Gears 5 Spring Quarter Power Rankings (Professional Teams)

Did you get a chance to catch the first week or the Pro League? Overall, it was a fascinating and fun experience to watch and breakdown. GuyBlaze and PR wouldn’t let the recent events of the world get in their way, as they practiced social distancing from one another and still did an amazing job in casting the matches together from a far. You know that takes time, chemistry, and a professional relationship to make those types of plays on the caster’s side, so make sure to give them kudos on Twitter or in the Twitch chat for this upcoming Sunday slew of matches. Also, can we please give a standing ovation as well to the one and only Colin Clarke? If you ever wanted to see one caster do it all, this man single handedly slayed the beast known as the “Non Broadcasted Games” and brought it to our homes with fire casting! Please give your love and support to all of our great casters.

We also like to shout out other people in the community that brings the hype to the Gears of War Scene such as Ryanfoolz for constantly hosting Emergence Days Tournaments with the UMG Gaming Staff on Tuesdays. It’s another wonderful form of content that pits the best teams against one another on a weekly basis. ASTRO Gaming for them continuing their support with the sweaty 2v2 Tournaments that ended with players from Acells and Precision from the InControl Roster beating CeeTips and Vo1kz. Lastly, a big congratulations and shout out too DeluxeHass for his Community Showcase. This time around, the tournament was maxed out at 32 Teams and had some amazing matches throughout. We couldn’t leave without saying another shout out to Hive’s very own CoachCrazyTrain and again the great Colin Clarke for commentating and analyzing the matchups.

Now if for some reason you missed the Pro League matches (please insert whatever excuse into my DM’s on Twitter @JipperyMcCloud), we will give you the key to the town so you can explore the breakdown by match and map count at the following link: https://bit.ly/33QPXDY

Last but not least, we here at the #GetJipped Power Rankings try our best to stay up to date with all news for not only the Pro League teams, but also the Amateur teams (which is a lot of content to cipher through). This means we keep our ears to the ground for other tournaments these teams participate in, trade/roster rumors, opponents they won or lost too, and all of the fundamentals that break down all the teams we evaluate. When these power rankings are made, they are with the perception of what I’ve seen, heard, and evaluated at the time being. I’m sure there will be times that this will be put to the test and I will be corrected by the community, but that’s half the battle is to work together as a whole to get it right.

#GetJipped Week 2 Pro League Power Rankings

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

One week down and two opponents later, Quarantine is still king of the castle (or King of the Ring for you wrestling fans out there). Being pitted against a new found professional team in Goated (remnants of Orbit from last quarter) on the off-broadcast match, they made haste and shown to the viewers how hard it is for even top skilled players coming in on a new pro league team to compete with the upper echelon of well-established pro teams. Although Quarantine had a bit of movement from Rostermania, it seemed the first week of work they put in with new teammates SOLURS and Mortifys8197 was flawless. Almost like they didn’t have a change to the roster at all.

Then came the online match with GuyBlaze and PR commentating. Going against the so called “Online Warriors” of the Pro League, Rise Nation came out and fought hard against the current champions of Gears Esports. However, they would fall short by a map, but what a hell of a match from both teams! Rise Nation proved yet again they belong in the Pro League despite what some fans of Gears would say and their roster being one of the few that wasn’t altered with through Rostermania continues to grow. Yet, no team, whether they changed roster at all or not, can currently knock Quarantine from their throne. That’s not truly the case though is it? (More on this later).

Before we hop onto the next team, I want to announce how important it is too having a coach on your side. You again will see most of these teams have coaches and that well known “sixth player” can make or break a team in ways you never thought were possible. A well-deserved coaching shout out too Fatalstryke for keeping his team, despite all the chaos of Rostermania, on track with his core three and his two new additions to the team. Both SOLURS and Mortifys8197 are solid players in their own individual skill, but it does take great leadership from Fatalstryke as well as FraNChise to bring all the pieces together. We all look forward to watching this team stay on par with the course of being the top team as of now.

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

The Revenge Tour is still continuing according to the UYU Organization. Coming out the first week of the Pro League, Ashes and company looked to make a statement to the competition. Yet before we can celebrate them being undefeated currently in the Pro League, it wasn’t as dominant as many fans and followers thought it would be coming out of the gate. You have to remember that this is one of the many teams that has a new roster after the dust settled, but most people in the community have their eyes peeled on UYU as being a superstar team. So when you take care of business against new Pro League Team Rebel on the off-broadcast match 2-0, but then have a close and exciting call against Hive, it’s hard to feel The Revenge Tour being in full effect as of now.

