HLTV.org July 2014 world ranking

Our previous ranking was updated in mid-April and three big events, as well as a plethora of smaller ones, have since taken place. New top teams have emerged, many have gone through changes, and one has ceased to exist.

Last time Copenhagen Games used our ranking for seedings, and this time G3 will do the same for the $45,000 tournament next week in London. We've extended them to feature each of G3's twelve participants.

Although we've only listed results dating back to the previous major, EMS One Katowice, we have not ignored everything that took place prior to the arbitrary cut-off date in mid-March.

LAN play has a heavy emphasis over online results as usual, and though we've tried to stay as objective as possible, this is nevertheless a subjective ranking and not a definitive assessment of a team's capabilities.

We have considered the results from the on-going season of SLTV StarSeries, but since final placings are not yet determined, they are not listed under online results.

The ranking was composed by Tomi "⁠lurppis⁠" Kovanen and Petar "Tgwri1s" Milovanovic. Continue reading for the HLTV.org July 2014 world ranking.

12. ESG (new)

LAN results		Online results
3-4th	ESPORTSM Finals	2nd	Hitbox Arena Showdown
5-8th	DreamHack Summer	7-8th	Hitbox Arena Championship
9-16th	Copenhagen Games	3-4th	DreamHack Summer qualifier

ESG are hardly the former SK Gaming team led by Faruk "⁠pita⁠" Pita anymore since he retired from gaming, but they've built on the solid performance at DreamHack Summer. In Jönköping they bested fnatic twice on de_inferno to advance to the quarter-finals, and they even took a map off NiP in ESPORTSM Finals to make their claim at being one of the top teams. Since then pita retired, but the player change, or losing SK Gaming's support, have not affected their performance negatively whatsoever.

The star of the team is Mikail "⁠Maikelele⁠" Bill, who has quietly been one of the better players so far in 2014. It's clear him and Alexander "⁠SKYTTEN⁠" Carlsson - the two former LGB members - have stumbled onto another promising team here. Marcus "⁠Delpan⁠" Larsson has proved he has it in CS:GO, just like in Counter-Strike 1.6, with solid performances at DreamHack Summer with Lemondogs, as well as in SLTV StarSeries X and dignitas SCAN Invitational online.

Player	Age	Rating
Mikail "Maikelele" Bill	23	1.07
Marcus "Delpan" Larsson	24	1.05
Joel "emilio" Mako	21	1.02
Alexander "SKYTTEN" Carlsson	21	0.98
Fredrik "roque" Honak	22	0.86

For this team the only thing holding them back from a better placing is lack of tournaments. So far they've only attended three events - one of them months removed from today under the name Property, with a poor overall finish - and online results can only carry you so far. If they can play at G3 like they have online, they could be the dark horse team of the event. They are also favorites to qualify for ESL One this weekend, and are looking really good in SLTV StarSeries X to make it to the finals in Kiev.

ESG are the only new team to appear on this ranking, and if they play their cards right for the next month, could be even higher in the next ranking. These potentially upcoming three events will give us a much better idea of how good the Swedes are as a team, and whether they have potential to truly compete with the world's best teams on all maps and on LAN, or whether they will remain fringe contenders with some upset potential.

11. fnatic (-7)

LAN results		Online results
1st	ESPORTSM Finals	3-4th	Caseking of the Hill #1
9-12th	DreamHack Summer
5-8th	Copenhagen Games
5-8th	EMS One Katowice

Ever since the win at DreamHack Winter last November fnatic have been steadily falling. They have yet to make top four at an international event after that grand final versus NiP ended - excluding four team DreamHack Stockholm Invitational - despite being close almost every time. In Katowice fnatic suffered a nail-biting loss to LGB, and in Copenhagen they lost both maps against dignitas in overtime. Despite beating NiP in the wee-hours of the night at ESPORTSM, the team opted to make changes due to going out in the group stage after two losses to SK Gaming at DreamHack Summer.

Both Jonatan "⁠Devilwalk⁠" Lundberg and Null element were forced out of the team, with the former becoming the coach -- though the extent of his role is unknown at this time, with Markus "⁠pronax⁠" Wallsten remaining the in-game leader. fnatic recruited two former LGB players in Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer and Freddy "⁠KRIMZ⁠" Johansson, and have without a doubt added more skill to their roster. Only problem? fnatic's issues were in closing out games, and LGB - the team they recruited their new players from - were the second worst out all top teams.

