With the Fall Major in Rotterdam fast approaching, teams across the world will be working harder than ever in the hopes of performing well at the first LAN event of the season. Every region is more stacked than ever before, and it looks like this will be the most exciting Major yet with each region sending their very best teams.
Let’s take a look at our RLCS 22-23 Fall Major power rankings to see how the competition stacks up:
RLCS 22-23 Fall Major Favorites
There are two clear favorites when it comes to predicting the winner of the RLCS 22-23 Fall Major, both of which dominated their respective regions and have looked untouchable at times. Firstly coming from Europe, the now fully French speaking Karmine Corp roster of Amine “itachi” Benayachi, Axel “vatira.” Touret and Brice “ExoTiiK” Bigeard have truly lived up to the hype that came with their announcement. Winning the Fall Cup and making all three Grand Finals during online play, the trio have looked incredibly dominant so far this season, and will hope to replicate this form when it comes to LAN.
The second clear favorite for the Fall Major have had similar dominance over in North America. Gen.G started this season with zero expectations for themselves or from any of their fans, however despite this they were able to match the results of Karmine Corp, making it to all three grand finals and taking a win in the Fall Invitational. Playing with no pressure alongside their incredible teamwork has been the key to success for this new roster, and if they can keep this positive environment and mentality when it comes to LAN then they will be in with a great shot at victory.
Despite Gen.G and Karmine being the two clear favorites in most people’s eyes, there are still other teams that will be looked at as favorites going into this Major. FaZe Clan were able to make the top 4 in three out of the four RLCS LAN events last season, showing us that they have what it takes to perform on stage. The pickup of Nick “mist” Costello has so far proved to be the right choice with their solid start to the season and victory in the Fall Open, and the NA #2 seed will be hoping that he is the missing piece that is needed to break through their top 4 barrier.
G2 Esports is another team that can never be slept on when it comes to LAN time. Last season they were able to win the Winter Major, and after a disappointing finish at the Spring Major they bounced back making it to the Grand Finals at the World Championship. This team is definitely not short of LAN experience and know how to perform on the main stage. Unlike most teams, they decided not to make a roster change in the off season, however that doesn’t make this trio any less of a threat and they will be looking to prove they are still one of the best in the world in Rotterdam after a lacklustre online split.
Here’s our Power Rankings for all the qualified teams:
PositionTeam
1Gen.G Mobil1 Racing
2Karmine Corp
3FaZe Clan
4G2 Esports
5Version1
6Team Liquid
7Spacestation Gaming
8Oxygen Esports
9Moist Esports
10Team Falcons
11The Club
12Quadrant
13PWR
14Pioneers
15Team Secret
16James Cheese
Underdogs and “teams to watch”
Team Falcons and The Club are two teams from minor regions that have strong potential to cause some upsets in this tournament. Both teams finished in the top 12 at Worlds, which was an impressive result for The Club who were making their LAN debut, whereas Team Falcons were disappointed with this result after their second place finish at the Spring Major. The Club have since then made a roster change and dominated their region, winning all three regionals and look to be a very scary side that shouldn’t be underestimated. Team Falcons will be looking for redemption, and after losing their first regional they have bounced back and are looking stronger than ever, ready to replicate their Spring Major performance.
The young team Liquid roster were only able to attend one LAN event last season, where despite only being able to achieve a top 8 finish, they shocked the world with an impressive victory over G2. The trio had a shaky start to the RLCS 22-23 season, however a surprising first place finish in the final event earned them their spot at the major as Europe’s #3 seed. Inconsistency has been the downfall of Team Liquid, however if they play to the peak level that they have shown then they certainly have the talent to win an event like this.
Even though they might not be a contender for first place, an exciting team to look out for is the APAC representative, “James Cheese”. Last season the APAC teams had a difficult time competing at LANs, however this new roster consisting of the best Japanese player Shogo “ReaLize” Ikeyama alongside ex-European pro Nelson “virtuoso” Lasko and ex-OCE pro Cameron “Kamii” Ingram is a huge upgrade for the region. It is good to see that an APAC team finally has the skill to challenge the best in the world, and it will be interesting watching them attempt to cause upsets.
Despite there being a few clear favourites, with this event being so stacked it feels as though almost anyone could win it. With so much on the line and so much potential for upsets, you won’t want to miss any of the action at the Rotterdam Fall Major.
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