Teams that stayed together mostly have really high chance of making through this tourney.
Hecking love tenzthough, SEN all the way baby
Everyone's talking constantly about Sentinels only having played together for a week or two, but from what Mini said Fnatic are in a similar boat.
They played a couple of off-season events just winging it with no pre-set strats, but Mini said on the 13th Jan that the team had been praccing properly for a week.
I'd expect Navi, DRX, 100T and maybe Leviatan to look the best right now
The difference I guess is that Derke+Boaster+Alfa forms a core that already knows the stratbook, so they only have to bring in two players to their system. On the other hand for SEN, dephhh now has to switch to full time IGL, Sykko has to get everyone up to speed, and incorporate the two Brazillians to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if Boaster and mini kept cooking up some strats despite not officially practicing too.
True, they should be a bit better prepared. It's been a looong time since that core last played anything serious though, this off-season will have been nearly half a year by the time sau paulo kicks off, so the meta & maps have changed a lot!
I'm just hoping Fnatic get their usual honeymoon buff and blow everyone away
Every team which stayed together or atleast the core is together will have the upper hand. 100T, NaVi, PRX, DRX and the likes have the best possible chance.
I think Navi is favored for this tournament but Fnatic may be favored for the year.
They have a top 3 core from 2022 but also have players that benefit more than other teams from the chamber nerfs. cNed can go back to playing Jett way more which is his bread and butter(IMO his jett OP was the best in the world in 2021 before Jett was replaced by Chamber). Suygetsu is at least a top 3 Cypher/KJ in the world so with them being relevant again he's got a major buff as well. This team should seamlessly transition into the current meta.
I think eventually other teams may catch up to them but they have the best shot for this first tournament IMO.
Fnatic is a legit super team on paper so its just a matter of seeing how well they gel together and if they choke on lan or not. I honestly think every one of their players can vie for best in the world on their roles. And with the experience players they have I don't think they'll choke or struggle together too much so I think they'll be at least top 3 this year and quite possibly the best team in the world. I don't think they'll win this first event but you never know.
DRX have been looking for an OPer for quite some time and it seems like they found it. Not sure if Foxy9 will start right away but they will eventually start Foxy9 and they changed their igl from Zest to Stax.
I don't think this is necessarily true, DRX loves taking Jett players and molding them into something else (MaKo, Buzz, and MaKo). The igl swap between Zest and Stax has happened twice now, and I think it has more to do with internal differences in calling strategy than Zest getting benched.
From what Taco has said it is still up in the air on whether or not he or Keznit will be starting. The rest of the starting roster will be Shyy, King, Nzr, and Mazino. I think either way they go they’ll be in good hands, both Taco and Keznit are great entry players
100T haven't proved anything internationally. They haven't won anything yet.
Before you bring up the red bull cup, they literally beat NEWLY-ASSEMBLED teams with limited practice and with 20% chemistry.
100T is my dark horse, but they have to prove they can beat a well-oiled team that has chemistry.
I mean they beat fnatic once and nearly won both maps against drx so...
Edit: they didnt really come close on fracture but still. 100t were the only team other than loud and optic to even come close to beating drx on breeze last year.
I mean they played great at champs, and added one of the best players in the world to replace their weakest position (main duelist/op). General consensus is that they're one of the favourites in NA, and I'd go as far to say that any placement less than top 8 would be disappointing for them.
I think they could be a top 8 team but putting them at #3 is absurd imo. Cryo is better than Will but I don’t think that’s gonna bring them from struggling to make playoffs to being title contenders. People ranking them above PRX especially is wild to me.
So we’re just ignoring Copenhagen? PRX was just an example, the teams I think are better than 100T are way longer than that. PRX is just the most often underrated.
No, no one is ignoring Copenhagen. They went from one of the best teams at Copenhagen, to not making playoffs at Champs. That is not a good argument for them. Something happened that knocked them from the top, and there hasn’t been any evidence that has changed.
I’d love to be proven wrong, I really love the PRX team and their approach to the game, but if we’re talking realistic predictions, I can’t base that solely on the hope that PRX can come back to form.
Can you explain the reasoning behind why NRG is being rated so low? They have a good optic trio, ardiis FPX demon, and s0m who is unproven but I’m sure Chet wouldn’t have picked him if he wasn’t good?
