Hastily Written RGL S5 Advanced Power Rankings Pt. 2 of 4
2/15/2021

As expected, the season already looks competitive as ever with only one team keeping their 0 and a massive free-for-all in the center of the standings with tons of teams hanging around with an even record, trading numerous rounds back and forth. We'll see if Product throws some more chaos into the mix as it tends to do.
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#1 Cat Posse (6-0) [+1]
Scouts: Shining Star, yumyum
Soldiers: KTB, Toss
Demo: Kurama
Medic: reigh

In their last run, they had a rough start and just barely dragged themselves into Div. 2 playoffs, with some help from
1-512-PLUMPWENCH. This time around, they're hot out the gates with a 6-0 start and the last team standing unbeaten. Since they've mauled every other high Advanced team sans the Burnsiders, they're an obvious favorite to win the division.

#2 :/ (Honey Bacon Club) (5-1) [+3]
Scouts: dit, pom
Soldiers: Hunter 2.0, morsca
Demo: artist
Medic: rasta_ronald

Cat Posse was on a 4 game run of perfect 5-0s until reaching Honey Bacon Club. Honey Bacon Club did well against the favored Cat Posse in the the first half yet in the second, Cat Posse blew past them. There's plenty of time to close the gap before they meet again in playoffs, and playoffs are basically a guarantee for this team unless everyone suddenly dies in real life or something. The only potential hitch is that they've lost their longtime maincaller KutchKutch. Dit should be a fine replacement mechanics wise, though we'll have to see how the change impacts them from a calling perspective.

#3 TeamSolouMlpst (5-1) [+3]
Scouts: Walrex, cleanbuddy
Soldiers: 1Lights, PENGUIN_MASTER
Demo: umlpst
Med: reno

There was a scare on Thursday with Lobsters nearly handing them their second loss. In a 3-2 grindfest, they narrowly got out alive. The rest of their schedule has been on the easier side so it's hard to say if they're definitively a top 3 team, but they're in the conversation.

#4 Portland Burnsiders (4-2) [-3]
Scouts: RPC_33, yerb
Soldiers: tony, Kylofro
Demo: fygg
Med: sorry, squidie

On paper the Burnsiders should be a heavy favorite to make finals. Of course, Team Fortress 2 isn't played on paper. TSM shut them out and even the move-up team Lobsters.tf was able to tough out a shocking win over them on Villa. Keep in mind, of course, both of their losses are on Villa so perhaps it's just a matter of struggling with an unfamiliar map.

#5 g*ming (3-3) [-2]
Scouts: Scream, zanda
Soldiers: FrickMyNick, Shiny
Demo: Sleepy
Medic: ZoomZxe

Since the previous rankings edition, g*ming has had a rough time, losing all of their games sans a forfeit. There's also been a bit of a change-up with Nick moving to soldier and Scream to scout. It isn't all bad. The teams they lost to were good and it's nice to have dior addicts out of the way by claiming the forfeit.

#6 dior addicts (3-3) [+1]
Scouts: claps, Kevito
Soldiers: vegan, aimer
Demo: rickrigatoni?
Medic: urmphi

Things have been a little shaky with a number of roster transactions recently. Antoni is out, Kevito is moving to scout, and Rick is on demoman (needs citation). With such a major change, it's hard to say where they'll stand precisely, though I'm sure they'll still be comfortably in playoff contention.

#7 iBuyWinRAR (3-3) [-3]
Scouts: Air, apt
Soldiers: vanxi, yukari fan III
Demo: mc
Medic: styles

Early on, iBuyWinRAR had the makings of a team destined to make semi-finals at the very least. Now that things are rolling, it hasn't gone so smoothly. They still struggle to cleanly put away the mid tier teams and they came up short versus the top teams these past few weeks. They'll need to buy a win on Product to stay in contention.

#8 dynasty (3-3)
Scouts: kobe1920, yaMi
Soldiers: Q, wonder
Demo: Zaboomafoo
Medic: -ben

The core from Season 4 dynasty was a good foundation, and now after drafting kobe, it's been enough to elevate their team to the next level. Their .500 record might not look like a huge improvement, but they've faced a tough schedule over their first few weeks. Anyone who's watched or played them in both seasons knows how much better they are now.

#9 Lobsters.tf (3-3) [+3]
Scouts: allison, TheGOATMage (Fanclub link: https://discord.gg/9m5ZW85vXF)
Soldiers: Tribes212, tristen
Demo: suikaMUSIC
Medic: Degnan

In these last two weeks, the Lobsters, especially TheGreatMage, have gotten boiling hot. After choking away a 3-0 lead over feet pics, they came back with a huge upset over the Burnsiders ft. the power of Friendship. Their next week was even better with a well-earned win over g*ming and a quality loss to TSM. With most of the hard teams out of the way and a slew of scout-centric maps coming up, they're in a great spot and sure to rise up if they can sustain this level of play.

#10 Romney 5 (3-3)
Scouts: who
Soldiers: the fuck
Demo: knows? (Donovan, reero, Rikachu, fancyson, loafe)
Medic: Slicerogue

The Romney 5 is a tough team to evaluate as you never know what line-up they're going to roll out week to week. For example, three weeks in, Reero has already played every combat class although Slicerogue has remained in the medic gulag. With their most optimal line-up, they should be top 8 at minimum. With their worst composition, they may even be in the bottom 8 of the division.

#11 watch This (3-3)
Scouts: maze, zyehac
Soldiers: indi, scumbag_steven
Demo: Assterick
Medic: ales

Similar to Lobsters, this move up team has had a surprising amount of success to kick things off. Since adding Assterick in the pre-season, their team has gotten a little edge that puts them over teams they previous struggled with. With a 3-3 start, they're at least in the playoff conversation, though still underdogs.

#12 BLANC Esports (3-3) [-3]
Scouts: Donald Dorito, am i a ball
Soldiers: 5ping_Wizard, Antecedent
Demo: Jojo
Medic: Tery_

More or less as expected, BLANC is hanging around the middle of the pack, much like the franchise has done historically. They had a rough stretch of losses getting swept thrice in a row, then managed to get back in the winner's circle with a close win over feet pics. Overall, there's not huge standout quality with BLANC so far, just a solid team all-around.

#13 feet pics (3-3) [+1]
Scouts: triiiple, supreme toad
Soldiers: pant, knsume
Demo: perenne
Medic: kasper

Coming off a disappointing, winless Div. 1 run, things are looking much better for this sort-of-remake of The Bradman Bunch. They clawed their way back from a 0-3 deficit versus Lobsters, narrowly overcame Romney 5, and just barely fell short to BLANC. Headed into Product week, things could get interesting as the Highlander crew will be right at home on King of the Hill.

