Many of the Pro League teams that fought in Mexico that are still with us in the Spring Quarter had roster changes. Just think about that. A back to back championship team (Reciprocity) lost two players to a rival (UYU) and Reciprocty the organization had to back out because of rough time with funding (video was released from organization owner Chad Larson). UYU said goodbye to longtime players SuMuNs and Solurs, which the former being signed to the Pittsburgh Knights of LATAM and the later hopping on what was left of Reciprocity, now known as Quarantine. We got to also see what was Mazer, turn into La Familia in the Mexico City open, but followed up the event with dropping Sneaky and Mortifys, the former not being on any Pro League team at the moment, but the latter being picked up by Quarantine.

Parallax Gaming although not going to Mexico City because of age restrictions, ended up not being relegated, which allowed them to keep their spot. They added on Toti, after losing Lurpzy, but also picked up one of the best coaches in the scene in Jackal. Then we get to the story of Rise Nation. A team that just signed two of their important players in Drix and Avexys into contracts extending to 2022, so kudos on that. Yet this team although with the same roster, Ribs and Affinity being analyst and observer for the team, still can’t get over the hump. Lastly, lets welcome Goated and Rebel to the Pro League.

With all of this being digested, I can confirm one thing that should make any fan of Gears Esports excited. This Spring Quarter, will be the most exciting and thrilling to watch yet. All of these teams are truly high caliber and ready to go at it neck and neck all the way. Unlike last quarter, we truly have the best of the best and should have a crazy time watching all of these teams go at it. With that being said, it is time to do the unthinkable with Pro League Rosters and make a Power Rankings. Let’s kick it off.

Note to Readers: All Power Rankings are based off my own opinion and what I’ve gathered throughout the current tournaments, scrims, and information I know about the players and coaches from my own perception. I’m sure that some of these rankings and comments will cause waves, but again, it is only an opinion from one person that loves Gears Esports. So try your best to go in it with an open mind and I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts on my website or even on Twitter. With that being said, let’s get to business.

#GetJipped Week 1 Pro League Power Rankings

1.Quarantine (FraNChise, Icy, SOLURS, RushieZ, Mortifys8197, FatalStryke)

 With the Pro League kicking off, even with all of the roster changes that happened during the in between, Quarantine even with the loss of Kenny Bounce and PowerZ remain on top until further notice. You still have a core three in this roster that have leadership through all Gears of War Esports History with FraNChise and two slayers that can change the whole dynamic of a game in Icy and RushieZ (who has been giving the nickname of Rat because of how annoying he is as a player to the opponents).

Joining the core three of the former Reciprocity is SOLURS and Mortifys8197. Although PowerZ is the undeniable MVP of Gears 5 Esports Season 1 currently, SOLURS will be tasked to fill the shoes that the former left behind. Either that, or Quarantine will have to shift some of their player’s dynamics around in the coming weeks. If you didn’t think that was enough to upset the balance of the scales between the skill set of SOLURS and PowerZ, I now have to have you consider the loss of Kenny Bounce to the addition of Mortifys8197.

 Most people will believe on paper and from a far that adding Mortifys8197 was a head scratcher. At the same time, I don’t think I can truly make a strong enough case to flip the script in this scenario, but let’s break it down fast. Kenny Bounce has been a better player in Gears 5 than Gears of War 4 by miles. This game fits everything Kenny Bounce is about, even though he is still one of the game’s biggest critics to this date. On the other hand, Mortifys8197 is a great support player. One that can easily change the game with picking up secondary weapons and supporting his teammates. Yet this player comparison, I would have to go with Kenny Bounce for miles, which is why the losses and pickups between these two teams has been a scary one to witness.

With all that being said, there is one other factor you can’t count out in Quarantine. That is their coach in Fatalstryke. Currently, he is the coach that has all the cards in his hands and even with rolling with these unexpected punches, Fatalstryke is the best coach currently in Gears Esports. You got to go with the hot hand and currently, this is a team that has always shown through two open tournaments to date, that they can battle through adversity and trying times. So until we see otherwise, Quarantine will at least start with the pole position in the power rankings.