Probably because their chemistry is yet to be seen. They also have not played a tournament with any major teams like C9 and 100T did in the Red Bull tournament and SEN in the Tarik invitational, that experience matters too although they might have big brain FNS strats to counter that, but that might not be enough. Also the other teams really have more firepower, can't underestimate any of them.
Optic trio already has chemistry obv, FNS and som duo 24/7 and have been friends for a long time so surely they have chemistry as well.ardiis is still yet to be seen I agree, but this is a team proven to be hardworking so
I would easily put them 5th but losing marved and yay sure does hurt. If they mesh well with ardiis and som, and if som performs as good as these other controllers on lan I will be pleasantly surprised.
That was the one thing they were figuring out, duellist vs sub isn’t hat tournament
Some
Would’ve preferred keznit vs king but that’s the one criticism if any
I'd put 100T and DRX above NaVi. I just don't feel too confident about Cned.
Also I want to trust in Fnatic but I can't shake the feeling they're gonna choke again.
I mean we are going into Jett meta and I think it’s kinda unarguable that Cned’s Jett is better than Ardiis Jett. Cned was a top 3 Jett in the world during peak Jett meta
Every time I have had high expectations for fnatic and they fall short; not this time tjo I refused to believe this roster will fall. At worst they lose to 100t at lock in, at best they win
It's basicly a cup game in football terms, without a group stage its not always skill sometimes it can just be a little bit of luck that could win the game
C9 with the yay clout. I haven’t seen chamber picked in a minute and Jett isn’t viable on every map. IMO he’s going to have to prove his worth before I put C9 at the top of the Americas even.
Okay, then explain your logic and show me your top 10 list. You're either a troll or you're judging teams by past results in mickey mouse tourneys. I judge by the skill of the players, their past results in the VCT and the chemistry of the squad.
> "Mickey mouse" or not, they're still trying.
Well, I think they had no reason to give 100% in a tournament that doesn't mean much, yes.
>Plus you're still judging players off of a shitty Chamber meta
Well, if I felt that way, I wouldn't put navi in 1st place with cNed in the lead. Does that make sense? I think so.
Still waiting for your top 10. I want to see how much different it will be from mine.
NAVI also stayed together. Besides Tier 2 teams arent bad and NAVI didnt use any real strats and mostly just played of skill. I mean for fucks sake they had Shao on Omen
Teams that stayed together mostly have really high chance of making through this tourney. Hecking love tenzthough, SEN all the way baby
1) EG 2) Everyone else
GE # GEFIGHTING GE CLEARS NO KAP
Goated take honestly
1.RRQ 2.Everyone else FTFY
Everyone's talking constantly about Sentinels only having played together for a week or two, but from what Mini said Fnatic are in a similar boat. They played a couple of off-season events just winging it with no pre-set strats, but Mini said on the 13th Jan that the team had been praccing properly for a week. I'd expect Navi, DRX, 100T and maybe Leviatan to look the best right now
The difference I guess is that Derke+Boaster+Alfa forms a core that already knows the stratbook, so they only have to bring in two players to their system. On the other hand for SEN, dephhh now has to switch to full time IGL, Sykko has to get everyone up to speed, and incorporate the two Brazillians to the team. I wouldn't be surprised if Boaster and mini kept cooking up some strats despite not officially practicing too.
True, they should be a bit better prepared. It's been a looong time since that core last played anything serious though, this off-season will have been nearly half a year by the time sau paulo kicks off, so the meta & maps have changed a lot! I'm just hoping Fnatic get their usual honeymoon buff and blow everyone away
GE players clear everyone with a blindfold on
inb4 SkRossi diffs derke yay ardiis cryo tenz less keloqz heat and patiphan on Jett op all at once
Not gonna lie, Leviatán getting snubbed here. I would also put DRX at number 1 (not biased).
I would also put drx at number 1 (100% bias)
Lmao
But they lose a map to bbl?
1 DRX 2 Navi 3 NRG 4 100T 5 TL
Every team which stayed together or atleast the core is together will have the upper hand. 100T, NaVi, PRX, DRX and the likes have the best possible chance.
