With Siege in 2019 over and done with, the final SiegeGG Ranking update sees yet more changes to the top ten. The list looks unrecognizable to its counterpart from this time last year, with many old titans of the scene falling, while fresh new talents have risen up to take their places. What will 2020 have in store for competitive R6?
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Empire's last tournament win was at the Six Major Raleigh. (Photo by Ubisoft)
1. Team Empire (-)
Team Empire's position at the top of the Siege world has not been more precarious ever since they claimed the #1 spot after their first championship win in Milan. A mediocre second split performance in Pro League combined with a period of inactivity has led to the decay of their achievements, and hot streaks culminating in titles for NaVi, Liquid, and SSG have put all three squads within striking distance of the Russian machine. The team could lose their top spot even before the upcoming Major with a lackluster performance in the first split of Season 11.
Placements: (last six months)
ESL Pro League 10 EU - First Split (1st)Six Major Raleigh (1st)ESL Pro League 10 EU - Second Split (5th)
NaVi joined the world's elite by hoisting the Pro League trophy in Japan.
2. Natus Vincere (-)
NaVi has been one of the great success stories of rising talent and proves the seemingly endless depth of the European scene. None of their players were particularly well-known a few months ago, and now they have solidified their place as #2 in the world after winning Pro League in their first-ever season competing at the top level. They have a real shot at the top spot if they can best Empire in the upcoming season of Pro League, or at the Six Invitational in February.
Placements:
DreamHack Valencia (9th-12th)ESL Pro League 10 EU - First Split (4th)Six Major Raleigh EU Qualifier (4th)ESL Pro League 10 EU - Second Split (1st)ESL Pro League S10 Finals (1st)
Liquid returned to form winning the OGA PIT Minor, their first international title since Atlantic City.
3. Team Liquid (-)
By winning the OGA PIT Minor, Liquid has proven they can live up to the potential that so many had seen in them throughout the year. Often coming close but falling short in online competitions, they failed to represent LATAM in the most important competitions of the circuit year, but have succeeded in many of their other opportunities. The only Brazilian team to win an international event looks to carry their recent success into online Pro League next month and further to the Six Invitational.
Placements:
BR6 2019 (1st)ESL Pro League 10 LATAM - First Split (4th)Six Major Raleigh LATAM Qualifier (3rd)DreamHack Montreal (2nd)ESL Pro League 10 LATAM - Second Split (2nd)OGA PIT Minor LATAM Qualifier (1st-2nd) OGA PIT Minor Croatia (1st)
SSG were named team USA after taking the event without dropping a single map.
4. Spacestation Gaming (+4)
After months of failing to play to their full potential, frequent roster changes, and online mediocrity, SSG has finally claimed the position of highest-ranked team in North America. The team proved that the run to the finals of the OGA PIT Minor was not a fluke by following it up with a clean sweep of the US Nationals Finals, taking the title without dropping a map. The team was also the favorite to win the Six Invitational NA Qualifier, which they did without too much trouble, and take their place as one of North America's representatives at the world championship in February. The team will hope to carry this recent momentum into the online split of Pro League Season 11 happening before then, where the team has often been plagued by frequent draws.
Placements:
ESL Pro League 10 NA - First Split (5th)Six Major Raleigh NA Qualifier (2nd)Six Major Raleigh (5th-8th) DreamHack Montreal (5th-8th)ESL Pro League 10 NA - Second Split (5th)OGA PIT Minor NA Qualifier (1st-2nd)OGA PIT Minor Croatia (2nd)US Nationals Finals (1st)Six Invitational NA Qualifiers (1st)
G2 have yet to sort out their new roster with Cryn, dropping out of both OGA PIT and the Invitational qualifiers.
5. G2 Esports (-1)
Nobody knows what to expect from G2 anymore. The team was once the most dominant that has ever (and likely will ever) been seen in the Siege world, but now has descended to a point incomprehensible to many of the European titan's fans. Since controversially adding Cryn in place of longtime support player Goga, the team has exited in the first round of the OGA Minor, and achieved only Top-Six in the Six Invitational qualifiers. The two-time defending world champions are now reliant on an invitation from Ubisoft to participate in the upcoming Major tournament.
With all these poor results, a ranking of fifth seems generous at best, but it is important to recognize that G2 is currently being propped up by past achievements, specifically 2nd in the Major and 2nd in the second split of PL10. These placements are rapidly decaying, and the squad is barely 100 points removed from exiting the top-ten entirely, a fate that could well happen if the team continues to underperform in the upcoming online split.
Placements:
ESL Pro League 10 EU - First Split (5th)Six Major Raleigh (2nd)DreamHack Montreal (9th-12th)ESL Pro League 10 EU - Second Split (2nd)OGA PIT Minor EU Qualifier (1st-2nd)OGA PIT Minor Croatia (5th-8th)Six Invitational EU Qualifiers (5th-6th)
Secret followed up their disappointing showing at OGA with a 2nd place run through the qualifiers.
