After eight matches played on Saturday and Sunday, Stage 1 has come to an end.
Well, mostly come to an end. While all matches that count toward teams' records have concluded, the Stage 1 playoffs are still yet to be played.
The final week of Stage 1 further shook up the league standings and brought more teams to the middle. Last week it was determined nine teams were guaranteed to finish within one game of .500. There are now 13 teams with such records at the conclusion of Stage 1.
As a result, everyone still has a realistic shot at a postseason berth. Washington Justice GM Kate Mitchell even noted that both the Justice and Mayhem are only two games out of an opportunity to compete in the play-in tournament at the end of the season.
However, not everything has been shaken up and pushed toward the middle. The rankings stabilized in some areas and other places that were murky before cleared up somewhat despite the parity.
Without any further introductions, here are Scrub's power rankings following Week 5.
1. (-) New York Excelsior (7-0)
There were no matches played this week for the New York Excelsior New York Excelsior OWL Rank #18 Gangnamjin Gang Nam-jin (강남진) flex support Myunb0ng Seo Sang-min (서상민) flex support Flora Lim Young-woo (임영우) dps Yaki Kim Jun-gi (김준기) dps Kellan Kim Min-jae tank and no reason to move them. Maybe the stage playoffs can finally give us the Titans-Excelsior showdown we all want.
2. (-) Vancouver Titans (7-0)
The Vancouver Titans Vancouver Titans OWL Rank #19 Aspire Luka Rolovic dps MirroR Chris Trịnh dps False Nick Wiseman tank Masaa Petja Kantanen support Aztac Park Jeong-soo (박정수) support swept the Guangzhou Charge to finish Stage 1 undefeated. On top of that, their map record was the best in the league and has them on top of the standings entering Stage 2.
3. (-) San Francisco Shock (4-3)
The San Francisco Shock San Francisco Shock OWL Rank #2 Viol2t Park Min-ki flex support Finn Oh Se-jin (오세진) flex support Proper Kim Dong-hyeon (김동현) dps s9mm Samuel Santos dps Coluge Colin Arai tank took the week off after finishing their Stage 1 matches in Week 4. Despite their 4-3 record, they have looked like the strongest team outside of the league's undefeated squads. They'll seek to prove they deserve such honors when they play the 5-2 Toronto Defiant in the first round of the stage playoffs.
4. (+1) Toronto Defiant (5-2)
Speaking of the Toronto Defiant Toronto Defiant OWL Rank #14 Twilight Lee Joo-seok (이주석) flex support Heesu Jeong Hee-su (정희수) dps Finale dps MuZe Kim Young-hun (김영훈) tank Ch0r0ng support , they've moved up to fourth in this week's rankings. While they didn't play any matches this week, the entirety of their Stage 1 felt stronger than the Philadelphia Fusion's. In general, they've looked pretty consistent: they have yet to let themselves be upset.
5. (-1) Philadelphia Fusion (5-2)
While the Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia Fusion OWL Rank #11 AimGod Min-seok Kwon flex support MN3 Yoon Jae-hee dps ZEST Kim Hyun-woo (김현우) dps Belosrea tank FiXa Kwon Young Hoon (권영훈) support failed to look stronger than the Defiant this stage, they still had a better stage than most of the league. Their two losses came in a week in which Boombox was sick and main support Elk had to fill in at flex support. Despite often looking shaky against weaker opponents, the Fusion have mostly taken care of business and possibly could have been 6-1 or 7-0 without their Zenyatta's absence.
6. (+1) Los Angeles Gladiators (3-4)
Although the Los Angeles Gladiators Los Angeles Gladiators OWL Rank #4 Shu Kim Jin-seo flex support kevster Kevin Persson dps Patiphan Patiphan Chaiwong dps Reiner Corey Scoda tank FunnyAstro Daniel Hathaway support didn't play last week they are continuing to carry the momentum from last week into this week's rankings. While the Gladiators had a losing match record, they ended positive in map record: 14-13-2 (W-L-T). Unfortunately for them, it's the match record that counts and thus the Gladiators will be watching the stage playoffs from home.
