There's no disputing the fact that the Korean Overwatch scene is in a very good place right now- so good that Sideshow believes that the top 6 out of 10 teams in the world are Korean. No one doubts Lunatic Hai's absolute dominance, or RunAway's unpredictability, or Kongdoo Panthera's sheer star power.
However, the North American and European scene (yes, that still exists) is a conundrum. While North America (and recently Europe with the StriveWire monthly brawls) have offered us plenty of entertaining competition, it's interesting that the scene is kind of all over the place. It's so difficult to pin down consistency, and really deduce which teams could be considered the best in these two regions. Immortals were winning a lot, now they're not. Ninjas in Pyjamas barely compete anymore, yet they always seem to be immediately regarded as one of the best, despite almost losing to the Helsinki Reds a month ago during Assembly Winter 2017. It's really dumb to even attempt ranking any of these teams.
So I'm gonna rank them. 15 of them. Here we go.
15) Team Liquid
This was between TL and Complexity for me, and even though, yes, TL is 0-4 at the Carbon Series, didn't make top 4 at the Winter Premiere, and have lackluster results overall, or have a legacy of "almost winning" (@Minstrel), the reason they make this list over TorkTJO and co. is due to their sheer potential, especially with the recent pickup of Shadder2k.
14) Renegades
This team is so hard to rank. In the first week of the group stage of the winter premiere, they looked like they could take on Cloud 9 with no problem, but they randomly and unexpectedly plummeted, and have now begun slowly working there way back up the ladder. They have the players for it- J3sus takes the wheel consistently in matches, and Mangachu has arguably one of the best Pharah's in the world. I think if they can step up their overall coordination in-game, they'll return back to some of their previous, stellar results.
13) FaZe Clan
Oh, FaZe, how much you've changed. From almost beating Rogue at the OW Open to almost losing to Rise Nation and Spicy Boys. A lot of people blame Shadowburn, but I don't think he's exactly the problem- in fact, he's usually the one saving the team with his Genji carry potential, even with his horrible ping. Removing TwoEasy from the roster, regardless of internal conflicts, unquestionably hurt the team, as he was raw talent that could be consistently reliable. While they're a slight step above a portion of the NA scene, keeping MikeyA on their roster may not be the smartest decision. I wonder if they have Talespin's number...
12) Luminosity/LG Loyal
Luminosity came out the weakest after the three-way trade that dramatically shook up the Overwatch scene, but have been steadily improving ever since. SPREE on Zarya is a sight to behold, and despite my beliefs that eerpS would've been a better pickup, the team has learned to pull off wins when they most need them.
11) The Chavs
Most people don't know the Chavs, but they've had considerably great results as of recent. They defeated Team Dignitas, Grand Danois, and other strong European teams at a Europe-only-LAN event, and have made deep runs in playoffs at several other European online events. It's only a matter of time before they get picked up by an org.
10) Fnatic
Fnatic used to be a scary team to go up against, but now that Iddqd has joined Seagull, Fnatic has been much more reliant on their coordination, ultimate economy, and team plays rather than focusing on carry players. Buds and Hafficool are both very talented, but Fnatic at times seems to choke in situations of high pressure. However, Fnatic still holds weight above most North American teams simply due to their past results, legacy, and experience.
9) Selfless
They've just hopped back into the scene, but after defeating some Korean and American teams, they've quickly climbed the leaderboards- and based on theoretical matches in my head, they'd be able to go head-to-head with some of the better teams on this list, possibly due to their amazing teamwork, or maybe because of Sinatraa's godlike Tracer play.
8) eUnited/ex-REUNITED
Vallutaja, Kruise and co. are looking stronger than ever after their win at the SWMB #1, their aggressive dive comps, and new roster additions in Sharyk and Rubikon. While they used to make deep runs into grand finals and playoffs at international events, they've slowly declined as the rest of the scene has burst forward. However, this new roster along with a new style of play seems like a welcome return to form.
7) Ninjas in Pyjamas
The only reason they're this high up on the list is purely based on past results and how big of a threat they have the potential to be. Next time we see them compete (which is who knows when) will truly be the deciding factor of where they rank, but the talent of Zappis, Hymzi, Fragi, and the other Finnish players have been able to carry them this long of a time.
6) Hammers eSports/LG Evil
These guys have made an absolute storm in the NA Overwatch scene as of late, popping out of literally nowhere, and defeating some of the best teams without a problem. Despite impressive results however, they can't let their confidence get ahead of them; the competition continues to adapt to their strategies, and it's only a matter of time before they get dethroned.
5) Immortals
Yes, they have been losing a fair amount recently, but it's Immortals pure greatness as a team and their players individual skill that keeps them in the top 5. GrimReality's stellar hitscan play, combined with Agilities stellar off-tank and projectile play, have melded into a near-perfect roster with chemistry hard to find in any other team. These guys work hard, play hard, and when they have the right mindset, have the ability to win hard.
4) Rogue
They fell down for a while after IEM, but have re-emerged as a very high tier team, now sporting the all french roster with NiCO taking Skipjack's place. They made waves at February's Monthly Melee, and are showing the potential to be the very top of NA/EU competition. Everyone's excited to see the giants from APEX return home and take on the Rogue roster, but until then, Rogue sits right below them.
3) Misfits
The Swedish all-star lineup went through a tough time at APEX, and possibly, with more preparation, determination and a better group, could've made final 4. Unfortunately, they're returning home, but with the talent of players such as TviQ, Zebbosai, Mannetens, Reinforce, Nevix, Zave, (yes, I said the entire roster), it's only a matter of time before Misfits pulls off an incredible victory.
2) Cloud 9
I'm, at heart, a C9 fan. Losing to Uncia and being removed from APEX absolutely broke my heart, but that final match against the lesser Kongdoo team also proved something to me and gave me hope for the future- Cloud9 has the potential to be so, so, so good. The talent is all there, the chemistry is all there, so it's a matter of work ethic (something my last article touched on). With the acquisition of Korean coach Bishop, I could very well see Surefour standing their ground against nV in the future.
1) EnVyUs
We all know why- despite recent losses, it's still nV, but, not too far from now, with all the new teams growing, I could see nV falling down the ladder. However, the opposite could happen- nV could climb from the ashes once again, win APEX season 2, come back home, dominate, and re-tell their own story.
Thanks for reading!
-QuickCloud
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