In no way shape or form is Hive an easy team to go against, they are still one of the best currently in the league as it stands. Yet the verdict still remains out on UYU, as many feel that there is no way a team filled with this many top tier players in Gears should be remotely struggling against any team they face off against. I believe that UYU will find their stride moving forward and maybe in the next few weeks the cylinders will be firing off, but something is currently missing that hasn’t been addressed. One of the worries for a superstar team is pressure, which I believe all the players on this team are easily accustomed to. However, another one is too many individually talented players trying to do too much. From the matches I saw, this is what UYU needs to focus on to get to the point of being an overall dominant team and to become the king of the castle. That’s the biggest reason why currently, Quarantine is a better team than UYU, as they play more together and tighter as a team than the later does as of week one.

Great example of this is watching the VOD from the Emergence Day tournament, where both UYU and Quarantine were upset in the bracket by no other than Rise Nation. Many plays throughout the match that Rise Nation as a team was able to navigate better than their counterparts and this is a continued story through the first week of footage from UYU’s perspective that you can analyze. So at this point of juncture, give it another week or so and then let’s see how well this team is gelling in that category.

3. Rise Nation (Avexys, Drix, ShocK, DeTox, INZEM, Affinity) (+3)

Whether you are a longtime supporter or a heckler of Rise Nation, they made the waves you wanted to see out of a team with this caliber of players on it throughout the first week. With the off broadcast stream, Rise Nation didn’t miss a beat in obliterating Vanquish which is what you need to see from a team that has been questioned over its latest placing at LAN events. It is true that historically, Rise Nation has performed better on the internet, but to take care of a team that had no business in competing with them is exactly what the doctor ordered. They followed up this performance with a match against Quarantine that they came up short in, losing the Pro League match at a map count of 2-1.

Take note, that Rise Nation had exceptional team play through these games, more that I saw this week alone than any week before. When it comes to Gears Esports, it is always great to have the individuals that can go out and do phenomenal plays, but Rise Nation this week looked like a team that wants to play for one another. When that starts to happen within a team, that’s when you start seeing the best iteration of a team’s skill and play. To furthermore bring out this point, did you catch the Emergence Day Tournament on UMG Gaming?

In the words of commentator and analyst RyanFoolz “They went through the toughest bracket imaginable FLAWLESS.” On their way to a flawless victory (for my Mortal Kombat friends), they had their appetizer in LATAM’s Pittsburgh Knights, with an entrée of UYU, ending with desserts against Quarantine. That’s both the teams listed above them in the Power Rankings and one of the best international teams in Gears Esports taken out from Rise Nation. It will be extremely exciting to see what this powerhouse team provides next week. I want to see this new consistency from them carry over into this upcoming week and see what new heights they can reach, as they have now shown the Gears Esports world they should be talked about more than not.

Before we jump to the next entry, what a bang up job by coach Affinity and analyst Ribs to get this team on track to play more together as a whole. Again, this is a team that has a lot of individual talent, but with seeing how they worked together more this week than I’ve seen before, this roster could make a bigger impact than most would have not expected a week ago.

4. Hive (TJFORCE, Jefe, Tidy, Noey, Demise, l CraZy TraiN) (-1)

Just a minor step back from the young crew on Hive. It is important to note that on the off-broadcast stream that Hive was able to finish the job against Goated, but was it worrisome. Just a tad bit if I had to honestly speak of the subject. You see, I did rank Goated in the fourth position last week taking a huge leap of faith which might have been one of two rankings that made people start singing the “What?” in “Come and Get Your Love” ­ by Redbone (for my F is for Family, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Tik Tok folks). Yet here we are being able to note that Hive did in fact drop a map against their opponents, which is the exact opposite of what they needed to come out and prove.

Yet on the flipside of this conversation, Hive took UYU to a Map 3 on stream. Which isn’t only a testament to how well this Hive roster can play together, but it also goes back to questioning UYU’s team play. You can see that comparing all of these teams can be rather difficult at times, but I also believe that for some reason Hive as an online bug. It seems that this young team really comes out shooting everything in sight when they attend a LAN event, but the online matches for some reason have been more problematic and it has shown through not only the first week of this new quarter, but also throughout Gears 5 so far.

