Reason has that key ingredient to a dominant performance at i55. Forsak3n, one of the best snipers in the game (and a superb scout, too), has joined the squad for LAN.

If Reason’s results and roster upgrades aren’t enough to convince B4nny that Reason is a bit more than the "latest European pug dream team," then the core of the team should. Kaptain is one of the best pockets in the game, with DM skills only paralleled by his own roaming soldier, Mike. Hafficool has beat all expectations and proven himself to be an extremely effective scout. And Kaidus has finally found himself on the best team in Europe in time for LAN.

I think Reason can win i55, and they’re putting in the work to make it happen. But what will the Americans have to say about Europe’s best hope?

2. Froyotech #

• shade
• b4nny
• blaze
• duwatna
• ash
• clockwork

Froyotech just did it again. They took their 4th straight ESEA title, and they proved their adaptive ingenuity along the way. After Ash was brought in on pocket to replace Serv0, Froyotech struggled to match their peak form, losing to Ascent in two tight maps in the ESEA upper bracket final. But before their Grand Final rematch, b4nny decided to make a change. He switched to pocket himself, and in the process brought his smarts and calls to Froyotech’s combo. The change worked perfectly, and Froyotech ended up taking four straight maps to beat their North American rivals in dominant fashion.

I don’t think Froyotech are unbeatable. Although their combo is more fearsome than ever, Ash remains relatively unproven on scout. But if Froyotech do win (and they very well might!), they won’t just be the best team in the world. They’ll be the uncontested best team of all time. We’ll see what happens, but I expect Froyo to be unable to match the unique combination of DM and experience that Reason bring to the table. One thing’s for sure, however: we’ll see some amazing TF2 in the process.

3. Ascent #

• TheFragile
• rando
• Ma3la
• Bdonski
• enigma
• Shrugger

It’s been tough being an Ascent fan, lately. After winning the aforementioned ESEA upper bracket final against Froyotech, they proved unable to match a revitalized roster from their biggest rivals, and lost four straight maps. Ouch.

But Ascent have their own answer to Froyotech’s changeup: for i55, teamfortress.tv’s own Enigma has stepped up to the bat in place of Decimate (whose work schedule prevents an i55 showing). Although both are top notch scouts, Enigma still has to be seen as an upgrade for Ascent by way of his experience. With an i46 title and a close 3rd at i52 under his belt, Enigma brings a powerful consistency to the BFNS squad.

Will it be enough? It’s hard to say, but Ascent has all the right ingredients to make the finals, or even win. Rando is a beast, Bdonski undoubtedly wants to prove he’s the best demoman in the world, Shrugger has I-Series experience of his own, Ma3la has an amazing fashion sense, and TheFragile has some on-point cat faces. What more could you ask for? :3

So far, Ascent have lacked the aura of invincibility an on-form Froyotech can display. But if they put on their game faces in Coventry, they could win i55. They have all the right ingredients; it’s up to them to put them together and be the best team in the world.

4. nerdRage #

• Bulle
• Tek
• Zebbosai
• ryb
• Flippy
• Starkie

Throughout most S21 of ETF2L, nerdRage looked like Europe's best chance against the Americans. Their roster is an unholy union of the perennial Scandinavian and French superteams. Tek and Bulle crush everything in sight, while Ryb provides supporting damage. Their flank is even scarier: Stark may very well be the smartest scout in Europe, while Zebbosai brings his experience and "solid" DM to roamer. Finally, Flippy’s occasionally sub-par scout performance is more than made up for by his godly performance on sniper.

But in the finals weeks of ETF2L, nerdRage looked shaky against the new Reason squad, and has lost all four official maps to them. If they can’t conquer their European compatriots, how will they defeat their rivals from across the pond?! It’s a good question, one which only nerdRage can answer.

If Flippy is “on,” and the rest of their team performs at their full potential, nerdRage could make a deep run: it would be only a small surprise to see them in the grand finals. But Tek and Flippy have been on holiday lately: Tek won't be back for another week! nerdRage have a lot of prove, but I would love to see them succeed, and show us all that a European team doesn’t need Knoxxx and Mike to be the best team in the world.

5. The Last Resort #

• Serotone
• AMS
• alfa
• WARHURYEAH
• HerrP_
• NiCO

The Last Resort seems to be down to their literal last resorts as of late. HYS, the team’s mastermind and (until recently) leader, suffered a shoulder injury after ETF2L playoffs and was replaced by WARHURYEAH. Although WAR might be a better demo in pure DM capability, HYS micromanaged his team with a passion and guided their play beautifully. So I have to see HYS being gone as a big loss for TLR, even though WAR is an insanely good demoman.

Furthermore, ShaDowBurn’s visa has been denied, so TLR have picked up the wily Canadian Alfa to roam for them. Although Alfa is a great player, and it’s exciting to see the first top intercontinental team at an Insomnia LAN, I question TLR’s capability to win i55, when their roamer will be practicing with 100+ ping.

I would love to see TLR make a big run and muscle their way past whichever top teams are underperforming. They certainly have the capability: with WAR and AMS in their combo, TLR’s famous aggression could prove brutally effective against a potentially jetlagged and uncoordinated Ascent or Froyotech. But with so many roster changes coming so close to i55, I’m forced to rank them in the 5th spot. Prove me wrong, boys!

Let's wrap this up

i55 is looking HYPE. There are 5 teams with a shot: the American squads are established and LAN-proven, but the Euros have managed to put together three superteams to contest them. Although TLR have had roster issues and 1/3 of nerdRage has been on vacation, Reason have the best talent and results that Europe has to offer, and they are the team to beat.

Who will be crowned world champions? Tune into teamfortress.tv's official coverage from August 28th to August 30th to find out, or check out the upcoming ZOWIE & SweetStakes.tf tournament for a sneak preview into the action! Don’t be late to either: you can expect nothing less than the best TF2 of all time!

P.S. You think I'm totally incorrect? Take the strawpoll and rank the top teams yourself! http://www.polljunkie.com/poll/bppscx/i55