The Pro League Season 10 Finals in Tokoname, Japan are finally upon us. The long-anticipated event is sure to produce a major shakeup in the rankings, as only three of the current top ten teams are in attendance. Who will come out on top and increase their standing on the world stage?
Read below to see the updated top ten, and check out the full ranking for a detailed breakdown.
To read more about how the ranking is calculated, check out our blog post explaining the system.
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1. Team Empire (-)
Team Empire cemented their place at the top with a Major win in Raleigh. (Photo via Ubisoft)
Team Empire maintains its top spot in the rankings despite a post-major slump that saw them miss the Season 10 Finals in Japan. The reigning Major and Pro League Champions only managed 8 points in the second split of EU Pro League, finishing in fourth place, and four points shy of a LAN Finals berth. Their once-dominant point lead has shrunk, and Empire could be at risk for losing their #1 spot if the wrong team brings a title home from Tokoname.
Placements: (last six months)
1st @ ESL Pro League S9 Finals1st @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (1st Half)1st @ Six Major Raleigh5th @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (2nd Half)
2. G2 Esports (-)
G2 came up short in Montreal, and their hopes of defending their Invitational become slimmer. (Photo via @mjayx)
G2 follows up Empire as the second underperforming EU titan on the list. After reaching the Grand Finals of the Raleigh Major, the squad had their worst performance as a core since becoming the dominant team after the Season 4 finals over two years ago, exiting in the group stage with losses to Team Liquid and BDS. Then G2 defied expectations with a rally in the online Pro League split, a feat which many fans thought impossible given their recent form. With three weeks to play, G2 had fought back to second place in the EU standings, only to throw it away with a loss and draw to close the season. G2 now must scramble to even reach the Invitational to defend their title, playing in the OGA Minor qualifiers (their first online qualifier since the 2017 Invitational), and failing that the last-chance online qualifiers for the event.
Placements:
5th @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (1st Half)2nd @ Six Major Raleigh9th-12th @ DreamHack Montreal2nd @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (2nd Half)
3. Vodafone Giants (+1)
Vodafone Giants took home the 6 French League trophy, their first as a five-man roster. (Photo via @Kitomy)
The Giants continue their streak of strong performances online, securing their spot at the Tokoname finals in a strong EU field, beating out both Empire and G2 to earn the second seed out of EU. The team heads into the event as one of the favorites to win their first pro league title since Yunktis won in Season 2 (none of the same players but a continuation of the core). However, they continue to face doubters due to the team’s history of underperformance on LAN despite strong online placings. Their placings have improved since adding Korey to the roster, with finals appearances at both the Allied Esports and Dreamhack Valencia Minors, but a quarterfinals exit at the Major confirmed the beliefs of many critics. With Empire and G2 absent, failure to go deep in the Season 10 Finals would be a sure disappointment for the Giants.
Placements:
5th-8th @ ESL Pro League S9 Finals2nd @ Allied Esports Vegas Minor2nd @ Dreamhack Valencia 20192nd @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (1st Half)5th-8th @ Six Major Raleigh3rd @ ESL Pro League 10 EU (2nd Half)
4. forZe (+1)
forZe jumped into the international spotlight with a stunning top-four placing at the Major. (Photo via Ubisoft)
Since storming through the open qualifiers, closed qualifiers, group stage, and quarterfinals of the Six Major Raleigh, forZe has been a team on the world’s radar. Questions about their unprecedented run being a fluke were largely silenced with the team’s similarly dominant performance in Challenger League and relegations. The team held joint-first place alongside BDS atop the EUCL standings, beating out Team Secret for the spot. After breezing through their relegation match with a 2-0 victory, forZe looks to earn a spot at the OGA minor with an anticipated rematch against Team Secret.
Placements:
1st @ Six Major Raleigh EU Qualifier3rd-4th @ Six Major Raleigh2nd @ ESL Challenger League 10 EUWin @ ESL Pro League 10 Relegations
5. Team Secret (-2)
Secret miss out on their opportunity to rejoin Pro League, despite strong recent performances. (Photo via Ubisoft)
Team Secret, while high in the ranking for now, are likely very unhappy with their current situation. After winning the Allied Esports Minor and placing top four at the Major, they came up short against the two juggernauts of EUCL (BDS and forZe), and as such were unable to play in relegations. If there had been a third relegation game in EU the matchup on the cards would have been Secret vs Chaos, and when that exact game happened in the OGA qualifiers, Secret emerged with a clear 2-0 victory. Despite these strong performances, the team will not have the opportunity to play for a Pro League spot until at least six months from now, and until then they look to qualify for the Invitational via either OGA or the online qualifiers.
