The ESEA-IM power rankings are back again after a long hiatus. It's been a remarkably successful season thus far, as all 16 teams are still active (in stark contrast to last season). I've decided to change it up a bit this time and do a top six edition, as only six of the 16 teams in Intermediate will be making the playoffs (supposedly). The list is taken directly from the current standings. I've also added short predictions as well.
1. Hood Rats: 12-0, 52-8 (record, rounds for/against). The undisputed number one team for the entire season, Hood Rats were legitimately challenged for the first time a few weeks ago on the staple map of competitive TF2, cp_badlands (5-4). Six Guys Off had some great rounds using the kritzkrieg, and nearly pulled off the upset of the season. Unfortunately for SGO, the renowned SoLIDSnaKE (of Xensity and Complexity fame) hit three consecutive pipes to kill three different players at mid the 8th round after SGO had gained a (very) brief four versus two advantage. That was a pivotal momentum changer for Hood Rats, and they proceeded to take the last two rounds to win the game. HR's dominance has been overwhelming the entire season, having conceded rounds to only four of the 12 teams they've faced thus far. The team's individual DM varies, but the area Hood Rats really excel at is being ahead of the curve when it comes to preparation and strategy. Multiple teams have tried to emulate their hyper-aggressive play-style, but only New Directions has been consistently successful. HR's next big game comes the final week of the season on cp_gullywash against 2nd place rival iDEMISE. This highly anticipated rematch is mostly for bragging rights, as both teams are pretty much guaranteed one of the top two playoff seeds regardless of the outcome. Having said that, anything less than undefeated with the number one seed would have to be considered a disappointment for Hood Rats.
Predictions: I could see The Spacebots taking a round or two if they're playing well, but I doubt Kockout or Incestual Princesses can. The game against iDEMISE should be close, but gullywash isn't the greatest scout map, which hurts iDEMISE much more than the Hood Rats.
vs. Spacebots: 5-1
vs. Kockout Gaming: 5-0
vs. Incestual Princesses: 5-0
vs. iDemise: 5-32. iDEMISE TF2: 11-1, 48-10. Sitting at the number two spot in the standings for the majority of the season, this (former) Invite laden roster has been on cruise control since their early loss to Hood Rats, only giving up three total rounds the past eight games (all victories). The team recently picked up thenoid and teto to replace ease and paladin as the starting combo, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the team. It's safe to say that thenoid is a huge upgrade over ease as medic, but paladin was arguably the best pocket soldier in IM, and not easily replaced. Ruwin and bigpun are the best scout pair in IM (currently 1st and tied for 2nd in points per minute), and unf has played well all season long. He may have been a bit over-matched in Invite last season with Area51, but he's really good for IM, and he puts out a lot of damage. IDEMISE is more likely to be the victim of an upset in the playoffs than Hood Rats, as a couple more teams are capable of beating them (if they're playing well and get the right map, at least), but the keyword is still upset.
Predictions: iDEMISE gave up single rounds to AG-98, The Spacebots, and Red Flag the past three games, so I guess I'll give a round to TF2 THUG NA as well, but that's the most they'll get. Treason and Kockout don't stand a chance.
vs. TF2 THUG NA: 5-1
vs. Treason: 5-0
vs. Kockout Gaming: 5-0
vs. Hood Rats: 3-5
3. New Directions: 10-2, 44-22. I expected New Directions (formerly Team Explosion) to be one of upper tier teams in IM this season, but I didn't think they'd be this good. They've beaten every team not named Hood Rats and iDEMISE, with convincing victories over decent teams like The Spacebots, NAMBLA, and The Space Whales the past three weeks. The team rarely scrims with their full starting six, but it apparently doesn't matter much against most of the division. New Directions have also swapped classes a few times during the season, the most recent change being a forced move due to kermit having fps issues (kermit switched from roamer to medic, tri switched from scout to pocket, acula switched from pocket to roamer, stultus switched from medic to scout). They obviously have a very versatile and talented roster because the transition has been seamless thus far, the only 'hiccup' being the loss to Hood Rats (1-5). Denial has had a strong season and gives opposing soldiers issues, a rare quality in a scout. New Directions looks like a lock for the third seed in the playoffs. With a great record and aggressive, well-timed play, they should give Hood Rats and iDemise a run for their money down the stretch.
