Shift 16: FaZe Clan lead the way
In the latest edition of the Shift 16, Europe dominates the top four by taking three spots, but FaZe Clan lead the way as our top team. Their spot atop the rankings comes after their North American Fall Open victory, as they dropped just four games in the Playoffs on their way to the title. Right behind FaZe Clan are European champions Oxygen Esports, who put in a similarly smothering performance to win their event.
The rankings were created by our Shift staff, who each submitted their own ranking of their top 16 teams in the world, regardless of region. Those rankings were combined to create the cumulative list.
North America has half of the teams on the list, clocking in at eight in total, but Europe also has a staggering six teams representing them. The list is rounded out by one team each from Middle East & North Africa and South America. In this edition, we’ll break down why each team has a chance to make the Fall Major in Rotterdam.
1 - FaZe Clan - North America (+2)
FaZe Clan were the top team in North America to open the season, just like last season. Last season, they turned their opening-event success into a spot at the Fall Major and an eventual top-four finish in Stockholm. This season, they may be even stronger, and currently look poised to not only make the Major, but take North America’s #1 seed into the event. The addition of Nick "mist" Costello has solidified FaZe Clan’s sometimes shaky defense, while keeping their offense as potent as ever. They can clinch their spot in Rotterdam with a top-two finish in the Fall Cup, or a worse result if other results go their way.
2 - Oxygen Esports - Europe (+12)
Oxygen Esports barely cracked the rankings last time out, coming in at 14th, but have skyrocketed upwards after dominating the European Fall Open. They showed flashes of their potential by going 3-0 in the Invitational Qualifier, but put it all together to go 6-1 overall in the event, including a 12-4 game run in the playoffs. Both Archie "archie" Pickthall and Joris "Joreuz" Robben played in multiple Majors last season, and know what it takes to qualify. Their veteran experience and the team’s suffocating playstyle are primary reasons why Oxygen Esports are poised to qualify for Rotterdam. They can do it in the Fall Cup with a top-two finish, or get help and finish lower.
3 - Karmine Corp - Europe (+1)
Karmine Corp jumped up one spot in the rankings after reaching the Grand Finals of the European Fall Open, losing only to Oxygen Esports. They put together a strong team performance to make it to the Grand Finals, which was impressive for a trio who have never played together before. As their chemistry improves, they could only get better, which is a scary prospect for the rest of Europe. They could lock up their spot in Rotterdam by winning the Fall Cup, or finishing lower and having results break their way.
4 - Team BDS - Europe (-3)
Team BDS put in a poor performance by their standards in the Fall Open, finishing 5th-8th in the event after losing a tight seven-game series to Quadrant. They’re still in position to qualify for Rotterdam, and they’re still the reigning World Champions, but BDS will need strong showings in the Fall Cup and Fall Invitational to ensure they can defend their Fall Major title. It would be shocking for Team BDS to miss out on a LAN event, and there’s no reason to be worried about them after one event (in which they still finished in the top half of teams).
The top ten European teams by points from the Fall Open - Image courtesy of Psyonix
5 - G2 Esports - North America (-3)
G2 Esports finished 3rd-4th in the North American Fall Open, dropping only one series all tournament, which was their semifinal matchup with FaZe Clan. They beat FaZe Clan in the Swiss Stage, but lost when it mattered most, and have dropped in the rankings. They’re still the only North American team to have won an international event last season, and the only one to reach multiple international Grand Finals, however. Last season, 67% of teams in North America to finish in the top four in a Fall Split event reached the Fall Major, and G2 Esports are not an average North American team.
6 - Spacestation Gaming - North America (-1)
The other semi-finalist team from the North American Fall Open, Spacestation Gaming, sit right behind G2 Esports in the rankings. They have yet to miss out on a LAN event since signing their star player Daniel "Daniel" Piecenski, and will look to continue that trend with a strong performance in the Fall Cup. They’ve only lost one series since the beginning of this season, including in Qualifiers, and that was their semifinal vs Gen.G Mobil1 Racing. If the trio can continue that form, they’ll be just fine when it comes to the Fall Major.
7 - Gen.G Mobil1 Racing - North America (NEW)
North American Fall Open finalists Gen.G Mobil1 Racing debut in the list after a strong playoff run which saw them knock off favored teams in Version1 and Spacestation Gaming before ultimately falling to FaZe Clan. Jack "ApparentlyJack" Benton had an especially stellar showing, as he posted 1.184 Octane Rating, 1.03 goals per game, and converted his shots at a 33.33% rate. All three of these stats were top three among all players in the Regional, and led his team. Gen.G Mobil1 Racing will clinch a spot in the Fall Major if they win the North American Fall Cup, and could do it with a lesser result if they get help from other teams. They’re in a strong position to reach Rotterdam after the first event.
