Power Rankings week 7 (perils in paradise)

introduction

WELCOME TO THE FSORACE1 SHOW! As we continue our weekly tracking of the top players and teams in each series, we are starting to see the inklings of some patterns across the divisions. As a reminder, we use internal data calculated into a formula called PAR to create these rankings. PAR calculates data such as win/loss, game win rates, and strength of schedule. Each week we will be updating you on how these players and teams shift throughout their respective series, as well as highlighting individuals and their journeys. Feedback is welcome as we continue to iron out the kinks in the format and stylizing of this blog series.

legacy

You’re going to notice a theme across all of the power rankings this week if you just look at the number 1 player spot. There wasn’t a whole lot of excitement this week in terms of the shaking-upping of the rankings for Legacy. We saw some new teams enter the top 10 who have been there previously and everyone else stayed in the same spot, or close to it. We seem to be at that part of the season where things have mostly settled. I’m more interested in seeing how these player rankings shake out week-to-week. We are 6 weeks in and have an incredible number of players with 1 or fewer losses and 0 of them sharing a team. I can’t remember a time where we had multiple players finish a season undefeated and if it has happened, it is very rare.
​-TwoStarMako​

hero

​Our top 2 teams really do not want to lose those spots! Defias was able to take a leap on the leaderboard thanks to their 15-8 win this week. Mistah La Vistah also sneaks into the list after a tie in their match. Player-wise our top 2 for the week have flip-flopped places. Molestar was able to jump up the highest this week after a 3-0 win. We also have quite a few new faces that were not in our top places last week. Overall, it looks like Alternative Pet Merchants have taken quite a lead with 89 points which will be hard to beat this late into the season.
​-amazingoo

pro

Welcome to The Traveling Travel Agency!  We need a mix-up to the meta, because the Pro Series Top Four teams did not budge or move around in the top four seats.  All four teams only have one loss a piece, the data point separating F2L from the rest of the top teams being that they are taking their bye this week.  The other three teams will need to win to each have a shot at stealing the top seed.

If I've done my math right, any team finishing with 4 wins is getting a pass to the playoffs this year.  This means that F2L, BrushyTuna, Five Dubs, Cheese Mongers, and A Possible Miscalculation have five of the six spots locked in. The last spot will be open to The Terrible Tourists if they finish with a win this week, or may be open to Washed Up if the Tourists slip to 3-3 and Washed wins and ends 3-2-1.  OPP and Imp-posters have a long shot if both Tourists and Washed Up fall and either of them get to 3-3, but the tie breaker math is not in their favor.

Best advice for all teams: Play it out to the end.  All those teams locked into the playoffs can still go up and down in seeding, and all those trying to sneak into the playoff need to finish strong to have that small window of opportunity open up!

Looking real quick at the individual players: Fsorace1 saddled up the top spot again with close 3-2 win over Empol, who gets knocked out of the undefeated standings.  AgentPWE remains the only 6-0 player, with nVision at 5-0 and DragonRider and RonMexico having 4-0.  Congratulations to all the players still standing, and good luck going into the last regular season week!
-Whodack​

wild

Yet again, not much movement around the teams.  The playoff field feels like it was set in stone since Week One, and the only drama remaining is if I AM A SHAPE! can pull off a ten-point upset over Staff of the Five Dubs to sneak into the last playoff spot.  The top three teams are just resting and prepping their guns for semis.

The players power rankings, on the other hand, still has some drama, and it’s worth noting that even the weaker teams are starting to get their top players into the top ten.  Lorthos wins yet another week by a clean 3-0 to retain the first place.  Maxiebon1234 rises up to second with an upset of NeonHeron, paving the way for Devalion (myself) to rise into the top three.  kvlt, our second undefeated player (does anybody know how to get G**gl* drive not to constantly “correct” my formatting?  grr), takes a massive jump into the top half of the top ten, leapfrogging over OTZaixia and Tigereye of the Shakers to jump into fourth.  My good friend Nice Jewish Owl, who just scammed me out of a beautiful 12-win Marin the Manager arena deck yesterday, enters the leaderboards for the first time this season.  He sits comfortably in seventh.  Seventh is below third.  Seems like a skill issue.  Superbase, who as a fourth seed was the lowest-seeded player to be in the top ten, has been running through a murderer’s row of opponents - his sweep of Bonemasher clinched a playoff spot for Wild THL Fanatics last week.  We wouldn’t be in playoffs without him so this eighth place is well deserved.  MtgSquirrel may have only played three weeks, but he’s won each time, so he enters into the top ten.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to harp a bit on Copa, who welcomed me in to THL with a spot on his fledgling Worldshakers (RIP Worldshakers, we were so close) team two years ago and took me under his wing, teaching me the ins and outs of THL and taking me from a nearly-winless season (thank you disqualifications!) to last season’s MVP.  Along the way, he also took time to captain every other series multiple times, serve on the board, and generally make THL a more inviting and inclusive place.  Copa, you’re the GOAT, and it’s so good to see you rising to the top this season.  And you’d better keep winning, because if you fall down to that 2 seed come playoff time, you know who awaits - and he’s hungry…
​-Devalion

duos

Okay, maybe my one bold prediction was just an anomaly. Maybe just predicting the only undefeated team to lose is just a cop-out easy way for content. OR MAYBE NOT…PYLET PROGRAM OVER TIHCWWPICWP THIS WEEK BAYBEEEE
-TwoStarMako