AG: fire3
BLG: bail
DRG: nathanD
EDG: Muggle
FPX: York
JDG: EGO
NOVA: I forgor
TE: destroyeR
TEC: AfteR
TYL: sword9
WOL: Fayde
XLG: hvoya

edit: shit its 24k

Viva played for JDG, respect!

NathanD cooking up a storm!

To be fair, DRG is playing a good game, I thought they would be playing Ying on duelist, but SpiritZ1 is good too, I remember that he played Raze in off-season or something. This team could be solid!

Swerl please come back I miss the kids.

What the heck guys, I thought Ying was supposed to be the new duelist. Instead, you start Cangshu???

I agree, but I was replying to #3, he only clarified "mid players". I do agree that he doesn't quite have a complete understanding of the agent, but I do not believe that he is "mid" as a whole.

Guys what the hell?

Rarga is NOT mid...

The funniest part is: https://www.vlr.gg/pickem/7915bc3c

Rarga is a very solid duelist. Additionally, her dashes are rather predictable, and she doesn't have a smoke like Jett to entry into site.

Waylay just isn't a really strong agent pro-play. Low-key just a one-and-done.

"peetherium come" moment.

Aye same for you, lad! She's a grade below me, so I'll likely be moving to the States with her once she graduates!

All the better, my girlfriend (of which we've been together for a little over two years now) was also my first. It's a great experience!

Oh, that's so wholesome! I remember when I was only two months in back when I was in 10th grade. If she's the right one for you, then you're a fortunate lad!

Oh, my apologies. I was not aware that you were in a relationship, I was simply speaking generally. How long have you two been together?

I don't think that your partner cheating definitively means that it's on you for being "not up to standards" as a boyfriend. Cheating should always be the fault of the person that cheats. If they have a problem, they should either talk it out with you, or break up with you. Cheating is never the right thing to do.

I like Bayern, and from Bayern, it is probably Musiala due to his silky dribbling style.
However, I also enjoy Inter Milan vastly, from which I would probably pick Nicolo Barella or Federico Dimarco.
In terms of Premier league, I enjoy Spurs and Newcastle, so some names I'd throw out there are Heung-min Son, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali.

Dunno, but this guy is goated!

Can't put em any lower.

JDG I can understand but FPX is in a period of turmoil, DRG just made a duelist change, and Nova is genuinely good.

May I interest you in our lord and savior Lifan "Viva" Ran?

They could, but I think Ying is a short term downgrade from Luke. As such, I felt that placing them 8th was appropriate. Otherwise, 7th could be respectable.

1. Edward Gaming
   Placed third in Bangkok, which the team may actually stand to be rather disappointed by in terms of finishes, as they looked incredibly strong in the first few matches, especially with a strong showing against G2. With that being said, they should continue to sweep aside the Chinese region, while being challenged potentially by the next two teams on this list.

2. Trace Esports
   Criminally disappointing showing in Bangkok. For some reason, they decided not to choose their arguably best map, Bind. However, this is not a Bangkok power ranking, it is a CN stage 1 power ranking. With that being said, they will probably look like the second best in the region behind EDG, destroyeR needs to catch their comps up to what's meta.

3. Nova Esports
   With a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Wolves in the midseason friendly tournament, Nova's quality cannot be denied. While they've recently dropped star duelist SWERL, their performances have not stagnated in the slightest. I personally did not rate Nova all too much at the start of this season, but they could be a strong contender for Toronto.

4. Bilibili Gaming
   While BLG cannot be considered a high firepower team in Chinese terms, Coach bail has whipped his boys into pretty solid shape. As a result, BLG is one of the more structured teams in the region, and as I believe that teamwork does make a team strong, this Bilibili side will likely look to be one of the challengers for Toronto.

5. Xi Lai Gaming
   After winning Ascension and shifting the team around, XLG clawed around a bit in Kickoff before hitting a wall against eventual champions Edward Gaming. With some time for the team to gel, with players like Viva likely adjusting to his new role, this team has high firepower, and a very strong coaching team. I would personally be surprised if this team does not perform.

6. Wolves Esports
   Not quite the team I'd thought that they'd be. With a roster shakeup, they've picked up Juicy and Lysoar, with the latter especially looking to make FPX regret their poor transfer decision. With that being said, I'm sure many people expected a lot more from this team, and they have a long way to go in order to prove themselves.

7. Jingdong Mall JDG Esports
   After a horrendous last season, the boys have locked in. Babyblue, to my surprise, has looked like a great signing, and while I have no clue as to how MrCANI is in tier 1, stew and friends look to be quite exciting. As a result, I would happily lock this team in at 7th place on my list.

8. Dragon Ranger Gaming
   Now, I said during Kickoff that they might want a new, exciting duelist. Here he is, Ying. Now, I do think that he has a good amount of potential, and I am happy with the overall talent in the team. However, I think that this team sporting a cute dragon as its logo will likely require more time, which they might not be good enough considering that they're facing relegation. New coach NathanD will have to cook.

9. FunPlus Phoenix
   If I'd known how washed this team would be at the start of this season, I don't know how I'd react. This team is in the absolute mud. Hopefully, whoever takes the wheel will have the boys lock in, and have them play some more standard comps. This team will likely bounce back and not actually end up this low. With that being said, they have a lot to prove.

10. Titan Esports Club
    With the signing of a potential new star duelist TVirusLuke, this team could also be one on the up. B1ack could be benched again, and Rb might play full time initiator. With that being said, these guys could perform better than they currently are, but not too much better to be honest.

11. TYLOO
    These guys suck, but not more than All Gamers. I do like their individuals though. slowly is quite good, and so is hfmi and Ninebody. Can they pull off some upsets with their coach sword9?