(Continued below due to char. limit)

#15 monkeys @ mid (0-2)
Scouts: XBS, caboose
Soldiers: Owiboner, PKG
Demo: zbra
Med: tubagod

The XBS scout journey continues into Advanced. What he lacked in pure DM, he easily made up for with his high level experience compared to Main players last season. There's no doubt that if XBS wants to win, he's willing to grind hard. I could see this team surprising people later in the season regardless of their less than ideal start.

#16 Rock Bottom (0-2)
Scouts: Souyant, tibby
Soldiers: Kuhnockers, Nurfu
Demo: alfredodan
Med: asher

The Alfredo Dan Clan has a solid roster with no major weaknesses, though at the same time, they have no true "superstar". They should be competitive against most mid-Advanced teams and rebound from their rocky start as long as they can integrate their new medic into their team quickly.

#17 THE GOBLIN ZONE (0-2)
Scouts: saam, Waldo
Soldiers: Muma, tomato_tom
Demo: Hedgehog Hero
Med: bloompi

If this veteran team puts on their tryhard pants (or even kind of trying pants) they can make playoffs. Will that happen? Maybe? Probably not. A similar lineup had a strong showing in the Winter Cup Advanced division and brought home silver against a field of very tough competition.

#18 yasssss team (0-2)
Scouts: Gwen, Cpt. Fapn
Soldiers: tulaman, liammmm
Demo: yohnny
Med: Facts Machine

After some pre-season experiments on soldier, Gwen (Saila) has returned to her usual scout role. While she's one of the stronger scouts in the division, the rest of the team lacks Advanced level experience. To make this season a true success, the newer guys will need to take a big step forward or Gwen will need to carry a heavy load. Currently, things don't look too bad as they were at least able to take some rounds in their first week.

#19 Eels and Escaltors (0-2)
Scouts: RoL, scott
Soldiers: airtime, BBOP
Demo: AvoidJoker
Med: ?

B4nny stream legend RainOfLight was able to get 6 just in time for the season. Recent developments have made it tough to keep 6 ready to go, unfortunately. If they can manage to keep it together, this should be a solid learning experience for the team.

#2147483647 Predatory Lending Practices (0-2)
Scouts: Hypno, ?
Soldiers: ScrewB, voosh
Demo: Guyehhh
Med: ?

Not ranked as I'm currently subbing/temporarily starting on this team.
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Good luck to everyone in their week 2 matches. Contact Giblert#3041 for any feedback, tips, info, or corrections.

Next: 2/15

Unsolicited RGL S5 Advanced Power Rankings Pt. 1 of 4
2/1/2021

After a few seasons away, the merged Advanced division returns with a just-right size of 20 teams. The always familiar map Snakewater is in the books, and the stage is set for a potentially wild week on the new version of Villa.
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#1 Portland Burnsiders (2-0)
Scouts: RPC_33, yerb
Soldiers: tony, Kylofro
Demo: fygg
Med: sorry, squidie

After a massive clusterfuck of a qualifier, one team had to fall to Advanced from Invite. Considering this team was planning to play Invite, this team is strong across the board as expected even though they had a few changes from their original Invite candidate roster with Luddy and BBC replaced by Squidie and RPC_33 respectively.

#2 Cat Posse (2-0)
Scouts: Shining Star, yumyum
Soldiers: KTB, Toss
Demo: kurama
Med: reigh

The Posse returns after coming a hair short of winning a Div. 2 title in Season 3. Yumyum and Toss have also continued to play together on RAT PARTY in the interim. With the core players returning, former S31 teammate Kurama teaming up with Shining Star once again, and KTB filling things out, they've constructed a great line-up. They're doing well against the other high Advanced teams and show no signs of slowing down.

#3 g*ming (2-0)
Scouts: FrickMyNick, Zanda
Soldiers: Shiny, Scream
Demo: Sleepy
Med: ZoomZxe

Frick My Nicholas, a few BLANC alumni, a veteran soldier combo, and the Highlander doc himself ZoomZxe have come together to build a powerful team of g*mers. Between Nick's great gamesense and the mechanical skills provided by the rest of the roster, it seems they have the right pieces to make it all flow together right. I underrated this team pre-season. Now, looking at their recent results in matches and scrims, it's clear they're real contenders.

#4 iBuyWinRAR (1-1)
Scouts: Air, apt
Soldiers: vanxi, Grape Juice III
Demo: mc
Med: styles

Since this team formed early in the offseason, they've looked like a title threat with an initial core of Air, Grapejuice, fygg, and mc. Their first week results haven't been as clean as expected; the move-up team watch This gave them some trouble and g*ming won a decisive 5-1 victory over iBuyWinRAR in spite of the curious stat of g*ming having 4 less ubers.

#5 :/ (2-0)
Scouts: KutchKutch, pom
Soldiers: bumbo, Hunter 2.0
Demo: artist
Med: rastafarian_ronaldo

Artist and the artists formerly known as Honey Bacon Club continue their campaign through the RGL coming off of a Season 3 Main second place and Season 4 Div. 2 championship. They lost DM lord Claps who stepped in for playoffs and instead gain a powerful new soldier duo in Hunter 2.0 and bumbo. Their biggest advantage is the fact that their core group has stuck together for a while now - it's working out as of now with the team taking home two fast wins on Snakewater week.

#6 Team Solo Umlpst (2-0)
Scouts: Walrex, cleanbuddy
Soldiers: 1Lights, PENGUIN_MASTER
Demo: umlpst
Med: reno

Overall a strong offclass team filled to the brim with experience. Their med is a little inexperienced compared to the rest of the team - it shouldn't be a huge issue though - with so many good players to work with, I'm sure they'll be able to learn and get up to speed by the time they get to the most critical games.

#7 dior addicts (1-1)
Scouts: Antoni, claps
Soldiers: Aimer, vegan
Demo: Kevito
Med: urmpi

Just in time, the cheaters were exiled from RGL. In their place, they've added Claps and Co. to the roster in a pseudo-remake of Season 3's Main Champ Family Friendly Content. On paper, this team looks like a contender, but we'll have to wait and see how they all mesh together on short notice. It's hard to draw conclusions from their first week as they crushed a team they were expected to beat and were rolled by a team they weren't expected to beat.

#8 dynasty (1-1)
Scouts: Q, yaMi
Soldiers: kobe1920, wonder
Demo: Zaboomafoo
Med: ben-

Dynasty had a disappointing run in Div. 2 with a few highlights here and there. Not deterred, the core of Q, Wonder, and Zaboomafoo is back with some roster revisions, with the key pickup being Kobe1920 who is returning from RGL exile after being banned for alting. Even against stronger competition, I expect them to well exceed their record from last season.