Player	Age	Rating
Olof "olofm" Kajbjer	22	1.12
Robin "flusha" Rönnquist	20	1.10
Jesper "JW" Wecksell	19	1.09
Freddy "KRiMZ" Johansson	20	1.05
Markus "pronax" Wallsten	23	0.94

Though their results in SLTV StarSeries X have been promising - their resume includes wins over LDLC, mouz and Titan - a narrow loss to LDLC in Caseking of the Hill #1 shows they probably haven't yet gotten much better. It's very likely fnatic will climb further up on this ranking in the next edition, as they will attend both G3 and ESL One Cologne, but for now their resume doesn't have anything on it that would grant them a higher placing, especially with all of their achievements coming with the previous roster that is no longer intact. fnatic are a good example of what can happen to a team after one fluky win, even at a major.

They are one of the two teams in this ranking who dropped a whopping seven placings. They could be the biggest winners next time around with a pair of good finishes -- especially with a third event, SLTV StarSeries X Finals, also barely over a month away. For now the only way you could rank fnatic any higher is if your ranking was based on potential, which ours is not. We rank based on results, and this roster - or the previous core - simply don't have enough of them to earn a higher spot than any of the ten teams above them.

10.  Epsilon (+0) 

LAN results		Online results
2nd	DreamHack Valencia	5-6th	Hitbox Arena Championship
3-4th	DreamHack Summer
9-12th	EMS One Katowice

The core of Epsilon has been together for ages under the Clan-Mystik name, but having changed both their in-game leader - from Michael "⁠HaRts⁠" Zanatta to Robin "⁠GMX⁠" Stahmer - and their star player - from Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub to Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon - it hardly resembles the team it used to be. They've only attended two international events with shox on the team, but so far the results are promising, though a little misleading.

At DreamHack Summer Epsilon lucked into an easy top four finish due to Lemondogs winning their group, and in Valencia last week they only had to overcome on top team, HellRaisers, to get into the grand final -- though they played a competitive series versus LDLC as well. The win over HR was impressive though, and it goes to show just how incredibly good shox is. Since then the team removed Valentin "⁠mistou⁠" Balbastro from the team, and added a sniper in Joey "⁠fxy0⁠" Schlosser, but it's too early to draw any real conclusions from the change.

Player	Age	Rating
Richard "shox" Papillon	22	1.22
Joey "fxy0" Schlosser	21	1.19
Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey	19	1.08
Gordon "Sf" Giry	22	0.99
Robin "GMX" Stahmer	21	0.93

Online Epsilon have not impressed. They are 1-2 in SLTV StarSeries X with losses against HR and ESG, though fxy0 is still very new to the team. A big part of this team's future is tied to how fxy0 develops. shox can't shoulder all the weight forever - as proven by him running out of steam in the Valencia grand final after single-handedly carrying Shoxilon there - and the rest of the team has proven incapable of putting up the kind of numbers required to beat top teams.

It seems that Epsilon are one move away from becoming a contender, even with shox playing like one of the best three players in the world. One thing to consider, together with fxy0's development, is how GMX turns out to be as an in-game leader. He is still fresh at the job, and it's possible he will get better at it as time goes by. For now the training wheels are off, as they have the ESL One qualifier coming on the weekend, followed by G3 next week. Epsilon must perform to hold the tenth spot on the ranking.

shox proved in Valencia he can beat anyone on his own 

9. Titan (-7) 

LAN results		Online results
5-8th	DreamHack Summer	3-4th	Caseking of the Hill #1
3rd	SLTV StarSeries IX Finals	1st	Hitbox Arena Championship
5-8th	Copenhagen Games	3rd	FACEIT Spring League
9-12th	EMS One Katowice

The time has come to face the music for Titan. Our last ranking saw them undeservedly hold onto the second place because it was hard to move them too far down, but there really is no good case for them to be above any of the remaining teams. Aside from three four-team events, they have yet to make the top four at any event in 2014, which in itself is really worrisome. They also lost their best player shox and recruited kennyS, who is also very good, but hardly fits the team as well.