Predictions: ND really shouldn't lose more than a round to Awareness Zero or THUG NA, but they might get surprised for an extra round or two if they aren't taking the game seriously. Treason is simply over matched and outclassed. Six Guys Off is another bragging rights type of match, because both teams are all but assured a playoff spot. Their last match-up was a back and forth 5-4 affair, and I expect this one to be close as well, especially if Greyfox is sniping for SGO.
vs. Awareness Zero: 5-1
vs. TF2 THUG NA: 5-1
vs. Treason: 5-0
vs. Six Guys Off: 5-3
4. Six Guys Off: 8-4, 46-26. Six Guys Off have had a nice season, having nearly beaten both Hood Rats and New Directions. They also have solid wins over The Spacebots, JuanKush420, and AG-98. They easily could have a better record than their already very respectable 8-4. SGO has one of the most difficult schedules the last two weeks, with upcoming games against The Space Whales, Red Flag, THUG NA, and New Directions. At worst I could see them dropping two of these games (they could conceivably win all of them), and even if they do lose two games they should be safe for a playoff spot because of their 46-26 rounds for/against record. SGO has been one of the best kritz teams in IM when they've had the opportunity, and both thrill and puff are good with it. Their roamer .xep aka NOTALLOWED2DH plays a bit more passive than the usual bombing style preferred nowadays, typically watching/baiting flank before attempting to make a play. He's had some big moments in close games this season. Six Guys Off have shown they're capable of playing with the elite teams in IM, and if they can finish close games in the playoffs like they did against JuanKush420 (5-2) they might place higher than their current fourth ranking.
Predictions: The Space Whales game should be very interesting and has several playoff implications, but I like SGO to prevail. Red Flag and full-time gunslinger engineer ^yay could sneak up on SGO with some rounds, but they should beat THUG NA relatively easily. The match they'll really want to win is their chance at redemption against New Directions, as mentioned previously.
vs. The Space Whales: 5-3
vs. Red Flag: 5-3
vs. TF2 THUG NA: 5-1
vs. New Directions: 3-5
5. NAMBLA: 7-5, 38-29. NAMBLA takes the 5th spot in the power rankings, but their placement is fairly tenuous. Similar to some of the other teams vying for a playoff spot, NAMBLA has been riddled with inconsistency recently after starting the season strong. They were dismantled by The Spacebots on badlands, played a close game with AG-98, and lost to Red Flag on yukon 2-5. The teams normal roaming soldier MTF is on spring break, so they picked up shishy to play demoman and Rick is playing roamer in the meantime. This unquestionably makes the team weaker as a whole, because Rick is a better demo than shishy, but isn't accustomed to roaming. ShitOnMyChest has been playing well recently, and when combined with anonemouse NAMBLA's scout duo is one of the stronger in the division. Chompa has also been a nice find for the team, solid at both protecting the medic and making a play if needed (dispensary hookup plz :D). They'll need to regain the form they displayed at the beginning of the season to overcome The Space Whales and Red Flag on gullywash, and I think Rick has enough experience to get them on the right track again, but it'll be close.
Predictions: NAMBLA shouldn't have any issues with Treason, but Awareness Zero could cause problems as they recently took three rounds from SGO (wow sequel). The Space Whales and Red Flag games will determine if NAMBLA makes the playoffs or not (they pretty much have to win at least three of their four games to have a good chance). Both games should be really close and could go either way, definitely an exciting way to close the season.
vs. Treason: 5-0
vs. Awareness Zero: 5-3 (if sequel is playing soldier and lopert scout)
vs. The Space Whales: 4-5
vs. Red Flag: 5-4
6. The Space Whales: 7-5, 34-33. If NAMBLA's position is shaky, the The Space Whales are teetering on the edge in comparison. The team has a very difficult schedule the last two weeks, with crucial matches against Six Guys Off, NAMBLA, and JuanKush420. Winning out would guarantee them a playoff spot, but it's a pretty tall order. It's difficult to assess where they currently stand as a team. They put up two rounds on Hood Rats last week, but lost to New Directions 0-5 the week before. They've got wins against AG-98, THUG NA, Red Flag, and The Spacebots, which is obviously a plus, but on the other hand three of the four games were extremely close. This will be their first match-up against both Six Guys Off and NAMBLA, and based on past performances it appears that the Whales are underdogs against SGO and roughly even with NAMBLA, so it will be an intense few weeks.
vs. Six Guys Off: 3-5
vs. NAMBLA: 5-4
vs. Incestual Princesses: 5-0
vs. JuanKush420: You decide! (writing this article was a spur of the moment thing and I didn't feel like waiting for someone to write a prediction, as I play medic for JuanKush420).
On the outside looking in:
7. JuanKush420: 7-6, 40-32
8. Red Flag: 7-6, 35-39
9. AG-98: 6-6, 30-39
