Tomorrow is the day that solidifies the teams that will receive travel rewards for the San Diego Major. Earlier in the week in our new column “The Debrief”, we went over the fact that Glory has guaranteed themselves rewards as there is no possible way for them to fall out of the Top 2. Meaningwhile, Pablos all but has the second spot confirmed, as long as they don’t go out in the first match. If they did, Money May would have the slightest of chances to make the unthinkable happen, which would be them winning the tournament. Even then, the point margin between the two teams would be crazy, Money May would have 420 and Pablos would have 410. Yet another thing to consider, the tournament needs at least 32 teams to participate for even any of this crazy not likely too happen scenario could occur. That’s also a big blow. Just like some of the teams in this week’s Power Rankings.

Between challenger points, wins/losses, tournament bracketology, and roster, this past week has surely shown some truer colors with some of these teams that were on the Power Rankings. It doesn’t necessarily mean I was wrong with my analysis either, but teams on the rankings went against a variety of different opponents this week, some stronger or weaker. That’s the beauty of ranking all the teams that compete in these tournaments, you never know which team will make the upsets, are over hyped, or the ones that come out swinging every week consistently. So how did we fare this week Gears Family?

Power Rankings – Week 4 – NA Fall Quarter

1. Pablos (Checked In for Week 4) (0)

Roster: INZEM, Xysho, Gearries, Lanarchy6016, and Abolish (Ruthless)

Look what we got here? The young squad came out firing on all cylinders again this week, dispatching their opponents with ease. They also made a roster change, but not one of the over the top dramatic ones. One however, that might help out in more ways than we can count on our fingers. So let’s give a warm welcome to Coach Ruthless! So if Pablos for real? Take a look at the teams they took out in last week’s tournament: Unite Gaming, Vision, Quantam Gaming, and Glory. You could also throw in Goonigans if you want to as well, but most of are likely asking yourselves “Who?”. Just remember, the “Who’s” in Gears do in fact matter for the sport, but I digress. Pablos just has it going on and show no signs of stopping. It would take an absolute dive bomb for this team not to clinch travel awards this week, but no need to fear. Pablos is the team to beat in the tournament and haven’t shown any signs of failure. Good luck to those who are in their way tomorrow.

2. Glory (Checked In for Week 4) (0)

Roster: VitalTheOne, Propells 24, k3soto, ClizzyClouts, GODPLAY5

Congratulations is in order for two reasons. First off, Glory has officially claimed travel awards as there is no way that they can fall out of the top two spot in the NA Fall Quarter Challenger Point Standings. Even though he wasn’t with the team as of last week, we still want to also congratulate Coach Jackal Tenebris. He is now officially the coach of Pro League team SimplicityGG and we wish nothing but the best for them. Now back to this roster. They took a few nicks and bruises during the last tournament to be honest. They had a close match against Head Down in the quarter finals, one that could of been a huge upset, but they prevailed through the match. Which was followed by a victory over LITBOYZZZ in the semi-finals, only to be ousted again by Pablos. In the end, it isn’t about how will Glory perform in the tournament, but can they put up a great fight against Pablos and win? Even a better question, do they play this tournament or skip out since they locked up a Top 2 spot? Time will tell.

3. Vision (Checked In for Week 4) (+1)

Roster: Raidhn, Azuries, TheeGreatChubbz, Homicide, Venomenal (GreaT)

Alright. Vision did go out early in the tournament last week. That was after they knocked out Inevitable and Fight Back, but they lost out too tournament winning Pablos in a good effort. I’ve seen this roster on many occasions play well and I’m going to take a stab in the dark with this one and say they would of gone further in the tournament if set somewhere else in the bracket. However, they face the wrath of Pablos bright and early. I do believe that this team would be able to knock out other teams that were in the quarter finals, with the exception of a match again Quantam Gaming. That would be a damn bloodbath and a ton of fun to watch. With that said though, I look to see Vision finish off this tournament strong with another great effort and showing. Let’s just hope the bracketology lords don’t throw them into the fire right away. If Vision does go against a top tier team early, will they have made proper adjustments to change the outcome?

4. Quantam Gaming (Checked in for Week 4) (+4)

Roster: QG Pushyz, QG Reliant, QG Zet, Zizel, QG Rocky

For a team that was on the brink of disbanding what seems long ago, Quantam Gaming came out on fire this week and beat multiple quality teams. A tournament that included going against Goose Gang Honk, Gang Gang (roster made up of Birdy, Perfections, Scavzy, Acells, and Envy), and Gravity (Suhduceful, Nightfall3048, FYC Flash, Kryo TYB, Canni, (Yachtyy). Yet, Pablos again was a terror and knocked them out in the semi finals with a crushing blow. Even with defeat, this team comes into every game with a determination and grit that most don’t expect. Quantam Gaming has become a team to lookout for as they try to come up through the ranks with the correct roster, but can they play spoiler this last week for multiple teams?

