Well, where do we start with Cloud9 this week? Well they played Spacestation Gaming and that was a now typical loss at the hands of one of the top sides. At least in all losses bar the eUntied sweep, Cloud9 has been regularly taking games. And then Monday they played NRG. And they dominated them. 3-0. Never will a sweep by the 2nd greatest team of all time be such a shock to many, but it has sent shockwaves through the RLesports community. Simply put, it looked like big three Cloud9. They were outpacing NRG, fast to the ball, looking for passes, all while forcing the issue in spectacular fashion. If you removed the nametags, you would think it was Cloud9 vs any lower tier RLCS side from seasons four to seven. So where do they stand now? That win most likely puts them well clear of dead last, but that one win doesn’t undo the previous five weeks of misery, especially with still formidable opponents left on their schedule.

Rogue is a non-mover in our rankings, but don’t let that deter from what is probably the start of their bi-annual late great relegation escape.A good showing vs Ghost saw them force five games, albeit it could be argued that its Ghost Gaming, (supposedly) the worst at closing out a series, but there’s no dancing around the fact they defeated the Pittsburgh Knights in five games on Monday. Yes you could say that it’s not to the caliber of beating PK in late 2019, but Rogue really earned the victory, starting the series off hot, clutching the overtime in game four and controlled defense in the decider. For someone who gets a lot of flak, Wonder has been integral, more often than not hitting the back of the net than the crossbar. Whether he keeps up his form is a greater question, but his good showings correlate with Rogue’s peak, particularly at the season seven world championship where they placed 4th. And with a match vs Flight week eight, Rogue might yet make another great escape.

Four teams across NA & EU had three matches this past weekend, due to the nature of the double match day weekend. Three of them went 0-3 in series, and none did worse than eUnited, only winning two solitary games over three series played. It gets worse, they let Flight have their first RLCS win. While Flight is a capable RLCS side, for a roster that made last season’s world championship, eUnited losing to them is embarrassing. Sure they made the G2 series far more competitive, but ultimately they brought their A-Game to the wrong series as G2 was too much to handle, And yes, the Soniqs look like a proper top tier squad now, but like mentioned for Flight before, you can’t just roll over and get swept like that if you want to stay in the RLCS. A disappointing showing from all players this weekend, especially Roll Dizz, who might have hit a slump at the most inconvenient time. However for now, it seems the relegation fodder eUnited we expected last season has finally arrived.

Good news, Flight finally got a win, in defeating eUnited 3-1. Memory looked fantastic, showing all the promise you’d expect from a veteran of the RLCS. Sea-Bass & rapid still provide individual magical moments here and there, & Flight absolutely belongs in this league. The bad news is that not only did all their 10th place rivals also win over the weekend, if they were losing they weren’t getting blown out in a sweep like Flight did vs Spacestation Gaming. So despite no longer being winless, Flight is still alone at the bottom of the table. While there is no shame in being swept by SSG or NRG, if the sides around you can take games off them, you have to do the same or risk falling behind in game differential, which may end up being the dagger to Flight’s RLCS campaign.

The doubleheader weekend is over. Eleven matches played, and after all of the final three series going against the script, it has got our committee scratching their heads at this week’s power rankings. Changes all the way up and down the table make these our most interesting rankings yet, as we enter the home stretch of RLCS Season Nine.

#6 - Pittsburgh Knights - ExplosiveGyro, Retals, AyyJayy (-1)

Pittsburgh Knights entered the weekend 2-2, getting the expected wins and losses. They leave this weekend 2-5, when it so very well could and should have been 4-3. All three losses were in game five, the first to the Susquehanna Soniqs, which came down to a golden goal in game five overtime. Despite the tough loss, they still took the fight to NRG and nearly slew them before Jstn decided to show up. With great periods of offense from Retals & AyyJayy linking up, those strong showings vs those top sides are the reason Knights is still ranked in our top six, because the Rogue loss is quite embarrassing. Regardless of the fact Rogue played extremely well, the combined talent of the Knights should never be losing to them. Despite Retals having another great season, the AyyJayy move is bordering on being a disaster. Not only has it forced Gyro to play an uncomfortable 3rd man role (all while hitting a major slump), AyyJayy is just too damn inconsistent. Whatever he brings to aid the PK attack gets canceled out by the number of goals conceded that he is entirely or partly at fault for. Its a shame because this trio of player is so close to being a lethal threat, but it’s all for naught if they can’t even make the playoffs, which is on the cards now.

