Yeah dominate ESEA Advanced Season 35 Mid-Season Power Ranking
Dust2.us reached out to 30 ESEA Advanced Season 35 players and coaches and one caster to determine the top ten teams in the division. Based on their input, Yeah topped the list by wide margin, receiving a perfect score from their peers and finishing 91 points ahead of SKDC, their closest competition.
Here are the top ten ESEA Advanced Season 35 rosters based on their performance and rosters as of October 6th:
| Team | Avg. Score | Total Points | Record |
 Yeah |
10.00 | 310 | 9-0 |
 SKDC |
7.06 | 219 | 8-2 |
| GGPR |
6.77 | 210 | 8-1 |
| Rise |
5.58 | 173 | 7-2 |
| Revenant |
5.22 | 162 | 7-2 |
| GSG9 |
4.58 | 142 | 7-3 |
| Big Chillin |
4.32 | 134 | 7-3 |
| Heart n Soul |
2.68 | 83 | 7-2 |
| [sam] Infinity | 1.29 | 40 | 6-4 |
| Springroll |
1.10 | 31 | 7-2 |
As a reminder, here's a summary of how the ranking system works:
Each respondent was given a list of the top 30 teams currently in ESEA Advanced Season 35. From this list they ranked each team from 1st-10th with first place receiving ten points, second place receiving nine points, and so on. After polling was closed the scores were totaled and averaged. Note that this ranking does not consider roster changes or results after October 6th, due to the majority of responses being received before that date.
Yeah's undisputed position at the top of our power rankings does not come as much of a surprise, as the Brazilian lineup are the sole team in Advanced to boast a perfect record, winning the majority of their matches without letting their opposition reach double digits. Outside of the division, they have bested a number MDL-level teams in recent weeks, taking down oNe, New England Whalers, and Triumph. With a spot in playoffs guaranteed at this point, they are a clear contender to win the division outright.
SKDC's second place finish suggests that in Advanced experience beats raw mechanics as the Kyle "OCEAN" O'Brien-led lineup has put up an impressive record while using semi-retired talents including Derrick "LILMAN" Boyne, Derek "desi" Branchen, Kory "SEMPHIS" Friesen, and Kyuhyun "blade" William Uhm. The main concern for the lineup was their relatively one-sided losses to GGPR, Yeah, and Revenant earlier in the season, which raises questions about their prospects for playoffs. Additionally, the team have seen a number of recent roster changes, with LILMAN and blade leaving to be replaced by SEMPHIS and David "sensu" Oliver.
GGPR slid into third place in our power rankings, finishing just behind SKDC while also finishing far ahead of Rise. Considering their roster features a number of players who have never made Advanced playoffs, their performance this season has been impressive, with the squad claiming wins over SKDC, Hc, and Clarity in recent weeks. Additionally, they are one of only a handful of teams to take Yeah to double digits, battling the Brazilians to a close 16-12 result on Dust2. Having locked in a spot in playoffs, it will be interesting to see how they do in the more taxing best-of-three format.
Speaking of Rise, they are likely one of the more well-known squads in the recent crop of top Advanced lineups as their core narrowly missed out on a spot in Relegation during the ESEA Advanced Season 33 playoffs. In terms of their performance this season, they have taken a number of scalps including Heart n Soul, Springroll, and Absolute Leverage. However, losses against Villainous and Pryde raise questions about their chances against higher rated teams. Their aptitude against these teams will be tested this week as they are set to take on GGPR, Yeah, and GSG9.
Like Rise, Revenant are another squad that are seemingly ready to make a name for themselves after narrowly missing out on playoffs last season, bolstering their ranks with Ryan "notorious" Gordon and Ernie "amen" Yokley, who notably made relegation with Hyper last season. Outside of a loss to Yeah, Revenant have a strong record against likely playoff teams, with their sole upset loss being against Veloz at the start of the regular season when the team had a vastly different roster.
GSG9 ending up in sixth place comes as a bit of a surprise as the team features a number of MDL veterans, with the core of this team having played together in ESEA MDL Season 30 as The Fundamentals. While their MDL experience is a mark in their favor, their record against top level opposition is troubling, with GSG9 being bested by Heart n Soul, SKDC, and Yeah in recent weeks, raising questions about their ability to go far in playoffs.
Speaking of surprises, Big Chillin's relatively underwhelming seventh place ranking comes after the squad have been a consistent face in Advanced playoffs, finishing just outside of Relegation in the previous two seasons. However, Big Chillin have yet to be seriously tested this season, with their sole win against a top ten team being a 16-8 result against Revenant at the start of September. If Big Chillin can claim upset victories against GSG9 and Rise this week, then they will be a team to keep an eye on during playoffs.
Heart n Soul are likely one of the largest surprises of the season, as the majority of their lineup only have one season of Advanced under their belts. Despite being relative newcomers to the division, they have a strong record against top teams, besting GSG9 and GGPR while playing close games against SKDC, Rise, and Revenant. With this likely being their first season of Advanced playoffs, they may prove to be a dark horse to go far.
Even though Infinity are by far the most experienced lineup in Advanced with the exception of SKDC and Yeah, they have found themselves largely written off by their Advanced colleagues. This rating may be justified by the fact that due to the majority of the roster playing from South America, they have been beaten by a number of lower ranked squads including CLG Red, Kinship Ghost, and Veloz. With the South Americans planning a move to Mexico next year, this may be the season where they just bide their time until they are able to compete from North America.
Rounding out the top ten are Springroll who despite their strong regular season record were largely ignored by poll respondents. Despite this, outside of a season opening loss to Pryde, Springroll have had a strong season, only losing to the likes of GSG9, Rise, and Revenant. Along with Heart n Soul, they could be another dark horse to surprise their Advanced opponents and go far this season.
Much like last season, Advanced playoffs will be of particular importance this time around as more and more Advanced squads have found their way into MDL. As such, the skill gap between MDL and Advanced has closed, potentially allowing more teams than ever to usurp spots through Relegation and make their way to MDL.