It will be up to not only this well skilled roster to work on this issue, but also CraZy TraiN to find the chemistry this team has at a LAN event and transfer it to the online events, especially with the Spring Quarter Tournament now being played online exclusively. So although I know this team has it in them, I had to take them a step back to that dreaded fourth spot they know all too well.

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

Overall, a solid first week from Rebel. They ended up losing out to UYU on the off-broadcast stream, which isn’t a game most would predict they would be able to create an upset in since it has been rather a long time since this roster has gone against an upper echelon team in a setting (Rebel just got Top 8 in Mexico City losing out too Pittsburgh Knights). So although Rebel is a team to be reckoned with, it will take some more matches against these other pro teams before they catch their footing again on how to play against said opponents.

On the other hand, the match they played against Goated was a lopsided affair that they took care of business. It seemed that they were ready to make sure that out of the two new teams joining the Pro League, that they were going to be ahead of their counterparts. So now it comes down to this team looking back at the VOD and trying to figure out what they misplayed and how to counter these higher seeded teams in the coming weeks.

Which leads us down to newly acquired coach Ozby Romero. Although we had him listed last week in this spot, it is important to note that the official announcement was made earlier this week, so we want to send a shout out and congratulations to Ozby Romero on the new gig. Yet it will be up to the new coach to pinpoint the mistakes of his roster and make them grow together and not apart. Remember, a constant statement in these rankings in this week is “playing as a team” and that’s the challenge Ozby will have with this roster. Zerpting sometimes flies loose far too much from his teammates, Jerppy is usually nowhere to be found in team fights until it is too late and tries to make superman plays, and the list goes on. The whole roster is stacked with talent, but now it’s time to hone that team game as a complete unit, which they’ve all had experience with before on the multiple teams they were on prior.

6. Parallax Gaming (Xysho, Gearries, Abo, Lanarchy6016, Toti, Jackal Tenebris) (+1)

Before we even start, you all saw the triple headshots Toti was able to drop on Bunker for a round win that seemed impossible? Doesn’t matter if those players stood still on the former La Familia now Vanquish team, as they were waiting in the shadows to make what would have been a neutral hill break which would have ended the round. The angles Toti had were disgusting and the intuition of his play was great. Now that we got that pat on the back finished, Parallax Gaming did get a piece of humble pie against Quarantine on their off stream match. Which again, with one new player and a heck of a coach, patience, guidance, and practice will get them to fight against the higher skilled teams in the league in due time.

Yet Parallax Gaming showed their worth against La Familia (now Vanquish) in beating them 2-1 on stream. Their team play that was shown case on those matches was beautifully paced and made Vanquish look like an amateur team many times over. With the way Parallax Gaming was holding hands and fighting together, they might as well be called the Swarm at this point. It was rare I saw fights from them that relied on individual fights, as they prioritized being together as much as they could. I’m honestly excited to see what next week brings when they square up against two more teams and I think Parallax Gaming with time will make bigger splashes as the league continues forward.

Safe travels back home for Jackal Tenebris, as he left just earlier this week to fly back over the pond to his home. Keep up the great work with this team and by the way, the passion and love you show as a coach is heartwarming for your team and the viewers at home. The whole time Parallax Gaming was on stream, this coach was in the chat cheering them on and posting clips nonstop to Twitch. More coaches and teams need to do this during Pro League matches and tournaments. Call Jackal the Jerry Maguire of Gears Esports.

7. GOATED (HBM Perfections, God Dazed, zR Tactix, R3ptilianx1, Z Crushmo, GreaT) (-3)

What was a rough opening week to the Pro League for the “Reborn Team”, wasn’t all lost when breaking down the VOD and the play from the squad. The off-broadcast game against Hive shown their grit and passion for being in the pro league, by knocking a map off one of the better teams in the league. Although they were outclassed by their adversaries in Rebel. Although they got a nice shiner this time around, they can take all of this information and learn from here on out. All of the players on this roster just need to continue to work together and learn how to play even better as a team overall. Adding Z Crushmo right before the tournament didn’t give them much time to become a full unit, so that should be the idea for this group. Work hard and together for the bright future.

