Before we get to a fresh set of 5v5 power rankings, let’s recap the 3v3 Switch Open a bit!

First off, congrats to Pacers Gaming on the first ever championship win. One of the most dominant runs in league history, without question. One loss and it came in the Finals, truly impressive stuff. Vandi finally gets his moment, Jomar adds another title to an incredible 2K career, and even Wolf finally got some vindication after five long years with no championships. I had someone ask me if we should weigh 3v3 banners the same as 5v5, considering the historical relevance of 5v5 and I say we should. These banners are incredibly hard to get, even in 3v3. I think they all count equally, there are just more chances now to get one. I would think of it more that now we just get more things to celebrate and that’s always a good thing.

As the Switch Open comes to a close, I think it’s a smart idea to reflect on 3v3 as a whole for the league. Let me first acknowledge that I have biases when it comes to this topic, so I’ll try to minimize those. My initial argument after that Slam that there are simply too many games still stands true I think. I know we are trying to even the playing field since 3v3 is a bit random, but I still think a best-of-three series would give us the best team more often than not. All these games are hard to follow, even for me! And that’s saying something! Less games would equal more drama and stakes too, which is never a bad thing. My only other real critique is that two group play weeks seems like a lot, so my whole point is that the more dramatic the league can make 3v3, the better.

Outside of that, I really think 3v3 has been a positive influence on the league. The games have gotten visibly more fun to watch as the teams have gotten better. The addition of Handlez as this lone wolf community team fending off high-level pros is a killer storyline. I like how some guys are better at one mode than the other and how building chemistry in one can carry over to the other mode. It’s fun to track.

At the end of the day, if you are a 5v5 purist, you probably aren’t going to watch 3v3. If you don’t care that much, you’ll probably give 3v3 a watch. It seems the fans have basically taken their sides at this point, it’s cool to see different groups of people in the Twitch and YouTube chat per mode. But, as an initial skeptic, I’m pretty excited for the playoffs. I think it’s going to be really intense, especially with all the best teams in one place for a week. It’s going to get feisty real quick. I’m still a little skeptical about the Steal since the bad 3v3 teams this year have been…very bad, but maybe some bad team chaos will be some fun. Let’s get to some 5v5 Power Rankings (trades included) to finish things off!

 

Eastern Conference

76ers GC (LW: 1)
Wizards District Gaming (Last Week: 2)
Gen.G Tigers (LW: 3)
Knicks Gaming (LW: 5)
Heat Check Gaming (LW: 4)
Nets GC (LW: 8)
CLTX Gaming (LW: 7)
Grizz Gaming.(LW: 6)
Raptors Uprising GC (LW: 9)
Hawks Talon GC (LW: 10)
Hornets Venom GT (LW: 11)
Magic Gaming (LW: 12)

The East is split into 3 tiers. Tier 1 is 76ers GC, Wiz DG, and Gen.G. Pretty clearly the three best teams in the conference. All very good, yet I don’t think we’ve seen any of the three play their best ball yet. Tier 2 is Knicks Gaming, Heat Check Gaming, Nets GC, CLTX, and Grizz Gaming. Your resident bubble teams. All have consistent issues, but they have enough talent to make every game a challenge. The best two teams of this group during Seed Week will make the playoffs. Our last tier is Raptors Uprising GC, Hawks Talon GC, Hornets Venom GT, and Magic Gaming. Ranging from scrappy to probably not making noise. Maybe one of these teams will make a surprising run. We’ve seen enough of them this year to know what they are at this point. That’s the East – not too complicated at this point.

Western Conference

T-Wolves Gaming (Last Week: 1)
Warriors Gaming Squad (LW: 2)
Lakers Gaming (LW: 3)
Jazz Gaming (LW: 5)
Bucks Gaming (LW: 4)
Mavs Gaming (LW: 6)
Dux Infinitos (LW: 8)
Pacers Gaming (LW: 9)
Cavs Legion GC (LW: 12)
Kings Guard Gaming (LW: 7)
Pistons GT (LW: 10)
Blazer5 Gaming (LW: 11)

The West is split up almost exactly the same, but with some different context and much different sized tiers. Tier 1 is still three teams. T-Wolves Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, and Lakers Gaming have solidified themselves as the top teams in the conference. Jazz Gaming, Bucks Gaming, and Mavs Gaming make up the second tier of our true bubble teams. All three are playoff caliber teams, so let’s see which two survive seed weeks. Our final tier is everyone else in the West. Maybe based on talent or trades you could separate another tier out, but at this point it’s likely that only one team out of this group will make any kind of run to finish off the season. Most likely are the top three of the tier in Dux Infinitos, Pacers Gaming, and Cavs Legion GC, but that’s likely not coming until the Ticket anyway. The West playoffs are going to be a gauntlet, may the best team win.