Placements:
1st @ Allied Esports Vegas Minor3rd-4th @ Six Major Raleigh3rd @ ESL Challenger League 10 EU
6. Team Liquid (+1)
Liquid have shown strong performances on LAN, but have not been able to consistently qualify. (Photo via @mjayx)
Team Liquid gains a place in the Ranking despite losing points, due to teams above falling off. A strong second-place finish at the Dreamhack Montreal Minor, featuring wins over Luminosity, G2, the Soniqs, and Evil Geniuses boosted their ranking after missing qualification for the Raleigh Major. Since then, Liquid put on a strong showing in online Pro League, putting up a better second split than both NiP and Faze, but due to their first-half points deficit were unable to earn a top-two spot, falling just three points short of second place. The team has also qualified for the OGA minor where they will look to secure their place at the upcoming Invitational.
Placements:
3rd @ Allied Esports Vegas Minor1st @ BR6 20194th @ ESL Pro League 10 LATAM (1st Half)3rd @ Six Major Raleigh LATAM Qualifier2nd @ DreamHack Montreal2nd @ ESL Pro League 10 LATAM (2nd Half)
7. Team SoloMid (-1)
TSM boast the best recent LAN results of any NA team, with a Minor victory and top-eight at the Major. (Photo via @mjayx)
TSM is a team on the rise, despite dropping one place since the last release. Their point drop came due to the unexpected swap of Jarvis for Gotcha almost immediately following the team’s stunning victory at the Dreamhack Montreal Minor. After their Minor victory, the team’s abysmal online form improved and TSM managed to claw their way out of the relegation zone, saving their place in Pro League for next season. Due to their win in Montreal, the team is already qualified for the upcoming Invitational, but roster questions mean it is unclear what the team will look like at the event.
Placements:
5th-8th @ Dreamhack Valencia 20197th @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (1st Half)1st @ Six Major Raleigh NA Qualifier5th-8th @ Six Major Raleigh1st @ DreamHack Montreal4th @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (2nd Half)
8. DarkZero Esports (New)
DarkZero’s inclusion marks the organization’s first time in the top ten. (Photo via @mjayx)
DarkZero has been NA’s best team online for the better part of the last year, but have been unable to translate that dominance into meaningful LAN success. After early exits at both Milan and Raleigh, the team broke through and reached top-eight at Dreamhack Montreal, but were stopped short after that by a surging BDS. Heading into Tokoname the squad looks to earn their first-ever top-four placing at a Tier 1 event, and cement their status as the team to beat in NA.
Placements:
5th-8th @ ESL Pro League S9 Finals12th-14th @ Allied Esports Vegas Minor1st @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (1st Half)9th-12th @ Six Major Raleigh5th-8th @ DreamHack Montreal1st @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (2nd Half)
9. FaZe Clan (-1)
One of the presumptive frontrunners to claim their first title, FaZe’s championship hopes have recently taken a hit due to visa complications. (Photo via @mjayx)
FaZe has long been one of LATAM’s powerhouses and stood as one of the favorites to win Brazil’s second-ever international title at the upcoming Japan finals. The team looked like the best team in Latin America after reaching the quarterfinals of the Raliegh Major, and even showing strength in a close 1-2 loss to eventual champions Team Empire. Since then a disappointing Dreamhack Montreal saw them exit in the groups with losses to TSM and Soniqs, tempering expectations for FaZe. Despite this, they continued to perform online, defending their top-two spot and earning a trip to the Season 10 finals. However, a few days ago the crushing news that ion had been denied a Japanese visa put a major damper on the team’s championship hopes.
Placements:
3rd-4th @ ESL Pro League S9 Finals3rd @ Dreamhack Valencia 20192nd @ ESL Pro League 10 LATAM (1st Half)2nd @ BR6 20195th-8th @ Six Major Raleigh9th-12th @ DreamHack Montreal4th @ ESL Pro League 10 LATAM (2nd Half)
10. Evil Geniuses (-)
Evil Geniuses’ new era marks a step back from their previous domination of NA. (Photo via @mjayx)
A new look on the traditional NA powerhouse of EG rounds out the top ten. After losing their longtime IGL and captain, many thought EG’s time as a top team was over. Immediately after adding Modigga the team reached the semifinals of Dreamhack Montreal, beating out their former captain’s new SSG squad to reach the mark. Online, the team performed respectably and were even a single round away from qualifying for the Pro League Finals themselves (Rec’s 7-5 win over LG ended their hopes at reaching Tokoname). Now EG must face qualifying for the Invitational via OGA or the Online Qualifiers, but the future looks hopeful for the Geniuses.
Placements:
2nd @ ESL Pro League S9 Finals3rd @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (1st Half)9th-12th @ Six Major Raleigh4th @ DreamHack Montreal3rd @ ESL Pro League 10 NA (2nd Half)
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To see the full list, check out the ranking page for the most recent update!