Complexity stand as undisputed kings of Dust2.us’ October 2023 rankings
After a brief hiatus, Dust2.us is back with a new-and-improved power ranking with a number of key changes. The most significant one by far is that Dust2.us in is now exclusively focusing on teams in our home region— North America! Whereas we previously included our neighbors down South, this new version looks North to only compare teams that consistently play each other. As such, with this month we are starting fresh with all teams being considered as joining the list for the first time.
Another change is for the first time we have brought in players, analysts, and talent into the anonymous rankings panel. This month saw 17 people give their insight on the NA scene with a wide range of perspectives and opinions.
With that, here is the ground rules for how our power ranking will function for transparency:
Our team rankings are determined based on a series of measurements where each team is allocated points dependent on where they rank compared to their peers. This measurement is determined by the opinion of our panel, teams' relative HLTV ranking compared to other NA teams, and teams' tier of play. A team garners a higher tier depending on how frequently they compete internationally and in what division they play in during domestic competitions (ECL, Advanced, etc.). For the sake of our power ranking, we consider a team to be NA if they either have 3+ NA players and/or they spend a significant amount of their time competing in North America.
#1 
Complexity (JT, floppy, Grim, hallzerk, EliGE, Coach: T.c) (NEW)
Complexity's position as the undisputed best team in NA is hardly unexpected. As the only team that can take on European teams at the moment, COL are worthy of rallying around despite a bumpy debut for Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski on the team. Unless EG or M80 really gain ground in the next few months, Complexity seem unshakeable from this position as NA's kings.
September Events: ESL Pro League Season 18
#2 Evil Geniuses (autimatic, Walco, Jeorge, junior, HexT, Coach: Axed) (NEW)
Despite not doing great at EPL, things have been looking up for Evil Geniuses in the past few months as the new squad looks to find its place in the scene. While the results have yet to materialize, our panel would likely agree with the sentiment that EG are one of the more promising NA squads at the moment, and one with the most experience in a rapidly changing scene.
September Events: ESL Pro League Season 18, ESL Challenger League S46
#3 M80 (Swisher, reck, WolfY, malbsMd, maNkz, Coach: dephh) (NEW)
M80 was one of three squads to travel abroad this month to compete in ESL Pro League Season 18. While the squad failed to win any series, our panel was likely impressed by the new squad's overall form at the event, and the fact that in previous months they have shown themselves as a top NA team.
September Events: ESL Pro League Season 18
#4 Nouns (Bwills, nosraC, cJ, MarKE, cynic, Coach: SEMPHIS) (NEW)
While Nouns finished this month in fourth place, they likely regret not finishing higher as they still work to find their footing after the changes post-IEM Cologne. Nouns are undoubtedly a strong squad and the future likely holds them trying to mix it up against M80 and EG for that coveted second-place spot in the rankings.
September Events: Ace North American Masters Fall 2023
#5 Forsaken (stanislaw, cxzi, wiz, Infinite, JBa, Coach: Warden) (NEW)
Forsaken have continued to show up in NA after forming in July. With wins over Nouns and Wildcard and a potential qualification to ECL in the cards, the sky's really the limit for Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz's debutante squad.
September Events: Ace North American Masters Fall 2023
#6 Wildcard (Cryptic, freshie, brett, SLIGHT, d4rty, Coach: horvy) (NEW)
Wildcard is one of a few teams that was actually busy playing in the month of September, and they were rewarded for it. This potential sleeper juggernaut has the ability to always mix it up with top teams in NA and it will be interesting to see where they go next amidst the rise of teams like Forsaken and M80.
September Events: ESL Challenger League S46, Ace North American Masters Fall 2023
#7 Party Astronauts (PwnAlone, ben1337, chop, spek, Grizz, Coach: Viathan) (NEW)
Party Astronaut's new roster has seemingly hit the ground running, with the team taking Nouns and Wildcard as scalps in the Ace North American Masters Fall 2023. While we haven't seen much of the new PA, things are looking up for the squad.
September Events: Ace North American Masters Fall 2023
#8 Rocket (aleph, Elk, nero, droid, R2D2J) (NEW)
Rocket did not play any events with their full roster in September, which may have hurt their final position in the power ranking. However, our panel seem to find the experienced duo of Damian "droid" Boulware and Matthew "nero" Seymour as a strong core for a team in North America. Let's see what comes next for Rocket.
September Events: None
#9 Badass (snav, Fr3nk1e, dare, Project90, intra, Coach: JQT) (NEW)
Badass only played two maps with their full lineup in September, both in Bo1s in a cash cup. As such, there isn't much to say about their performance, but its clear their contemporaries view them as being strong contenders in NA as timbermen has been previously.
September Events: None
#10 Bad News Bears (Umar, nicx, SummY, Sonic, steel, Coach: MaestrO) (NEW)
Despite only winning a single map in the month of September, going 1-11 in maps, Josh "steel" Nissan's troops are still well regarded by the community and their contemporaries. With the team having played their eight prerequisite maps to hold onto their spot in ECL Season 46, Bad News Bears will finally be able to say thanks to their subs and play with their complete roster, whatever that may be. The added firepower of Brandon "bew" Roberts and their new yet-to-be-revealed fifth could be enough to see BNB return to their winning ways and climb up the rankings next month.
September Events: ESL Challenger League S46, Ace North American Masters Fall 2023
