Gears 5 Esports Circuit: Season 3, Split 2 Power Rankings (Week 3)

Two weeks down, along with four matches for each team, and we continue to drive through the second split of the third season. What a week we just had right? It was the first time we truly saw some major upsets, unexpected results, and other blowbacks that will come to haunt some of these teams as they continue to make their rise or decline in the Gears Pro League.

Purified comes out of the gate to fulfill my upset pick of night 3 against Team Queso, only to be decimated by the upstart roster of FuryOne. Followed by a healthy dose of Rise knocking Kansas City Pioneers flat on their backs and losing from the swift blow that came out of nowhere (Inzem on 120 much?) hitting them with a 3-0. Yet when you take a look at all of the results from this past week and watch the dust settle, there is only one team left undefeated that has also knocked out two top contenders. Welcome to this week’s #GetJipped Power Rankings, where we get to crown a new top dog!

#GetJipped Week 3 Pro League Power Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Knights (Monkey, Raver, Dezo, Fearzly)

LATAM rejoice! The Pittsburgh Knights are the last team standing in the Pro League without a loss in their record (although this doesn’t include what happen on E Day, only Pro League play). This time around, the Knights continue to assert their blend of play and dominance through the league and it doesn’t matter if you are a top-tier team, an upstart team, or scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

Pittsburgh Knights did what they were expected to in regards to blanking FuryOne with the 3-0 but then went on to show us they meant business in taking out Rise by only giving up one map in a 3-1 victory. Their closest match so far in the Pro League was the amazing match they had against eUnited when they won on the last map in a back and forth series, but the Knights prevailed in that one 3-2. Their other win comes against the lowly team in Discipline, but what can you say about this roster? Monkey, Raver, and Dezo received the best gift in adding Fearzly to this squad. All four of these players continue to play in unison, harmony, almost like they’ve been together for the whole last season without any delay or issues. The smothering play that they replicate daily has been superb and almost untouchable. Yet with great aggressive play, comes some mistakes or holes that can open up for the opposing team. Strangely, your greatest strength as a team can become also the biggest weakness, but so far, Pittsburgh has stayed away from letting it become an overall issue, except for eUnited getting revenge during E Days and returning the favor of the earlier loss in the split by blanking them 3-0. So was it just a fluke, or is eUnited charging up to take out one of their most well-known rivals? Speaking of eUnited… 

Prior Week Ranking: 1st (+1)

2. eUnited (Powerz, TJForce, Dys, Demize)

Is this too high for eUnited? I believe when looking at the rankings, this one will stand out as giving too much leniency, as you could just as easily put a few other teams in this slot. Yet the continued growth of Dys to this core 3 roster that has been growing internally, is something special to watch out for. What can be shown from this team was on display during E Days on Thursday, in which they successfully took out the four-month back to back to back to back to back and gone E Day Champions in Kansas City Pioneers, followed by knocking out the only team that hasn’t suffered a defeat in Pro League yet, in the Pittsburgh Knights. Both of these matches were highly entertaining and showed a lot of amazing team skill and dare I say, “individual talent” when it came to the eUnited roster.

I know a lot of people that watch Gears Esports and has played Gears 5 will say that individual skill has been nerfed, isn’t a skill that’s in the latest title of the franchise, but what can you say about the slaying power, the three steps ahead, and power-hungry PowerZ? That elevated play that he continues to show daily should easily dismiss the notions that individual skill doesn’t exist in the game, it was simply fantastic some of the plays he made for his team this prior week. Plus, PowerZ seems to be more in an IGL role now that he is prospering in. The only thing that one can truly say about this team currently, is that their Pro League matches have been a cakewalk.

A win over Rebel in Pro League is their most impressive game to date. Beating Fire N Ice and Discipline (arguably the two teams that will likely be relegated), gives you the victories you need to claim for a better seed, but doesn’t show the true mettle that a team has. This is why the E Day tournament was such a huge momentum swing for this squad as they head into matches this week against the Cinderella of the early season in FuryOne and follow that up with a serving of KCP. Now it’s time to see if eUnited truly deserves to hold onto second.

Prior Week Ranking: 3rd (+1)

3. Rise (Avexys, Inzem, DeTox, Rushiez)

The game is different when you have the whole team on 120 FPS and did we ever see a huge leap in performance when it came to the way that Inzem went out onto the battlefield and started to pull out double kills and other mesmerizing plays that we missed from the first week. Avexys was being honest with the world when he did his update video before the Pro League started in saying this roster was going to be aggressors on the maps. Just like Pittsburgh. Rise has transitioned to a team that continues to constantly drive at the opponent.

Although it was shocking to see, Rise throwing this right onto Kansas City Pioneers plate the past week and never looked back as they went straight back to the kitchen to continue cooking. Call it a week off for the Pioneers, but the outcome of that Pro League match made some waves that I didn’t expect to be talking about in this current list of the Power Rankings. Other than that statement victory, Rise has for the most part taken care of business this past week and only have one loss in the Pro League, which is to the circuit leaders in the Knights.