Titan have recruited a coach to try to bring them back to relevance, and in their defense they haven't gone out against bad teams -- Virtus.pro and HellRaisers in Katowice, LDLC in Copenhagen, Na`Vi and NiP in Kiev, and both HR and NiP in Jönköping. Still, to be ranked better than those teams you have to beat them, and especially losing to LDLC on a map Titan is known not to practice is a tough pill to swallow when trying to gauge their level as a team. The pieces don't seem to fit the puzzle anymore.

Player	Age	Rating
Kenny "kennyS" Schrub	19	1.19
Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom	20	1.13
Nathan "NBK" Schmitt	20	1.11
Edouard "SmithZz" Dubourdeaux	25	1.05
Kévin "Ex6TenZ" Droolans	24	0.95

Adil "⁠ScreaM⁠" Benrlitom showed good form - for the first time since ESWC 2013 - at both Copenhagen Games and SLTV StarSeries IX Finals, but overall remains inconsistent and hasn't seemed to adjust too well to kennyS joining. Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt is the swing player in this team - capable of making them competitive against anyone - but the burden to carry them is too much. Edouard "⁠SmithZz⁠" Dubourdeaux hasn't had a suitable role since kennyS joined, and going towards a more free playing style makes Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans more irrelevant than ever.

At this point the French-Belgian team is simply lost. They have plenty of potential, and they've come close to beating some of the world's best teams, but it seems mental problems are once again stopping them from truly realizing their potential -- which was the case prior to shox joining as well. Online they've been mediocre at best lately, with losses to fnatic, HR, Na`Vi and ESG to show for their efforts. The pressure is on Titan to perform, or they could be looking at more changes after ESL One Cologne concludes.

8. compLexity (-1) 

LAN results		Online results
2nd	ESEA Invite S16 Global Finals	3rd	CEVO Pro Season 4
2nd	SoCAL Revival #2
5-8th	EMS One Katowice

compLexity is a tough team to rank. They've clearly gone downhill since they lost Braxton "⁠swag⁠" Pierce and recruited Todd "⁠anger⁠" Williams - which their results online and at SoCAL Revival #2 reflected - but that great showing at ESEA Invite Season 16 Global Finals completely changed coL's course around. However, losing two players within days of that event once more renders the result much less useful, and we're stuck trying to come up with a way to value their performances.

Online coL have been atrocious; they lost against MANAJUMAS in CEVO Pro Season 4, and this roster has only ever won one double overtime match against iBUYPOWER - only to lose later on in the same tourney. They're no longer the continent's best team, though they remain competitive with iBUYPOWER, and there are no other teams that are even remotely threatening to them on LAN. Recruiting Mike "⁠shroud⁠" Grzesiek and getting the newcomer's enthusiasm on-board may also help with online performances in the future.

Player	Age	Rating
Spencer "Hiko" Martin	24	1.15
Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert	23	1.10
Kory "Semphis" Friesen	25	0.99
Derek "dboorN" Boorn	25	0.85
Mike "shroud" Grzesiek	20	0.80

Current roster in online play; not announced officially

Derek "⁠dboorN⁠" Boorn is a proven performer and likely will offset the consistent play by Sean "⁠seang@res⁠" Gares over the long term, with more rifling upside. The issues are that the change forces Kory "⁠SEMPHIS⁠" Friesen to be the in-game leader - a role he did great in at ESEA, but likely in a non-sustainable manner - and also sees their only sniper depart the team. shroud has way more long term potential for growth than anger did, but ESL One Cologne is just a month away, and there isn't much time left for growth.

compLexity's three series wins over NiP, Na`Vi and Virtus.pro get them an eighth place - and had they kept the previous roster, they may have been ranked above iBUYPOWER, even though they are clearly weaker head-to-head. This team has some deep issues in how their roster is constructed, but it's not inconceivable that SEMPHIS could develop into a good leader now that his fragging has been lackluster for a while, and shroud could turn into a solid fragger. A lot relies on Jordan "⁠n0thing⁠" Gilbert, the player who carried them at ESEA, but they are good for top eight.