Coach GreaT did a fantastic job getting them to this point and the roster truly has many skilled players that can at any time show up and out, but it will take time and information for this team to make their way up the rankings. I did put them way high the first week, but after watching their play this following week, all they need to do is learn from here on out to get better. No one on this teams needs to be upset or down, they deserve to be in the Pro League and I’m happy to be the one that says that. However, this will be a learning curve for this young team and as long as they stick together and grow, be on the lookout for some top notch play. Time is a wonderful thing.

8. Vanquish (Xclu5ive, Speedy, iLLava, HesiKage, Aversuh) (-)

I will not talk about this team’s play in the Power Rankings. Instead, I’m going to do an opinion piece because of things that have transpired and how humiliating and disturbing it is for a team that makes the Pro League to carry out their professional careers in such a matter. Before I digress, make no mistake that all the players on this team are solid players.

I’m absolutely disappointed with all players on this team. Last week, I knew coming into the Pro League with this roster, that this team in no way was going to work. Speedy hasn’t changed over the many events he has been a part of and no one truly seems to know how to tame him. The rest of the team, meanwhile thought by adding him that they would get better? I’ll never understand the decision behind that. Losing Vora was an absolute blow to a team that is mismanaged and that was somehow followed up by losing what many would consider the heart of this roster in Sneaky. One week of play after, the roster had a total meltdown as I expected. This escalated to the team manager of the team (that being Xclu5ive) writing into PGL Administrators saying that due to personal reasons, Speedy couldn’t play anymore and they wanted to add Sneaky as a coach. By rules, coaches can substitute in for PGL matches, but if the players can play, they must do so. Speedy responded with saying the team was trying to exploit the Substitution Rule and that they were going to play without him so he was ousted. This was followed by Xclu5ive showing evidence that Speedy was trying to sabotage and it goes from there. For more details, visit this link: https://www.gears.gg/competitive-ruling-vanquish.

Now for breaking news. I learn earlier today when I was writing up my articles and challenger point standings that Vanquish is registered for both of them. According to Rule 7.3.9 Pro League Eligibility, a professional team can’t participate in any events that include gaining challenger points or travel rewards. They will be given a penalty if they carry out with it. So I emailed my colleagues my concern for professional integrity to Gears Esports about the matter. It is at this time that I can confirm to you that Vanquish has forfeit their spot in the Pro League. They are now allowed to compete in the ladders and the challenger points tournaments as they are now considered an amateur team. In my opinion, this news is devastating and yet again, has made our professional teams look like a mockery to a degree. Although all of the players involved in this situation (core three from Mexico City and Speedy which could be somewhat inaccurate) are talented, none of them understand what it means to be professional as they’ve made many miserable decisions that have now cost them their spot.

You can point back to their time on Mazer Gaming and the fallout that happened in that scenario, but they in that situation (including Sneaky and even the community) could only stay professional and true up until a point with both their organization at the time and Gears Esports for not representing that organization with a weapon skin (Hive still in that boat with no weapon skin). I as a fan of Gears Esports and an avid member of the community am beyond disappointed and I honestly feel it would be best for them to be made an example of, but that’s not my decision obviously.

Moving forward though, Vanquish will not be in the Pro League. We will learn news later about who will become the next team up or what will happen with the current situation. News will develop, but for now, the disappointment of another quarter of league play having a professional team that dissolves because of mismanaged roster changes and a lack of understanding what is best for the team has plagued the scene.

#CaseClosed

Sorry to end on such a bummer of a note. I just learn of this only a few minutes ago myself and I’m completely flabbergasted in the whole situation. From coach Vora wanting to write what sounded like a novel about the issues with the team and never posting as he left his post, to dropping arguably your most talented player in Sneaky for the ever problematic Speedy, I don’t know what was going on in their minds. Something fishy and wrong has occurred and it was sadly not caught before the Pro League started, so now we as a community anxiously await for the news on what will happen to the eighth spot in the NA Pro League. I will say that I wish the best of luck to all the players that were involved in this situation and that although I am honestly disappointed and angry for another squashed opportunity from players and representing an organization that now is left scratching their heads as well, I’m sure these players can make a bounce back through the amateur scene and come back as the outfit they want to be instead of what the

#getjipped