Open Power Rankings Vol. 5. Notes (3/3/19)

In contrast to last week's games scrambling my rankings, this week has been more predictable. The top four have been sorted out (sort of), but there's still a lot of uncertainty among the middle/lower end of the list with a number of teams just inches away from securing their place in the post-season.

#1 Simian Aggression (14-0)

In their most difficult match of the season, Simian Aggression lost more rounds to Enoch in one match
than they have in the rest of the season combined. Nonetheless, they came out the other side with a 5-3 win, cementing them as the current kings of open, my #1 pick, and most likely, the #1 seed for playoffs. Interestingly, one player on the team mentioned that they had lost the majority of their scrims to Enoch, but I guess it didn't matter come match day. Simian Aggression should be favored to win the division, but a rematch with Enoch or even The Boomers isn't free lunch by any means.

#2 The Boomers (13-1) [+1]

After falling to Simian Aggression last week, The Boomers have quickly re-affirmed their place at the top of the division by beating Enoch eSports in a close game. Unless a miracle upset happens, they'll probably stay at #2 for the rest of the regular season. Even though Simian Aggression boomed The Boomers in their first meeting, keep in mind that match was on Propaganda, a new map, which can throw a wrench into things. The next meeting might be closer.

#3 Enoch eSports (11-2) [-1]

Enoch eSports' 11 game streak came to an end against Simian Aggression, and The Boomers followed up, giving Enoch eSports their second 5-3 loss. At this point, I'd say all of the top 4 teams are in the championship race considering both of this team's losses were competitive.

#4 Snore (11-3)

They've lost to the three other top teams (one of those sort of down a player), but they still are still pretty even with the other top teams. Snore had a close call on Product, nearly losing to 5Head, but woke up in the second half and took home the win.

#5 Moshi Moshi VAC Ban Desu (10-5)

In their toughest challenge of the remaining season, these guys defended their rank from MyAnimeList Academy in a back and forth game on Metalworks. It looks like they righted the ship just in time to get a good playoff seed after their rough start.

#6 There We Go (10-3) [+1]

After coasting through most of the season with either forfeits or easy opponents, There We Go got the chance to show they really do belong at the top by rolling through Carrier Penguins and Toaster in the Bath.

#7 MyAnimeList Academy (10-4) [-1]

Although they weren't able to topple Moshi Moshi VAC Ban Desu, they're still in a good position to make an upper 8 seeding.

#8 SliceRogue is Banned (11-3) [+1]

SliceRogue is Banned's season got off to a rocky start at 1-3, but SliceRogue is Banned has won every game since the start of February. Their schedule was on the easy side, but regardless, they've secured a good seed in the playoffs and defeated some solid teams. I predict they'll enter playoffs as the 5th seed since they'll likely win their last two games (one of them is a dead team). As a side note, I had no idea ESEA let you have this many characters in your team's bio page: https://play.esea.net/teams/8730268

#9 Longerboys (10-4) [+8]

The Longerboys have risen up. Two weeks ago I wasn't sure if they were alive, or if they were still good, but since their roster change up, they've showed they're as good as they have been all season.

#10 Team Win Steel (10-4) [-2]

In a critical game against 5Head, Team Win Steel battled back from an early deficit to make their tenth win, essentially securing their playoff spot. Following their loss to Longerboys, it looks like 5Head will likely be Team Win Steel's last win of the regular season considering the strength of their next opponents.

#11 5Head (9-5)

Playing on this team must be incredibly stressful considering their last 4 games have all been won or lost by 1 round. Even though they couldn't close the show against Snore, making it a close one has bumped up their stock a little bit.

#12 Toaster in the Bath (9-4) [-2]

It looked like trouble when Hugs and Kisses started out strong against Toaster in the Bath, but the Toasters were able to regroup and finish the match 5-2. There We Go gave them their most one sided loss of the season, but still, this team could very well end the season with 12 wins if the dice fall the right way in their final three games.

#13 Lion Coalition (9-5) [-1]

Lion Coalition recovered from the previous week's loss by mauling a couple of low ranked teams. Unless they completely beef it in their match versus Plumpwench, they should make playoffs.

#14 Good Damage (8-6)

Last week, I said Good Damage 2 needs to win out to have a chance, and so far, they're accomplishing that. While I favor them versus the Keyboard Lords, the match against Toaster in the Bath could be the key match that determines their fate.