Prior Week Ranking: 5th (+2)

4. Kansas City Pioneers (Acells, Hndles, Xysho, Bronny)

Regret, it’s a funny word. It’s also the main word of this posting, as I most likely will have this feeling overcome me when this week of Pro League is over for putting the reigning champions in 4th. Call this a wake-up call if you will, but Kansas City Pioneers took a step back this prior week. Although they are still cream of the crop and playing at an absurd skill level, some of their setups, team fights, and other in-game scenarios didn’t drop their way this prior week.

It was sad to see what arguably was one of the greatest ongoing streaks in their E Day Tournament Championship finally crumble after several months. That alone is an amazing accomplishment that will be entirely difficult to replicate for any team in the current age of Gears Esports. So it’s surprising to be talking about Kansas City Pioneers in this light, of not winning for a change. Although their loss to eUnited was close in the E Day Tournament, the falling apart at the seams performance they had against Rise was truly the most troublesome of the week (even with Inzem jumping onto 120). Was this a case of underestimating opponents last week or just the Pioneers not fully clicking? Honestly, it came down to just that, the Pioneers didn’t click as well this week. The duo of Acells and Bronny was off. They still did work, but not the dominant performance we saw from the first week.

Xysho at times felt like he was missing in action, although he was still constantly putting damage into the enemy team. Handles continued to do what he does best for the team, which is being a jack of all trades, but it just felt like teams, as I said in the first week of Power Rankings, focused on bringing Bronny down. If Bronny and Acells can’t get going as a duo on the map, it will prove to be troublesome for this team. With the chemistry still being built between this duo, we will see some chinks in the armor from time to time. Yet, I don’t see these guys staying down that long at all. This week will be rather telling as their upcoming matches will be against Team Queso, which in my opinion should be a bounce-back game for the Pioneers, and then a rematch of the E Days Tournament they lost, against eUnited. Sit back and get ready, things are going to get intense this week.

Prior Week Ranking: 1st (-3)

5. FuryOne (Aimboot, Jaled, Ventry, LastMove)

They deserve this. No questions asked. You can’t move me from this rock this week. FuryOne has currently defied all expectations from those watching the Gears Esports league. As the newer generation of Gears players come into the mix, we’ve constantly had the debate on how new teams coming into the league wouldn’t stand much of a chance. Yet here is Cinderella herself, marching to the beat of their drum without any sort of interruption. 

Aimboot, Jaled, Ventry, and LastMove might not be the names you are used to, think of, or even remotely speak into the chatter of the league, but these guys have been for real two weeks in a row and don’t look to back down. The constant team play, smart aggression, and changes they adapt to during the game have been alarming and something we haven’t seen in a while from teams coming out of the Challenger Series. 

You take a look at their current losses in Pro League and you will quickly come to terms that they’ve lost to powerhouses in Pittsburgh Knights and Kansas City Pioneers. They were able to knock a map off both of these teams (one in pro league and one on E Days respectively), but comparing them to the remaining teams in the league that hasn’t appeared on the rankings yet (except for Rebel), FuryOne has outperformed their opponents and are looking to put a ticket into returning next split without ever having to worry about relegation. They took out Purfieid and Fire N Ice, two weaker teams in the league, but something most didn’t expect. They’ve constantly taken a map off top teams and with more reps against those teams, will likely grow and overcome them eventually. This week will tell a lot though, as they have a rematch against eUnited.

Prior Week Ranking: 7th (+2)

6. Rebel (Crack, Demon, Identivez, Xploidz)

So this is awkward. A team that won both of their Pro League matches the prior week gets knocked down the Power Rankings? Yes. You read that correctly. Let’s be realistic here. Rebel although coming out of the gate hot, sporting a 3-1 record in Pro League currently, which is good for a tie in 4th, have done absolutely nothing in showing the skill and talent they have on this team as of yet.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Rebel has done well in picking off the inferior opponents in the league as a good team should do, but they haven’t shown any sort of life against the superior opponents. Look at the 3-0 eUnited gave them in week one. The 3-1 Knights slammed onto them in E Days this past week. This team has a ton of talent, prestige, and a lot of accolades you can put onto them, but they haven’t done a thing other than play survival mode in the league to this point. FuryOne would be a great match to watch when it comes around for the two clubs, but they’ve at least taken a map off every powerhouse opponent they’ve played so far, but they are also a brand new team in the Pro League. Rebel, on the other hand, has been here for a long time and I need to see more from this group than the defeats they’ve suffered so far. Is the heart still there? We will figure out what they got, as a rematch against the Knights is on tap.

Prior Week Ranking: 4th (-2)

7. Purified (Addvers, Toti, Kardia, Gary)

Purified has life, but rarely seems to show it. Other than the upset they had over Rise on E Days last week and the slight victory over Team Queso last week in Pro League, this team has constantly been the victim of the clean sweep. Rebel, Pioneers, and FuryOne all brought in the brooms to wipe away what was left of a team that is struggling to keep their head above water.