5. LITBOYZZZ (Checked In for Week 4) (+7)

Roster: Nunez, Cellz, Victoreez, Terminus7577, Kyng Switzer

Nunez has a way to bring a roster together that no one else would expect. Yet here we are with a different looking roster, that truly made some noise in last week’s tournament. It takes a good leader to coach and bring together multiple young players, which this team showed off last week when they went against Rip Cancerz, First Rounders, and, Optimum Gaming. If you got a chance to watch those matches, it was truly impressive how this team one week removed from the tournament took the right methodology to fix their mistakes and attack so well the following tournament. So will this team continue to grow and learn from their mistakes as they try to avenge their semi final lost to Glory. Also on a side note, congratulations is in order for this roster, as they are representing Parallax Gaming  in San Diego.

6. RIP CancerRz (Checked In for Week 4) (-1)

Roster: Rayminh, Crazel, Unreal Might, Movemxnts, CeeTips

A team that took care of business again this past tournament, but was upended by the likes of LITBOYZZZ. The truth behind this team is that they got a great roster that is sticking together, but I want to see how they react to this upcoming tournament. The leadership from Rayminh is a great step in the right direction for this team, but I still feel we need to see how Cee Tips does. He proved last week he could keep this roster consistent against lesser talent, but I want to see this team challenged again by premiere teams. Although they lost in quarter finals and went against teams some might not know as well (Loyalty, Team X), they are still fourth in overall standings and continue to rank high in the tournaments. So just a notch down is all that is needed.

7. Gravity (Checked In for Week 4) (+4)

Roster: Suhduceful, FYC Flash, Nightfall3048, Canni, Kryo TYB, (Yachtyy)

The upset of the week? Depends on who you ask. However, Gravity came in to last week’s tournament with the excitement of a LAN. They didn’t let their foot off the gas and it compromised the chances of Money May qualifying for travel awards. The key for Gravity is a simple yet hard one. Stick together. This team has a ton of talented individuals on it and don’t have a below average player on the squad, but will they work as a team and grow? Gravity has a great chance at blindsiding teams, but it will be the control of their anger and frustration that will either lead them far into the tournament or self implode. So Gravity, will you have the same roster this week and improve on last week’s success?

8. Head Down (Checked In for Week 4) (NR)

Roster: Flash Movez, Wayne Merks, WhatEverRain604, Dirty, REPSOLID (Hydra Re7ro)

Update: Robber was replaced this week for Dirty

Hands down one of the most intimidating rosters when it comes to skill and working together as a team. A lot of these players have history with one another from earlier Gears tournaments, but together again and some extra additions, this is a team that can play as a thorn in other teams sides. They utterly manhandles Technique and followed it up against Higher Power. Gave a great match to Glory, but just fell a map short. I could also tell you that the trash talk from this team would be extreme if we get to see them on LAN. It was hard to put Head Down into the rankings because I don’t know if this team was a one off or not when it comes to these tournaments. Talent from front to back, have a great coach and former player in Re7ro, but will we see them this week? Was it for fun and that’s all she wrote or are they back?

9. Money May (Not Playing In for Week 4) (-3)

Update: The wheels fell off completely. Money May is not participating in the tournament today.

Roster: Mental, Jarid, Wichy, z Crushmo, Tristian Dougherty (ffirearm)

The bottom fell out. Money May had multiple great weeks to start this tournament series, but has started to falter down the stretch. The roster again, has a lot of talent and potential, but tends to fall back on itself when things don’t go according to plan. With the addition of z Crushmo last week in exchange for Dirty, might have been an issue. z Crushmo is a great Gears player and has a ton of talent, but he doesn’t fit into the personality that Money May has when it comes to play style. Also. according to other players in the community (and a video that I did witness, but has since been deleted) Tristian played on two teams last week, so that also brought some extra attention and possible issues with the team fully concentrating on their games. Including the one they lost to Gravity. Does this team make a statement run tomorrow or have they counted themselves out? They are the only team left that has a super small outside chance to win travel awards over Pablos, but waiting on a miracle isn’t likely.

10. Fight Back (Checked In for Week 4) (+5)

Roster: TraMa Said No, TwiSsta, AhToMiC, SickestGOW, Bloodated (AwakeKitten3075 )

Speaking of the other team Tristian played with last week (as the elusive AwakeKitten3075), Fight Back is a team that is grounded to it’s own roots. You have multiple players on this roster that can be difference makers in a flash of a second, but you also have a team that just needs to clean up some play to even become a better force. By adding Bloodated to the roster, I believe Fight Back will have better chances to become the full team they are envisioning with themselves than the stunt that was pulled off last week with Tristian.

Side Note: We played against this team last week and they won fair and square. It was actually a back and forth match for awhile, but they pulled ahead later in the game and took it away with a 7-4 or 7-3 victory on Exhibit.