12. All Gamers
    Hopefully they can uncover a gem or two from their 12 players to not end up 12th in the league by the end of this year.

Duplication glitch.

No no, I just genuinely believe in the boys. Rarga and happywei are both self explanatory, while coconut is a bit of a rookie and I'm not too sold on YOU. However, Viva is genuinely my GOAT. I really liked his gameplay ever since his Rare Atom days, and I think that he does just need time to adjust to new roles on the team.

And he IGLs, what a man!

):

Not a question but XLG are qualifying to Toronto!

You know what TMV says!

You know what they say!

True Chinese Valo OGs remember this man coaching NIP with SiufatBB, Spring and Eren.

They can field a football (soccer, depending on your preference) team!

Might rebrand to Every Gamer because they're signing every fucking gamer under the sun.

All good lad, you do wonders for the CN region and your work is appreciated vastly. Keep your head up!

cxy0714 is the Kulin player you're referring to. However, they just picked up cxyy, who was the TE substitute up until now.

Who are they fielding? How are they affording this many players? How is this sustainable? And how are they supposed to avoid going 0/5 in Stage 1?

Tell me you don't watch CN valo without telling me you don't watch CN valo.

Cooking*

His name used to be lt but he rebranded.

Just as you cannot out pizza the hut, you cannot globally warm in a sustainable manner. Perhaps the polar bears should just deal with it and try to force their ways into weaker CN teams.

No!

You're right, I'm not and I don't plan on being one. Honestly just a huge Viva glazer too.

Global warming is indeed on the uprise, but perhaps the polar bears should then look to push for Tier 1 in Pacific rather than an already established league.

No, I am quite, in fact, not "nuts". I simply believe that nobody could be improved upon with someone who can both call, and shoot. However, I do agree that breaking up the nobody + Zmjjkk duo is unwise and may be bad for team dynamics. I simply believe that IF there is a change to be made in the team, it would either be Smoggy (With Chichoo moving to full-time smokes), and the signing of one of happywei or GuanG, or nobody, their IGL.

I don't think there is a better support player in China.

happywei --> smokes/second senti
I chose happywei on smokes with a potential secondary role of sentinel in cases of double sentinel. happywei is a strong site anchor who currently employs his trade at Xi Lai Gaming, who recently won ascension. Although primarily known for his Cypher, happywei has been playing a lot of Omen throughout kickoff, and looks extremely promising while doing so. His crisp aim and intelligent playstyle merits a spot on my team as the primary smoker.
GuanG --> sentinel
GuanG is insane. Definite S-tier player in the CN region. Can play Vyse, who is extremely strong in the meta right now, but also isn't afraid of shying away from agents like Cypher, as well as duelists. His aim is insane, and he can anchor like an absolute god, thus slotting into my team as the primary sentinel. GuanG will be expected to site hold 1v5s.
whzy --> duelist
As ardiis once said, "he's a really good duelist". The rest is history, need I say more?
Viva --> scan initiator/second duelist/controller
The GOAT. Unfortunately, slightly misused by XLG and is current getting used to Omen and Cypher after being signed by Xi Lai Gaming in the offseason. However, I say we put him where he belongs, which is Sova. Moreover, we can also consider inserting him onto Tejo. Besides that, he can also play a very solid Viper, a decently strong Skye, and a meh Omen/Cypher if desperately needed. Will also be IGLing the team.
Knight --> flash initiator
Really good, can play KAY/O, can play Breach. Good gamer, solid util, pretty decent aim. Plays for BiliBili, FNS are you ok?

If imports, probably nephhh for flash initiator/igl over Knight
if no imports, Viva igl

HM:
Ezeir: Extremely strong smokes player currently for NOVA esports. Chose happywei over him for flexibility reasons. I'm a bit of a double senti enjoyer, and the fact that happywei can slot into a double senti comp while Viva plays smokes (which, admittedly, he isn't too accustomed to yet) could be rather nice.
Coconut: Can play flash and scan initator, but I really do just prefer Viva, he's shown in tier 1 that he can play a very solid Sova and is a rather versatile player.
AAAAY: If you hate tactics and love crisp aim, this is the guy for you, but not for my team.
Yosemite: This guy actually almost slipped into my team, but honestly, my happywei/GuanG bias might just be clouding my vision (also they can both play senti, and Viva has a good Viper).
Z1yan: Really solid player, but I just don't think he merits a slot in my team, not quite there to be in a "top (blank) of the region" list.
CB: Really solid, quite versatile, whzy clears. Now we can move on to the next.
Levius: Used to hate this guy, had a great off season showing, a bit slower in kickoff, but I think that if it's a team for the future, he could look very solid.
B1ack: TEC kinda sucks ngl, B1ack is a solid initiator though, and while that alone doesn't merit a place on my team, he is a decent player nonetheless.
TYLOO: While the team sucks, hfmi, slowly, Eren, and Ninebody are all really solid players. It's a shame that they have nothing to show for it.
Spring: Exciting young duelist, but once again, isn't whzy, so he'll have to settle with a place in my HM.
Lysoar: Almost made the cut, but, again, XLG ftw. (ok but he genuinely could've made it on the team but I just am a happywei/GuanG enjoyer)
Nicc: Love the guy, really solid igl, good on flashes as well, didn't make team because he's perhaps mechanically a cut below the other players on this team.
SpiritZ1: Signing for the future, but already looks cracked now, can play duelist, can play initiator, can play senti, decent versatility, good aim, cracked gamer.

I'd honestly rather see a "-nobody, +Viva" but okay.

But maybe it's time for the polar bears to look for greener (whiter) pastures.