Rank S recap - ptr tops the ladder for April; Money Matches fail to impress
It's been awhile since we last posted any updates regarding Rank S, as it is now on a monthly-based payout system, but despite the introduction of Money Matches, the ladder has continued to stagnate.
With only 39 players of the 181 in Rank S having participated in the month of April, and only 22 of which taking home any cash, it leaves to question if the earn-at-your-own-pace system is proving as effective as ESEA had intended.
To put it in perspective, ESEA was paying out $5,200 per week prior to the Money Match system. This is a stark contrast to the $6,915 accumulated by players in the last three weeks of April, between individual earnings and the monthly payouts, a $8,685 loss.
While the potential is there for far more to be earned with the new system, it's solely-based on participation, which appears to be ever-declining.
It'd be a bit disingenuous to say ESEA didn't live up to their promises, however, as more players saw payouts this month than would have under the old system.
The top 20 placings of Rank S for the month of April can be found below:
| Rank | Name | Points | Earned | Prize $ |
| 1. |  Peter "ptr" Gurney |
18 | $210 | $1,750 |
| 1. | Blake "Strings" Stringer |
18 | $160 | $1,750 |
| 3. | Sam "s0m" Oh |
14 | $205 | $1,000 |
| 4. |  Gustavo "yeL" Knittel |
12 | $90 | $500 |
| 4. | Shawn "witmer" Taylor |
12 | $140 | |
| 4. | Gustavo "SHOOWTiME" Silva |
12 | $140 | |
| 4. | Vincent "Brehze" Cayonte |
12 | $140 | |
| 8. | Jacob "FugLy" Medina |
8 | $135 | |
| 8. |  Rory "dephh" Jackon |
8 | $135 | |
| 8. | Leonardo "Laski" Arroyo |
8 | $135 | |
| 11. | Vinicios "PKL" Coelho |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. | Samuel "SileNt" Portillo |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. |  David "DAVEY" Stafford |
6 | $70 | |
| 11. | Victor "food" Wong |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. | Gabriel "NEKIZ" Schenato |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. | Hunter "SicK" Mims |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. | Ethan "nahtE" Arnold |
6 | $70 | |
| 11. | Austin "crashies" Roberts |
6 | $20 | |
| 11. | Ryan "ryann" Welsh |
6 | $20 | |
| 20. |  Jesus "sam_A" Taboada |
2 | $65 |
The most active teams in Rank S this month were The Entourage, Swole Patrol, eUnited and NRG, though with a bit more time on his hands these days, it was Peter "ptr" Gurney who would top the ladder, not only with the top payout, but also the most earned via the Money Match system.
If the activity for first five days of the May ladder is any indication, we may see an even greater dip in participation come the end of the month.
Between our last Rank G update and now, very little changed in the top five rankings. While no new faces breached into the top five, 1flick did push ahead of both Leighton "vylo" Vieria and Adam "Ange" to secure third place.
While their Rank G positions may have not altered much, many of the players have now found themselves in significantly higher divisions after move-ups. kobruh and his team, Forty Six and 2, were promoted to MDL after winning Open, while the remaining leading players in Rank G now sit comfy in Main.
The top five placings for Rank G for the month of April can be seen below:
| Rank | Player | Division | Points |
| 1. | "kobruh" |
MDL | 90 |
| 2. | Bryson "LILVICTORIA" Carraby |
Main | 86 |
| 3. | "1flick" |
Main | 80 |
| 4. | Adam "Ange" |
Main | 50 |
| 5. | Leighton "vylo" Vieria |
Main | 50 |
We'll check back on the Rank S ladder towards the middle of the month to see how things have progressed through May, but until then, keep grinding!