8 - Moist Esports - Europe (+1)
Moist Esports reached the semifinals of the European Fall Open, falling only to Karmine Corp. They got there by prevailing over Team Liquid in this season’s first El Splashico. Losing reigning European MVP Vatira was certainly a shock to Moist Esports’ system, but Maëllo "Aztral" Ernst looks to be a very capable replacement thus far, and Spring Major MVP Joe "Joyo" Young is still on the roster. Last season in Europe, 50% of teams that managed a 3rd-4th placement in the Fall Split went on to make the Fall Major, which bodes well for Moist Esports going forward.
9 - FURIA - North America (-3)
FURIA moved to North America from South America this offseason, and have faced their most difficult challenge yet. They finished 5th-8th in the Fall Open, losing to G2 Esports in the quarterfinals, and will be looking to use their early North American experience to push forwards. They’re following in the steps of last season’s True Neutral roster, the first team to make the South America -> North America move. True Neutral dropped out of the Invitational Qualifier, qualified from the Closed Qualifier, and finished 5th-8th in their first event. FURIA has the exact same results so far. Last season, True Neutral went on to reach the Fall Major, a feat FURIA are certainly capable of matching.
10 - KRN - MENA (NEW)
New to the list, and the first non-Team Falcons team to ever be ranked from MENA, is KRN. When they formed as a roster before the season, KRN were expected to challenge Team Falcons for the title of best Middle Eastern team, but that changed when their young star Hisham "Nwpo" Alqadi was banned for a year before the season began. It didn’t slow them down, however, as they picked up Nadr "Nadr" Alqahtani and went on to beat Team Falcons twice, including in the Grand Finals, and won the Regional. They broke Team Falcons’ streak of winning every MENA Regional, and are now in the driver’s seat for MENA’s lone Fall Major spot.
11 - Version1 - North America (-3)
Version1 entered this season as sneaky contenders to take North America’s top seed, as they returned all three players from a roster that finished 5th-8th at the World Championship last season. This season, they’ve been slow out of the gate as they finished 5th-8th in the Fall Open after only going 3-2 in the Swiss Stage. Last season, however, Version1 typically improved as the season/Split went on, and played their best Rocket League heading into the Major. If they can do that again this season, there’s no reason to think they won’t make it to Rotterdam.
12 - OpTic Gaming - North America (-1)
OpTic Gaming opened the season by finishing 5th-8th in the Fall Cup, losing to Spacestation Gaming. They nearly missed the playoffs, only qualifying after securing a reverse-sweep against Complexity Gaming, a series which included an 8:57 overtime in Game 4. The team is still an entirely new roster, with plenty of room to grow and improve their chemistry, and they will need to rely on that to make it to the Major. Top-four results in the next two events should see them through, and that starts by playing well in this weekend’s Fall Cup.
The top ten North American teams by points from the Fall Open - Image courtesy of Psyonix
13 - Team Liquid - Europe (-7)
Team Liquid have dropped in the rankings after a lackluster Fall Open performance, in which they nearly missed out on the Playoffs before beating Evil Geniuses and Monkeys to qualify. They then lost to Moist Esports via a 4-2 scoreline, and finished 5th-8th in the event. The young trio showed plenty of promise last season, as they qualified for the Spring Major in their only Split together, and will need to refind that form to reach the Fall Major this time around.
14 - Gamers First - Europe (-1)
Spanish Rocket League teams have long been overshadowed by the best French and English teams, but Gamers First are looking to change that. Their all-Spanish trio performed well in the Fall Open, but still only managed a 5th-8th finish after running into eventual champions Oxygen Esports in the quarterfinals. They had flashes of brilliance though, and took as many games off of Oxygen Sports as Karmine Corp and Quadrant managed in total, i.e. two. If they can keep that form, and push through into the top four or even a Grand Finals, they should be able to make it to Rotterdam.
15 - The Club - South America (+1)
The Club were the highest-rated South American team in our previous list, and backed it up by winning this season’s inaugural South American Regional. They are the new top dogs of their region after the departure of FURIA, and looked the part in their first event. If they can continue that form, they’ll lock up one of South America’s two Major spots and compete in Rotterdam. They reached one Major last season, the Fall Major, under the banner of eRa Eternity, but only one player remains from that team.
16 - Shopify Rebellion - North America (NEW)
Shopify Rebellion were somewhat controversially seeded outside of the Invitational Qualifier in North America, and used the opening event to show just how wrong that seeding was. They went undefeated through the Open and Closed Qualifiers, before pushing all the way to the Playoffs of the North American Fall Open. They ultimately lost to FaZe Clan, but took more games off of the North American champions than any other team. If the team continues their strong performance, and gets a more favorable bracket after their opening success, they can break through to a Major spot.
Dropping out: Team Falcons, Complexity Gaming, Pioneers
Also receiving votes: Quadrant, Team Falcons, Complexity Gaming, Pioneers, Evil Geniuses
Do you agree with the rankings? Let us know on Twitter @ShiftRLE, and make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your Rocket League news!