#9 BLANC Esports (2-0)
Scouts: Donald Dorito, taiga
Soldiers: Uni_Wizard, Antecedent
Demo: Jojo
Med: old man

Always a staple of competitive TF2 since what feels like the dawn of time, BLANC returns for the 15th-ish season (6th consecutive). Last season, BLANC reached the podium for the first time since Main Season 1. The latest iteration only retains Tery_ and Donald Dorito though some of the other faces are familiar BLANC associates. As usual, it looks like BLANC will continue to play the role of middish level gatekeeper. That said, they can shake that look if they can take a win off either :/ or Cat Posse this week.

#10 Romney 5 (1-1)
Force-A-Nature: reero
Scout: Rikachu
Soldiers: loafe, fancyson
Demo: donovan?
Med: Slicerogue

Similar to TeamSoloUmplst, the Capture Creature's latest lineup brings a ton of experience to the table in all classes minus their soldiers who are a bit green in comparison to the rest of the team. If Reero decides to use the Scattergun or makes the class trade with Donovan permanent, this team could rise much higher.

#11 watch This (1-1)
Scouts: maze, zyehac
Soldiers: indi, scumbag_steve
Demo: Assterick
Med: ales

One of many Main move ups, watch This took home the bronze in their last outting after a truly amazing comeback over 7gull. There are some promising rising stars on this roster, yet they lack a real veteran presence which could put them at a disadvantage in high stakes, fast paced matches. On the bright side, taking three rounds off iBuyWinRAR is a good sign.

#12 Lobsters.tf (1-1)
Scouts: allison, The Great Mage
Soldiers: Tribes212, Tristen Thompson
Demo: On1
Med: Degnan

The Lobsters possibly the longest running team in RGL (minus Invite) to keep roughly their same core, having played participated in every RGL season plus several UGC seasons. Their last Main season ended in disappointment after making second seed and being upset in the first round of playoffs. Still, they've been grinding hard over the offseason and a lot of people might be surprised by the fragging ability of their scouts and demoman.

#13 St. Jude's (1-1)
Scouts: Cadét, z3no
Soldiers: Beepity_boop, jude
Demo: Sail
Med: Squid

Cadét's long, hard team search finally ended with him teaming up with Beepity_Boop and Sail. Realistically, this teams lacks the raw firepower to challenge the top teams. However, I believe that they have the dedication and grit to grind out some wins over the other up and comer teams such as their next opponent, watch This.

#14 fe*t pics (1-1)
Scouts: supreme toad, triiiple
Soldiers: pant, knsume
Demo: perenne
Med: kasper

Every season needs "the Highlander team". It almost looked like Advanced wouldn't have one this time around until these guys formed. Their early scrim struggles is a little bit of a red flag, but they haven't had a ton of time together, so there's plenty of runway to get the machine running smoothly and they've already secured a decent win over Rock Bottom.

(Continued below due to char. limit)

ggs HBC, see ya next season

Also, we're very proud to break the record for most consecutive playoff losses in a single season.

ggs hbc, great season

shoutout to the pugscrim squad

If our team doesn't play together next season, I highly recommend golden. I'm pretty sure this is his first full season on combo scout and he's already great at it. I've noticed he's improved a lot especially in calling, taking trades, and leading pushes throughout the season. Great DM too, first bomber instantly dies every time.

ggs honey bacon club, amazing game, apologies again for the server thing

edit: gg jelq

RGL Main Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 3 of 3
11/9/2020, 6:55 PM ET

In this final regular season week (and this final edition of the rankings for this season), things have more or less been sorted out in Main. There's a clear divide between the playoff teams and the non-playoff teams. Where the playoff teams stand against each other? We'll see soon enough, I suppose. I'm certain it'll be a competitive race to the finals.
_____

#1 watch This (11-3) [+2]
Scouts: maze, zyehac
Soldiers: scumbag steve, Math
Demo: MiG-21
Medic: FlipFTW

Rising a hair above the crowd with the best record, MiG's team looks like a narrow favorite right now. If nothing else, they're the most improved team in the division if you compare their results from the start of the season to their results now. Since week 3, they've beaten every other contender except for Lobsters.tf, in which they lost by a single round. Now, only the Obese Whales stand in their path on their road to secure the first seed. As a final note, they've low key been pretty dominant in terms of round percentage, with a standout 75%+.

#2 Obese Whales (10-4) [+7]
Scouts: z3no, Antoni
Soldiers: blizz, jude
Demo: Assterick
Medic: solrac

Similar to watch This, the Whales have risen to the surface over these last couple of weeks, dispatching four legit teams in a row. The addition of z3no has also seemed to give them a bit of an edge. As mentioned before, this team has some crazy good mechanics, so if they can keep developing their teamplay moving into playoffs, they have a serious chance to win gold. This next game against watch This is a chance to make a big statement to the rest of the the contenders.

#3 Lobsters.tf (10-4) [-1]
Scouts: ally, The Great Mage
Soldiers: Tribes212, bamb00
Demo: On1
Medic: Degnan

In the undersea showdown, the Lobsters were beaten by the Obese Whales in a narrow 4-5 loss on Metalworks. It seems Metalworks in general isn't a great map for Lobsters.tf as they were also upset by Six Bone Throne. Not deterred, they were able to recover and crushed some easier teams on one of their best maps, Product.

#4 Total Drama Island (10-4)
Scouts: XBS, J_peg
Soldiers: PKG, TonyB
Demo: Ryot
Medic: Bradasparky

After struggling on against Lobsters.tf on Clearcut, they seemed to have improved on King of the Hill and at least made it close with Obese Whales before defeating the lower ranked Gorilla Grip Pu$$y. As with most of the top teams in the division, they've already played the other contenders, so this last week of easy match-ups will likely be a rest week.

#5 Goobies (9-5)
Scouts: Witness, Timeless
Soldiers: Setsuna, lenn
Demo: Caboose
Medic: pierre

Since the last rankings update, Goobies has had a fairly relaxed schedule barring their loss to Obese Whales and a game against Six Bone Throne. The rest of their schedule isn't too much harder either - they should be moderate to heavy favorites versus Band of Thieves and Portland Burnsiders. Of course, it's still crucial they take care of business in these last two matchups, as a loss could have serious seeding implications.

#6 PERUTECH (10-4)
Scouts: mudkip, frosters
Soldiers: marco, moisDM
Demo: json
Medic: mdodo

With .json joining up on Demoman, the rolling90halalcrips squad is a step closer to being back together in full.
After a few close calls, they were able to stay the course and are now in range to make the top half of playoffs depending on how the cards fall amongst the other contenders. They've just got to make sure to execute and finish off strong against their last two opponents. I'd be surprised if they didn't finish the regular season with 12 wins.

#7gull (9-5) [-6]
Scouts: tlar, patricK
Soldiers: fancyson, Slicerogue
Demo: Joey Lemons
Medic: Squid

After a strong showing to start the season, trouble has befallen the former RGL-IM champions. For several matches, they've been missing Reem and looking at the match results, it makes a pretty clear impact on the team as they ended up dropping a match to Dude Why, something I doubt they would do with their full line-up that shredded through the first half of the season. To make matters worse, their replacement's limited availability has made it difficult to practice often. With those factors in mind, it's going to be an uphill battle to claim a second title.

