After a successful Berlin Major Astralis climbed to the 2nd spot, while an unexpected early exit for Team Liquid but they keep their place intact, while NRG were a fun team to follow in the Major putting them in the third place above Vitality who share the same story with Liquid and ENCE. ENCE held a 5th place just above the runner-up Avangar .
RANKINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS
#1 TEAM LIQUID
No surprises here, the North American side has achieved enough this year to keep their throne. Winning back to back events and an Intel Grand Slam, they are right where they are supposed to be, missing out on a major or one poor tournament hardly matters after their enormous success after they proved, they are the team to beat.
#2 ASTRALIS
After winning three back to back majors, they made it to the top of the ranking table and set the benchmark. They seemed to fall short after their success. Coming into the Berlin Major, they were an unknown quantity but proved they are still up there with Team Liquid and took home their 4th major and jumping two spots to take the 2nd place.
#3 NRG
Quite the surprising factor in the list. They haven’t had the fortune to win any premier tournament across the year, but solid finishes across every tournament, while causing upset to some big dawgs has given their rightful third position on the rank table. With young talents and sharp veterans, they will be a serious contender for trophies next season.
#4 Vitality
Quite a disappointing finish for them in the major saw them falling down form the 2nd position to 4th. They broke into the scene by winning ECS Season 7 over Astralis and NRG with an inform Zywoo in their squad, they were a serious contender for every trophy this year, its still unclear how the squad shapes up for the next season, but it will surely be exiting.
#5 ENCE
The song EZ4ENCE was a meme material until they surprised the community to reach the final of IEM Katowice. They only garnered respect for themselves after losing the final to Astralis. But winning the Blast Pro Series Madrid over NaVi and 2nd place finishes at IEM Chicago and DreamHack Master Dallas 2019 helped them rise up the ranking table to the 5th place. The new look ENCE with Sunny on their side will debut in Blast Moscow in a few days.
#6 AVANGAR
The only team in the list to made it up to here at the very last moment. Probably that is what the Major Finalist tag earns you. No notable achievement this year but until the very end of the season, where they reached the final of the Berlin Major and falling short against the Danes in Astralis. They are looking at a well and truly deserved spot in the list.
#7 Natus Vincere
Other than winning Starladder i-League Season 7, NaVi had finished 4th and 5th in Blast Pro Madrid and Blast Pro Miami respectively. It is safe to say with talents like s1mple and electronic, any team is a contender for top tier trophies. NaVi are expected to go through roster change in the coming to days, no reports about how the team will shape up. NaVI IGL Zews is set to retire after Blast Moscow and will make way for a new IGL to step in. 7th position is something to proud of but not if you are Natus Vincere.
#8 Mousesports
After acquiring karrigan and going through a massive roster overhaul, Mouz seemed to fail to make any notable impact, but through the course of this new look Mouz they have showed some exiting Counter Strike and looked serous contenders at times. With young guns in Ropz, Frozen and Woxic, they look to make an impact in the coming tournaments, 8th is the best position which they have achieved under this new line-up, but they look hungry to climb up further.
#9 G2
Like Mouz they also went through some serious roster changed by adding Jackz and Lucky, it was until the signing of AmaNek, that they were able to become relevant to the scene again. AmaNek’s signing took them to new heights as ESL Pro League Season 9, witnessed their best finish of the year taking the second place after losing to the final to Team Liquid. 9th place is a suitable spot for them in the rankings.
#10 FaZe Clan
Once the best team in the world, but failing to find a proper structure after consecutive switch of leadership saw them fall from the ranks to the 10th position on the list. They are expected to go through a massive roster overhaul in the coming days. Blast Pro Los Angeles and EPICENTRE were two of the most notable achievements this year. A disappointing finish in Berlin saw them falling further in the ranks.
Overall a fair ranking dropped by HLTV, with some interesting teams rising up the ladder and some significant giants of the game falling below their standards. With upcoming events in New York and Moscow, we are yet to see which team holds up to their ranks.
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