#15 Carrier Penguins (8-5) [-2]

In this last part of the season, the Penguins are tasked with three difficult opponents standing by the gate to playoffs. It looks like they'll need one final push to make the 9 or 10 wins needed to make it through, and I think they may make it, but it's going to be a tough stretch.

#16 Home Run Thomas (8-5) [+1]

In a long, dragged out game (much like an actual baseball game) versus the Longerboys, Home Run Thomas just barely came up short. Considering they needed another win to stay in the race, it's an unfortunate loss. Their upcoming matchup against Enjoy Freezing is critical; it's probably a play-in game for the final playoff spot.

Honorable Mentions (Counted as tied for #17)

Enjoy Freezing (7-6) [-1]

Basically the same situation as above, but on top of needing a win over Home Run Thomas, they also have to upset Toaster in the Bath. A hard task, but not unimaginable either.

The N-Word Free Zone (8-6) [-2]

5Head wasn't the only team to let their opponent come back on them ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) last Tuesday. The N-Word Free Zone looked strong in the first half, but the Longerboys slithered through and won 5-3. Due to bad luck of the draw in terms of matchmaking, it looks like the N-Word Free Zone will conclude the season at 8-8 and miss playoffs unless they can show up big against Snore or The Boomers. I feel like they're a little better than their record shows, but that's just how scheduling works sometimes, I guess.

TLDR:
-Apes still #1, Boomers #2, Enoch #3
-5Head almost upset Snore on Product
-Longerboys back in town
-Made minor edit 10:50 to #3 & #4 comments based on feedback.

Final (?) update coming after the last regular season match (probably about 3/13~).

Point guard (combo) and wing (flank)

Or just guard and wing.

If you want a serious answer that isn't cheesy, lead scout and flank scout sound fine to me. Flank scout is only 2 syllables so I don't think it needs to change.

ESEA Open S30 Power Rankings, Vol. 4

I thought I was starting to get the hang of writing power rankings, and then the results from this week's matches showed that I still, apparently, don't know anything. While the top 4 teams are relatively safe choices, the rest of rankings have been thrown in to chaos by a week full of upsets and weird circumstances.

Additionally, the new ESEA website has made it impossible to quickly take a look at statistics and players used in a match, so it's tough to know if a team had to use a sub or if a match was played without a player or if there was some other circumstance affecting the match. I usually try to take a look at things like that while writing these rankings, but I can't this week, so there may be some questionable placements (even more so than usual).

Corrections from last week:

-Enjoy Freezing vs. Good Damage 2 was not 6v5 (bug on the stats page)

-Gjohnce, now called Longerboys, is alive apparently, just without Gjohnce and Kuhnockers.

#1 Simian Aggression (12-0) [+2]

As cp_propaganda testing volunteers, Simian Aggression has continued to dominate this week by beating
Plumpwench and more importantly, The Boomers. Now, only these guys and Enoch eSports remain unbeaten.

#2 Enoch eSports (11-0)

After the fall of The Boomers and Enoch eSports continuing to look as good as they have all season, it felt appropriate to keep them at the #2 spot. With their next match against Simian Aggression, they'll soon have a chance to finally rise to #1, and be the last team in the division to keep their 0.

#3 The Boomers (11-1) [-2]

Similar to what I said about Snore last week, it's hard to move them down too much since the team they lost to is so good, and with their talent level alone, they'll still comfortably beat most teams.

#4 Snore (10-2)

Snore and The Boomers seem to be close in skill level, but The Boomers won the duel head to head, so they earned the spot above.

#5 Moshi Moshi VAC Ban Desu (7-5) [+9]

This is where the rankings get hectic. Throughout the season, this team (who changes their name every goddamned week) has looked solid, yet has been a little below the level needed to take down top teams. Now with 3 wins in a row over Toaster in the Bath, Good Damage 2, and Team Win Steel, it looks like the late arrival of Ebsikl might be just what they needed to put them over the edge. If they can get past MyAnimeList Academy, the rest of the season should be smooth sailing. Although I've said that before about a couple teams and that didn't turn out so well.

#6 MyAnimeList Academy, Formerly Portland Burnsiders (8-3) [+10]

Similar to Moshi Moshi VAC Ban Desu and Toaster in the Bath, this team got off to a middling start but has managed to really turn it up as the season went on, especially with the addition of Ekh0. Unfortunately, that's brought up some other issues (look a few pages back if you're out of the loop), so I'm not sure what the team is going to do about that going forward and if the drama will affect the remainder of their season.