#8 Six Bone Throne (9-5)
Scouts: daily, dogb
Soldiers: ry4n, MikeMat
Demo: JaguarFiend
Medic: Betty

Last time, I speculated we'd see a signature JaguarFiend upset. On Metalworks, it turned into reality as they defeated Lobsters.tf in a closely fought match just as time expired. Perhaps not a huge upset since all of the playoff teams are fairly close in skill, but still a surprising result and a very welcome one for Six Bone Throne, as that win is enough to get them safely in position to make playoffs. It's unlucky they'll be missing dogb for this last week, but they really only need one win, and it would take a serious choke to lose their game against team, who have only won 3 rounds all season.

#9 Panty Raid @ 10:30 (7-7) [New]
Scouts: tanline, Pancake
Soldiers: Syntax, Yohny~bwaiiii
Demo: DeathToCats
Medic: reigh

Tanline's crew has went through a late renaissance these last few weeks and gave even the best teams a challenge. Still, it's probably too little too late, as the number don't add up in their favor in regards to the playoff picture.

#10 Dude Why (7-7)
Scouts: Deadlyseed, Cadet
Soldiers: M17, Tristen
Demo: Dew It
Medic: Daniel Holloway

When Dude Why needed him most, he vanished. In a stroke of bad luck, their Invite HL sniper Michael PC1 departed right as Product week rolled around. Their recent shuffling of scouts has also thrown things off course a bit. It's not all bad though. When 7gull lost The Reem on Metalworks, Dude Why was able to grind out a gritty 3-2 victory and claim a shocking upset.

#11 Band of Thieves (7-7)
Scouts: Willmatic, P4rsa
Soldiers: Moist_Master, denka
Demo: brandon
Medic: Gobitoe

The Thieves are kind of a feast or famine team. With the exception of their last Product game against PERUTECH, none of their games have been close, all being deciding by a large round margin for better or for worse. Individually, most of their players have talent. As a team though, things crumble a bit when they start falling behind.

#12 CountHunidsINTLMoneyPu$$ySQUAD (6-8) [New]
Scouts: extra crispy, throne
Soldiers: Rhasta, Willy
Demo: lllilililililIIIIIllI
Medic: displace

Like Panty Raid @ 10:30, Count Hunid's has made a few waves late in the season. Still, with their current record, it's too late to make a run for a top 8 spot. On the bright side, they were able to win The Pu$$y Bowl in a 5-1 victory over Gorilla Grip Pu$$y.

No Longer Ranked

Gorilla Grip Pu$$y (7-7) [-1]

Sitting at a perfectly balanced 7-7, the Gorillas are a solid mid-Main benchmark team. Not a threat to a contender, but good enough to give any sub-playoff team some difficulties. They barely fall out of the rankings after losing the aforementioned matchup to the similarly named CountHunidsINTLMoneyPu$$ySquad.

sorry, gaming (5-8) [-6]

It's normal for teams to die. This roster takes it to the next level by dying twice in the same season. The second generation of sorry, gaming had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, they couldn't bring home the wins in some key matchups and ended up dying as Cadet was deported to Dude Why to finish off season.
_____

One final time, good luck to everyone on this last week of the regular season.

Has consistently been improving these last few seasons, will presumably continue to do so. Definitely proved he can perform well in D2 this season, also just generally a nice guy based on my interactions with him.

RGL Div. 2 Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 3 of 3
11/9/2020, 6:55 PM ET

In the final week of the regular season, seven teams are (technically) in striking distance of playoffs. With only four playoff slots and and a close race in which every team has at least three losses, no team has clinched a slot yet, although a few teams are near locks.

Considering it is unlikely the last week will show any major developments, this will be the final update of this season. Anyway, good luck to everyone as we head into the last regular season week.
_____

#1 Jelqers (11-3)
Scouts: yam, Owiboner
Soldiers: Phoxx, jt
Demo: Juju
Med: Dank

Although technically not 100% in playoffs, realistically, it would take a complete collapse to get left out. Their team is overall solid across the board with no glaring weaknesses on any class. Still, they aren't invincible and ended up dropping a close game to dynasty on Metalworks. Are they the favorites right now? By a bit, sure, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

#2 Honey Bacon Club (10-4) [+2]
Scouts: KutchKutch, pom
Soldiers: dog, mousecake
Demo: artist
Med: rasta_ronald

Now sitting at 10 wins, it looks like the they just need one more win to bring it on home. Any of their last four matches are likely playoff previews. There's no doubt about this team's mechanical skills, the only question is how their casual scrim schedule will factor into their playoff success. On one hand, it's tough to practice three maps without scrimming much. On the other, sometimes its nice to head into the post-season grind mentally rested.

#3 BLANC Esports (9-5) [+2]
Scouts: zanda, Donald Dorito
Soldiers: Crasian, Muse
Demo: Sleepy
Med: Tery_

After missing Div. 2 playoffs last season, the new BLANC line-up is on the cusp of making it in this time, already with a better record than last time. Donald Dorito, I'm sure, is also determined to make it in considering the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his last team's demise. Of course, the upcoming week is no small challenge as BLANC likely needs to get through Jelqers to guarantee a place in the post-season.

#4 Stock Market (9-5) [-2]
Scouts: Stock, Yami
Soldiers: Phone, Meatball
Demo: azion
Med: bloompi

I initially speculated they'd be the favorites, but it looks things aren't so sure. Similar to BLANC, this last week is critical and they might need to win out on Snakewater to make it to the finish line. Pretty much everyone on this team has been around a while, so we'll see if that veteran pays off when the going gets tough. Another X-factor, they've had a few technical difficulties pop-up this season, so hopefully that won't flair up in this crucial last week.

#5 RHDP (7-7) [-2]
Scouts: ult, mak
Soldiers: playmo, ctr
Demo: penny
Med: rebyte

On paper, Rock Hard Dick Pills should make playoffs. As mentioned previously, Ult and Penny have proven themselves making ESEA-IM playoffs and the rest of their line-up is filled out with equally great players. In practice, they didn't seem to have time or will to scrim much and a couple of razor close games went the wrong way for them. Barring a miracle, those circumstances are enough to nudge them out of the playoff picture, sadly.

#6 KOTH & Ball Torture (8-6)
Scouts: pont, ChaseDuck
Soldiers: voosh, ScrewB
Demo: JohhnyFromCali? zbra?
Med: ghadilli

Despite their apparent disdain for King of the Hill, they didn't do too horribly, going 2-2 across Clearcut and Product. To somewhat repeat what was said above about RHDP, a lack of talent was by no means this team's issue. A few roster shake-ups and availability issues seemed to be just enough to keep them from reaching the top. However, with 8 wins, it's not quite over yet. If they win out, there's a possibly they could slip in to the final four with a little outside help.