2.UYU (Xplosive, MentaL, Kenny Bounce, PowerZ, praized, Ashes)

This took a ton of consideration and a lot more deliberation before I officially put UYU in the second slot. On one hand, you can sit here and argue with me that they have Xplosive, Mental, and praized, so I must be crazy to even think putting them lower on the list then second. Yet, if it wasn’t for the addition of Kenny Bounce and MVP Leader PowerZ, I would have thrown them further back than second. Don’t get me wrong now, Ashes is the mist winningest coach in console history, but what has the former NRG now UYU roster done in Gears 5 so far? Correct answer, is they’ve finished Top 8 two different times losing out to what was once Mazer Gaming and Fire N Ice Esports. I’m not going to count the time they ran as Tox Gaming, as that was a closed off tournament that didn’t have as much pressure behind it.

The overall point when it comes to UYU is simple at this point. They are not a team that is built to be accustomed to losing and with two straight events of being defeated in what was considered upsets, is now starting to become more of a story of are they being upset? Putting all the chips on the table to get two of the best players from their counter parts in Quarantine with grabbing up PowerZ and Kenny Bounce needs to make all the difference going into the next open tournament. If this team of what we all perceive as superstars fails to win the championship at the next open, then the backlash is going to become a lot harsher on a team that we all have under a microscope.

With this roster change, I’m also curious to see how Ashes coaches in this what has to be somewhat strange circumstance. Although I find everyone on this team professional, to bring back someone you casted away sometime to go from OpTic Gaming still has to be somewhat in the back of Kenny Bounce’s mind, yet I assume he has a smirk on his face that they are in a sense asking him to come back to them. Other than that, Ashes only has one new face in PowerZ to coach and I could be stand corrected, but I think at one point in time the young frontrunner for MVP got to be a substitute in some tournaments for them. So maybe this is the easiest transition for Ashes in coaching, as he has prior experience with all of them?

At the end of the day, this team needs to win the next tournament. Mark my words, I feel it will be the biggest disappointment and flop if they don’t get the chip in the next tournament. They from a roster standpoint, is the team that has the most stacked roster currently. Now it will be up to them as a unit to come together and gel as an overall unit. I’ll be excited, yet also nervous to see the work they put in starting with tomorrow’s tournaments.

3.Hive (TJFORCE, Jefe, Tidy, Noey, Demise, l CraZy TraiN)

This is a team that needs to be watched out for. Picture this. Hive has now come in the Top 4 the last two open tournaments, only losing out to their counterparts from the LATAM region. They seem to have a stranglehold over most of the teams in the Pro League. So now being in the same division as the rest of the North American teams, it will be exciting to see what they can do against the rest of teams they didn’t have a chance to go against before.

No one player on this team is a weak link and after the dust has settled for Rostermania, I’m glad to see this team sticking together even after the heartbreak ending to their run in Mexico City. Even with that ending, the Hive roster that consist of TJFORCE, Jefe, Tidy, Noey, and Demise is reminiscent of a team that use to be known for online warriors before Gears Esports made a comeback, and that roster of course was the ever dominant OpTic Gaming. Listening to their communication and then the splashes of cool words and wisdom from their young coach in l CraZy TraiN, this roster has nothing to stop them but their own mentality at this point.

It is no wonder this team through the last two events had no issues with sticking together. They’ve done the growth over the time of many events, they’ve come together to better themselves through individual and team skill, and they have six players that are committed to making the next step in the ever growing competition of Gears Esports. Now the only thing they must concentrate on is keeping their head above water with the new format of the North American division, and showing up to play against four other teams they never got the chance to play on Sundays until tomorrow. So stay cool, calm, and collective, and Hive should be able to stay on the course for being in the Top 3.

4.GOATED (HBM Perfections, God Dazed, zR Tactix, R3ptilianx1, Z Crushmo, GreaT)

What a showing in the Pro League Qualifier from GOATED. They were penalized for having someone who wasn’t their former teammate in Birdy or Siahz, play in their last match for the Winter Pro League and were immediately sent to the Loser Bracket. From there, they won every single match and took out one of the favorites in InControl, who have now gone back to the drawing board in the Amateur circuit with a slice of humble pie. If you truly want a “Revenge Tour, GOATED is the team that just finished it.