#7 There We Go (8-3) [+3]

Similar to SliceRogue is Banned, this team crept up on me until finally getting a chance to prove themselves by beating Home Run Thomas. This week, they've continued to show they belong with quick wins over Plumpwench and General Nick.

#8 Team Win Steel (9-3) [+3]

Riding a win streak lasting half the season, Team Win Steel finally met their match against Moshi Moshi VAC Ban, losing a competitive match 3-5. Regardless, they've managed to fall upward since a number of people above them have dropped.

#9 SliceRogue is Banned (9-3) [Not Ranked Last Week]

This team was under my radar for most of the season, but their win over Lion Coalition got my attention. Looking back, they haven't looked bad, but their schedule hasn't given them a chance to look good until now since most of their games were forfeited, played 5v6, or were one sided rolls over low open teams. Considering they will get a free forfeit win over HostileHamster Datenight, it looks like they're a lock for playoffs.

#10 Toaster in the Bath (8-3) [+5]

Since the beginning of the season, I thought these players had a lot of potential even though I hadn't seen too much from the team as a whole. Finally, it looks like that potential is being realized now that they've taken wins over Home Run Thomas and 5Head. They have a winnable final schedule, but none of the games are layups either; it looks like a tough fight to the finish line.

#11 5Head (9-3) [-6]

This week hurt their stock some, but made for exciting games. Both matches were decided by one round. In the first against Enjoy Freezing, they narrowly survived with a 5-4 win in overtime. Against Toaster in the Bath, they were toppled in a back and forth 2-3 loss. It doesn't look like the rest of their season will get any easier; matches with Team Win Steel and Carrier Penguins could go either way.

#12 Lion Coalition (7-5) [-4]

After falling to SliceRogue is Banned, where Lion Coalition stands is a little fuzzy. In this final stretch of the season, they're still in position to make playoffs, but they're not a 100% lock anymore.

#13 Carrier Penguins (7-4) [-4]

I feel like I'm repeating too much from last week, but the Carrier Penguins have basically the same story. They lost two matches this week, but they weren't expected to win them either considering both opponents are top 4 in the division.
We'll have to wait another week and see their matches against The N-Word Free Zone and There We Go to get a better read on them.

#14 Good Damage 2 (6-6) [-8]

I believed Good Damage 2 had a good chance to win out and I ranked them #6. That may turn out to be one of my hottest takes of the season, which is really saying something. Considering they've undergone some major roster changes, it's unclear if they'll be able to win out, which they need to do if they want to limp into the post season.

#15 The N-Word Free Zone (8-4) [-8]

With their team name's relevance at an all-time high, I didn't want to drop them too much, but a lot of their quality wins happened early in the season, so I may have overrated them a bit last week. They're still a strong team, but I'm thinking they're more #9-#16 zone rather than #6-#9.

#16 Enjoy Freezing (7-5) [-5]

The website falsely showed their win over Good Damage 2 as a 6v5, so I was about to move them back up after I realized my error. A gritty, razor close game versus 5Head gave me further justification, but then they lost to Hugs in Kisses in yet another one round difference toss up match. The result? I have no clue where to put them. They're good, but I don't know how good. Unluckily, it looks like matchmaking might have killed their playoff chances since even if they beat Toaster in the Bath and Home Run Thomas, their other two matches are against Snore and The Boomers - the result being that they'll probably be barely left out of the post season with a record of 8-8 or 9-7 unless they can pull off a miracle upset.

Honorable Mentions (Counted as tied for #17)

Home Run Thomas (7-4) [-4]

In their most recent two losses, Home Run Thomas was blown out by There We Go and Toaster in the Bath. With the season drawing to a close, their next matches against Longerboys and Enjoy Freezing are must wins in order to stay in playoff contention.

Longerboys (7-4) [Not Ranked Last week]

I made a mistake last week and thought this team was dead. Apparently they're still alive, just without Kuhnockers and the eponymous Gjohnce. Considering they've undergone a major roster change late in the season, I'm not quite sure where to rank them right now until they play another couple of matches.

S30 Open Power Rankings, Vol. 3, 2/18/2019
(I try to post these on Monday morning, but due to an emergency, I didn't have time to write this up until Monday evening.)

