With ec1s, he had a bad 2022; watch the barbers vs Navi.

As for koalanoob, im basing it off of personal experience. Trust me, he's vastly overlooked just because he's not in franchising.

I probably should've previewed it before I posted lmao

EMEA: Birthplace of IGLs

Awpers:

S-tier:
Derke
ardiis
cNed
qw1

A-tier:
Jamppi

Flex/Entry duelist:

S-tier:
Chronicle
Zyppan
nukkye

Initiators:

S-tier
Leo
Shao
Trexx

Controllers

S-tier:
nAts
suygetsu

A-tier:
-ec1s

Sentinels:

S-tier
nAts
Suygetsu
Alfajer

IGLs:

S-tier:
ANGE1
Boaster
Redgar
koldamenta

A-tier:
Bonecold
mrFallin
ScreaM

NA: Home of the Operator

Awpers:

S-tier
Yay
Cryo
TenZ
koalanoob

A-tier:
diceyxz
tex
Corey

Flex/Entry Duelist

S-tier:
Xeppaaa
Victor
Asuna

A-tier:
zekken
SicK
JonahP

Initiators

S-tier:
Crashies
Derrek
trent

Controllers:

S-tier:
Marved
bang

A-tier:
supamen
valyn
zander
zombs

Sentinels

S-tier:
FNS

A-tier:
neT
dapr
stellar

BabyJ-tier:
BabyJ

IGLs

S-tier:
FNS
valyn

A-tier:
stellar
dephh
hazed
Zander
ShahZam

.
SA: Aim Gods

Awpers

S-tier:
Aspas
dgzin
Tacolilla

A-tier:
NagZ

Flex/Entry Duelists:

S-tier:
Aspas
keznitdeuS
Heat
xand

A-tier Flex/Entry Duelist:
Saadhak? are you going to keep playing raze?

Initiators:

S-tier
mwzera
sacy

Controllers

S-tier:
pAncada
Mazino
Melser

Sentinels:

S-tier:
Less
Shyy

A-tier:
qck

IGLs:

S-tier:
Saadhak
kiNgg
Whoever is IGLing Furia

APAC/CN: World's Best Controllers

Awpers

S-tier:
f0rsaken
ZmjjKK

A tier:
t3xture

Flex/Entry Duelists:

S-tier:
Jinggg
Rb
Buzz
Patiphan

A-tier Flex/Entry Duelists:
Sayaplayer
Meteor

Initiators:

S-tier:
stax
ZestKR

A-tier:
d4v41

Controllers:

S-tier:
MaKo
mindfreak
sScary
Haodong

A-tier:
SugarZ3ro

Sentinels

S-tier:
Laz
Sushiboys
CHICHOO

IGLs

S-tier:
stax
ZestKR
Benkai

A-tier:
Crws

Sources: just my opinions.
I probably forgot some people please remind me.
For obvious reasons, there seems to be a severe lack of S-tier Sentinel players across all regions right now.

I don't think it's fair to compare Bang and Boaster. Even though both play controllers, they don't necessary play the same role.

I like to differentiate between independent smokes players like Marved and Banged vs IGL smokes players like Boaster and Valyn. Between the two camps, one is more actively the designated lurker and meant to be the clutch player, while the other typically plays more solidly and is meant to place smokes within the midround once they get a read (Independent smokes players can also do this, but since the IGL usually mid-rounds, them being the smoke character streamlines the process vs wasting time and distracting an independent smokes player to request a specific smoke.

I don't know what's gotten into all the IGLs this tournament, fragging out as much as they are, but in general I think bang's impact is different than Boaster's impact.

The thought process was basically:

Cryo on XSET had performance comparable to Yay.

The 4 person 100T core managed to win against Fnatic at Champions.

Replacing Will with Cryo would give them the firepower they needed to win it all.

Bang became the 2nd best smokes player in NA within the span of 2 months somehow.

wtf is this lol, the + sign is a red herring. You take the number on the left, add 1 then multiply it by the number on the right. 102 is the answer

Stage 1: The Honeymoon Phase.

The kid makes a name for themselves by pulling off insane numbers in ranked, pumping out clip after clip of insane clutches--usually on Jett, Raze, or previously Chamber.

Eventually, an org decides to pick them up, and they seem like the crown jewel that their team needed all along, seemingly hard carrying every game they play in (Examples: Cryo, Tenz, Aspas, Derke, d3ffo, ardiis, qw1, Zmjkk, cned).

Stage 2: The Slump.

As the team grows, they're bound to have an off-day eventually. Thus, team results become more varied, and the team's coach begins to criticize the duelist in question's decisonmaking; they start drilling them so as to stop taking so many risks/duels, and to be more team orientated.
Duelist listens, and begins playing more according to protocol, falling in line with the coach's wishes. They're not yet used to a structured team environment and for the duration of this period, they begin to play more safe than they're used to, often more than they should.

As a result, they get diffed in stats (but not always impact) by newer, hot shot duelists who are still fresh off the high of joining a team and take every duel they can get. (Examples: Cryo, Derke, ardiis, d3ffo, sayaplayer, cned)

Stage 3: The Renaissance.

Time passes, and if they haven't gotten dropped by trigger happy org owners already, they become more attuned to teamplay, and become able to analyze situations well enough to know the right time to take duels, and where to have impact as the main fragger of their team. Their superior aim wins gets them high frags, and tournament viewers are reminded of what made them so goated in the first place. They aren't actively playing for kills like they used to, so they never reach their peak, but they become staples among the world's greatest players, and have infinitely more impact than they used to back then. (Examples: Derke, ardiis, cned)

I agree.

