SHL Power Rankings - S2 Week 4 - By JerryDamage

​With Week 4 we’ve started to see some teams emerge as playoff contenders.  There’s still some room to maneuver and lock in a spot or take one if you’re not currently in it.  Divisional play is a big help as every point you get also denies those points from the teams you’re directly competing against for those playoff spots. 
Here’s some of the questions after the interdivisional part of the season. 

1. Can anyone stop PIS? They’ve been dominant and have beaten every team in Purple.  The Purple teams seems to be stronger so can anyone in Gold mount a strong enough challenge to make sure PIS doesn’t have a perfect regular season?
2. Are XplosiveSheep getting back into their groove?  The Season 1 Champions found themselves 0-2 to start the season but have gotten some momentum going now with 2 consecutive wins.  Are they back to form and ready to go after a second SHL championship?
3. Who will make the playoffs from Purple? Only 2 teams get in and while Kawasaki Ninjas Rule have a lead on everyone, a 10 point lead can vanish quickly in divisional play if you’re not careful.  Will Lorewalker Nachos see post season play in their first season?  Or will XplosiveSheep make the playoffs again in order to defend their title?
4. Can The Dog House or Team Black Lotus make a playoff run?  Both teams are at least 16 points out of the playoffs as of this week, but with a good run in divisional play, either team could squeak into the playoff picture. 

That’s just a few thoughts that I had going into the last half of the season.  Only 3 more weeks until the playoffs and if the regular season are any indication, it’s going to be a wild finish.  So onto the rankings.

1. Pocahontas In Space (4-0, 75 Points)
PIS has been very impressive throughout the inter-divisional part of the schedule.  They swept all 4 teams in Purple and are the league leaders in Points.  Last week they faced Lorewalker Nachos and pulled out a win in their closest matchup of the season.  Cassity14, Gnetz, and PumbaasBFF got wins in their matches with RogueJT adding in 1 point to give them a 13-11 point victory.  This week they look to continue their undefeated streak as they take on Team Black Lotus.

2. Kawasaki Ninjas Rule (3-1, 66 Points)
Kawasaki Ninjas Rule rebounded from their loss to PIS with a very impressive showing against Team Black Lotus.  They won 4 of 5 matches, getting 2 sweeps in the process.  This week they look to maintain their lead over the rest of Purple as they take on Team Xnergy.

3. XplosiveSheep (2-2, 56 Points)
XplosiveSheep got their second win on the season against the Dog House in Week 4.  Markshire and Eridan got 3-0 sweeps with BitBeaker adding in a 3-2 victory to secure the win.  DirestBear and VeganZombie added in 1 point each to make them tied for 2nd in Purple.  This week they look to gain some ground in the playoff race as they take on the team they are tied for 2nd with, Lorewalker Nachos.

4. Defias Henchmen (2-2, 59 Points)
Defias enters the second half of the season with a 13 point lead over 3rd place in Gold.  Week 4 they had a big week winning 16-9 over Team Xnergy.  They won 4 out of 5 matches, which put them in a good position to make playoffs going into divisional play.  This week they take on The Dog House.

5. Lorewalker Nachos (2-2, 56 Points)
Lorewalker Nachos gave PIS a good run for their money in Week 4.  They narrowly lost 11-13, winning 2 matches and getting points from Josseroo and Silverwave.  They enter divisional play tied for 2nd with the team they face in Week 5, XplosiveSheep.

6. Team Xnergy (1-3, 46 Points)
Team Xnergy lost in Week 4 to Defias Henchmen.  They only managed one win in the series but did put up points in the other matches.  They are currently 10 points out of second in Purple and have a chance to make a move when they take on Kawasaki Ninjas Rule this week.

7. Team Black Lotus (1-3, 43 Points)
Team Black Lotus got their second loss in a row Week 4 when they faced Kawasaki Ninjas Rule.  They only got 1 win in the series but managed to get points from JerryDamage and ArthurRhodes.  This week they have a chance to make a move towards the playoffs when they take on the top team in the league, PIS.

8. The Dog House (1-3, 41 Points)
​The Dog House got their 3rd loss in a row in Week 4.  They did earn 2 wins in their series with XplosiveSheep and were close to the win in what was a 5 game series between TheAvatar and BitBeaker.  They are currently last in Gold but have a chance to make a move this week when they take on Defias Henchmen.