Panelists: Fireicey, Boss Hog, Lucy, Fat, Plutonio, MidoMidori
Hello and welcome to the sixth installment of the EU RCS Power Ranking. This season the majority of our competition has been located online due to the pandemic, giving this year a completely different feel from what Europe is used to. Although locals were on the comeback during the season, we decided to only count the five EU RCS online majors to even the playing field for those who weren’t able to travel or didn’t have a local event near them. Since we also didn’t have any other online events considered important enough to count for the ranking, we decided that players only needed to enter a minimum of 2 events to be eligible for the PR. The panelists mainly used head-to-head records from the five RCS events to determine the players’ placements, while slightly favouring players who entered more tournaments and performed consistently.
Despite the season being online-only, our tournaments have still showcased the best of what Europe currently has to offer, both from our returning players and from newcomers to the ranking, with a few of our players being able to achieve the high rank they were striving for. With offline events on the rise, some of Europe’s veterans are returning to the scene after their hiatus during the online era, so we’ll have to wait and see how our new talent from this year fare against many of our toughest warriors next season.
Before we get into the rankings, we’d like to thank our online TO’s, production team and commentators for running this season’s events and keeping our season going throughout this online-era.
Honourable Mentions
This year there were several players with outstanding performances, in events outside of those eligible, who either barely missed out on the ranking or didn’t enter enough eligible tournaments. If the performances at these events were to be considered, they would have likely made it onto the power ranking.
Honourable Mentions:
OliveOily, LZGpom, Maya, Plutonio, Fat, Slimepuffen
Video Editor: Chengi
Writing team:
Fat
Jack Fox
Boss Hog
PikayMaster
Plutonio
Tandoori
Swordsplay
Midmol
Sharpinfinity
Editor-in-Chief:
Fireicey
“Always cookin'”
15. Bowman
Rounding out the PR this year is Bowman. With a solid performance throughout the season, he acts as gatekeeper to high-level competition. While he might not have the best win record against the others in the top 15, he excels against anyone around and below his skill level. This consistency pushes him above the rest of the people considered for the PR, netting him 15th place.
Bowman is most well known for his fundamentally sound Sylvanos gameplay. He uses most of Sylv’s kit with great proficiency and has a well-balanced playstyle. His calm nature and good mental game allow him to consistently play well throughout tough sets. With just enough Sylvanos weirdness to throw off the opposition, he makes for a formidable opponent.
We hope that with more experience and refinement in his gameplay he’ll push through and rise further in the rankings.
“I am untethered and my rage knows no bounds.”
14. Defileus
Everybody’s favourite charging needles in neutral specialist returns for a second PR in a row, jumping up six spots from last year’s 20th. Def’s placements this season have been the hallmark of consistency, after having entered all five online majors he only suffered a single upset to Java, who he still has a favourable record on.
Outside of tournaments, Defileus hosts the UK’s online weekly and is well known for his stream commentary with his partner in crime Jack Fox. The two managed to make the big leagues and commentate the top 8 of one of this season’s online majors together. They are now looking to start their podcast: “Definitely Jacked” featuring Defileus and Jack Fox.
This Scottish warrior has proven this year and the last to be one of Europe’s strongest players, and he is undoubtedly one of the most valuable personalities in our community. We can’t be sure if Def will make it back on the PR for the third year in a row, but one thing we can rely on is that even if a meteor is on a collision course with Scotland, he will still be charging needles underneath one of the side platforms of Tower of Heaven.
“SK Heaven is reached, it is time to move on. And thank you Sveni and Retro it’s been a blast!”
13. Veapron
Veapron makes his way onto our power ranking at 13th place as one of the first Shovel Knight mains to reach the European PR. He made a name for himself this season with a breakout 7th place finish at RCS Melody, where he knocked out Kerus and Downiel. He followed this performance up with 5th place at RCS Fireworks, beating Defileus before repeating his victory over Kerus.
In addition to entering tournaments, Veapron has kept busy by putting his time into the community, becoming an admin for the Rivals of Aether EU discord, and helping out by TOing for some of the region’s weekly tournaments.
Veapron’s style of play leans towards effectively using Shovel Knight’s base kit. You’re not too likely to see him go for a fish, as he prefers to pressure his opponents with the tools he has available from the start of each game. When he finally buys his relics it’s often all he needs to turn around a bad situation or to blow away the last stock.
Looking towards the next season, Veapron has been working on his Olympia secondary wanting to bring it out in future brackets. With the return of locals going into season 7, we hope to see him perform well offline and punch his way into a higher placement on next year’s PR.
“Thank you Daglas for showing me the possibilities, Sveni for the grind, and Robert for being my mental foundation.”
12. Retro
Retro is a newcomer to the European PR, reaching ranked status after competing in just two RCS seasons. His season started relatively poorly with two 25th places, but he gained momentum swiftly. And at the next two tournaments, RCS Firework and RCS Crystal, he earned himself a 9th and a 7th place respectively. While propellering through these tournaments he obtained a huge upset on Shayd as well as important wins on Downiel and Kerus. He’s even shown potential for more upsets, managing to take both Kalamahri and Bleb to game 5s.
Being offstage against Shovel Knight is especially scary when playing against Retro, as he has the deadliest edgeguarding amongst SK mains in Europe. He specialises in forcing you offstage quickly and carrying you into the blastzone, or baiting you to chase after his offstage fishing before lethally dropping his shovel on your head. With gemstones in hand, he makes expert use of Shovel Knight’s relics, and with enough gold he’ll wisely switch between them depending on the gamestate.
Some bad losses and inconsistency hold him back from being higher on the season 6 PR. However, Retro’s the type of player who loves to know everything about his character and improve at every aspect of his play, so with some small adjustments and more consistency we’re sure he’ll gear up for a better showing next season.
“¡VAMOS!”
11. Kerus
Kerus makes his return to the European rankings after a two-season absence. Despite this period of inactivity, he has stayed at the top of his game, finishing top 16 or better in each of our ranked events. Showcasing his reliability, almost all of his losses were to ranked players and HMs, while managing to take home wins against Boss Hog, Retro and several of the players who barely didn’t make it to the PR.
Kerus has a fast-paced and risky playstyle. His daringness can be a bit of a double-edged sword and his matches often finish quickly, win or lose. He excels at edgeguarding, ending many of them lethally with a swift kick. Furthermore, he is an expert at using tongue offensively whether it be for movement, to net a kill or to rack up damage.
Kerus is perhaps the longest-standing premier Ranno in Europe, but after the dev team released the workshop characters he’s been feeling that his creative juices flow better when playing Mollo, so he decided to make the switch. We look forward to seeing if he can continue his competitive success and if his fireworks are as deadly as his poisonous fist.
“Shoutouts to Dima.”
10. Bleblemlic
Bleb makes his first PR appearance ever this season with a very solid performance throughout the year. He peaked with a 4th place finish at RCS Crystal, while having a strong 2-0 record on Downiel and other good wins such as Retro, Defileus and HM Slimepuffen under his belt.
Bleb’s Etalus proved to be a nigh unstoppable force in RCS this year, keeping to the simple yet effective neutral of dash attack wavedash back timing mixups. When Bleb found his opening he hit harder than almost anyone in EU, taking his opponent offstage with sleek nair and bair strings, and finishing them off with brutal icicle edgeguards or cheeky up special spikes.
Since the release of the workshop quartet, Bleb has decided to pick up Hodan, already proving to be one of the character’s strongest players. It’ll be exciting to see how far the Romanian great ape can swing in the next season, you might be looking at the next king of the jungle.
“And if you gaze long enough into an endless abyss, the endless abyss will gaze back into you.”
9. Downiel
Making his first appearance on the PR, Downiel turned up the heat and rapidly climbed his way through the ranks this year. He played fiercely throughout the season and managed to pick up impressive wins over other top-ranked players such as Zonyx, Hukon, and Kerus. In the end, he netted himself numerous top 8 placings and peaked with a respectable 5th place finish at RCS crystal.
Near the end of last season, the avid Forsburn nair1 enthusiast ended up swapping over to Zetterburn. He has come a long way with the character since, and with high-level experience on two characters under his belt, he has become more well-rounded than before. His play is mainly characterised by his ferocious combo game, where he often forgoes early combo enders for unorthodox but lengthy punishes.
Always very curious about how he can change up his advantage, he’s not afraid to go for follow-ups others would consider unusual, and by using his technical movement and a good eye for openings he usually finds a way to make them work.
Despite switching characters, Downiel still managed to have an outstandingly strong performance. We’re excited to see if he can keep refining his play and continue making big upsets until his big wins are upsets no longer.
“Making the mother of all power rankings here, Jack Fox. Can’t fret over every placement.”
8. Boss Hog
One of last season’s honourable mentions, and the best Slap City player in Europe, Boss Hog has waveflexed his way into the top 10 of this season’s PR. Sporting a huge upset in the form of a win over Kalamahri, while only being upset once himself, Boss Hog has shown himself to not only be consistent but to have the ability to punch above his weight class.
Boss Hog plays Kragg with a focus on conditioning his opponents into predictable options and punishing them brutally, which makes him very difficult to combat unless you have a game plan as well-rounded as his. Boss Hog makes incredible use of all the tools available to him, from Kragg’s normals to his mixups on recovery. He explores every option he can, with a special emphasis on his use of Kragg’s rock shards, which may have been influenced by his time spent calculating dumbbell angles as a certain muscular Fishman.
We’re all looking forward to seeing just how high Boss Hog can climb in two platform fighters at the same time. Maybe we’ll see him become a double champ, as the number one in both EU Rivals and Slap City, then the Boss of the Really Banana Circle will become the boss of us all. mangoBB
“Squid games.”
7. Shayd
Shayd makes a return for the EU season 6 power ranking, once again solidifying himself as a top-tier threat in European competition. He eliminated both Boss Hog and his long-time training partner Zonyx at RCS Melody, as well as Bleb and Kalamahri at RCS Fireworks to earn his two best placements at 3rd and 4th respectively.
Shayd has reached a first-class level of consistency with Elliana, likely due to his proficiency on both offence and defence. Once he’s left clouds of steam all over the stage he becomes incredibly difficult to catch, and his insane accuracy with what feels like heat-seeking missiles can make any situation feel treacherous. Even when you’re comboing Shayd, he can return a missile from off-screen to open you up and immediately take your stock thanks to his mastery of Elliana’s punish game. Shayd’s effective gameplan, alongside him being the only ranked Elliana in Europe makes him one of the scariest menaces to face in our brackets.
Shayd proved once more that he’s one of Europe’s finest players this season, and he no longer has to represent France alone on the PR, being joined by his good friend Zonyx. We hope that Shayd continues carrying the torch for his country as one of France’s best players.
“Every RCS should only be held on black history month IMO.”
6. Zonyx
Zonyx showed up out of nowhere with a 2nd place at last year’s RCS Finals, but didn’t quite meet the requirements for the PR. This season he secured his spot as one of EU’s best players by placing well at every ranked tournament including two 2nd place finishes. While tearing up the brackets he grabbed strong wins against established competitors such as Hukon and his familiar rival Shayd.
Though he’s replacing Japal as the sole Clairen main on the power ranking, do not mistake them, for they have entirely different styles. Zonyx is famous for his creative and lethal punish game, and when he finds an opening, you can expect to find yourself in his next combo video. He pushes the limits of what Clairen can do and inspires aspiring Clairens, especially in France, to imitate him.
What most people might not know is how much hard work and dedication Zonyx has put in to get here, since he only seriously started entering events in the past year. He’s been grinding almost non-stop since 2017 and it’s that polish that has made him shine with such a brilliant lustre. Zonyx shows no signs of slowing down and we expect to see him rush past the competition and blaze his name into the rankings for as long as they exist.
“You already got outplayed on the character select screen.”
5. alkihamzie
Alkihamzie burns a path through the competition securing himself another top five spot on the PR. With his only majors being RCS Fireworks and the RCS Finals, Alki has still undoubtedly demonstrated his skill by placing 3rd twice, taking down other prominent players on his way there such as Boss Hog, Kalamahri, and Shayd.