#7 dynasty (5-9) [+2]
Scouts: ClarenceQ, j4ngles
Soldiers: wonder, nurfu
Demo: Zaboomafoo
Med: reno

Several close games fell the wrong way for dynasty, leaving them with a disappointing 5-9 record. Still, they've shown flashes of potential, such as their recent upset over Jelqers on Metalworks. This team has had some discussions about playing together in the future, so some form of this line-up may give it a second go next season. With some off season time to clean up their act, they could be serious threat.

#8 Goon Squad (6-8)
Scouts: hypno, KGN
Soldiers: Kuhnockers/Gungon, Sega: Mech Warrior
Demo: Kuhnockers/Gungon
Med: Bonesaw

On standard 5CP maps, they can be a little disjointed. On King of the Hill, however, their playstyle works much better - they have more wins on King of the Hill than they have on 5CP. On Product, they were especially successful, claiming a victory over The Box Tap and RAT PARTY. In both matches, Gungon went nuclear on sniper with at least 400 sniper DPM each half. The rest of the team played well off the picks and took home the wins.

#9 RAT PARTY (5-9) [-2]
Scouts: yumyum, tibby
Soldiers: KTB, Toss
Demo: Uberburst
Med: DubThink

At the midpoint of the season, things were looking up for RAT PARTY as they got on a hot streak, winning four in a row after adjusting to their new flank of Yumyum and Toss. These last three weeks, on the other hand, have not been so kind as they lost every game except for their match against Big Melanin Gaming. Based on personal observation, this team doesn't seem substantially worse than any other Div. 2 team, it just seems things haven't worked out come match time.

#10 GOBLIN CONES (5-9)
Scouts: Spades Slick, hedgehog hero
Soldiers: Waldo, tomato tom
Demo: Change
Med: saam

Usually teams in the bottom two or three of a division are free win teams. This isn't really the case with GOBLIN CONES. In most of their losses, they made their opponents work for it, and several times, they played the spoiler and upset some good teams.

#11 Big Melanin Gaming (2-12)
Scouts: emo?, freddo, tracker
Soldiers: Beepity_boop, zotoh
Demo: je'mond
Med: ydna_

Excluding their forfeit win over the dead team and BYE week, BMG hasn't picked up a win yet. They came close on Clearcut, and again on Product, they were ten seconds away from pulling it off behind great performances from the whole team, especially Zotoh who showed up with some huge bombs in crucial moments. They've got one last chance to bring home a win. If they can translate some of that success from their last match, they might get it done.

#NR The Box Tap (11-3)
Scouts: golden, owen
Soldiers: fleskore, ziaa
Demo: lcrtv
Med: wbacon

I don't usually put anything here since no one wants to hear me ramble about myself, but I may as well since this is the last update. I formed this team the day before the registration deadline and honestly, was just hoping to maybe go 8-8 at best and try to learn a few things. I've definitely done that, and the results are even better than I hoped for, so to everyone on this team, thanks to y'all for playing and giving my last minute experiment a shot.

Graveyard: hot girl summer (2-4)
_____

Once again, good luck again to everyone as the regular season wraps up.

gg sega: modern warfare and co

RGL Main Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 2 of 3
10/26/2020, 5:00 PM ET

So far, still a tightly contested season with several playoff teams trading wins back and forth. Hard to call anything for sure with any of the top 3 teams realistically in contention for the title and every team in the top half of the division in the hunt for playoffs, if only by a little bit in some cases. Should be an interesting last few weeks.
_____

#1 7gull (8-2) [+2]
Scouts: tlar, patricK
Soldiers: fancyson, Slicerogue
Demo: Reem
Medic: Squid

After making their way through the hardest matches, 7gull has just barely risen above the heap, cementing their place at the top with a close victory over their rival, Lobsters.tf. The experience and calling of Slicerogue and the amazing potential of Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem make them tough to beat, yet not invincible as shown by their recent loss on Villa.

#2 Lobsters.tf (8-2)
Scouts: ally, The Great Mage
Soldiers: Tribes212, bamb00
Demo: On1
Medic: Degnan

In their third showdown over two seasons, the Lobsters fell to the aforementioned 'gulls for the third time. Still, they made it competitive enough with them to show that things might be different when these teams likely meet again in playoffs. In terms of DM skill, this team is hard to match. If they can focus map picks on maps where they can show off that skill (read: KOTH), I'm sure they'll give any other contender a long, hard playoff series.

#3 watch This (7-3) [+4]
Scouts: maze, zyehac
Soldiers: scumbag steve, Math
Demo: MiG-21
Medic: FlipFTW

Fortunately, watch This didn't have too much trouble finding a worthy successor for monoclink in zyehac. They just barely lost to Lobsters on Gullywash, but it was clear that the two teams were evenly matched. They didn't seem to be bothered much by the loss and bounced back with dominant wins over PERUTECH and sorry, gaming. Even with some losses, they're without a doubt still in the hunt for the title and have been improving rapidly.

#4 Total Drama Island (7-3) [-3]
Scouts: XBS, J_peg
Soldiers: PKG, TonyB
Demo: Ryot
Medic: Bradasparky

If there was ever an obvious first map ban for playoffs, it's Gullywash for this team. Their scouts had a little trouble getting it going for Gullywash. For Villa, on the other hand, they were able to breathe a bit more and had much more success - reflected in both their personal performance and their team performance. While playoffs is almost a given for this team, they'll need to refine some things if they want to be championship calibre, as they weren't able to hurt the other top teams much.

#5 Goobies (6-4) [+6]
Scouts: Witness, Timeless
Soldiers: Setsuna, lenn
Demo: Caboose
Medic: pierre

Goobies have looked pretty binary with most of their recent games being hard rolls one way or the other. Their game vs. 7gull on Villa was the exception where they took the upset in a tight 3-2 win. Are they really good at Villa or is 7gull just really bad at it? I'm leaning toward the latter as Goobies lost their next Villa match 1-5 against Total Drama Island. Regardless, their wins over PERUTECH and 7gull show they're definite playoff material.

#6 PERUTECH (6-4) [-2]
Scouts: MoisDM, frosters
Soldiers: marco, jigsaw
Demo: tony
Medic: mdodo

After crushing Total Drama Island to kick-off week 4, they looked like the toughest team in the division for a brief moment. That aura was lost a bit after they got swept twice in their next two games. Nonetheless, with relatively easy matches on Metalworks and a great roster for a DM centric map in Product (for week 7), I wouldn't be surprised if they crush their next four games.

