CS:S Invite Power Rankings - Week Two


1. X3O


X3O improved to 3-0 with two large-margin wins in Week Two on de_cpl_strike. First up was Eximius Sports, with X3O starting on the defensive half. The team dominated CT-side with a score of 12-3. X3O's defensive was superb, getting a number of early picks and rarely allowing Eximius to enter each bombsite without losing a handful of players. While Eximius picked up three rounds in the second half, it was X3O that controlled the pace as they cruised to a final 16-6 win. X3O carried the momentum through to Week 2:2 against rSports NA. X3O accomplished what Eximius couldn't; taking control of bombsites offensively and planting the bomb. X3O ran through rSports' defensive and won the half 8-7. X3O had similar success on defensive, only allowing one round against them as the team quickly advanced to a 16-8 victory. X3O is the last undefeated team remaining but with a Week One match against AYEDOG yet to be played, their undefeated record could be in jeopordy.

Week 3
3:1 - X3O vs. Team Dynamic
3:2 - X3O vs. Area 51 CSS


2. Netcode Illuminati


Netcode Illuminati (NCI) reigned supreme on de_cpl_strike in Week Two, as the team crushed both of their opponents and picked up their first two wins of the season. Against Team Dynamic, NCI started on the offensive side and wasted no time scoring rounds. NCI ran over the defense with ease and picked up eleven rounds to Dynamic's four in the first half. The second half was all Netcode's as the team won five straight rounds to earn a 16-4 victory, the largest margin for any de_cpl_strike match in CS:S-Invite this past week. If you could ignore the names in the server, fans watching Netcode's SourceTV could have very well been watching the same Netcode/Dynamic match considering the similarities between Netcode's Week 2:1 and 2:2 matches. But instead, it was Head Whitesmans that suffered the same fate as Dynamic at the hands of Netcode. NCI earned nine rounds on T-side in the first half and breezed through the second half to win 16-7. After a 0-2 start, Netcode has managed to make a huge surge in both the power rankings and the division standings.

Week 3
3:1 - Netcode Illuminati vs. Area 51 CSS
3:2 - Netcode Illuminati vs. AYEDOG


3. Head Whitesmans


Coming in to the Invite division as one of the two rookie teams, Head Whitesmans surprised by starting off the season at 3-0 but Netcode Illuminati had the best of them as the team wrapped up the week 3-1. Head Whitesmans' first match against Area 51 CSS was the team's first scare of the season, a bit surprising considering Area 51 sits at the bottom of the standings. After many missed opportunities, Head Whitesmans' finally cleaned up in overtime to take a 21-16 victory. Against Netcode Illuminati, Head Whitesmans appeared to be completely outmatched. Their CT-side was a disaster to start out, leaving little room for a comeback on T-side. Nevertheless, at 3-1 with second place in the division standings, Head Whitesmans rightfully deserve a high power ranking. With the team's first match against AYEDOG coming up in Week Three, Head Whitesmans has a prime pportunity to prove they are one of this season's best early on.

Week 3
3:1 - Head Whitesmans vs. AYEDOG
3:2 - Head Whitesmans vs. rSports NA


4. Team Dynamic

Team Dynamic finally picked up their first win in Week Two. Considering that victory came at the mercy of AYEDOG, the reigning champs, it was probably the most gratifying way for a team at the bottom of the standings to pick up a W. While AYEDOG won the first half, Dynamic impressed with six rounds on T-side. A number of the rounds came down to small game situations, where Dynamic was just outmatched by AYEDOG's raw skill. But in terms of team coordination, Dynamic seemed to have the advantage, not too frequent from this team. Dynamic took control defensively, limiting AYEDOG's access to bombsites and picking up rounds before the T's even had the chance to plant. While AYEDOG gave Dynamic a scare late into the second half, Dynamic managed to pick up the remaining rounds for a 16-13 final score. Unfortunately, Dynamic couldn't even come close to mimicking that same success against Netcode Illuminati. All of that team chemistry was thrown out the window as NCI crushed Dynamic 16-4. Still, Dynamic is the only team to boast a win against AYEDOG since last season's playoffs and that could possibly hold true for quite some time, which is why the team has advanced in the power rankings.

Week 3
3:1 - Team Dynamic vs. X3O
3:2 - Team Dynamic vs. Eximius Sports



5. Eximius Sports

Similar to Team Dynamic, Eximius Sports also picked up their first win of the season during Week Two and likewise was overpowered in their second de_cpl_strike match. First, we'll look at the bad news. Eximius was manhandled in their debut strike match, as X3O crushed Eximius 16-6. X3O nearly doubled Eximius' frag total, leaving little opportunity for Eximius to pick up any rounds. The good news is that Eximius avenged the loss with a 16-12 win against Area 51 CSS. The first match served as a wake-up call for Eximius and the team seemed to have reconstructed their offense. Eximius won their T-side 10-5, and while they had a few slip-ups on CT-side, the team eventually won 16-12.

Week 3
3:1 - Eximius Sports vs. rSports NA
3:2 - Eximius Sports vs. Team Dynamic


6. AYEDOG

After two weeks of regular season play, AYEDOG is still two matches short with just a 1-1 record going into Week Three. AYEDOG and X3O have yet to face off on de_inferno, while rSports NA will get their chance at AYEDOG on de_cpl_strike in the coming days. So in terms of Week Two, there isn't much to discuss besides AYEDOG's close 16-13 loss to Team Dynamic. As the current champions and one of the most skilled line-ups in the league, AYEDOG simply shouldn't have lost to Dynamic. AYEDOG's teamwork seemed to suffer in that match as rounds were won many times by just strong individual play. Still, I didn't expect de_cpl_strike to be one of the team's better maps. AYEDOG will likely perform much better on de_nuke in Week Three though their schedule for the coming week is incredibly difficult.

Week 3
3:1 - AYEDOG vs. Head Whitesmans
3:2 - AYEDOG vs. Netcode Illuminati


7. Area 51 CSS

Area 51 CSS was winless in Week Three, falling to both Head Whitesmans and Eximius Sports. Both matches were relatively close but in both instances, Area 51's opponents were able to pick up the clutch rounds while Area 51 was left in the dust. Throughout all of regulation play, Area 51 kept up pace with Head Whitesmans, the number one team in the standings heading into the match. Though in overtime, Area 51 couldn't handle the pressure as they quickly fell to a final score of 21-16. Against Eximius, Area 51's defense struggled in the first half, earning just five rounds on CT-side. The team nearly mounted a comeback later on but eventually lost by a final 16-12 score. For the coming week, the team has enlisted the help of CronuS and dreammm whom both transfered over from rSports NA. While this could hurt team chemistry early on, in the long run, I see this as a successful move.

Week 3
3:1 - Area 51 vs. Netcode Illuminati
3:2 - Area 51 vs. X3O


8. rSports NA

While rSports NA sits at third place in the divison standings with a 2-1 record, the team bottomed out in the power rankings. The team's only match of the week was against X3O in which they lost 16-8. rSports picked up a few rounds here an there in the first half, but for the most part, the match was completely one-sided. rSports' defense lacked as X3O won T-side 8-7. From then on, it was as if rSports was non-existent. It will be interesting to see how the team performs in the coming week, considering rSports has lost two of their better players in CronuS and dreammm.

Week 3
3:1 - rSports NA vs. Eximius Sports
3:2 - rSports NA vs. Head Whitesmans

Check out the ESEA League schedule page for SourceTV information, match times, and scores throughout the week.



- Article by Heather "sapphiRe" Mumm