#1 The Boomers (10-0) [+1]

Probably should've ranked them #1 last week. As the season has progressed, their roster has grown more and more stacked with players who have invite experience. Plus John Milter has started playing scout in some matches and to no one's surprise, finished with a 30-3 Kill-Death vs. 5Head. If Milter doesn't continue to play scout, then I think Enoch might be the #1 team, but if JM stays on scout, it's hard for me to justify moving them to #2 until they lose a game.

#2 Enoch eSports (10-0) [+3]

I didn't know much about this team before the start of the season since most of them don't have any info on their ESEA profiles, but they're now among the last 3 undefeated teams, and have played a tough schedule all season with dominant wins over Good Damage, 5Head, and now Snore. Since week 3, I figured they were at the top of open, but this last week has revealed to everyone that these guys might be the best team in the division.

#3 Simian Aggression (10-0)

Based on results so far, it's hard to confidently say which 10-0 team is going home with the $250 (lol) grand prize. Enoch got a slight edge over Simian Aggression based on strength of schedule, but until they play each other, it's hard to pick one over the other.

#4 Snore (9-1) [-3]

Just based on individual talent level, these guys are still going to be a tough game for anyone outside of the top 4 of the division. There might be a limit to how far that'll go against the top teams if they're playing semi-casually (as shown in their loss to Enoch), but they could still be a threat to make finals if they decide to get a little more serious as playoffs come closer.

#5Head (8-2) [+1]

I've been waiting all season for the novelty of moving up 5Head to #5, and the apparent death of Hostile Hamster Date Night has finally given me the excuse to. On a serious note, I do think these guys deserve the spot based on their performances over Lion Coalition, The N-Word Free Zone, and even Enoch eSports whom they managed to take a few rounds from.

#6 Good Damage 2 (6-4) [+3]

Following a close 5-4 shootout with The N-Word Free Zone, it seems like the hardest work of the season is done. Unless one of the opponents on their schedule drastically improves or some unfortunate circumstance befalls Good Damage 2, they have a chance of winning out the rest of the season.

#7 The N-Word Free Zone (7-3) [+3]

After snapping their 5 game win streak in the above mentioned game against Good Damage 2, The N-Word Free Zone's next week looks to be a little more relaxed. While the Portland Burnsiders and Nav eSports are not easy matchups, The N-Word Free Zone should be expected to take care of business and improve their record to 9-3.

#8 Lion Coalition (6-4) [+4]

Also very little to note here. The remainder of their schedule looks like quick work (seriously, one of their matches is against a Newbie Mix team with no wins) aside from their second to last match against There We Go. I can see these guys finishing with 10-12 wins.

#9 Carrier Penguins (7-3) [+2]

Nothing to report here. Results have been pretty much as-expected since the last update. They ended up moving up mostly due to other teams dropping down.

#10 There We Go (6-3) [+7]

Some teams are cursed with a hard schedule, but There We Go's schedule was a little different, with a mix of teams that were either way too hard or way too easy. Unfortunately, they ended up losing to the Portland Burnsiders in a 5v6, but re-bounded and picked up their first notable win of the season over Home Run Thomas. As a side note, I see that they beat Team Win Steel in UGC Platinum last week 5-2, but I don't want to put too much stock into that since it's just UGC so I don't know if both teams were taking it seriously.

#11 Team Win Steel (8-2) [+3]

After a gauntlet of tough games and narrow victories, Team Win Steel got a breather week with some slightly easier opponents who were both beaten 5-0. With another week of games that they're favored in coming up, it looks like the hard work won't resume until late the tail end of February.

#12 Enjoy Freezing (7-3) [-4]

I admit I made a mistake here. I may have ranked them higher than they deserved based on their previous win over Good Damage 2, and now that I've taken a closer look, I noticed that Good Damage 2 only had 5 players that match. Considering their sometimes inconsistent performances against mid-tier teams, they're moving down the rankings a bit in spite of still having a good record and solid chances to make playoffs.

#13 Home Run Thomas (7-3)

In their first challenge since January, Home Run Thomas's 7 game win streak came to an end. With 7 wins and only 2 or 3 more needed to make playoffs, these guys just need a little extra to slide in.