11. Technique (Checked In for Week 4) (-8)

Roster: CREA7i0N. OZ, Peaquat, XeIerates, Outside Del

Update: Outside Del replaces Blast.

A slice of humble pie is in order for Technique. They pulled a hard battle against Head Down the last tournament, but also didn’t play up to stuff throughout the game. Head Down had them on the ropes constantly throughout the first game of the day and simply overwhelmed then. All they need to do is go back to the drawing board this week, take a deep breath, and play as the dominant team from two weeks ago. Can Technique see it through and not become distracted with last week? Will they overcome the underwhelming performance of last week?

12. First Rounders (Checked In for Week 4) (+4)

Roster: Rxboticz, IBxsh, QuietCalf124956, Funny Maybe, mX KneX

So you ran into a LITBOYZZZ in the second round of the tournament, but this team does have growth and skill to still share with the rest of the Gears talent. First Rounders came out last week with the difficult task of beating a team filled with a lot of talent that although they haven’t played in weeks (also their team name), they as a whole had more skill on paper. That didn’t matter though and First Rounders were able to defeat a team consisted of Monkey L, Hexes, DA5HES, Subjecti7n, and Wobb. Pretty damn impressive and this is a team that if given the right bracket, can splash into Top 8.

13. Unite Gaming (Checked In For Week 4) (NR)

Roster: Joey Defiore, Censxd, Krisposaur, Tunez PR, MunchiezTheDon

This is one of those teams that I believe need more time to grow together, but also a team that wasn’t blessed with the best of circumstances last week in having to go against Pablos in the early going. Led by longtime player MunchiezTheDon, Unite Gaming has found a rhythm and a way to play well together as a team. It will take more time and preparation for them to become even better than they already are, but it’ll be their growth from last week’s lesson at the hands of Pablos that will make tomorrow a make or break scenario.

14. Brutal Democracy (Checked In for Week 4) (-1)

Roster: Jippery McCloud, BDG Abyss, BDG Vibiez, BDG Luck, Sir1 WHOA

A game that seemed to be a mismatch by most audience members eyes lived up to a closer game than expected. A well made roster from Fight Back knocked out the democracy last week, but the match was an affair that went back and forth over multiple rounds. It wasn’t the cleanest play from Brutal Democracy, but it was enough to show that the skill in these players are in fact there and can come out and strike at any moment. Consistency continues to be the issue at hand, so will we see brilliance this time around?

15. Optimum Gaming (Not Checked In for Week 4) (-8)

Roster: LOYALTY X ZlG, LimiTs vZ, RepTilian vZ, ToXicTacTiX vZ, CluTchZ vZ (Exhurtz)

Update: Optimum Gaming isn’t participating this week.

They are still a strong team and one not to take likely, but the one and done against a team that’s trying to find their fitting with a new roster compared to Optimum Gaming who has been a diamond in the rough, didn’t go as expected. The young talent of LITBOYZZZ was enough to take on the younger talent of Optimum Gaming, but now the question falls on what type of rebound effort do we see? Optimum Gaming can hang with a lot of the teams in this tournament, but they too also need to continue to grow and stay consistent. So let’s see what we got from them this upcoming week.

16. IP GG’s (Checked In for Week 4) (NR)

Roster: Advanced iP, Chulo CA, PRO5pect (B0nZo), Hypertonicz iP, PupiLoG

This was one of the hardest calls on the power rankings this week. You got teams such as HNC, Goose Gang Honk, Loyalty, and other teams that could be put into this position. Yet when it comes to IP GG’s, they have a roster that has stuck together with a core four and added more talent on the team with Pr05pect. This team should make some noise this week, but did we also mention they missed last week’s tournament and ARE STILL eight in challenger points? You don’t just miss a week after being productive all the other tournaments and somehow stay in the Top Ten. So let’s see what this roster can do this week with the new addition.

Just Missed Out

Teams: HNC, Loyalty, The Fam, Goose Gang Honk, Christ

The Last Tournament?

From the sounds of it all, it seems tomorrow’s tournament will be the last one until San Diego is over. It hasn’t been clarified by anyone from my sources that the tournaments will continue after this week for seeding or anything of that nature, but time will tell and maybe I’ll have an update for you all tomorrow. From my knowledge however though, this is the last tournament until further noticed.

#CaseClosed

Will the impossible happen? Will Pablos somehow completely choke and Money May sign up and somehow get the last spot? Will any of the newly register teams cause a stir in last minute seeding for teams that are traveling? Will we see some popular players run this tournament or will they stay away? Lots of questions and a whole lot of answers are coming your way in less than a day’s time. See you tomorrow for what should be a small, but intense tournament.

Opinion? Predictions? Like what you see here? Throw your thought my way on Twitter at JipperyMcCloud. Also, make sure you capture some of that action during the tournament so you can show up with your highlights on the power rankings for your team! Until next time, #getjipped Gears Family!

Updated: November 17 (9:37 AM EST)