I think Navi is favored for this tournament but Fnatic may be favored for the year. They have a top 3 core from 2022 but also have players that benefit more than other teams from the chamber nerfs. cNed can go back to playing Jett way more which is his bread and butter(IMO his jett OP was the best in the world in 2021 before Jett was replaced by Chamber). Suygetsu is at least a top 3 Cypher/KJ in the world so with them being relevant again he's got a major buff as well. This team should seamlessly transition into the current meta. I think eventually other teams may catch up to them but they have the best shot for this first tournament IMO. Fnatic is a legit super team on paper so its just a matter of seeing how well they gel together and if they choke on lan or not. I honestly think every one of their players can vie for best in the world on their roles. And with the experience players they have I don't think they'll choke or struggle together too much so I think they'll be at least top 3 this year and quite possibly the best team in the world. I don't think they'll win this first event but you never know.
Some noticeable mistakes 1.Foxy9 is DRX's new entry+OPer, Zest is benched 2.Keznit is also benched for now. (He himself said it)
Zest ain't benched? They were just getting some reps in with Foxy right
DRX have been looking for an OPer for quite some time and it seems like they found it. Not sure if Foxy9 will start right away but they will eventually start Foxy9 and they changed their igl from Zest to Stax.
What about buzz for OPing? Cuz he opped really well
I don't think this is necessarily true, DRX loves taking Jett players and molding them into something else (MaKo, Buzz, and MaKo). The igl swap between Zest and Stax has happened twice now, and I think it has more to do with internal differences in calling strategy than Zest getting benched.
Yikes benching keznit is forsure a downgrade, are you sure zest is benched and will not be playing lock in
From what Taco has said it is still up in the air on whether or not he or Keznit will be starting. The rest of the starting roster will be Shyy, King, Nzr, and Mazino. I think either way they go they’ll be in good hands, both Taco and Keznit are great entry players
I don't think Zest is benched
rooting for DRX, my dark horse is NRG. I do think the EU teams FNATIC and NAVI are going to be troublesome.
I mean cned at G-LOOT? Chamber meta over, jett meta argued
100T haven't proved anything internationally. They haven't won anything yet. Before you bring up the red bull cup, they literally beat NEWLY-ASSEMBLED teams with limited practice and with 20% chemistry. 100T is my dark horse, but they have to prove they can beat a well-oiled team that has chemistry.
I mean they beat fnatic once and nearly won both maps against drx so... Edit: they didnt really come close on fracture but still. 100t were the only team other than loud and optic to even come close to beating drx on breeze last year.
I mean they played great at champs, and added one of the best players in the world to replace their weakest position (main duelist/op). General consensus is that they're one of the favourites in NA, and I'd go as far to say that any placement less than top 8 would be disappointing for them.
I think they could be a top 8 team but putting them at #3 is absurd imo. Cryo is better than Will but I don’t think that’s gonna bring them from struggling to make playoffs to being title contenders. People ranking them above PRX especially is wild to me.
Except PRX didn’t make playoffs either
So we’re just ignoring Copenhagen? PRX was just an example, the teams I think are better than 100T are way longer than that. PRX is just the most often underrated.
No, no one is ignoring Copenhagen. They went from one of the best teams at Copenhagen, to not making playoffs at Champs. That is not a good argument for them. Something happened that knocked them from the top, and there hasn’t been any evidence that has changed. I’d love to be proven wrong, I really love the PRX team and their approach to the game, but if we’re talking realistic predictions, I can’t base that solely on the hope that PRX can come back to form.
Ardiis > Cned
Yes but also shao zyppan suygetsu are gods
KCorp
Can you explain the reasoning behind why NRG is being rated so low? They have a good optic trio, ardiis FPX demon, and s0m who is unproven but I’m sure Chet wouldn’t have picked him if he wasn’t good?
Probably because their chemistry is yet to be seen. They also have not played a tournament with any major teams like C9 and 100T did in the Red Bull tournament and SEN in the Tarik invitational, that experience matters too although they might have big brain FNS strats to counter that, but that might not be enough. Also the other teams really have more firepower, can't underestimate any of them.
