Hello everyone, this will be similar to my Americas rankings but for the champs teams. It is going to be a lengthy read and if you do get through it, thank you.
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Gen G - Not much to say about this team at this point and time. Their two biggest weaknesses (Lakia and Experience) have been dealt with. Lakia has turned up and has been playing on-par with his team. And with their loss in Madrid and win in Shanghai, this team has gotten the valuable experience they needed. They play so pixel perfect that it is honestly hard to imagine other teams beating them in a BO5. Even if they've looked shaky at times during the regular season, they always go super saiyan during internationals. Excited to see how this team stacks up against so many teams.
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TH - I'm a bit conflicted with this team. They went undefeated in Stage 2 but the wins did not look as convincing to me, especially struggling against teams like GX, KOI, and M8. While their chemistry might be better with MiniBoo, he hasn't returned to his kickoff form which worries me for Champs. This in my opinion is their biggest weakness If they can get some wins under their belt to start off the tourney and get MiniBoo heated up, they can go far. This is an absurdly young team that has made a spectacular showing in 2024.
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G2 - I have been a G2 hater since they were the Guard and beat Optic in the Grand Finals of Stage 1 Challengers but I have to give credit to this team. Even with Icy's off nights, they've come together and put in a monstrous effort to improve. Their team play is the most impressive to me, maybe even edging out Gen G in that category. It feels like any person on this team can have a hero performance with what we saw against LEV and SEN. One of my biggest concerns early Stage 2 for this team was their inability to start off hot and having to rely on comebacks and they've since fixed this issue for the most part. I look forward to how an Ascension team can set the path for others and succeed.
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LEV - I'm putting LEV here as a gamble. We know how their last international showing turned out and their game against G2 looked bad but if their performance can match their Stage 2 run, I have no doubt that this will be one of the top teams. It looks to me that they have fixed their 1v9 woes with Aspas hard carrying every game. All of their players have been exceeding their ceiling or at least playing up to it. If they can get a win against G2 in the Grand Finals of Playoffs, they can go into champs with the momentum they need to succeed.
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DRX - It has been a brutal year for DRX and their fans. Not because of the team's performance, but with just how unlucky they've gotten. This team has looked solid for a majority of the year but has missed out on events despite performing well, maybe even better than some of the teams that qualified above them. This is one of the classic teams in VCT, alongside others like FNC, Optic, and Loud so its always fun to watch them at events. While their younger brother Gen G has made a bigger impact than them this season, I still think this team is very underrrated and maybe even overhated. The reason why I have this team over others like FNC, VIT and others is because they've shown more promising performances throughout the whole year.
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FNC - To most people's surprise, FNC looks to have turned around their weak showing in Stage 1 and Shanghai. This team looked dead in the water in the beginning of the year and I had doubts recently with Hiro filling such big shoes. But he's done well in the short time they've had together and has impressively played on par with what would be expected of Leo. I'm putting this team so high because of their experience with large events and how they've historically performed in them. I think its even better for them that they're having such a strong showing in playoffs which will help them with a strong start in Champs.
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SEN - I think this is a good base point for middle of the pack teams. SEN had a great showing in the beginning of the year due to the amount of games they played in the offseason but have since slowed down. They're still a good team and I think they got the best possible route to Champs they could have. They will get to rest for playoffs and reset a little bit. This is one of the most fun teams to watch personally since they're so clout heavy and it seems like the community is more invested in SEN games which makes it more fun. If they can get Zekken and Tenz heating up early, they can make a deep run.
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VIT - This for me is a bit difficult because I really do love Sayf and this team overall. I'm really happy they've defied the odds and made champs. But I have to be objective. This team has all the momentum they need right now but we haven't seen them in any international showings and they've had a pretty mid year overall. I think they're in the best possible situation they can be in, gaining an insane amount of momentum in playoffs but their performance in Seoul will be up in the air as they've had no international experience thus far. Trexx and Sayf are a great duo and if the rest of the team can support them and carry themselves, they'll be a fun team to watch.
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PRX - It's a shame what 2024 has done to PRX, or maybe better said would be what PRX did to themselves in 2024. They're a super fun team to watch and in my opinion are the most fun team to watch when they're firing on all cylinders. But when they're not, its like watching a car wreck. My stomach just gets knots and I feel sick. To go from APAC last hope, to a team that's not taken that serious is tough. Not winning anything of substance due to the choke jobs they've had has run a toll on their fans and they've gotten a good amount of hate this year, especially Jinggg. Its hard to rate this team. They can either get bounced out early, or make a deep run.
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FUT - Hurts to put my countrymen so low but this team suffers from the PRX disease which is inconsistency. I can never tell when they'll have a good game or just look like my Ascendant teammates. They've had a solid regional year but when it comes to internationals, they've looked weak. Boostio absolutely pissed on them in Shanghai, combine that with the pig plushy and even I was getting offended LMFAO. This is another tossup team that can throw a match at any point.
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EDG - Rough year for EDG. That part cannot be understated. The Chinese competition is catching up to EDG and that is obvious with teams like FPX. They had a brutal Shanghai and a rough start to Stage 2 but have cleaned it up for the most part towards the end. They just won their playoffs and have good momentum. The reason I have this team above others like Talon or KRU is because they've had competitive showings against teams last year (EG and LOUD). I think this is their chance to just scrap the year, lock-in for champs and show the world they still have it.
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FPX - This team looked really impressive in Shanghai and although they've regressed slightly in Split 2, they have one advantage that teams like TLN or KRU might not have. That is the element of surprise. At this point, the league is still new to the Chinese play style. EDG have their own playstyle built around KK but FPX are more team oriented. I think this will catch teams off guard like it did in Shanghai and give them a strong start.
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KRU - I'm going to be honest. While I can't discredit their win, I still believe 100T should've qualified over them. They were more locked in and won the game but I feel like 100T would've had a more competitive showing in Seoul. While this is a good low/mid tier team, I just don't see them stacking up against teams above them on this list. They've historically had stinker showings in Champs, getting bounced out very early. I expect this to happen again.
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TLN
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Trace
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BLG
Sorry to cut it short but hit the character limit :p
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