#14 Moshi Moshi VAC Ban Desu (5-5) [+3]

This team is in an odd spot right now. They've managed to give some quality teams a hard time, but haven't been able to close out many wins, so their record sits only at .500 right now.
They need 4/6, maybe even 5/6 to make playoffs. Considering their final 6 opponents (one of which is dead), it's a doable task, but not easy. Perhaps the late addition of ebsikl will be enough to pull it off?

#15 Toaster in the Bath (6-3)

Toaster in the Bath is in an odd position. They have a win over the Portland Burnsiders, and I think they are overall a tiny bit better than the Burnsiders, but their chances of squeezing into the playoffs are looking rough based on the difficulty of their final 6 games.

#16 Portland Burnsiders (5-3-1)

Not a whole lot has happened here. One of their matches had to be rescheduled, and the other would've been a great matchup had it not been 6v5. The road ahead for the Burnsiders is tough, but clearly visible. Although they probably won't beat The N-Word Free Zone or Good Damage 2, their last 4 matches are all winnable enough to secure a low playoff spot.

Honorable Mentions(s) (Other teams with a decent chance of making playoffs, #17):
None this week

No Longer Ranked (Teams no longer likely to make playoffs, #18):

Plumpwench [-1], Hugs and Kisses [-1]

Although these are good teams who are likely to finish with at least an even record, making playoffs at this point probably isn't in the books. All of these guys need to win 3 or 4 of their next 6 to have a chance of making it in, and based on prior results and future schedules, that looks like a tall task. One of these guys might make it in, but in doing so, will probably end the other's chances.

General Nick [-1], Keyboard Lords [-1]

These two teams have kind of the same story this season. In some matches, they've managed to look good enough to sneak into the post-season. However, they're just a little short of being consistent enough to pull it off.

Gjohnce (now Longerboys) [-10]

According to this post: https://www.teamfortress.tv/50358/kuhnockers-lft, Gjohnce is now dead (the team, not the person).

Hostile Hamster [-13]

They forfeited their last two matches and a bunch of people left the roster so I'm assuming they're dead. A little sad since they were probably going to stay in the top 6. All that remains is one final epitaph on their roster guestbook:
"if only apex champions did not legitimately kill this fucking team lol dab"
-RITE-AID

TLDR
-Hostile Hamster, Gjohnce dead?
-Boomers #1, Enoch #2, Simian #3, Snore #4, #5 5Head
-There We Go, MMVBD ranked

Weekend Open Power Rankings Vol. 2, Feb. 10
Updated every weekend (Posted sometime between Friday and Monday)

#1 Snore (8-0): These players are very good at Team Fortress 2.

#2 The Boomers (8-0): Their recent roster shake-up that involved picking up another great soldier and moving John Milter to demoman is most likely a small bump in the road to the finals. Overall, I'm not sure if The Boomers or Snore should have the number 1 spot, but I don't think it really matters too much. The Boomers have more former invite players, but Snore has kept a more consistent roster throughout the season, so it's hard to say which one is better until they face each other.

#3 Simian Aggression (8-0): In a battle of mammalian themed teams, Simian Aggression came out on
top with a clear cut 5-1 victory over Hostile Hamster Date Night. Can they beat The Boomers/Snore?
I'm already making enough questionable predictions so I'm going to make the safe pick and keep them
just below until they play each other a week and a half from now. (+1)

#4 Hostile Hamster Date Night (7-1): Although they lost to Simian Aggression, I don't see any reason to move
them down further than 4th considering Simian Aggression is a great team. (-1)

#5 Enoch eSports (7-0): As smesi said last week, "enoch is better than 7th". They looked great in their wins over Good Damage 2 and Plumpwench. I don't know much about this team's players individually, but their results speak for themselves. (+2)

#6 5Head (7-1): This past week, they haven't really done anything to move themselves up, but regardless,
they took care of business and won both matches that they were expected to win, and a few other teams dropping has moved them up slightly by default. While I can't hold it against them if they lose to The Boomers, their two matches after that against the similarly ranked Gjohnce and Enjoy Freezing will be a good indicator
of where their skill level is at following the recent replacement of Tiller. (+2)

#7 Enjoy Freezing (7-1): I'm not sure where to put this team (or really any team apparently considering
the last post is sitting at -12 frags). They keep winning, but they aren't running through people as easily as expected. (-2)

