EU Power Rankings

Welcome to the EU edition of Power Rankings, presented by Average Gatsby. I’ve made a number of tweaks based on the feedback we received from the first North American issue.
Navigating the EU competitive scene is tough to say the least. Most teams are run by organizations rather than players, so a team with circuit points may have a completely different line up now than when they won the circuit points. Teams change roster or organizations seemingly on a weekly basis. Europe has had fewer opportunities to gain circuit points in the preseason than North America. Finally, top European teams compete against each other constantly, no matter how large or small the prize pool is.
As a result, I’ll be adding in some teams that have not qualified for any circuit points but have achieved stand-out performances in tournaments and Prized Events where other circuit teams have participated. However, as always, live event performance at Challenger Circuit events are weighted higher than any online event. After all, online events alone will not get a team to the Season Two Championship.
1. Moscow Five:

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: #1
• Most Recent Circuit Results: 1^st at IntelEM Kiev
• Notable Prized Events: 2^nd at the Kings of Europe Tournament, 1^st Go4LoL EU West #71

Moscow Five’s performance at IntelEM Kiev last week stunned many fans of the competitive scene, both with their aggressive play style and peerless team coordination. They continued to do well in the Kings of Europe tournament, defeating many of the top European teams, CLG.eu being the lone exception. The matches between Moscow Five and CLG.eu at Kings of Europe were incredibly close, and I expect we’ll see both teams face off in many more finals as the season progresses.
2. CLG.eu :

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: Not Rated
• Notable Prized Events: 1^st Kings of Europe Tournament, 1^st Go4LoL November Monthly Finals

Though CLG.eu has yet to compete in a Challenger Circuit event together as a team, the players on the team have been making huge waves in the European competitive scene since they formed. The only thing keeping CLG.eu from the first place slot is they’ve yet to have a chance to prove themselves at a live event. Players like Wickd and Snoopeh have a wealth of live event experience in other live events, and it seems like only a matter of time before this team starts earning its way up the Challenger Circuit rankings.
3. Sypher :

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: 4^th
• Most Recent Circuit Result: 7/8^th at IntelEM Kiev
• Notable Prized Events: 4^th Kings of Europe

Sypher’s performance seems to vary greatly each event. At IntelEM Kiev, they were defeated 0-3 in the group stage, yet at Kings of Europe they advanced to the semi-finals and took game off Moscow Five. For a team that only became well known in November of last year, they are off to a promising start.
4. aAa :

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: 6^th
• Most Recent Challenger Circuit Result: 5/6^th IntelEM Kiev
• Notable Prized Events: 1^st Go4LoL #74

The 2^nd Place team from the Season One Championships has reformed under their old banner and has been aggressively competing since. Though they haven’t achieved a standout live event performance, there’s no doubt this veteran team will be iching for another chance to claim a League of Legends Championship title.
5. Absolute Legends (Formerly Mistral Esports):

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: Not Rated
• Notable Prized Events: 3^rd Kings of Europe Tournament, #1 seed in the Go4LoL EU West December Monthly Finals, Group stage 1^st Place in EMS IX, 2^nd Go4LoL EU West #71

Like CLG.eu, the Kings of Europe tournament put Absolute Legends on the map for many League of Legends fans. Under Mistral, the team has been competing steadily in Go4LoL and EMS Season IX, earning many victories over more well-known League of Legends teams. With their seemingly endless appetitie for games on the ranked 5’s ladder as well as competition in Prized Events, Absolute Legends could be the next break out team for Europe.
6. SK Gaming:

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: 2^nd (Tied)
• Most Recent Circuit Results: 4^th at IntelEM Kiev
• Notable Prized Events: 1^st Go4LoL #72

After Kiev, only two teams have been able to beat Moscow Five in a tournament: CLG.eu in Kings of Europe, and SK Gaming in the first round of the Cdiscount cup. SK Gaming as an organization has been involved in League of Legends eSports since WCG 2010, and with their recent increase in tournament participation, SK Gaming seems ready to once again take on the competitive scene.
7. FnaticRaidCall :

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: 2^nd (Tied)
• Most Recent Circuit Result: 1^st IntelEM New York (failed to qualify for Kiev)
• Notable Prized Events: 2^nd Go4LoL #74

While not qualifying for IntelEM Kiev and an early loss in the group stage of Kings of Europe disappointed many Fnatic fans, the Season One Champions have had unmatched success in performances at live events. Fnatic has recently stepped up both their practice schedule and participation in online tournaments, renewing hopes for the team as the IntelEM World Championship approaches.
8. exGBT

• Current Challenger Circuit Rating: Not Rated
• Notable Prized Events: 2^nd WCG 2011

As the representative team from Poland during WCG 2011, exGBT stunned many observers with their upset victory over the Canadian All-Star team. exGBT has completely dominated the EU Nordic & East Go4LoL scene and with their inclusion in the Kings of Europe tournament, have proved they belong amongst the best Europe has to offer.
Up and Coming Teams:
Europe is host to an incredibly vibrant competitive scene, and the number of teams participating in even the smallest prized events is astounding. Here are some of the teams that didn’t quite make it into the official power rankings but show excellent promise:

• Millenium: Though Millenium performed well in some pre-season events, the current team has a completely different line up than when they earned those points, with the exception of Kujaa. We’ll see how they do once the players arrive in their new gaming house.
• 3DMax: 3DMax has been steadily competing in EU West Go4LoL events, earning the number one seed going into the January go4LoL monthly finals. As Go4LoL has historically been the place where many top teams break out into the upper eschalons of competitive play, they are definitely a team to watch
• WesternWolves: Made up of some former members of Low Land Lions, Western Wolves are another successful Go4LoL team. Having defeated SK Gaming in the first round of the Go4LoL December Monthly finals, earning the top seed in EMS Season IX, and taking second place in Go4LoL #70, Western Wolves have made a major impact in a short amount of time.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think. We’ll be back with another issue of Power Rankings, this time for North America, as we get closer to the IntelEM World Championship.