6. Team Secret (+1)
Secret have had the most ups-and-downs of perhaps any team in the current top-ten. After being relegated from Pro League they went on a hot run of form, winning the Allied Minor and reaching the Major Semi-finals. Then their form cooled off and they weren't able to secure a spot in Pro League Relegations (admittedly behind BDS and forZe), and so are stuck in Challenger League for at least another season. Despite this, they qualified for the OGA PIT Minor ahead of multiple European Pro rivals for a chance to reach the invitational, only to bomb out to a relatively unknown Luminosity squad. Their form appeared to have returned in the qualifiers and the team was poised to reach their first-ever Six Invitational, but the team came out flat against BDS in the grand finals, winning only their default upper-bracket map advantage in a 1-3 drubbing. Barring an unlikely invitation from Ubisoft, meepeY and co. will be forced to watch Siege's biggest tournament from the sidelines for yet another year.
Placements:
Six Major Raleigh (3rd-4th)ESL Challenger League 10 EU (3rd)OGA PIT Minor EU Qualifier (1st-2nd) OGA PIT Minor Croatia (5th-8th) Six Invitational EU Qualifiers (2nd)
BDS will represent France at the Six Invitational, coming back from the lower bracket to beat Secret in the qualifier final.
7. BDS Esport (+6)
The pride of the French scene has now proven that it can hang with the big dogs on an international stage. A stunning rise to prominence over the last few months has now been capped off with a Six Invitational berth, with the squad led by a once-banned Siege prodigy emerging from the grueling European qualifiers, taking down multiple pro opponents in the process. Most impressive was the final, which going into the match looked to many fans as the final redemption arc of Team Secret. Despite BDS' talent, experience was going to win out, as it did when Secret cruised to a 2-0 win over the French in the upper bracket final. Once the game actually started however, it was all BDS: the squad won all three maps played and earned their spot at the world championship.
Placements:
Six Major Raleigh EU Qualifier (5th-6th) DreamHack Montreal (3rd-4th)ESL Challenger League 10 EU (1st)OGA PIT Minor EU Qualifier (3rd)OGA PIT Minor Croatia (5th-8th)Six Invitational EU Qualifiers (1st)
TSM's new-look roster turned heads at USN, despite having Timzy as a standin.
8. Team SoloMid (-2)
TSM's new-look squad is one of the most interesting in NA, in part because we've yet to really see it play. When most of NA's top squads got to showcase their new lineups at the US Nationals Finals two weeks ago, TSM was forced to field Timzy as a standin for Pojoman. Despite the setback the team performed well, narrowly taking down EG to earn a top-four spot. Already qualified for the Invitational due to their DreamHack Montreal win, we won't see the full lineup until the first split of online Pro League in January, which will be a better indication of the team's real level heading into the world championship.
Placements:
DreamHack Valencia (5th-8th)ESL Pro League 10 NA - First Split (7th)Six Major Raleigh NA Qualifier (1st)Six Major Raleigh (5th-8th) DreamHack Montreal (1st)ESL Pro League 10 NA - Second Split (4th)US Nationals Finals (3rd-4th)
Darkzero were unable to get past the juggernaut of SSG in the first round of the USN Finals.
9. DarkZero Esports (-4)
More than many other teams, Darkzero roster changes take time to implement. Perhaps due to the team's methodical approach, they often come out flat-footed after making changes. Just weeks removed from a 2nd place finish at Pro League Finals, the team's best placing in history, they swapped out two players, which has now led to an unexpected rebuilding period in the midst of DZ's ascendence as a world-beater. The team got no breaks, with the roster's first-round debut at USN against SSG, NA's hottest team right now. Despite this, the team took Spacestation closer than any other at the tournament. The upcoming Pro League split will show if DZ is able to continue the online stranglehold that they've held the rest of North America for the past year, and if they can be considered a title contender headed into the Invitational.
Placements:
ESL Pro League 10 NA - First Split (1st)Six Major Raleigh (9th-12th)DreamHack Montreal (5th-8th)ESL Pro League 10 NA - Second Split (1st)ESL Pro League S10 Finals (2nd)US Nationals Finals (5th-8th)
Rec's new roster looked strong at USN, with a run to the Finals showing the new team is a force in North America.
10. Team Reciprocity (+2)
Reciprocity is perhaps the polar opposite of DarkZero, needing very little time to adapt to changes in lineup. The plug-and-play style served them well at the US Nationals finals, with Nyx and VertcL both stepping up in their Rec debuts. After beating a renewed Luminosity and TSM to reach the finals, the team was outclassed by SSG in the final, but that shouldn't take away from the team's achievement. This new roster joins the conversation for who will come out of a crowded top half of the North American field. With a spot at the Six Invitational already secure, we will see them in Montreal in February.
Placements:
DreamHack Valencia (5th-8th)ESL Pro League 10 NA - First Split (2nd)Six Major Raleigh NA Qualifier (5th-6th)DreamHack Montreal (9th-12th)ESL Pro League 10 NA - Second Split (2nd) ESL Pro League S10 Finals (3rd-4th)US Nationals Finals (2nd) ---
To read more about how the ranking is calculated, check out our blog post explaining the system.
To see the full list, check out the ranking page for the most recent update!