As in, the main post is mine and it reflects my own opinion like you said.

Yeah so the main post doesn't really reflect NA.

5 top tier players, all without contracts.
This team would unironically be a contender for ascension. Maybe the next ORGLESS

Awper/main duelist: Yay
Initiator/Entry Duelist: Sinatraa
Initiator/Flex: Subroza
IGL/Sentinel: Hazed
Smokes: Marved

I've always rooted for LOUD ever since their rivalry with Optic/NRG. I want to imagine that if one beats the other, then they have to win the entire tournament.

I've always had a deep respect for brazil as a region, and I've always rooted for LATAM given that's where I come from.

I know that used to be the case, but I was never part of it; I'm from LATAM myself. I've always supported my latam brothers and sisters.

I smurf your peak

NA has disappointed me, carry on our will.

Show these eurofucks the strength you gained from beating NRG. Win us that masters slot. Amen.

In Aspas we trust.

5 bullets
think in my head: "bro you're not hi-wait nvm you're shao"

im just reliving the glory days in my head

respect, Saadhak is also top 2 igl. top 1 atm bc of champions win.

I keep reading mixed thoughts, like that Brazillians hate him but respect him in a way.

idk pls share your thoughts.

bro reached his reading capacity after 5 words lmao

bro i wish this was a real team just so I could hear the pain in the caster's voice as they try to explain their movements lmao.

Superteam:

nobody
something
n0thing

just them

Bro I cringe anytime they refer to it as this.

How could anyone miss the opportunity to call it Shao-time?

ngl, Fnatic has too much firepower, even if someone's underperforming at least one of them is capable of stepping it up

that being said, I used to think the same about 100T, but idk they've looked whiplashed recently--it's like the tilt spreads to all of them at once.

IF 100t can find their form today then I have no doubt that they're the better team, but its not looking likely.

Needed a name for one of my characters in Black Desert Online, wanted something to go with the dark sorceress theme so I chose german for "Night" = "Nacht", but thought it didn't sound enough like a name, so I added an "el" to make it feel more real.

My money is on Leviatan

Duelist/Awper: Yay
Smokes: Zombs
Viper/Sentinel: Marved
Initiator/Entry Raze: Sinatraa
Flex/IGL: Hazed

based

Random Question: Did you used to play M&B Warband: Napoleonic Wars?

Bonecold is same IGL that won Acend Champions. Don't underestimate his impact to the team.

I say F/A to mean not currently signed to any org, so could theoretically make a team without any contracts in the way.

Awper, Duelist: Yay
Smokes: Marved
Sentinel: ? (Either this or Flex should be IGL)
Initiator: Sinatraa
Flex: ? (Either this role or Sentinel should be IGL)
Coach: sgares or mCe

I can't think of a good IGL not already in a franchised team that could lead this team. To be perfectly honest, I don't like vanity whatsoever--Yay describes him as a less structured IGL, and to me that means he works off momentum too much, and isn't capable of maintaining the necessary stability to keep an international team at a consistent level (Look at their matches vs DRX for example). He relies on chaos too much, but doesn't plan it out to the extent PRX does, and it backfires once a well-disciplined team like DRX simply learns to read and punish his chaotic but unsound strats.

I also can't think of many international level sentinels from NA, maybe there's some good options from EU?

For Flex, assuming it isn't the IGL, I'd imagine Xeppaaa or Subroza, but I'm not entirely confident there.

He removed Cloud9 from this twitter bio. I'm starting to think it's not just bait...

I'd say more like 4: Ange1, FNS, Saadhak, and Stax no?

I'd say more like 4: Ange1, FNS, Saadhak, and Stax

Touch grass. Ironically enough, anyone that buys into his "hustler university" nonsense is behaving like the very sheep he makes fun of. You can't be taught to be your own person; if you want to be successful, you have to materialize that success yourself, and stop listening to quacks and scammers.

the exchange rate doesn't directly correlate to the purchasing power of either wage in the other's economy. An relatively high NA wage in brazil is the equivelant of a rich wage in Brazil, and the opposite is true.

I'm having an aneurysm reading this.

victor and crashies refuse to not play together, they're a package deal

Somehow I believe you

I hope you make it to semifinals. You deserve it after this

Ange1 is a world class IGL, NAVI is a team that--while containing world-class aimers--relies on strategy like NRG. There's no way they lose.

Now I'm mad we didn't get to see NA's shittiest team beat your second most hyped up team.

2? Excuse me we have 4 superteams.

Me, I am the one who asked.

Fnatic have a few vods of them playing together in the Japan Showmatches they participated in, which may not be perfectly helpful, but may provide insight into what maps they have prepared. Above all, it looks like their haven was already really nasty a few months ago.

Also, historically Fnatic have a hard time learning new maps, (refer to Fnatic vs XSET on Pearl)

A month ago Sentinels barely had any practice, and flat out said they had 0 practice on split prior to the Tarik x Ludwig invitational showmatches.
Even if they've practiced it a lot more since then, I'm not confident in their split and I believe neither are they.

From all this, I'm predicting that Sentinels will ban Haven, Fnatic will ban Pearl. They'll maybe play lotus or split, then if lotus isn't played, fnatic will ban lotus, and sen will ban icebox, and they'll play fracture.

no tell me bitch

nyaaaa~ nats-kun is the best player in EMEA, and i respect him very much,

but sorry Cryo clears TL.

Yes, but moreso because I wanna see what this SKRossi hype is all about. Ayrin was kind of a weak link on XSET, so I don't have many expectations for him specifically.

That being said, I'll support any team that isn't EMEA on that side of the bracket, it'd be funny if they don't even get to play against NA in the end.