Yet going down the stretch barring anything crazy, Purified should be able to go 2-3 and thus avoid the Relegation tournament. Going against the Knights, eUnited, and Rise is torture, but doesn’t look as bleak when you see Fire N Ice as well as Discipline still left on the schedule. Just take out the teams at the bottom of the league and you save yourself from having to fight to survive another day, but this team needs to start making some splashes and strides this week. Most in the scene believe they have the tools and assets to make some moves, but two weeks and we are still waiting for another showing like the Rise match. MIA for now, as they got that rematch with Rise and then Discipline the following day.

Prior Week Ranking: 8th (+1)

8. Team Queso (Problems, Sleafer, Crista, Chavii)

Team Queso, is another team that just seems to be missing something. When we saw them during the major with Xclusive, it seemed that team was working like a well-oiled machine, but with bringing Chavii on board, things just don’t seem to be going their way. They did get a map off Rise, had a close one against Purified, but their only win has been against the worst team in the league. So what can you do at this point?

Only thing is to bear down and figure out how to grow as a better unit. Team Queso has a few weeks left to string together some momentum, but more importantly, needs to clinch another win or two to stay away from Relegation. The good news, Discipline doesn’t have a chance to catch them at this point. The only news to worry about, can Fire N Ice find their way with only a few weeks left and create a stir? Whatever the case may be, this roster filled with pros just doesn’t have what it takes so far, although most will agree that the opportunity to pop off and make noise is in the cards if used correctly.

Prior Week Ranking: 6th (-2)

9. Fire N Ice (Rapidz, Toxiq, Soler, Gnash)

Another week through and we got to ask the same question as we did for Team Queso, does Fire N Ice make some adjustments in the upcoming weeks and make a run to stay out of Relegation? The answer right now is not. Yet if there was ever an important week for Fire N Ice to come to life on, we are lucky enough to witness it this week.

Matches against the two teams they have the BEST chance to beat and could turn the tides on if they avoid Relegation is officially here. We get to watch the bottom of the batch go against one another as Fire N Ice takes on Discipline, followed by a fight the next day against Team Queso. So for those out there rooting for a team in disarray to rise from the ashes like a phoenix and make a statement, this week is their last breath. With matches following that include Pioneers, Knights, and Purified, the sledding only gets tougher.

Prior Week Ranking: 9th (-)

 10. Discipline (Gimmo, Juhvon, Innovates, Tatis 00)

At this point, you are playing for pride. A team that most will agree never had a chance, one that is falling apart, and one that doesn’t seem to ever have their full team on to practice because of indifferences internally, you got nothing left to fight for but for those on the team that believes or don’t want to tank their reputation.

I never want to see anyone in this situation and I believe the community would agree, but this isn’t going to get any prettier. However, Discipline can dash the chances of Fire N Ice from avoiding Pro League by winning an unexpected match tonight, but even a team that hasn’t found their way in Fire N Ice, shouldn’t slip and trip on a match like this. As Flash Movez said after losing in the Challenger Series tournament the other day, “We would have done better with Jippery McCloud”. Take it as you will, but that’s how down Discipline is currently. So let’s hope they bring us a show tonight, one that takes away the harsh criticism and disappointment that is currently brewing over them.

Prior Week Ranking: 10th (-)

Pro League Picks of the Week

The goal of this split is for me to pick winners and losers from all of the Pro League matches. I also have one underlying rule, which is to pick an upset to happen every night (meaning a team I believe is lower on my #GetJipped Power Rankings to beat a team above them). Currently so far this split, I’ve gone 10-0 with my upset picks being Pittsburgh Knights over eUnited and FuryOne over FNI. So without further to do, here are my picks for the next two days of play.

January 25, 2022

Rise over Purified

eUnited over FuryOne

Pioneers over Team Queso

Upset Pick: Discipline over Fire N Ice

January 26, 2022

Team Queso over Fire N Ice

Pioneers over eUnited

Purified over Discipline

Upset Pick: Rebel over Pittsburgh Knights

#CaseClosed

Crazy that we are heading into the third week of action tonight with the Pro League. There have been some amazing matches, close fights, and some upsets in the early going that weren’t expected. Currently, I sit at an 18-2 with my picking system (one that I’m forced to make an upset pick each week following my Power Rankings List), so this week is going to be tricky with a lot of matchups against teams that are on the same caliber or close to one another. I have the most suspicious feeling that this week, will likely be my worst picking selection, but I’m in with the picks.

Other than that, thank you for your continued support in the Power Rankings. I’ll be putting together an updated list for the Challenger teams that will be going out tomorrow now that the scene has settled a bit with rosters sticking together and not constantly changing. See you in the stream tonight and do your best not to #getjipped.