7. iBUYPOWER (+4) 

LAN results		Online results
1st	ESWC NA qualifier	1st	ESL One NA qualifier
1st	ESEA Invite S16 Global Finals	1st	CEVO Pro Season 4
1st	SoCAL Revival #2
13-16th	EMS One Katowice

iBUYPOWER are the hardest team to rank on this list. On one hand they've dominated in North America since recruiting swag, and won the only international tournament - as well as two North American ones - they've attended. Yet they have only beaten compLexity four times in the process, and scored series wins over the weak OverGaming team and Virtus.pro. Not exactly the kind of resume you'd expect from a top seven team in the world.

It's hard to put them below anyone else because this roster has won everything they've played so far. Joshua "⁠steel⁠" Nissan has turned into a solid long-term member it seems, and under Sam "⁠DaZeD⁠" Marine's leadership iBP have won two straight ESEA Finals events in 2014. Online no one has been able to touch them, as they've cruised through CEVO Pro Season 4 and the North American ESL One qualifier. In other words, iBUYPOWER look like they are in great shape, and we won't truly know just how good they are until after August.

Player	Age	Rating
Braxton "swag" Pierce	17	1.15
Tyler "Skadoodle" Latham	21	1.14
Joshua "steel" Nissan	24	1.12
Sam "DaZeD" Marine	24	1.10
Keven "AZK" Lariviere	23	1.06

The squad managed by Derrick "⁠impulsivE⁠" Truong will be traveling to Europe next week to attend G3 and will then bootcamp for nearly two weeks before ESL One. iBUYPOWER are doing a great job giving this team the right chances to succeed, and they have all the momentum and confidence on their side to continue playing well in London and Cologne. They have also kept a steady roster since the additions of swag and steel, and are starting to have enough chemistry and experience to go head-to-head with the best.

As was the case with Natus Vincere before DreamHack Summer, now iBUYPOWER have to prove they can win in Europe. Tyler "⁠Skadoodle⁠" Latham's Curse, which then later on became iBP, have a terrible record abroad. Of course only three players remain from the teams that bombed out of the group stages at the last two majors, but it's still a fact a mere two players on this team have ever scored big wins in Europe. iBP must do well at G3 and ESL One to hold onto this ranking - or to soar even higher on it - but they have a good chance of doing so.

6. HellRaisers (+3) 

LAN results		Online results
3rd	DreamHack Valencia
3-4th	DreamHack Summer
5-8th	EMS One Katowice

HellRaisers seem to always fall short of what people consider their potential. Starting with a loss to Clan-Mystik at ESWC, followed by compLexity beating them at DreamHack Winter, and dignitas overcoming Kirill "⁠ANGE1⁠" Karasiow and company in Katowice, they never seem to catch a break. They had a close loss against NiP at DreamHack Summer after taking down Titan in the group stage, and were beaten by Shoxilon in Valencia, just when it looked like they'd finally win a small title.

Online they've looked sharp in SLTV StarSeries X, where they boast an 8-1-1 record with wins over Titan, Epsilon, LDLC and ESG. Their only loss has come against Virtus.pro - whom they've always struggled against - and they tied fnatic. The fact they had so many close games in Valencia should worry any HellRaisers fan, as should the 0-16 loss to Epsilon. It seems the same issue plagues this team that we talked about months ago -- they do not have a suitable playing style or game plan to consistently beat top teams.

Player	Age	Rating
Mihail "Dosia" Stolyarov	26	1.09
Yegor "markeloff" Markelov	26	1.07
Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow	24	1.04
Emil "kucher" Akhundov	25	1.01
Dauren "AdreN" Kystaubayev	24	1.00

HR have been able to hold onto a steady roster since their decision to replace Ioann "⁠Edward⁠" Sukhariev with Emil "⁠kUcheR⁠" Akhundov last fall, but it's a little concerning they seem somewhat happy with their results. In our recent interview with Yegor "⁠markeloff⁠" Markelov, he stated they've won more money since the change and have no regrets, and sounded content with it all. Either HR don't realize it's largely thanks to the major events' prize purses, or they're flat out lying to themselves. HellRaisers aren't an elite team anymore, though they seemed like one last fall with Edward.

The second best team from the ex-Soviet countries can contend for titles and beat any team in a series, which is remarkable. It seems like they should snatch a title sometime in the future, yet they're too inconsistent to pull it off. It's impossible to rank HR's potential above LDLC's results, but they have still done more than all the teams below them on this ranking. 