#5 - Ghost Gaming - Allushin, Atomic, mist (+1)

Ghost rebounded from their crushing loss to the Soniqs with a 2-0 weekend. The Rogue series was somewhat questionable, given how well all the individuals played, it was somewhat surprising they only won in the 5th game with fourteen seconds left. The G2 series, on the other hand, was the showcase for the potential of this roster at long last, ending their undefeated streak with a 3-1 win. Mist played a starring role, showing his offensive chops with some expertly scored goals, all the while making some miracle stops to keep Ghost alive. Allushin had one his strongest showings in recent memory, in spite of the high name value on the pitch he absolutely belonged. For Ghost to keep G2’s fiery offense at bay and break them down with quality goals is a sign of hopefully similar showings vs other top sides in future weeks. If not, at least they’re on everyone’s radar as a threat for the playoffs.

#4 - G2 Esports - Jknaps, Rizzo, Chicago (-1)

G2 had successfully navigated the first hurdle of their road to redemption, beating all the “weaker” RLCS sides & toppings Pittsburgh Knights. Unfortunately with their second real challenge in Ghost, they’ve tripped and fallen. It is an upset, but not an earth-shattering one, its fair to say G2’s record was inflated due to an easy schedule and Ghost has all the pieces to stop them, which they did. The question now is since they lose to our 5th place side, how will they fare vs the top three sides in the region now. It is not unrealistic G2 ends the season 5-4, which all things considered is a great rebound from last season, they’ve even already secured playoffs. Yet for many a G2 fan, their loss to Ghost is a reality check, as what they thought was their title for the taking is going to be an absolute dog fight.

=#2 - Susquehanna Soniqs - Satthew, Shock Dappur (+2)

This is not a type, not only are the Soniqs tied for second in our rankings, they currently sit second in the RLCS league table. It was another week for the Soniqs where it's very tough to levy any criticisms. They clutched up in a game five overtime vs former kings of clutch Pittsburgh Knights, and kept pace with Spacestation’s game differential by sweeping eUnited. In a change of pace, Dappur got the player of the day nomination over Shock for the Knights’ series, and deservedly so, him & Shock clearly have some next level synergy that's proving to be a run of form that goes beyond a miracle season, all the while Shock is the best player this season thus far, seeing him about to shoot the ball is more often than not a goal. It needs reiterating that this is Shock’s rookie season in the RLCS, Satthew’s second and Dappur’s first season in two years. Last week we rhetorically asked how far can they go? Now we ask if they can legitimately go all the way.

=#2 - NRG Esports - GarrettG, Jstn, Turbopolsa (-1)

It finally happened. Even if this is just temporary (as NRG in regional playoffs is a different monster), NRG is no longer our #1 ranked team in NA. A 3-0 loss to Cloud9 has obviously made C9 the talk of the town, but little discussion on where our world champions stand, probably due to the fact they are demi gods come playoffs, even in their worst season back in season six, the 4th seed went all the way and took the NA regional title. Regardless, for now, it doesn’t excuse the fact the 3-0 loss to Cloud9 was woeful. It might truly be the worst showing from NRG and all three players ever. Like said in the C9 section,you could replace the nametags with lower tier RLCS side and it wouldn’t look out of place. Simply put, a loss that bad and to a side so lowly ranked cannot go unpunished. Now odds are they still win out, put a gun to my head most people will say NRG all the way, and with good reason, although a clash with G2 this weekend might demote them even further down our rankings should it also go sour.

#1 - Spacestation Gaming - AxB, Sypical, Arsenal (+1)

Something that's been in the making since the off-season, the two headed monster is now the three headed dragon that tops our NA rankings. Barring the small slip up vs the Soniqs (which as time goes on looks less and less bad), Spacesation has not put a foot wrong. Arsenal continues to rack up high amounts of demolitiations, 2nd in the league thus far, while Sypical & AxB have swapped positions in a way. Sypical is now the main playmaker for this side, 3rd in clutch playmaker. But AxB’s growth has been the revelation for this side. He is the main rival to Shock for MVP this season, 4th in golden striker, all while having the highest shooting % in the league and more often than getting these goals in clutch moments to win games and series. They are convincing vs everyone outside of the top four, they also boast the best defense in the league, letting in just 1.25 goals per game, it really is no accident that at least for now, Spacestation Gaming is the best team in North America.

Here's how the committee came to these rankings: