40. CRSDCrusader
CRSDCrusader is the head of the Texas Rivals of Aether scene, organizing several online tournaments for the region and even creating a Power Ranking system for Texas. CRSDCrusader started to see dramatic growth this year, placing consistently in the Top 2 of the Official Rivals of Aether Discord Weeklies and 13th in RCS Earth.
“She is not in the room. She is currently unloading the dishwasher and I’m not helping her because it’s not my dishwasher.”
39. Darai
Darai originally set out this season to collect the Champion DLC Skins, but found steady improvement over the course of the season. Darai attributes his involvement with the community to Ahntye, who encouraged him to take the game more seriously at the onset of 2020. Darai has recently taken up a leadership role for California, launching a brand new Power Ranking season for their players. If you are a California Rivals player and would like more information, please contact darai via Twitter.
“A true baller never misses their shot.”
38. Mr. Olsen
Mr. Olsen is a middle school band teacher that has been playing Rivals since Early Access, with little opportunity to travel to events. Mr. Olsen has seen a steady rise in his gameplay over the past year, as he practices often with his deadly Florida counterparts. Mr. Olsen accomplished his goal of making Top 50 this year, and blew everyone away with a 3rd place finish in the RCS Finals Doubles side event alongside his partner, MattyIce. Now that Season 5 has come and passed, he has been arranging and recording video game covers on his Twitter, so be sure to check it out!
37. Wai
After entering his first ever local at Genesis 7 and earning a spot on our Hidden Bosses list last year, Wai decided to enter the final two events of Season 5 in order to qualify for this year’s rankings! Wai placed in Top 32 in both of his events, tallying victories over Bagel and darai along the way. All of this success with so few events under his belt makes it clear that Wai has great potential, something we hope to see blossom in our future seasons.
36. Death By Hugs
Death By Hugs has been playing Rivals since the alpha version. Over the course of five and a half years, he has seen a lot of growth with his eyes set on a career as an Aerospace Engineer. Who better to speak to his experience than himself:
“I started playing Rivals of Aether as an alpha tester at the ripe, young age of 11 years old. I’m 17 now. Admittedly, this community has seen both the best and worst of me. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement, support, and patience of my family and friends, as well as my crew, NEO! These people got me through tough times as they sharpened my play. Even though I take competition quite seriously, I have more importantly grown to be a better person because of all the wonderful people who play this game. Thank you for all you do, gamers.”
“Honor. No matter how dire the battle, never forsake it.”
35. Zora
Zora exceeded his goals this season by not only making it onto the Top 50 list for the first time ever, but by showing up on day two at the 35 spot! Not only did Zora prove to be a consistent threat in the ROCS earlier this year by terrorizing the Qualifiers, he also eventually placed 9th in the ROCS Finals to top off the circuit. While his attendance began to dwindle during the RCS Season, Zora carried that moxie into the RCS Finals Workshop by placing 5th in our official side event.
“Never tell me the odds.”
34. Guard
A Tampa local and one of the deadliest Clairens in the game, Guard became more active in the tail end of Season 5. While he only placed Top 32 in one of his 3 events, Guard had some unrelenting consistency, only dropping sets to players ranked above him. Guard considers himself to be primarily an offline player with intense motivation to hit the ground running with a bottled water in hand when locals eventually return.
33. ELPE
ELPE is a longtime player, dating back to our September 2015 Early Access release. After several years, ELPE picked up Maypul and began to see stark improvement. After a strong 9th place showing in Frostbite 2019, it was only a matter of time until we saw ELPE on a future Top 50 ranking. ELPE has been hitting the grind ever since the pandemic struck, practicing daily for months and earning a 1st place ranking on the recent Texas Power Rankings.
“I have an idea. I think my caps lock is lagging my internet.”
32. Nbad
Nbad is known for his unique brand of double dunks with both of his characters. Nbad typically finds himself in an online environment, making this the perfect season to show off his talent. He entered the last three events of Season 5, placing Top 32 in RCS Earth and winning several impressive sets against Guard, Wai, and Mr. Olsen in the RCS Finals to secure his best placement of 17th.
31. Bagel
Bagel is known for his fearsome Etalus that has, in a past season, gone so far as to beat the best player in the world. As of late Bagel has been whipping his Zetterburn into shape, putting a heavy focus on the task during Season 5. While his Etalus may be taking a bit of a back seat, it still has the ability to strike fear into his opponents when called upon, leading Bagel to a stellar 9th place at RCS Water. Outside of the game itself, Bagel has taken up a leadership role and has been working on his local scene by hosting region-locked tournaments to build up his community.
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