5. LDLC (+3)

LAN results		Online results
1st	DreamHack Valencia	2nd	Caseking of the Hill #1
3-4th	Copenhagen Games	4th	FACEIT Spring League
5-8th	EMS One Katowice

LDLC have had a remarkably stable roster while nearly everyone on this list has made roster changes, and it's seemingly paying off. Though they missed out on DreamHack Summer, they had a good showing in Katowice, placed top four in Copenhagen and won in Valencia last weekend. It's not a bad resume, and it's trending upwards. It's possible LDLC prefers attending fewer events and being better prepared at them, seeing as they're also skipping G3, or their organization doesn't offer them the kind of support that made Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire so excited when joining.

After terrible showings at DreamHack Winter and in Katowice it seems that Hovik "⁠KQLY⁠" Tovmassian has finally elevated his play, which is going to be key for LDLC moving forward. apEX is consistent, but the rest of the team - with maybe the exception of Vincent "⁠Happy⁠" Schopenhauer - don't offer that much help in the fragging department, which forces LDLC to rely heavily on teamwork and tactics when playing against teams with more firepower. However, that's a good thing over the long haul.

Player	Age	Rating
Hovik "KQLY" Tovmassian	23	1.14
Dan "apEX" Madesclaire	21	1.12
Vincent "Happy" Cervoni	22	1.09
Mathieu "Maniac" Quiquerez	24	0.96
Kevin "Uzzziii" Vernel	24	0.94

Online LDLC have had varying results. Their fourth place finish in FACEIT Spring League was impressive, and a win over the new fnatic squad in Caseking of the Hill #1 isn't something to overlook. They were very close to beating Natus Vincere in the grand final, too. However, in SLTV StarSeries X they are 4-1-2 with zero wins over good teams, a draw versus ESG and losses to both fnatic and HellRaisers. In other words, it doesn't seem like this team is improving; they're steady where they belong.

For LDLC to climb higher on this list they would need a top four finish in Cologne, and even that might not be enough depending on how other teams perform. It almost seems as if they've capped out at top five, without too much upset potential against the teams above them. It's surprising to me they didn't try to recruit shox after he left Titan, but there's something to be said about keeping the same roster for so long. Look for LDLC to most likely fall a few places after Cologne, but they're a consistent top eight team in the world.

4. dignitas (+1) 

LAN results		Online results
3-4th	Copenhagen Games	1st	dignitas SCAN Invitational
3-4th	EMS One Katowice	2nd	Mikz Challenge
		2nd	FACEIT Spring League

dignitas are very consistent, yet also inactive. They've placed top four at their two last events, where practically every top team was, and were within a few rounds of cracking top four at DreamHack Winter as well. Since then it's been over three months and the Danes have not competed internationally. To make it worse for the Danes, they've also changed René "⁠cajunb⁠" Borg into Philip "⁠aizy⁠" Aistrup, who is significantly less experienced and hasn't yet proven himself at big tournaments like cajunb did.

Online Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth's team have been equally good. In FACEIT Spring League they placed second to Virtus.pro with wins over Virtus.pro, Titan, LDLC and fnatic, and they split their own SCAN tournament and Mikz Challenge with NiP. Finally taking down NiP in the SCAN Invitational was especially impressive, but the problem is they used Jacob "⁠Pimp⁠" Winneche as a stand-in - for their statistically best player Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz - thus making the result irrelevant.

Player	Age	Rating
Nicolai "device" Reedtz	18	1.15
Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen	21	1.13
Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth	18	1.07
Philip "aizy" Aistrup	18	1.02
Henrik "FeTiSh" Christensen	27	0.88

There will be plenty of pressure on dignitas to do well at G3 and ESL One Cologne, and since we haven't seen them play anything online in a while it's impossible to know what kind of shape they're in, or if they're properly prepared. To make it worse, they've always had massive struggles on the terrorist sides - which need more preparation in general - while relying on their individual skill to power them to double digit defensive half wins. Some of that skill was lost in cajunb, and they need to make up for it in other ways.

