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.