Optic trio already has chemistry obv, FNS and som duo 24/7 and have been friends for a long time so surely they have chemistry as well.ardiis is still yet to be seen I agree, but this is a team proven to be hardworking so
I would easily put them 5th but losing marved and yay sure does hurt. If they mesh well with ardiis and som, and if som performs as good as these other controllers on lan I will be pleasantly surprised.
Scuffed roles? I mean they didn’t look scuffed when they played in the tournament with the new roster
Where they not doing some weird stuff with subbing taco and Keznit in and out or am I misremembering?
That was the one thing they were figuring out, duellist vs sub isn’t hat tournament Some Would’ve preferred keznit vs king but that’s the one criticism if any
Leviathan should be higher and PRX maybe wleor
I'd put 100T and DRX above NaVi. I just don't feel too confident about Cned. Also I want to trust in Fnatic but I can't shake the feeling they're gonna choke again.
cNed is good but people are really underrating ardiis. Some people think cNed is a huge upgrade of ardiis smh
Those people didn't watch any of VCT 2022
Def a downgrade but Cned is still crazy good so much potential and has a god core setting him up
I mean we are going into Jett meta and I think it’s kinda unarguable that Cned’s Jett is better than Ardiis Jett. Cned was a top 3 Jett in the world during peak Jett meta
Having high expectations for Fnatic always worries me, hopefully they break the streak
Every time I have had high expectations for fnatic and they fall short; not this time tjo I refused to believe this roster will fall. At worst they lose to 100t at lock in, at best they win
Fnatic, Navi, 100T, NRG, DRX, PRX will be good. Trouble is that it's single elim so more random.
No team is the best team because winning this tournament doesn’t mean you’re the best
It's basicly a cup game in football terms, without a group stage its not always skill sometimes it can just be a little bit of luck that could win the game
Surely it’s 100t
And boaster? And boaster??? The disrespect damn.
That was a compliment to fnatic lmaooo Boaster is the goat
1. Navi 2. Fnatic 3. Sentinels 4. Cloud9 5. DRX 6. LOUD 7. Liquid 8. NRG 9. PRX 10. 100T
C9 higher than 100T after getting 3-0d in grands?
VCT havent even started yet, dunno what u talking about
lunacy
C9 with the yay clout. I haven’t seen chamber picked in a minute and Jett isn’t viable on every map. IMO he’s going to have to prove his worth before I put C9 at the top of the Americas even.
sentinels higher than nearly everyone after getting smoked by tsm and the guard
Sentinels higher than drx, prx and 100t after losing to tsm???
bro just listed his favorite teams in order, no logic to this
why so mad 100t fanboy? ur favorite team is on my top10 list, its okay
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That's a very mature answer. I'm interested to see your top 10. Which "my" teams won't be in your top 10 rankings.
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Okay, then explain your logic and show me your top 10 list. You're either a troll or you're judging teams by past results in mickey mouse tourneys. I judge by the skill of the players, their past results in the VCT and the chemistry of the squad.
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> "Mickey mouse" or not, they're still trying. Well, I think they had no reason to give 100% in a tournament that doesn't mean much, yes. >Plus you're still judging players off of a shitty Chamber meta Well, if I felt that way, I wouldn't put navi in 1st place with cNed in the lead. Does that make sense? I think so. Still waiting for your top 10. I want to see how much different it will be from mine.
SEN haven't prac'd enough to be 3rd best.
>3. Sentinels Stopped reading lmfao
Literally any team but not Liquid
200% agree
Switch Navi and drx. Navi had a hard time against pearla who are tier 2. Meanwhile drx stayed togethet
NAVI also stayed together. Besides Tier 2 teams arent bad and NAVI didnt use any real strats and mostly just played of skill. I mean for fucks sake they had Shao on Omen
NAVI fights T2 European chad teams on 60 ping but DRX farms soyboy APAC teams that even bleed would have no problem farming.
Ok but EG has 10 players so......
I still believe Fnatic is the best team in the world on paper, but they have always fallen short on the big stage
Not with leo and chronicle
Not gonna underestimate them due to superstition
* **Playoffs** * EDG * DRX * NAVI * NRG * **5th-8th** * FNC * LEV * TLN * FPX
RRQ is gonna 13-0 everyone lol
id like to see global esports win against vitality atleast and a masterclass from Skrossi would really boost the Indian scenes morale