Phase 3 Week 6
Bolts, Titans Surge, Warriors in Free Fall
#1
Atlantis Leviathans (8-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: 2-0 (Valkyries 2-0, Titans 2-0)
This week: Dragons, Scarabs, Bolts
The Leviathans have continued to do what they do best. They find ways to win, and that can be scary for a team with this pedigree. They have shown results in regular phases and Worlds, and for competitors watching their matches, it feels like even when you keep games close the Leviathans have the upper hand. How are you supposed to be comfortable facing this team? Panitom flourished with the aegis-beads combo banned this weekend, and he showed why he is definitively the best jungler in all of SMITE right now. The Leviathans’ win streak has ballooned to 8 wins—after the Dragons’ torrid start to the phase, suddenly it is the Leviathans at the door step of history. With three sets this week, two of which (Scarabs, Bolts) should be straightforward wins for them, breaking the all-time set win streak is in the cards for the Leviathans. Guarding that door? The Jade Dragons.
Prediction: 2-1 Dragons, 2-0 Scarabs, 2-0 Bolts
#2
Jade Dragons (7-2)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: 2-0 (Scarabs 2-0, Kings 2-1)
This week: Leviathans, Warriors, Titans
Dragons slowed down this week, but promisingly they still won. For the first time in 7 set wins, the Dragons took a 2-1. That is good news, because adversity is inevitable in a tightly competitive league such as this one. If the Dragons want to beat, say, the Leviathans, they will have to get comfortable with the idea of losing games but winning sets. Adjustments matter, and the Dragons have started to adjust. The Dragons have a hard week, facing the Leviathans, Warriors, and Titans, the latter of whom look much more impressive coming out of the bye week. How they fair this week will have massive implications on playoff seeding and, eventually Worlds. However, it is difficult to imagine a world where the Dragons and Leviathans are not the two teams to auto-qualify from playoffs—regardless of who is the 1 seed.
Prediction: 1-2 Leviathans, 2-0 Warriors, 2-1 Titans
#3
Camelot Kings (5-4)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: 0-2 (Dragons 1-2, Valkyries 1-2)
This week: Bolts, Scarabs
This was a hard week for the Kings. Two losses, including a set they should have won against the Valkyries, is disappointing. CaptainTwig has looked lost the last two weeks, and he even played Pele against the Valkyries, a god who screams, well, Screammmmm, and not CaptainTwig. The Kings will not be punished in these rankings for the losses—yet. One of the losses was against a top 2 team, and it was a 3 game set with every game being close. Against the Valkyries, the Kings should have won. However, the Valkyries are a team that can show up in a given or week, or be completely absent. Sometimes, even a good team will lose to a team like that. Similar to how the Warriors maintained their #4 ranking last week after losing to the Bolts, the Kings too will remain at the #3 spot. But make no mistake, the Kings are vulnerable, and an upset for the Bolts is entirely in the cards.
Prediction: 1-2 Bolts, 2-0 Scarabs
#4
Olympus Bolts (4-5)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: 2-0 (Warriors 2-1, Scarabs 2-0)
This week: Kings, Leviathans
How about the BOLTS?! Before the games last weekend, I had the privilege of interviewing Bolts ADC BaRRaCCuDDa for a player spotlight. In it, Barra mentioned that last week’s win had reinvigorated the squad, and so far he seems right about that. The rematch against the Warriors had even more impressive comebacks, and the Bolts claimed the series-sweep for phase 3, beating the Warriors now in two straight sets. What is the ceiling for this team? Who knows. Maybe the Bolts know, and maybe the rest of us are about to find out as well.
Prediction: 2-1 Kings, 0-2 Leviathans
#5
Tartarus Titans (4-5)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: 1-1 (Warriors 2-0, Leviathans 0-2)
This week: Scarabs, Valkyries, Dragons
(Image from of @gr4ves_ on twitter)
The Titans came out of the bye with an impressive win over the Warriors, then followed it up with a competitive but ultimately 2-0 loss to the Leviathans. Notably, the Titans have added yet another Scarabs player, this time sLainy, the Scarabs coach. With the addition of a coach, the Titans may just yet make good on all of the talent on their roster. They seem to be enjoying themselves now, and that bodes well for them in the long term. The addition of a sixth voice in the room to help them sort out some of their plaguing questions—drafts, objective play—the Titans may just be primed for a run.
Prediction: 2-0 Scarabs, 2-0 Valkyries, 1-2 Dragons
#6
Oni Warriors (5-4)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: 0-2 (Bolts 1-2, Titans 0-2)
This week: Valkyries, Dragons
What happened to the Warriors? For the second straight week, the Warriors fall two places in these rankings. Two weeks ago, they were 4-1 and solidly in second place. Since then, they have face each of the Bolts and Titans twice, winning just one set. Their losing streak is now at 3 sets, and while they maintain a top 4 spot in the standings, all trends point to the Warriors losing their footing. Junglers have been massively important in this phase, and QvoFred’s consistency issues are exacerbated by just how much the Warriors lean on him. He may not be a load-bearing pillar for this squad, and it is hard to see where else they can turn for wins—Vote and Nika have been two of the very best in their roles, but that hasn’t changed even in their losses, and their stellar performances haven’t been enough to keep the Warriors afloat.
So the Warriors find themselves in the #6 slot, but let me clarify—their downfall has shifted the shape of the league. Before this week (and certainly two weeks ago), there was a clear top four and a clear bottom four. Now, there is a clear top 2, a messy middle 4, and a clear bottom 2, and these gaps are shrinking every week. All of this to say: 6th place on these rankings is not the warning sign it would have been two or three weeks ago. The Warriors are still a talented roster who can keep games close. They just need to find their footing again.
Prediction: 2-1 Valkyries, 0-2 Dragons
#7
Valhalla Valkyries (2-7)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: 1-1 (Leviathans 0-2, Kings 2-1)
This week: Warriors, Titans
The Valkyires won a competitive set against the Kings, and they had close games against the Leviathans. Long story short—the Valkyries can hang with the best, but consistency is the name of the game. Sometimes you get a Valkyries team that shows up and loses to the Solar Scarabs. Sometimes you get the team that beats the Kings. The Valkyries do not move up this week, but they have shown potential to move up. How they fair against the rest of the middle teams—the Bolts, Titans, and Warriors—will determine if (and how far) they can jump out of this 7th place. One thing is for sure—the Valkyries are one of the funnest teams in this league, and when they click, they can exceed even the loftiest of expectations.
Prediction: 1-2 Warriors, 0-2 Titans
#8
Solar Scarabs (1-8)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: 0-2 (Dragons 0-2, Bolts 0-2)
This week: Titans, Leviathans, Kings
The beatings players leaving will continue until morale improves.
Prediction: 0-2 Titans, 0-2 Leviathans, 0-2 Kings
