It’s time for part three and the final edition of our first Americas Power Ranking of the season. Here, we’ve picked the region’s top-eight teams and provided some analysis as to why we’re so high on these particular rosters. While the top of our rankings may not surprise many, we could potentially have a few teams higher or lower than where you would personally slot them. It’s the entire purpose behind Power Rankings, it’s a subjective overview of the region and shouldn’t necessarily be a repost of the most recent leaderboard.
The eight teams listed below, or the players making up the teams, have consistently proven themselves to be some of the best players from this region. On any given roster you’ll find a few players who have been around the competitive scene and played at the highest levels of PUBG Esports. In my opinion, these teams are without a doubt some of the most talented squads in our region and have the most potential moving forward.
8. THE RUMBLERS
(LosHD, Waldoe, Cherry, Valliate)
Adding Cherry and Valliate ahead of ESL Masters, The Rumblers opened up play in the Group Stage with a roster that looked ready to advance into the Finals. Unfortunately, this team ran into the common obstacles that have caused strong new rosters to stumble in the past. The Rumblers’ individual talent and experience easily make them a top-eight team, in my opinion, but we all know that great teams aren’t formed overnight. Returning to the battlegrounds after more than a year away from the game, Valliate appears to have not missed a beat since his last competitive event. The team’s individual stats aren’t reflective of the potential for this roster, but over a shortened Bo12, The Rumblers struggled to put together a complete match.
7. TEAM VERITAS
(Jazza, mykLe, DannyG, DTreats)
Joining the team after his extended stay with Dodge last season, Team Veritas added DannyG to the roster for their two most recent events. In their first showing as a new four-man squad, Team Veritas placed fourth in Spark Series Season 1. This past weekend, the team failed to advance to the ESL Masters Americas Finals but did manage to secure an invite to the PCS4 NA Group Stage with a twelve-place finish overall. mykLe led the team with 17 Kills and 4200 Damage over the team’s twelve matches, placing him at No.16 overall in kills for individual players.
6. GUADALAJARA GASCANS
(HoneyBadger, Nicoos, oldless, adam)
The Guadalajara Gascans are a team that people could have forgotten about as four North American teams were stealing the spotlight at PGI.S earlier this year. Who’s to say they couldn’t have made a name for themselves on the big stage in Korea as well? The team was consistent and started coming into their own towards the end of the season, and their second-place finish in the PCS3 NA Grand Final proved they were up to the task against the best teams in this region. This year, they’ve bolstered their roster with the addition of adam, who will inevitably enhance the team’s in-game decision-making.
5. SPICY FISH
(Uncivil, Sharpshot, Roth, Keenan)
Likely the most interesting roster news throughout the Americas region is the player combination that produced Spicy Fish. One of the biggest stories of this season was the sudden departure of Uncivil from Shoot To Kill, followed up by the sudden announcement by Roth that he wouldn’t be returning to Zenith Esports. Two of the best players in North America have now united and brought with them Sharpshot and Keenan to finish out the roster. As with any new team, the communication and timing of playing with new teammates will only improve with the more matches they play together. For some teams, the “synergy” that makes up a great team can come naturally. For others, it may never materialize. Only time will tell, but early signs are positive for Spicy Fish and their supporters.
4. ZENITH ESPORTS
(Poonage, Shinboi, Meluke, Vegas)
Following their million-dollar journey through the PUBG Global Invitational.S, Zenith Esports returned to regional play with two new members alongside Poonage and Shinboi. The team’s two most experienced players, Roth and Kickstart, both elected to play for other North American teams ahead of the ESL Masters and PCS4 Group Stage. Filling their vacant spots are two incredibly talented players with a long history of winning in North American PUBG Esports. Vegas, who was a member of Ghost Gaming during the NPL and PGC 2019, returns to PUBG Esports and has been tasked with helping extend Zenith’s impressive performance at the start of this season into the regional tournaments. Additionally, the team picked up the former three-time NPL Champion Meluke, who should also help answer any questions of experience with this roster.
3. OATH GAMING
(Snakers, Kickstart, Balefrost, Relo)
Their total prize pool may indicate a different story, but Oath Gaming was one of the best teams at PGI.S earlier this season. Week after week, the team showed moments of dominance on the global stage against the best teams from around the world. And prior to that, they took first place in the DreamHack Winter Showdown and placed top-four in all four PCS events last season. If that wasn’t good enough, they’ve now added Kickstart, who moves over after helping Zenith Esports collect more than one million dollars at the same event they just placed nineteenth at. This roster appears to have everything they need to contest the region’s top two teams, but it’s too early to tell how well Kickstart will slot into this team.
2. SHOOT TO KILL
(PurdyKurty, aLOW, Luke12, Pentalol)
After a sudden roster change at PGI.S that left most fans scratching their heads, Shoot To Kill returned home and begin settling into their new roster before the ESL Masters began. Already through the Group Stage with the Americas Finals quickly approaching, PurdyKurty and the boys will have their first regional opportunity to reassert themselves on top of the leaderboard against a tough lobby of opponents. If I know anything about these players, their coach, and the preparation behind the scenes, it’s that STK is doing everything within their power to finish ESL Masters on top with their regional rivals beneath them.
1. SONIQS
(hwinn, TGLTN, Zanpah, Shrimzy, M1ME)
Our back-to-back PCS Champions and the reigning PUBG Global Invitational.S Champions are eager to add another major title to their legacy with a strong performance in the ESL Masters Americas Final. Had this team continued rolling without any issues from their PGI.S celebrations to the ESL Masters Group Stage, I would have said to save us the time and just carve Soniqs’ name onto the trophy now. That’s how well this team was playing the last time we saw them. However, they’ve been playing without M1ME, whose been an integral piece of the team’s recent success, through the first stage of the ESL Masters. Could this be a slight crack in the armor of PUBG Esports’ most dominant team?
Zanpah has been enlisted to help the team while M1ME is sidelined, and I don’t know if they could have found many players better than him to step in on the short notice. Despite their star-studded roster, the Soniqs qualified for the Americas Finals by a single point over their twelve-match Group Stage. One additional kill-point from Any Trolls In Chat would have bumped Soniqs out, and taken away their chance to secure the real award of ESL Masters, PGC Qualification Points.