#8 Gjohnce (6-2): Similar to 5Head, Gjohnce has moved up mostly just because other teams dropped a bit.
Their most notable match this week against Carrier Penguins ended up dragging on to a 2-3 loss on
Metalworks. Still, in spite of it being a loss, the match was pretty much dead even with the frags
being tied 162-162 and the Ubercharges tied at 22-22. I'm still ranking them a little above
Carrier Penguins since Gjohnce has looked slightly more consistent throughout the season. (+2)

#9 Good Damage 2 (4-4): This team was cursed with a tough schedule this week and got soundly beaten in both games (Enoch and Snore). Despite a .500 record, I still think this team is better than the numbers show. (-3)

#10 The N-Word Free Zone (6-2): In their one match this week, they looked great with two players dealing 350+ damage per minute in a 5-1 victory. Additionally, their win over Team Win Steel looks a lot better in hindsight considering that team has looked hot recently (more on that later). (+1)

#11 Carrier Penguins (6-2): I wasn't sure if I should have moved Gjohnce down, or Carrier Penguins up
based on the result of their match, but fuck it who really cares. Now that we're at the midpoint of the season, we'll have plenty of more important match-ups coming soon that'll paint a clearer picture of who belongs where (and probably make some of these placements look kind of dumb). (+5)

#12 Lion Coalition (4-4): No real surprises here. Both of their matches went as expected; they got rolled by a top open team then rolled a low open team. Like Good Damage 2, their record at mid-season is an even 4-4, so the next several matches against other mid open teams are must wins in order to stay in playoff contention.

#13 Home Run Thomas (6-2): Home Run Thomas stayed at home this week (FFW only), so they aren't moving
up or down.

#14 Team Win Steel (6-2): The legendary team that never actually played in UGC Steel has fought hard to claw their way into playoff spot contention over the last week and a half. Their matches haven't been
easy, but nonetheless, they've been able to pickup three wins in a row versus some respectable mid open teams
(Toaster in the Bath, Portland Burnsiders, Hugs and Kisses). Sakujake pounded hard in their last match vs. Hugs and Kisses, putting out 451 damage per minute on soldier. (+3)

#15 Toaster in the Bath (5-2): I still don't really know too much about this team. They
still seem solid in spite of the recent loss and roster shake up. (-1)

#16 Portland Burnsiders (4-3): Picking the last spot was tough, but in spite of an average record, I think the
Burnsiders' consistent performance against mid level competition has earned them their ranking. They even managed
to take a few rounds off The Boomers which is a good sign. (+1)

Honorable Mentions (All considered #17 for the sake of +/- movement.)

Plumpwench (5-3): As mentioned above, it's a hard fight for the last few playoff spots.
With Plumpwench's recent loss 1-4 to Eternal Phoenix Cult on Product, I felt like the Portland Burnsiders
deserved the #16 spot more. While losing in that fashion isn't a great sign for their chances of making playoffs,
perhaps they're just not comfortable on Product since it's such a unique map. (-2)

Hugs and Kisses (5-3): This week, Hugs and Kisses came into what I believed to be fairly equal matchups versus Team Win Steel and The N-Word Free Zone. However, they ended up dropping both matches 5-1. Their record stands at 5-3 right now, so they're still in the running to make playoffs if they can rally back and get wins over Plumpwench and Nav eSports in the coming week. (-8)

There We Go (5-2): There We Go has yet to be truly tested against the top teams of the division, so in spite of their good record, it's hard to know what level they're at right now. I suspect that they deserve to be ranked in
the low teens at least, but for now I'll tentatively put them in the honorable mentions until more evidence is available. (New)

General Nick (4-4) (Formerly Gameing Esports)

Keyboard Lords (4-4) (New)

Mr Popo is a Snitch (4-4)

Disclaimer (again): This was written by a sub-open shitlord who once got cut for putting out 96 DPM in a match
so don't take my opinions too seriously.

I was hoping someone actually qualified would make power rankings but since no one else did here's my hot take(s) I wrote between classes.

Mid-Season Open Power Rankings (Feb. 2)

#1 Snore: These players are very good at Team Fortress 2.

#2 The Boomers: The next best version of the above (semi-casual team of IM players in Open). Based on the matches I've seen, they don't seem like they goof off as much as Snore's players (much less offclassing and lolunlocks), but I imagine Snore will play more seriously as they start to face tougher competition that they can't roll with Kritz Snipers and Double Pyro strats. Or maybe not, I don't know.

