Part Two of our 2020 PCS North America Power Rankings will focus on the eight teams between sixteenth and ninth! Occupying the middle of our year-end power ranking, these teams round out the top-sixteen and are the squads I would expect to see in a theoretical PCS4 Grand Final. This part of the leaderboard may be the most difficult for me to confidently sort, but I am confident that each of these teams had a successful year and deserve their spot inside the top-sixteen. If you missed Part One of our 2020 PCS Power Rankings, you can find the beginning of our list here.
16. Elus1ve
Elusive remained in the mix for all four PCS events this season, and while they may not have finished their season on a high note, the team deserves their spot inside the top-sixteen of our final PCS Power Ranking. Since the PCS3 NA Group Stage, Elusive has lost “Decinator” to Tactical 8 for the upcoming DreamHack Winter Showdown. How that roster moves impacts this team remains to be seen, however, the team can still count on the outstanding play from “SneakAttack”. He’s been the team’s leader in Kills and Damage since his arrival for PCS2.
15. Liberate
There was a point during the PCS2 NA Group Stage when many believed Liberate was next in line for a breakout performance. The team played well at times, but never took the next step to place them towards the top of the PCS leaderboard. Liberate managed to place fourteen in both PCS1 and PCS2, before ending their season just seven points outside of the PCS3 NA Grand Final cutoff mark.
14. Any Trolls In Chat
One of the more back and forth teams when looking at their final placement, Any Trolls In Chat certainly kept their fans on edge this year. Adjustments to the team’s roster heading into PCS2 would ultimately produce better results, as they brought in “KnorkiS” to reunite and form a deadly duo with the team’s leader fragger, “Marcelek”. The two made their mark during PCS2 but similar results wouldn’t materialize for the PCS3 NA Grand Final.
13. Comets
The Comets’ roster deserved a much better placement than a twelfth place finishes to the PCS3 NA Grand Final. Each of their four players has shown their individual talent, but the team couldn’t assemble a complete series to improve on their best outing in the PCS1 NA Grand Final. Ultimately, that would stand as their high point the season, but if the four stick together for future tournaments, the Comets could be a team to keep an eye on.
12. Fabled
At the center of Fabled throughout each of the three PCS events, was “hellaaaaaa” and “GregshotGG”. The team had its best performance during the PCS1 NA Grand Final, prior to picking up “Haxete” and “Rhyp” for the subsequent PCS2 NA Group Stage. Those additions were noteworthy at the time because a top-six PCS1 team was adding two respected players with plenty of experience. Results wouldn’t translate to a higher placement on the leaderboard, but the team played some great games down the stretch.
11. Illusion
The team came into each of the three PCS events with a different roster, which can be a true challenge for some teams. Depending on the experience the team had as a full squad, against real competition, Illusion may still have been figuring things out with their newest member. After losing “Adam” to Dodge heading into PCS3, Illusion announced the addition of “Lightshow”, who won’t be playing with the team in the DreamHack Winter Showdown. Thankfully for Illusion and their fans, three constants for Illusion have been “Icyflex”, “Topdawg”, and “Freemeplease”.
10. Dodge
Improving on their final placement in all three PCS tournaments this year, Dodge saw their largest rise on the leaderboard after picking up “Adam” prior to PCS3. This was an addition that many believed would immediately make Dodge a contender during PCS3 and the results proved that. While the team placed eighth, there were many opportunities for Dodge to surpass teams just ahead of them and possibly creep into the top-five. There is a lot to like about this team and the talent they have throughout the lineup, hopefully, we see the four return and improve on the team’s synergy.
9. DUEL
Coming out of the PCS2 NA Grand Final and heading into the PCS3 NA Group Stage, DUEL brought in “pentalol” and “Linksy”. Two players that would add even more high-level experience and skill to that of “Cherry” and “Wooly”. Instantly, the team demanded our attention as a roster with plenty of potential heading into the PCS3 NA Grand Final. The reason for their spot at number nine in our 2020 PCS NA Power Ranking is the team’s entire body of work. While the team closed out the PCS Series with their best performance of the season, the team’s play during PCS1 and PCS2 was not nearly as impressive. If this list only considered the most recent play of teams, DUEL would easily be inside the top five. I think extremely highly of this roster and what they accomplished during the PCS3 NA Grand Final, but they land at number nine on the 2020 PCS NA Power Rankings.