Showing that they could get right back into the Pro League without two teammates that were constantly not giving it their all, having the community witness three players with the addition of two other solid players that they could be a force to reckon with, and now adding a great coach in GreaT, the sky seems to be the limit for this team. Yet here comes the question we all have to wonder for this solid team that is making a new mark in the league this upcoming quarter.

How will they perform against the best teams in the league with a solid five players? After seeing how they went through the competition, I feel like they will need to grow some more before they make the biggest impact. They might start off slow, but they will catch fire as the league goes on. R3ptilianx1 should be considered as “upcoming player”, while the rest of this team works well in harmony with each other. Z Crushmo will have to kick off some rust moving forward, but he quickly assimilated himself with the roster and got to work. With seeing what this team is capable of during last week’s tournament with their play style and resiliency, this will be your dark horse team coming into the Pro League this time around.

5.Rebel (Krash, Sleepytime, Zerptingg, ReziK, Jerppy, Ozby Romero)

With a quarter removed from what was a leaving party from Simplicity, the team of Rebel is now one of the hottest teams in the Gears Esports scene. With multiple prior professional players on the roster and a placing of Top 8 in Mexico City, it is hard to ignore the passion and fire this team can sling when it comes to the competition. With a veteran and leadership presence in Sleepytime, the slaying style of Zerptingg and Rezik, the support from Krash, and the ever annoying 1v1 individual playstyle and rotations of Jerppy, this team is ready to bounce right back into the driver’s seat by placing high in this pro league.

I have no doubt that this team can outplace multiple teams throughout the quarter, but it will be up to them as a unit and their coach in Ozby Romero to keep a cool and calm head throughout their games for success. Which is the only reason why this team is a step behind in GOATED going into the first week of the Pro League. Although they finished Top 8 in Mexico City and now they have a coach, sometimes adding fuel to a flame isn’t ideal. In this case what I’m referring to is the team’s passion going from collected and in control to anger and frustration in a few rounds. When this team avoids that, they are one of the best currently out there, but now with Ozby Romero as a coach, does he come in and keep the team calm or get caught up in the passion like he has done from the times he played? This roster will fly high or Krash depending on that one factor.

Going into the first week, I think we will learn a lot more about the Rebel roster as a whole. I also do believe that like GOATED, this team will grow even more and find a higher stride than most were originally considering when they made the Pro League. This again is another team that shouldn’t in any regards be taken lightly, yet I believe some of the teams won’t think much until Rebel snaps up a few maps and take them out. It is for sure an easy possibility and I can’t wait to see the damage they do to the other teams in this league with their confidence, teamwork, and fire passion.

6.Rise Nation (Avexys, Drix, ShocK, DeTox, INZEM, Affinity)

Rise Nation is one of the overall best organizations in Gears Esports and honestly from my accounts, is one, if not also the longest tenured organization in the scene (Fire N Ice might be up there with them as well). With this being said, they are also one of the professional teams that constantly breaks the hearts of fans everywhere.

On paper, Avexys, ShocK, INZEM, and DeTox have the individual skills to out slay and outplay most of the players in the scene, but sometimes they are not as consistent as they need to be in order for that to work. Drix on the other hand, is one of the best overall support players that you could have on your team, but for some reason still constantly gets far too much hate from followers of the scene in the #dropdrix comments. Yet here’s the deal.

Time and time again, I’ve been told that the Rise Nation roster is supposed to go out there and make a big splash in the tournament. Yet like UYU, here we are two events into Gears 5 Esports and the placements we’ve seen them finish are Top 16 and Top 8. Good news, is they jumped up multiple spots from San Diego to Mexico City. The bad news? We as a community have been continually scouting this team to be a Top 4 team, yet they haven’t delivered as of late (I honestly need someone to check the last time they did it). You got the players and the skill, but now you need them all to be on the same page constantly on both online and LAN.