#3 hostilehamster datenight (formerly White Genocide): Their record is similar to Simian Aggression's, although they arguably have a stronger "best win" with their win over The N-Word Free Zone. I wasn't sure which one to give the 3rd spot, but the situation will likely sort itself out next week when they play each other. Initially, I had them at #4, but I think they deserve to be at least #3 since they added Rekuso on demoman (even if it isn't his main).

#4 Simian Aggression: Everyone has a ton of experience, with pretty much all of them having at least some IM experience. So far they've done well and have been able collect some solid wins over mid tier teams without dropping a round yet.

#5 Enjoy Freezing: Since the season is only about a third of the way through, this team has only been able to face one other upper open team, Good Damage 2, whom they beat 5-1. Pre-season, they seemed like a pretty strong team, and so far they've lived up to expectations barring their first game of the season where they lost 5-3 to Gameing eSports.

#6 Good Damage 2: Returning from a 11-5 open season, they've moved lobby lord Redd to demoman and managed to keep Sibby and Mode as well. Their additions of Tery, Ghadilli, and FrickMyNick will likely get them into the top 5-9 in the regular season. They lost to Home Run Thomas 5-4 on Badlands, but they did not have all of their current starters playing then. With their current roster, I think they're overall a bit better.

#7 Enoch eSports: Although this team doesn't have a ton of super standout names, they seem to be doing very well as a team. Their early schedule wasn't particularly tough, but they did pick up a strong 5-2 win over 5Head. They play Good Damage 2 and Plumpwench soon, so they'll have a chance to prove if they really belong in the top ten or not. Right now though, the strength of their resume kind of depends on how you think good 5Head is.

#8 5Head: Speaking of 5Head, they have looked solid so far. They haven't been together too long, but they apparently have pretty good DM (I basically copied this description from Boxcar's post).

#9 Hugs and Kisses: They were a pretty good mid-open team last season with about a .500 record excluding forfeit wins and losses. They changed up their roster some, but they've got a great new group of scouts with Rita and Puzza, and a new former IM pocket, Freedeerf, so I think they'll be really good with those additions.

#10 Gjohnce: I'm not really sure where to put these guys, although I do think they'll make playoffs. On one hand, they have Gjohnce (and some other very good players), but on the other, they are still a little unproven as a team since they haven't faced strong competition yet.

#11 N-Word Free Zone: Although they have two losses, they were both to good teams (5Head and hostilehamster datenight). Most of their players have a good amount of open experience. Aside from that, I don't know much about them, but they do have a decent win over Gameing eSports. They'll have a chance to move up a couple of spots if they beat Hugs and Kisses in their upcoming match.

#12 Lion Coalition: Even though their record is 3-3, they are better than their record
shows in my opinion. They started with a win over the decent Home Run Thomas team and played a competitive
3-5 loss to Good Damage. I'm not sure if they'll climb the list much higher, but I think they'll at least make playoffs.

#13 Home Run Thomas: As mentioned before, they did beat Good Damage 2, but it wasn't the best version of that team. However, it's still a good win, and they overall look pretty good with their only losses being to The Boomers (forfeit) and Lion Coalition. Their upcoming matches with Toaster in the Bath and Gjohnce should be competitive.

#14 Toaster in the Bath: Currently, their only loss is to The N-Word Free Zone, and since then they
have won five straight. Still, several of these wins were pretty close which is why they aren't ranked higher. They also recently had roster changes so we'll see how that affects them. From my limited knowledge of them, they do have some really great players in terms of individual skill so I think they have a lot of potential as the season goes on.

#15 Plumpwench: In their previous game, they were impressive in their ability to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win in the second half 5-4 over Carrier Penguins. Aside from that match, there isn't much else to go off of for now. They'll show more accurately where they stand soon since they've got a pretty tough schedule coming up with matches against Hugs and Kisses, Enoch eSports, and Toaster in the Bath. I think most of these matches will be close. Or maybe not. Don't listen my analysis much, I'm a sub-open shitty.

#16 Carrier Penguins: They have a good record so far at 5-1 (with that one loss being a very close game to Plumpwench), but they haven't dominated their wins as much as other top open teams have. Still, they are a returning team who had a good record last year, so worst case scenario I think they'll get 10 wins and make playoffs.

Honorable Mentions
(On the fringe of making a playoff spot with the right improvements/some luck)
Mr Popo is a Snitch
Gameing Esports
Team Win Steel
Portland Burnsiders