#7 sorry, gaming (5-5) [-2]
Scouts: Caday, Sail
Soldiers: Galilpro, am i a ball
Demo: Recurse
Medic: sorry, squidie

Cadet's campaign to free Taiga from soldier jail have been unsuccessful, sadly. Anyway, they're in an odd spot right now. They have a playoffs level line-up, but their early record (before the roster hijack) has set them back for in the playoff race. Their fortune isn't all bad though. Their next two match ups are winnable if they don't choke.

#8 Six Bone Throne (7-3) [+1]
Scouts: daily, dogb
Soldiers: ry4n, MikeMat
Demo: JaguarFiend
Medic: Betty

Six Boomer Throne is on a hot streak right now, granted they didn't have a strong schedule. Headed into this week, they're paired up with two division contenders. While they're the clear underdog on paper, never discount Jaguar's ability to randomly upset a huge favorite.

#9 Obese Whales (6-4) [-3]
Scouts: Rookie, Antoni
Soldiers: blizz, jude
Demo: Assterick
Medic: solrac

Like PERUTECH and Lobsters.tf, this team also has huge potential with overall strong mechanical skill across the board. Though a lack of experience in organized play does show in some cases, if they can clean some things up and make it into playoffs, they could be a spooky first round trap game.

#10 Dude Why (6-4) [New]
Scouts: Deadlyseed, MichaelPC1
Soldiers: M17, Tristen
Demo: Dew It
Medic: Daniel Holloway

In spite of their horrible team name, Dude Why has regrouped and gotten back in the win column after a heartbreaking Clearcut week in which they lost both matches by one round. With Product around the corner and invite HL sniper MichaelPC1 ready to roll, they need to take full advantage of their potential on that map if they want to make it into playoffs.

#11 Band of Thieves (5-5) [+1]
Scouts: Willmatic, P4rsa
Soldiers: Moist_Master, denka
Demo: brandon
Medic: Gobitoe

This team is doing alright even though they have Gobitoe. Gobitoe is a man so dumb he complained about having to play medic in playoffs in spite of playing it all season and tried to convince other players to swap classes with him but "only in map 3 because I don't want to play medic for 3 maps". A man so dumb he showed up to a playoff match high as balls and nearly threw because "I don't want to play 3 maps sober". A man so dumb he baited the third place match at the last minute to play UGC 4s. Gobitoe is a dumbass, but they're doing fairly well overall. If they can stay focused and avoid tilting, they should win their next two games comfortably. However, I imagine it's tough to avoid tilting if you have to listen to Gobitoe whine.

#12 Gorilla Grip Pu$$y (5-5) [New]
Scouts: Duke, hooli
Soldiers: Dawdle, neato
Demo: Garthnuk
Medic: Rave_AC

So far, the Gorillas/Pu$$ies have had trouble getting momentum going, swinging in and out of the win column all season. They haven't proven themselves against playoff level competition yet and there isn't too much time left to suddenly jump to the level of playoff contenders. That said, with the right scheduling luck, they're still a dark horse in the race to sneak into the 8th seed.

No Longer Ranked

Fake Science Monthly (5-6) [-5]

The future looked bright in the opening frame. They brought aboard the Captain of Fapn, adding some veteran experience to the relatively green team, then managed to claim a win over a solid team in Six Bone Throne. Since then, readership has fallen for Fake Science Monthly, now 5-6 on a loss streak of 6. The ride's not quite over yet, but they need to turn things around instantly to keep their playoff hopes alive.

baocn attorney at law (3-5) [-3] (Dead)

Similar to Fake Science Monthly, they claimed an early win over a playoff contender then fell down the standings with repeated losses. Unlike Fake Science Monthly, they died, unfortunately.
_____

Good luck to everyone on Metalworks.

RGL Div. 2 Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 2 of 3
10/19/2020, 5:40 PM ET

The competition in Div. 2 continues to be fierce. Already, every team has at least two losses. And now, with the playoff size reduced from six to four and no teams pulling ahead with a huge win lead, the road to the championship is getting crowded.
_______

#1 Jeqlers (6-2) [+1]
Scouts: yam, Owiboner
Soldiers: Phoxx, jt
Demo: Juju
Med: Dank

Most of the time, the #1 spot in the division is pretty stable. I don't think that'll be the case this season, as the spot has traded hands a few times already. The addition of Dank on medic might not be an obvious impact, but everything counts when the race is this tight. That combined with their recent hot streak, I've got to give them the top spot by a hair for now.

#2 Stock Market (5-3) [-1]
Scouts: Stock, Yami
Soldiers: Phone, Meatball
Demo: azion
Med: bloompi

After starting the season with a lucrative bull market, stock prices have crashed back to Earth. I wouldn't panic sell though. Two of their losses came on Clearcut (a good map for upsets) and their other loss came while using subs. If they're back at full strength going forward, I expect them to be back on the uptick soon.

#3 RHDP (4-4) [+4]
Scouts: ult, mak
Soldiers: playmo, ctr
Demo: penny
Med: rebyte

The Red Hot Deli Peppers didn't start so hot. Now, they've really flipped the switch. Their only loss since our last rankings was to Jeqlers which is potentially the top team in division. Barring a catastrophe, they should finally hold a winning record after their next match versus Big Melanin Gaming.

#4 Honey Bacon Club (5-3) [-1]
Scouts: KutchKutch, pom
Soldiers: dog, mousecake
Demo: artist
Med: rasta_ronald

With minimal practice, last seasons Main heroes have continued to waltz their way through matches pretty well, maybe in part due to their prior experience together. Additionally, with DM god Claps available as a sub, someone might be in for an unlucky surprise if he comes off the bench for a match.

#5 BLANC Esports (5-3)
Scouts: zanda, Donald Dorito
Soldiers: Crasian, Muse
Demo: Sleepy
Med: Tery_

Tery's crew has had a busy few week taking home fat wins on Clearcut over other contenders then just barely losing two 3-4 nailbiters on Gullywash. Headed into Villa week, I'm sure the games will be just as tight. The fact that many of them have already played this map together might give them the edge.

#6 KOTH and Ball Torture (5-3) [-2]
Scouts: pont, ChaseDuck
Soldiers: voosh, fyg
Demo: JohhnyFromCali
Med: ScrewB

To their fortune (misfortune?) they've escaped Clearcut week with only minor scrapes on their scrotum. They nearly ended up on a three loss streak before closing things out against dynasty, putting themselves back in the green and maintaining a winning record as we move into the latter half of the season.

#7 Rat Party (4-4) [+3]
Scouts: yumyum, tibby
Soldiers: KTB, Toss
Demo: Uberburst
Med: DubThink

Since picking up Cat Posse's flank, the rats have crawled out of the cellar. They got buried deep with four losses in a row to start the season before rebounding with four wins (counting the "win" over BYE week). Even with some issues remaining, their new line-up is now truly competitive with the rest of the teams in division.