Alki is known for his over-the-top swagger and unshakable confidence, which he backs up with overwhelming aggression, deadly reversals, and an iconically flashy Zetterburn. In addition to his Zetter, Alki also sports several vicious secondaries, most notably his Kragg and his Clairen, which demonstrates his versatility and his extensive understanding of the game.
Keep your eyes on Alki if you’re looking for someone tearing through the competition in full Zetter drip, and know that when he loses it’s never his fault.
“I’m like the Mang0 of EU Rivals and everyone agrees.”
4. Hukon
Hukon makes his grand return into the top 5 this year with impressive performances all around. While bouncing between characters last season due to the RCS themes he settles back into playing Orcane and demonstrates his expertise with the character. He came out guns blazing in the Hot Springs tournament, defeating Zonyx, Shayd, and Kalamahri on his path to an impressive 3rd place.
Dropping his many personas allowed him to focus solely on Orcane, and he made the character shine with a strong understanding of neutral and defence. His punish game isn’t the flashiest, but with solid combos and a strong sense of when to go for opportunistic kills, he makes his opponents feel unsafe. This, coupled with Orcane’s natural ability to tech-chase, enables Hukon to take out some of Europe’s best.
Viral Twitter personality Hukon has appeared on every PR thus far and we believe he will continue to do so. He might not be the most active player around, but with this season he proves how important long-term experience is for competitive success.
“Cherish the journey. Thanks for the support.”
3. Kalamahri
Kala made a huge leap this season, shooting from last year’s 8th place all the way up to 3rd, taking the position previously held by his fellow Austrian Japal. Kala has proven to be an absolute force in every bracket he enters, from his huge 4-0 record on Z0nyx and strong record against other ranked players, to being one of only two people to win an EU RCS this season, Kala has clearly cemented himself as one of the best players in all of Europe.
Kala’s mastery of Ori is undeniable. His advantage is clean yet deadly, his recovery slippery and unpredictable, while his signature usage of flame-reversing will catch you off-guard and leave you wondering if he started his jump facing the other way. Alongside Ori, Kala has also shown off his prowess on Clairen this year, using it as a counterpick in a couple of this season’s major tournaments.
The future for Kala looks uncertain, as with the season’s conclusion he decided to take a step back from competing in Rivals. But something we can count on is Kala remaining one of Europe’s strongest players, if he decides to make his return.
“New PoE season kinda hot.”
2. Transco
The God King of Europe returns for yet another PR, once again at second place. Transco boasts a positive record on almost all of this season’s strongest players, never dropping a set to anyone with the sole exception of Fireicey, who he was still able to keep up and have close sets with.
Transco brought his trademark read-heavy playstyle back this RCS season. Where other players would take a guaranteed conversion or safe neutral opener, Transco strives for a much more brutal read on your defensive habits and movement, leading into the explosive combo game he is famous for. Anyone unlucky enough to get their habits picked up on by Transco will find themselves in the blast zone before they even realise what hit them.
As long as he doesn’t sleep in too late or get sucked into a new Path of Exile league, it’s near-certain that Transco will return to the top of the ranking next season, and when he’s back be sure to stay on the lookout for “Transco combo video #3”, you just might be in it.
“…”
1. Fireicey
Fireicey makes his return as the reigning champion of the EU Rivals scene with an even better showing than last year. He placed first in everything he entered, including weeklies, and didn’t lose a single set along the way. While he did miss check-ins for one of the online brackets, making him enter only 4 out of the 5 RCS tournaments, it is still the most dominant performance European Rivals has on record. The highlight of his season was undoubtedly during the European Finals where he managed to take out Bleblemlic and Kalamahri on the way to an intense winners finals game 5 against Transco, before closing out the tournament in classic Fireicey fashion with a 3-0.
What is remarkable about Fireicey is his desire to improve despite being firmly at the top for a couple of years now. He once again shows off his excellent punish game and aggression while incorporating more defensive techniques to confidently deal with any situation thrown his way.
Fireicey is an avid grinder and someone who continually seeks out improvement. Unless the world goes up in flames we don’t see the Zetter enthusiast losing his spot at the top anytime soon.