7. (-1) Atlanta Reign (4-3)
The Atlanta Reign Atlanta Reign OWL Rank #10 Kai Kai Collins dps nero Charlie Zwarg dps Hawk Xander Domecq tank UltraViolet Benjamin David support Ojee Christian Han support are only lightly punished for their performance last week despite losing to the Hunters and only beating the Outlaws a by 3-1 score. This is partially because no one else has looked convincingly better. The Reign will look to avenge a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Fusion in a stage playoff rematch.
8. (+3) Seoul Dynasty (4-3)
Entering the season, the Seoul Dynasty Seoul Dynasty OWL Rank #3 Ir1s Kim Seung-Hyun (김승현) FITS Kim Dong-eon (김동언) dps Profit Park Joon-yeong (박준영) dps smurf Yoo Myeong-Hwan tank Vindaim Junwoo Park support had never made a stage playoff, never beat the London Spitfire and never beat the New York Excelsior. They accomplished the first two last week. Can they check off all three in only two weeks?
9. (+4) Boston Uprising (4-3)
The Boston Uprising Boston Uprising OWL Rank #16 Valentine Kim Byoungju dps punk Leyton Gilchrist tank Faith Hong Gyu Kim support Crimzo William Hernandez support needed a win over the Dallas Fuel to enter the stage playoffs and did exactly that. They've looked fairly good since Fusions returned to the lineup as he has provided solid main tank play and leadership within their squad.
10. (-2) Dallas Fuel (4-3)
A defeat to the Boston Uprising knocked the Dallas Fuel Dallas Fuel OWL Rank #1 Fielder Kwon Joon (권준) flex support Doha Kim Dong-Ha (김동하) dps SP9RK1E Kim Young-han (김영한) dps FEARLESS Lee Eui-seok (이의석) tank ChiYo Han Hyeon-syuk (한현석) support out of contention for the stage playoffs and a chance at finishing Stage 1 with a 5-2 record. Still, a 4-3 record is a better finish for the Fuel in Stage 1 than expected after a rough opening few matches.
11. (+5) Chengdu Hunters (3-4)
By beating the Atlanta Reign, the Chengdu Hunters Chengdu Hunters OWL Rank #13 Mmonk Zhou Xiang (周翔) flex support Daizi Ni Yuandong (倪远东) off tank Jinmu Yi Hu (易虎) dps Leave Huang Xin (黄馨) dps GA9A Qiu Jiaxin (仇佳鑫) tank Nisha Tan Li (谭力) support proved that their close match with the Vancouver Titans wasn't a fluke. Unfortunately, the franchise found their footing in this stage a little bit too late to make some real noise. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to the Stage 2 patch.
12. (-3) Shanghai Dragons (3-4)
The Shanghai Dragons Shanghai Dragons OWL Rank #5 Izayaki Kim Min-chul (김민철) flex support Void Kang Jun-woo (강준우) off tank Fleta Kim Byung-sun (김병선) dps LIP Lee Jae-won (이재원) dps Fate Koo Pan-seung (구판승) tank LeeJaeGon Lee Jae-gon (이재곤) support ' ranking has normalized as a result of the middle-tier teams distinguishing themselves from each other in the final week of Stage 1. While they didn't play this week, several teams below them showed enough strength in Week 5 to leap over the Dragons. They now have a full stage of playtime with new main tank Gamsu and thus should look better throughout the entirety of next stage.
13. (-1) Guangzhou Charge (3-4)
The Guangzhou Charge Guangzhou Charge OWL Rank #9 Cr0ng Nam Ki-cheol (남기철) off tank Farway1987 Cao Jiale (曹家乐) flex support choisehwan Choi Se-Hwan (최세환) dps Develop Chae Rak-hoon (채락훈) dps Rio Oh Seung-pyo (오승표) tank Unique Yoo Dong-hyun support were swept by the Titans last week -- their second loss to the Titans in Stage 1. On the bright side, they won't have to play the Titans in any other regular season matches this season. On the down side, they got the Titans twice in what could potentially end up being their strongest stage.