#8 Goon Squad (4-4)
Scouts: hypno, KGN
Soldiers: Kuhnockers, Sega: Most Wanted
Demo: Gungon
Med: Bonesaw

Picking up Gungon has been a big boon for the goons. That said, their recent results aren't amazing. They picked up wins over the bottom two teams without trouble, yet they still lack a big win to put the rest of the division on notice. It could be coming soon, though, especially with a new map throwing some chaos into the mix.

#9 dynasty (3-5) [-3]
Scouts: ClarenceQ, j4ngles
Soldiers: wonder, nurfu
Demo: Zaboomafoo
Med: reno

Sure, they've got a losing record, but it doesn't really feel like they're far behind other teams. If things swung a little different this week, their record could be flipped as they lost their last two on Gullywash by only a single round, and not to bad teams either. There's some slight concern going into Villa week as many of their players haven't played the map - to be fair, a lot of other teams are in the same boat.

#10 Goblin Cones (3-5) [-1]
Scouts: Spades Slick, hedgehog hero
Soldiers: Waldo, tomato tom
Demo: Change
Med: saam

It really shows the parity of the division when the team with the second worst record is still able to beat or nearly beat teams in the mid to upper part of the division. The Goblins have momentum now as they end the week with an upset, cashing out big on Stock Market.

#11 Big Melanin Gaming (2-6)
Scouts: emo, tracker
Soldiers: Beepity_boop, zotoh
Demo: je'mond
Med: ydna_

The late addition of emo has made some noticeable improvements to their overall performance. BMG still isn't a contender, but they're just good enough that they can create some chaos and ruin some dreams if a team takes them lightly or matches up with them on the wrong night.

#? The Box Tap (6-2)
Scouts: golden, owen
Soldiers: fleskore, ziaa
Demo: lcrtv
Med: wbacon

Not ranked.

Graveyard: hot girl summer (2-4)
_______

Good luck to everyone headed into Villa week.

RGL Main Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 1 of 3
10/12/2020, 9:00 AM ET

Perhaps the addition of Div. 2 sucking up the top Main teams has done a lot of good for the parity of Main. Just as it was last season, there is no undefeated team that's obviously going to win gold barring sudden catastrophe. Contrast that to the first two Main seasons where the champions went 19-0 and breezed by almost everyone. It's anyone's ballgame right now.
___

#1 Total Drama Island (5-1)
Scouts: XBS, J_peg
Soldiers: PKG, TonyB
Demo: Ryot
Medic: Bradasparky

That said, if I had to pick a favorite, I have to give XBS's team the slight edge here. Excluding their disastrous last match on Clearcut sans XBS, they've proven themselves against a good schedule of opponents so far. If they can rebound this week on a more straightforward, cookie cutter map, they can truly establish their reign at the top of the division.

#2 Lobsters.tf (5-1)
Scouts: ally, The Great Mage
Soldiers: Tribes212, bamb00
Demo: On1
Medic: Degnan

After dwelling in mediocrity for several seasons, the revamped Lobsters.tf roster is on the rise. In their last season of IM, they won more games than they had won in their previous two IM seasons combined, gave the eventual champions their hardest test, and took home the bronze. Last week, they swept Total Drama Island on Clearcut, but I'd like to see more consistent performances on 5CP maps before anointing the crustaceans as the division's best.

#3 7gull (5-1)
Scouts: tlar, patricK
Soldiers: fancyson, Slicerogue
Demo: Reem
Medic: Squid

Last season's IM champions started the season on a blunder as IM's silver medalists, Akatsuki, took revenge. They've been perfect since then, and now is the time to establish themselves as true title contenders as they prepare to face the strongest teams in division in Lobsters.tf and Total Drama Island. As mentioned before, they've met Lobsters.tf in last season's IM semi-finals and faced adversity, but ultimately came out on top. With roster shakeups on both sides, we'll see if they still reign supreme.

#4 PERUTECH (5-1)
Scouts: MoisDM, frosters
Soldiers: marco, jigsaw
Demo: tony
Medic: mdodo

Close behind, the IM superteam combination of last IM season's rolling90halalcrips (2nd place) and Sons of Axolotls (likely would've been top 4 if not for real life circumstances) is looking strong, owning the same record at 5-1 as well as a hard fought 5-4 win over Lobsters.tf. Relative to the other contenders, they've had the hardest strength of schedule. They could be underrated and a good Gullywash week could see them making a case as 1st place favorites.

#5 sorry, gaming (3-3)
Scouts: Caday, Sail
Soldiers: Galilpro, am i a ball
Demo: Recurse
Medic: sorry, squidie

For a team that died, they're pretty good. Cadet and Squidie's roster necromancy has them back and better than before. The old roster's poor record gave them a chance to get their shit sorted out as were dealt fairly easy games for Clearcut week, which they completed without dropping a round. Now the real challenge begins. They have the right players to make a run for the title, but with little time together, we'll have to wait and see if those hopes come to fruition.

#6 Obese Whales (3-3)
Scouts: Rookie, Antoni
Soldiers: blizz, jude
Demo: Assterick
Medic: solrac

The Whales have risen to the surface and made a name for themselves with a fair 3-3 start, and their scrim logs show that they're competitive with pretty much any team in Main. Aside from that, they're shrouded in mystery as the majority of their team except for Assterick have little ESEA/RGL league history. Time will tell if they're a real threat like Moby Dick, just a bunch of lardy fish, or something in between.

#7 watch This (4-2)
Scouts: maze, zyehac
Soldiers: scumbag steve, Math
Demo: MiG-21
Medic: FlipFTW

This team is a good mish-mash of IM players from last season taking the next step. Although none of their players have Main or higher experience, they're exceeding expectations. Even in their losses, they put up a respectable performance and stole rounds. Their fate now lies in the hands of free agency as they look to replace Monoclink. A good pickup could be the last piece they need to enter title contention - a bad one could see them falling out of playoff relevance at all.

Update: It appears they've picked up Zyehac.

#8 Fake Science Monthly (4-2)
Scouts: cpnfpn, tula man
Soldiers: roz, mcats
Demo: humphrey
Medic: Facts Machine

The first issue of Fake Science Monthly started hot as the staff took home quality wins over Goobies and Six Bone Throne. Recent results aren't as thrilling, but it's still early in the season. We'll need to see more data before we can confidently conclude if they're a playoff level team or not.

#9 Six Bone Throne (3-3)
Scouts: daily, dogb
Soldiers: ry4n, MikeMat
Demo: JaguarFiend
Medic: Betty

Aptly named, these old skeletons have crawled out of their coffins again. Their performance so far has been a mixed bag. Some good wins here, some bad losses there - Clearcut was clearly not their best map. As they continue to shake off the rust and cobwebs and eyeball cancer, I expect them to get back on the right path.