That being said, it would be impossible to rank dignitas lower than fourth. It's possible they could have beaten Virtus.pro, LDLC and LGB at their last two LAN events, but they had the bad luck of drawing NiP in the semi-finals. Their resume is stellar, and another top four finish at the next major in Cologne would likely send them into the top three. Their inactivity holds them back for now, which is why the next team on the list was able to sneak so high up so quickly.

3. Natus Vincere (+9) 

LAN results		Online results
2nd	IronGaming	1st	Caseking of the Hill #1
4th	ESEA Invite S16 Global Finals
2nd	DreamHack Summer
1st	SLTV StarSeries IX Finals
9-12th	EMS One Katowice

Danylo "⁠Zeus⁠" Teslenko's team are the biggest climbers in this ranking, having gone up from a measly twelfth place all the way to the top three. After their failure in Katowice they elected to skip Copenhagen Games, but wound up proving Ladislav "⁠GuardiaN⁠" Kovács' statement right by taking down NiP and Titan en route to a championship at SLTV StarSeries IX Finals. Na`Vi then proved the naysayers wrong by finishing runners-up in Jönköping. Denis "⁠seized⁠" Kostin's development into a star will also help the team out in the future.

Unfortunately their showing at ESEA Finals was ruined by Arseny "⁠ceh9⁠" Trynozhenko having to replace Edward, whose passport was lost by the US embassy. They lost against NiP at IronGaming as well, but it's hard to take such a poorly organized event too seriously. Consider this - Na`Vi have only lost against NiP since their breakout performance in Kiev, excluding the irrelevant games played without one of their main stars in Dallas. Na`Vi are a strategic team, but that change crippled them too much to contend.

Player	Age	Rating
Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács	23	1.18
Ioann "Edward" Sukhariev	26	1.11
Denis "seized" Kostin	19	1.08
Danylo "Zeus" Teslenko	26	1.02
Sergey "starix" Ischuk	26	1.00

Online Na`Vi have been fairly inactive, but the wins over Titan and LDLC in Caseking of the Hill #1 were a nice added touch to their already strong resume. While most teams below Na`Vi struggle heavily in certain match-ups, they are one of the three teams who are realistically capable of beating anyone, while also fairly consistent in matches against weaker teams. Critics will point to the FlipSid3 match at DreamHack, but slip-ups can happen to anyone; as a whole Na`Vi are still not too prone to upset losses.

Top two finishes at SLTV StarSeries IX Finals and DreamHack Summer catapult Na`Vi to a top three placing just behind NiP and Virtus.pro. While they don't have enough results to put them above the world's best two teams just yet, they've proven over the past few months that they're the third best team around. They will be well prepared for ESL One - assuming they qualify this weekend - and have elected to skip G3. Expect Na`Vi to be a contender for ESL One, and a serious one at that.

2. Virtus.pro (+1) 

LAN results		Online results
3rd	ESEA Invite S16 Global Finals	1st	FACEIT Spring League
5-8th	DreamHack Summer
4th	SLTV StarSeries IX Finals
2nd	Copenhagen Games
1st	EMS One Katowice

Though in our last ranking we weren't yet sure if Virtus.pro were a legitimate top tier team or possibly one event wonders, the results following their win in Katowice have certainly proven the former. The Poles finished second at Copenhagen Games to cement their spot in the top two in the world, and they also topped FACEIT Spring League online with wins over the likes of Titan and dignitas - no mean feat for a team that was used to struggling at home.

Virtus have cooled off since, finishing fourth at SLTV Finals - though only losing to Titan and NiP - and getting knocked out early at DreamHack Summer at the hands of Natus Vincere. In Dallas they placed third despite Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski arriving a day late and the schedule working against them. The losses to iBUYPOWER and compLexity were definitely weak results for Virtus, especially considering the manner they lost both games in. A win versus NiP shouldn't be overlooked, though.

Player	Age	Rating
Jarosław "pasha" Jarząbkowski	26	1.14
Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski	21	1.09
Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas	28	1.08
Filip "Neo" Kubski	27	1.07
Paweł "byali" Bieliński	20	1.07

The squad led by Filip "⁠NEO⁠" Kubski are facing some pressure going into G3 and ESL One Cologne, as they've racked up some weak results and must reinforce their place among the world's elite. More finishes outside of the top four - or being unable to make the grand final in either one - would likely end up with them on the outside looking in at the top two teams in the world. A key for them has been the performance of Jarosław "⁠pashaBiceps⁠" Jarząbkowski, who hasn't been playing at the level we saw from him earlier on in 2014.