14. (-4) London Spitfire (3-4)
What a rollercoaster ride the London Spitfire London Spitfire OWL Rank #12 Landon flex support SparkR William Andersson dps Backbone Jamie O'Neill dps Hadi Daniel Bleinagel tank Admiral Oliver Vahar support 's Stage 1 was. I hated it.
15. (-) Hangzhou Spark (3-4)
The Hangzhou Spark Hangzhou Spark OWL Rank #6 BERNAR Shin Se-won (신세원) off tank irony Kim Hyeong-woo (김형우) flex support Shy Zheng Yangjie (郑杨杰) dps AlphaYi Kim Joon (김준) dps guxue Xu Qiulin (徐秋林) tank superich Wu Gengtuo (吴梗拓) support finished Stage 1 with a 1-4 record in their last five matches. They'll be hoping to turn around their fortunes in Stage 2 and get some positive momentum going.
16. (-2) Paris Eternal (3-4)
Even in finally getting a win after a rough few weeks, the Paris Eternal Paris Eternal OWL Rank #20 Kaan Emir Kaan Okumus flex support Glister Lim Gil-seong (임길성) dps Wub Cameron Johnson dps Dove Jesse Palomo dps Malthel Josh Gonzales dps Daan Daniël Vincentius Paulus Scheltema tank Krawi tank dridro Arthur Szanto support Lukemino Luke Fish support Rakattack Kyle Rakauskas support did the bare minimum to beat the (at the time) winless Washington Justice. They've also gone 1-4 in their last five matches, except they've looked much worse than the Spark in the process. Their map record during that span was a paltry 4-15.
17. (-) Houston Outlaws (3-4)
The Houston Outlaws Houston Outlaws OWL Rank #7 Lastro Moon Jung-won (문정원) flex support creative Kim Young-wan (김영완) flex support Danteh Dante Cruz dps Pelican Oh Se-hyun (오세현) dps Mer1t Choi Tae-min dps Piggy Shin Min-jun tank didn't look great in Stage 1. Despite that, they still entered the final week with a chance at the stage playoffs and within the range of the postseason play-in. They've survived Stage 1 in pretty good shape if they find the ability to improve.
18. (+1) Los Angeles Valiant (0-7)
Stage 2 will be an opportunity for the Los Angeles Valiant Los Angeles Valiant OWL Rank #15 Molly He Chengzhi (何诚智) flex support Diya Lu Weida (陆炜达) dps innovation Oh Seok-hyun (오석현) dps Becky Il-ha Kim (김일하) dps Ezhan dps Marve1 Hwang Min-seo (황민서) tank Lengsa Chen Jingyi (陈婧逸) support to right the ship following a winless Stage 1. If the Valiant don't sign a new, permanent head coach before the stage's start, the next stage could end up as an audition for Packing10 as the team's head coach.
19. (+1) Washington Justice (1-6)
For the first time this season, the Washington Justice Washington Justice OWL Rank #17 Decay Jang Gui-un (장귀운) dps Happy Lee Jung-woo (이정우) dps Mag Kim Tae-sung (김태성) tank Krillin Jeong Young-hoon support Opener An Gi-beom support are not at the bottom of the rankings. After all, there is only one team in the league this season that has lost to the Justice -- and they haven't managed to lose to themselves yet.
20. (-1) Florida Mayhem (1-6)
The one team that has lost to the Justice this season is the Florida Mayhem Florida Mayhem OWL Rank #8 SirMajed Majed Alrashied flex support Checkmate Baek Seung-hun dps Hydron Isaiah Rodriguez dps someone tank ANAMO Jeong Tae-seong (정태성) support . On the bright side, they have their win from the Boombox-less Fusion to hold onto.
Weekly Wrap-up
While the stage playoff matches won't count toward the teams' tallies at the end of the season, they will count toward their ranking -- albeit to a lesser extent than most weeks.
Outside of power ranking implications, the stage playoffs could be the final sendoff for the GOATs meta, or not. We won't know until Stage 2 rolls around.
Regardless, we should be in for a fun weekend of matches.