#10 baocn attorney at law (3-3)
Scouts: Mhenlo, myk
Soldiers: josh, djinnseng
Demo: NickK
Medic: baocn (gold 4s champion)

Every division needs the inevitable team of Highlander lords, usually flagged by a bunch of orange checkmarks. This season, this is that team, or at least the best one. They put themselves on the map with a nail-biting win over Watch This. Now on a three loss streak, they need to get back in the green to show that it was more than just a good night and stay in the playoff mix.

#11 Goobies (4-2)
Scouts: Witness, Timeless
Soldiers: Setsuna, lenn
Demo: Caboose
Medic: pierre

They've got a respectable record, but no real statement wins yet, so there's not a whole lot to say about them yet. That'll change this week, perhaps. Their scrim results show they're a solid team - don't count them out of these next two matchups against Watch This and PERUTECH.

#12 Band of Thieves (4-2)
Scouts: Willmatic, P4rsa
Soldiers: Moist_Master, denka
Demo: brandon
Medic: Gobitoe

The beginning of the season was less than ideal for the thieves. After being freed from the chains of class restrictions, P4rsa's now on scout and teaming up with the Master of Moisture once again on the flank. Their last stint together had them rise to the top of Main in season 2, dominating all but two teams. As they prep for their hardest week yet, we'll soon see if that makes the difference and puts them in playoff race.
___

Good luck to everyone on Gullywash week.

RGL Div. 2 Season 4 Power Rankings
Part 1 of 3
10/4/2020, 8:30 PM ET

Once again, the competition in Div. 2 is tight. In fact, with only four matches in the books, only one team remains undefeated.

I mostly wrote this Sunday but didn't have time to edit it until now. Getting it out the door just in time for the first matches of Clearcut which I'm sure will shake things up quite a bit as King of the Hill tends to do.
____

#1 Stock Market (4-0)
Scouts: Stock, Yami
Soldiers: Phone, Meatball
Demo: azion
Med: bloompi

After a rough go last season in Div. 1, stock prices are on the rise for this offclass edition of Schrodinger's Virgins. They've already faced off with several of the stronger teams in the division and have come out on top each time. The market is closing high as Process week comes to an end. We'll see if the trend continues when it re-opens for Clearcut week.

#2 Jeqlers (3-1)
Scouts: yam, Owiboner
Soldiers: Phoxx, jt
Demo: Juju
Med: tuba god

Of course, it's tough to determine the division's true pecking order early in the season, but based on limited info from scrims and matches so far, it seems Jeqlers is as good a guess as any for the next best team in the division. Granted, if their last match versus Stock Market is anything to go on, it might be a fairly distant second. Jeqlers was routed decisively in a 1-5 loss.

#3 Honey Bacon Club (3-1)
Scouts: KutchKutch, pom
Soldiers: dog, mousecake
Demo: artist
Med: rasta_ronald

Last season's Main runner-up is a dark horse threat to win the title. Even though they have a light practice schedule,
they've already got plenty of time in the game playing with each other to make up for it. On top of that, their DM is more than enough to swing a lot of fights in their favor in spite of occasional communication breakdowns.

#4 KOTH and Ball Torture (3-1)
Scouts: pont, ChaseDuck
Soldiers: voosh, fyg
Demo: JohhnyFromCali
Med: ScrewB

ScrewB's new squad opened the season with three solid wins before losing to the aforementioned Honey Bacon Club. A strong showing so far, for sure, but we'll have to see how KOTH and Ball Torture handles their first KBT session (not to be confused with KTB, whom they beat 5-1).

#5 BLANC Esports (3-1)
Scouts: zanda, Donald Dorito
Soldiers: Crasian, Muse
Demo: Sleepy
Med: Tery_

Old man Tery briefly considered disbanding BLANC for the season. In the end though, BLANC is back for its 12th season (5th consecutive) and is already making good ground early in the race for playoffs. A number of familiar BLANC alumni return as well as some great new recruits with Donald Dorito on combo scout and DeltaMarket coming off the bench.

#6 dynasty (2-2)
Scouts: ClarenceQ, j4ngles
Soldiers: wonder, nurfu
Demo: Zaboomafoo
Med: reno

Mr. Wonderful and a mish-mash of players from his former teams are off to a respectable start at 2-2. Really though, there isn't anything too out of the ordinary or worth mentioning about them yet. They're pretty good, that's about it.

#7 RHDP (1-3)
Scouts: ult, mak
Soldiers: playmo, ctr
Demo: penny
Med: rebyte

The latest iteration of RHDP brings back Penny and Ult who've made ESEA-IM playoffs together. Their line-up is rounded out with other strong DM players in Mak, Playmo, and airshot master Carter. Their record might not look impressive yet, but they've fought close games. If things swung a different way, they could be 3-1 right now, and they definitely have the right pieces to make a run for playoffs.

#8 Goon Squad (2-2)
Scouts: KGN, hypno
Soldiers: sega modern warfare, gungon
Demo: Zamblargo/Kuhnockers
Med: Bonesaw

The Greek Freak AKA Sega: Morrowind's squad didn't look like much at the start, opening the season by getting swept off the map followed by another loss to the now dead no-scrim team Hot Girl Summer. However, some roster adjustments, recent scrim results, and a hard fought victory over RHDP have shown they might've righted the ship with plenty of time left to spare in the season.

#9 Goblin Cones (2-2)
Scouts: Spades Slick, hedgehog hero
Soldiers: Waldo, tomato tom
Demo: Hellbent
Med: saam

Sporting a plethora of class restrictions, Goblin Cones is still a solid enough team. They're relaxing a bit this season with a light scrim schedule; if they decide to put in a little more, I'm sure their experience could help them clean it up and rise up the standings.

#10 Rat Party (0-4)
Scouts: yumyum, tibby
Soldiers: KTB, Toss
Demo: Uberburst
Med: DubThink

The lack of a calling presence hurt them early in the season, but after some changes to class restrictions, they've
been able to add last season's Div. 2 silver medalist which may help. They've been in the fight for most of their matches so far. They just need a little more to start converting those competitive games into real wins.

#11 Big Melanin Gaming (1-3)
Scouts: emo, tracker
Soldiers: Beepity_boop, zotoh
Demo: je'mond
Med: ydna_

Between losing their combo scout and a string of tough losses, things aren't looking too hot for BMG so far.
They'll need a truly transcendental mid-season pickup on scout to get into shape. Emo has recently joined their roster, and if he's starting in place of Trux, he could be the answer to their troubles.

#12 hot girl summer (1-3)
Scouts: xattuu, jel
Soldiers: eugenio, Aaron
Demo: perenne
Med: reigh

Dead.

#? The Box Tap (3-1)
Scouts: golden, owen
Soldiers: fleskore, ziaa
Demo: lcrtv
Med: wbacon

Not ranked.