Virtus have said multiple times that they've lacked proper practice since the bootcamp before EMS One, and this short vacation from Counter-Strike should allow them to get back into it re-energized. They are currently the world's second best team, but only by a hair over Na`Vi in terms of current form, and that could change quickly if they don't start performing better. The Poles must perform at both G3 and ESL One.

1. NiP (+0) 

LAN results		Online results
1st	IronGaming	2nd	dignitas SCAN Invitational
5-6th	ESEA Invite S16 Global Finals	1st	Mikz Challenge
1st	DreamHack Summer	6th	FACEIT Spring League
2nd	ESPORTSM Finals
2nd	SLTV StarSeries IX Finals
1st	Copenhagen Games
2nd	EMS One Katowice

NiP remain the best team in the world in late July 2014. Though their showing at ESEA Invite Season 16 Global Finals was appalling by their standards, they've put together a strong year aside from the one-off falter in Dallas. They won Copenhagen Games shortly after our April ranking was released, placed top two at SLTV StarSeries IX Finals, and won both DreamHack Summer and IronGaming. It's hard to argue against such consistency.

It seems Robin "⁠Fifflaren⁠" Johansson was right in his Reflections interview - NiP figure teams out after losing to them once. They lost against Virtus in Katowice, but won in Copenhagen. Lost against Na`Vi in Kiev, but won in both Jönköping and Austin. The ESEA Finals placing is a big outlier in NiP's results - as a first time loss versus a poorly prepared compLexity squad should be - and they quickly bounced back with a win at IronGaming.

Player	Age	Rating
Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund	24	1.32
Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg	26	1.26
Richard "Xizt" Landström	23	1.14
Adam "friberg" Friberg	22	1.11
Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson	26	0.98

Online NiP haven't impressed, but they hardly do. They were knocked out of FACEIT Spring League early on, and split the other two online tournaments they took part in with dignitas, whom they've never lost against on LAN. The only questionable, and meaningful, result for NiP since the April ranking is their loss versus Virtus.pro in Dallas, which knocked them out of the event. That's a match NiP should have won, no matter how you look at it, yet they failed to pull through. Nevertheless, they remain number one.

The Ninjas go into the next two events - G3 and ESL One - as favorites, and it remains to be seen whether third time is the charm and they can bag a major win in Cologne. Anything less would be a disappointment, and a well rested NiP team has proven deadly in the past. Though in-game leader Richard "⁠Xizt⁠" Landström stated they are at a disadvantage with the new maps due to being on vacation, their individual skill should make up for any loss in coordination. Expect Patrik "⁠f0rest⁠" Lindberg and Christopher "⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠" Alesund to come out swinging.

HLTV.org July 2014 world ranking:

#	Team	Change	Roster
1.	NiP	+0	f0rest, Fifflaren, friberg, GeT_RiGhT, Xizt
2.	Virtus.pro	+1	byali, Neo, pasha, Snax, TaZ
3.	Natus Vincere	+9	Edward, GuardiaN, seized, starix, Zeus
4.	dignitas	+1	aizy, device, dupreeh, FeTiSh, Xyp9x
5.	LDLC	+3	apEX, Happy, KQLY, Maniac, Uzzziii
6.	HellRaisers	+3	AdreN, ANGE1, Dosia, kucher, markeloff
7.	iBUYPOWER	+4	AZK, DaZeD, Skadoodle, steel, swag
8.	compLexity	-1	dboorN, Hiko, n0thing, Semphis, shroud
9.	Titan	-7	Ex6TenZ, kennyS, NBK, ScreaM, SmithZz
10.	Epsilon	+0	fxy0, GMX, kioShiMa, Sf, shox
11.	fnatic	-7	flusha, jw, KRiMZ, olofm, pronax
12.	ESG	new	Delpan, emilio, Maikelele, roque, SKYTTEN

With G3 taking place next week and ESL One Cologne two weeks later, this ranking will surely see changes very soon. You can expect the next edition sometime in the fall.

Who do you think will soar or fall in the next ranking? Can a new team jump into the top twelve? Will we see a new champion at ESL One? The next months will give us the answers.

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