Like in Year 6, it was consistency that mattered most in consideration for the best team of Year 7. And, like in 2021, the best team of 2022 did not win an international title.
The Brazilians of w7m esports were the best team of Year 7 -- and record-setters to boot.
They began the year in an absolute transformation of the team that barely survived the BR6 relegations, with two of their undeperforming players replaced by the hot prospects of Gabriel "volpz" Fernandes and João "Jv92" Vitor.
That saw an immediate impact, as w7m broke the record for the most points in a single BR6 stage -- an eye-popping total of 24 points from nine games. This translated into an impressive second place against Team Liquid in the Copa Elite Six.
They parlayed this into becoming the only team to beat eventual champions DarkZero Esports at the Charlotte Major, despite playing all the way from Mexico City with high latency against opponents with little to no latency.
Stage 2 came and w7m faced down all nine opponents in the BR6 with aplomb again. This time, they managed to claim the second-highest number of points in a BR6 stage -- only falling short of their own Stage 1 performance.
Second in the Copa Elite Six did not stop them this time, as they managed to travel to Germany for the Berlin Major. They made it as far as the semi-finals, losing to FaZe Clan, the very team that beat them in the Copa Elite Six grand-final.
Then, they made the bold choice of making a change. Out went their existing IGL, Gleidson "GdNN1" Nunes, and in came former world champion and then-FURIA Esports coach Julio "JULIO" Giacomelli.
Tinkering with what was working was incredibly risky... but it worked. For the first time in three attempts, they won the Copa Elite Six by beating Team Liquid and internationally got as far as they did before -- the semi-finals (though they lost to a Brazilian team once more; Team Liquid).
They finished second to Team Liquid in the BR6 Finals as well, but the real test for them and for JULIO was the Six Invitational 2023.
They passed this with flying colours, even though they did not win. A strong group stage became an undefeated upper bracket run all the way until the grand-final, where they lost to an even more in-form G2 Esports.
JULIO and volpz are no longer with the team, however, with the former now coaching MNM Gaming and the latter yet to announce his future details. Regardless, the w7m team set some records, got very close to international silverware, and was far too consistent for any other to be considered the best in Year 7.
To view the full awards and schedule, check out our Year 7 Awards Hub.