Team Liquid still leads NA CSGO Major Rankings after Road to Rio

M Alzamora Published 21/05/2020

With Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s first Regional Ranking tournament now over, fans have an accurate picture of where their favorite team stands as CSGO heads into the just-announced summer Regional Major Ranking tournament, CS Summit 6.

Only teams from the European and North American regions are able to compete at CS Summit this summer, meaning that the teams in these regions will have an additional opportunity to make up or lose ground on their opponents heading into the fall tournament.

Team Liquid leads RMR standings thanks to Berlin Major

North America saw some surprises, including the de facto regional leader Team Liquid falling to fourth place in ESL’s Road to Rio after sloppy losses to both Team Envy and FURIA Esports. FURIA impressed, going 5-0 in the group stage and sweeping Team Liquid before falling to Gen.G Esports 2-1 in the tournament’s grand finals.

Gen.G also looks like they’ve created a firm foundation after several months of instability to start the year. Here are the official standings, created by adding a team’s points from Road to Rio to any bonus points Valve awarded for StarLadder Berlin placements.

This should give fans a complete picture of North America heading into the second Regional Major Ranking tournament – CS Summit 6.

North American ESL One Rio qualification standings

1. Team Liquid

Points: 1900 (1300 RtR, 600 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio Finish: 4th

Team Liquid couldn’t really get it together at North America’s Road to Rio, and they haven’t started off DreamHack Masters Spring well either. If Liquid is going to drop games to teams like Chaos Esports Club, NA’s top-ranked team may be in trouble.

2. 100 Thieves

Points: 1700 (1100 Rtr, 600 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 6th

100 Thieves has been a consistently strong team, and that’s reflected by their ranking here. Also consistent has been their struggle to take their success to the next level. CS Summit will provide another opportunity for the Australian side.

3. Evil Geniuses

Points: 1650 (950 RtR, 600 StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 7th

Like Liquid, Evil Geniuses has struggled in 2020. Even with Cvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov’s often impressive play, EG has only taken third place in the Regional Major Rankings thanks to their fantastic placement at the Berlin Major.

Even with a shiny new coat of paint with the Geniuses’ recent rebrand, that won’t be enough to keep this spot without something to revitalize their play inside the server.

4. Gen. G Esports

Points: 1600 (1600 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 1st

Gen.G seems to have finally worked out its communication issues between Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand and the rest of the team after those issues plagued Gen.G’s early 2020 campaign. Now BnTeT and his frequent bombsite partner Sam “s0m” Oh seem to be on the same page, and their play shows it.

Gen.G took home first place at Road to Rio but is stuck in fourth place thanks to Valve’s StarLadder Berlin bonus points. Look for them to continue their run at CS Summit 6.

5. FURIA

Points: 1500 (1500 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 2nd

FURIA was a standout performer in the North American Road to Rio, and it’s been a long time coming. They’re in fourth place without a single bonus point from Berlin, and they’ve looked great over the past months. There is one thing to remember, however: FURIA is often a beast of a team online, but it tends to struggle when the competition moves to LAN play. Luckily for FURIA, CS Summit 6 will take place entirely over the internet. They’ll be in position to make more moves there.

6. Cloud9

Points: 1400 (1400 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 3rd

Cloud9’s inconsistency was clear to see during their runs in the Road to Rio and in FLASHPOINT. This team has shown it has the potential to beat any opponent but still lacks the raw firepower required to consistently place among the best teams in the world.

7. Team Envy

Points: 1200 (1200 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 5th

Envy quietly put together a respectable performance during the first Road to Rio tournament. The squad will need more than that if they hope to make waves in North America, however.

8. MIBR

Points: 950 (900 RtR, 300 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 8th

MIBR has recently replaced Ignacio “meyern” Meyer with Alencar “trk” Rossato ahead of DreamHack Masters. But MIBR’s fifth slot seems to be cursed. There isn’t a fifth in the world that can give MIBR what it really needs to make it to ESL One Rio, which is new leadership. Without a different type of change, this team is likely to continue to struggle.

9. Bad News Bears

Points: 750 RMR Points (750 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 9-10th

Bad News Bear has is a confusing team with an unclear future. Comprised of a collection tier-two Counter-Strike players, there’s a constant possibility that any one of them jumps ship.

Led by CSGO veteran Peter “ptr” Gurney, it’s likely that Bad News Bears continues on in at least some capacity going forward. With an additional opportunity to gain ground on inconsistent teams at CS Summit 6, this team is in position to be a thorn in the side of more serious contenders.

10. Triumph

Points: 750 RMR Points (750 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 9-10th

Triumph’s roster looks dedicated to continuing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but finishing on par with Bad News Bears team doesn’t look great for a team trying to break into the top of the North American rankings. Maybe they’re just not there yet, but this team is going to have to step it up if they want to have a chance at an ESL One Rio appearance.

11. Yeah

Points: 600 RMR Points (600 RtR, 0 from StarLadder Berlin)

Road to Rio finish: 11th

This Brazillian team might have had a better time competing in their home region of South America. As recent results have shown, there is a weakness at the top echelon of Brazillian Counter-Strike, but the scene’s second tier is still much weaker than North America’s. They’ll have another opportunity at CS Summit 6, but it’s unclear what this clearly outmatched team can do with it.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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