So bring in a veteran coach in Affinity, but also a champion in Ribs to help them get on track. They made some jumps as we stated prior in this blurb, but this is another team that needs to keep making the next step up to insure their fans and followers of the scene that they are for real. Like UYU, this team needs to get Top 4 or higher to not sink into the void. No reason a team of this many skilled players should be finishing outside the Top 4 this many times in a row. Kudos to them keeping multiple players over several events (at least three I believe, even though they did drop DeTox at one point) and continue to find the way to win. Yet I feel the time on this story is about to check out if we don’t continue to see improvements in position.

7.Parallax Gaming (Xysho, Gearries, Abo, Lanarchy6016, Toti, Jackal Tenebris)

If it wasn’t for the fact that La Familia had a significant roster change that I feel is detrimental to their team, Parallax Gaming would be holding the bottom rung on opening day. Yet, this roster has shown grit in the last quarter with their young slayers in Abo and Xysho. You also have an all-around player in Gearries that continues to make his history on the Gears Esports scene with one of the best support players in the game with Lanarchy6016. Yet I do feel a bit worried they lost one of their players in Lurpzy, but they brought Toti on to fill the void. Which overall, Toti is a great player that can take over that spot without much change.

The biggest improvement to this team however though isn’t the roster, it is the fact that they were able to grab Jackal Tenebris as a coach. He has done great work in the scene for teams over multiple events and it was his time to tip his hat back into the league with what can quickly become a scary team in the league that no one is ready to see or handle. Like some of the other teams on this list, it will take them some time to find their groove, but I believe this team will creep up in terms of skills and being able to compete even closer with these teams as the week’s progress on. So get ready for your last dark horse of the league in Parallax Gaming, as I believe they will take some games and make them their own.

8.La Familia (Xclu5ive, Speedy, iLLava, HesiKage, Aversuh)

I know what you are already thinking. So feel free to throw some flack at me for this entry, but at least let me defend myself before you go at me. La Familia showed up to Mexico City demoralized with what seemed to be hundreds of issues that we might never know or some we will figure as time moves on. They were simply outclassed by Hive in Mexico City and looked like an amateur team in the making. Yet they go out and get rid of Sneaky and Mortifys. In exchange, they bring on Aversuh and Speedy.

First off, this team also lost their coach in Vora. You should notice that currently, they are the only team in the Pro League that doesn’t have a coach and that could cost them a lot of time and effort. When you are a team in the Pro League, you need to grab and gain any edge you can. By not having a coach at the current time of writing, this will be costly. I currently don’t feel with this new roster that any of them can lead or contain the mind of Speedy.

I’ve said this before and will say it again, although Speedy is a champion of old, his attitude and mindset will always be a downfall of any team he is on. He clearly hasn’t changed in that regard and it was recently made apparent with the upset InControl faced in their Pro League Qualifier games. So without a coach and with a high tempered player, that is a quick way to crash and burn. However, will one of the core three of this team step up and put Speedy in his place as a teammate if things get hot or go wrong? That’s the storyline to watch out for.

Aversuh on the other hand is a solid pickup. He is a solid overall Gears player and he can continuously grow into an even better player under the right guidance and players. Yet without a coach, there will only be so much that he can learn and grow from with this team in its current state. HesiKage and iLLava have shown a lot of heart in recent play, but that won’t be enough to keep them afloat against most of the team sin this Pro League. I at the end of the day, believe leadership and responsibility of how the team reacts and plays will come down to arguably their calmest and best overall player in Xclu5ive. He has shown in times of glory and hardship that he can be the man to lead the pack and beat the drum for this team. So the weight of the world will be on his shoulders until they find a coach that can help this team find the right way to grow with each other.

#CaseClosed

Whether you are on one of these eight pro league teams, in a different region, an amateur team, a fan of one of these fine organizations, or just a fan of Gears Esports, I will again confirm that this Spring Pro League Quarter will be exciting, crazy, filled with some upsets (maybe?), and more high octane action coming to you at home. If there was any time to hop into Gears Esports as someone who wants to see the best face off against one another, this quarter has everything you need from high skill, storylines, passion, and everything that makes watching Gears enticing.

Now let the conversation commence on our website in the comments section or if you want to throw some static out into the world, feel free to hop on Twitter and write about it. Let’s get some Gears 5 Esports popping on the timelines! Until next time….

#getjipped