Fellow Snack Bears it’s time for the fourth mini-Snack Scuffle Invitational! That also means it’s the long awaited roster update and power rankings by yours truly, Cerionna.
Getting right into it, I've crunched the numbers, done about a million calculations—maybe lost a scrim recently, who knows—and I believe without a doubt this list is flawless.
During this past preseason, anyone who has followed the SNC competitive teams knows how much each of these teams has improved, changed, and hit gold. But I don't think there's a single team that has done each of those more impressively than the number one pick… [ Scuffle 4 IBS Preview ]
#1 Radiant Twilight
What an absolute journey this team has been on! This is the third (or fourth?) iteration of this team, and anyone can see that they’ve finally hit their stride. With non-stop dedication to improvement, this team embodies the SNC spirit better than any we have seen. Radiant has been constantly adapting, learning, and scrimming. They've beaten gold teams, plat teams, and more impressively my team--Dreaded Dawn <3!
As Coach Outlaw put it, “Radiant is ready to make a big impact this weekend and show that they are the best.” There are some players I want to mention to watch out for, but before you focus on their players, make sure you don’t underestimate the impact of a good coach.
Players to watch:
SNC EJooN: Who did not expect my brother to make it on this list, come on. Jokes aside, EJooN is on a return from a Korean bootcamp / Goku Hyperbolic Time Chamber and you can tell this man is looking for blood. EJooN has been with Radiant from the start, has helped hold them together through thick and thin, and is easily my top ranked top-laner in the Scuffle.
BigBoyPK: He has been described as the glue for Radiant, and is absolutely committed to improving. Showing that he's not just a Kayn one-trick, he's a force to be reckoned with.
Kruetz: Coming hot from Grumpy Bears, Kruetz is easily the best mid laner in SNC. This player is the spice that Radiant was missing. A mid that is not only insanely strong one-on-one, but has the ability to uplift his team and bring them back from the brink of defeat is going to be the cornerstone of why I think Radiant goes undefeated.
#2 Grumpy Bears
This team is no stranger to placing high on my power ranking list. Grumpy was the first gold team for SNC and they are once again making their temporary return. With Kruetz gone they are eager to show that they are still top tier. With a certain bear cub making his debut in the mid lane, this is their chance to prove themself, or to end up making the Grumpy Bears even grumpier. With an absolute star-studded roster, I would not be surprised to see Grumpy run the table.
Players to watch:
HilkTV: As a Twitch streamer and support extraordinaire, HilkTV has the ability to completely change the outcome of a game with his great engages and good macro plays.
YuutaXiii: The newest bear cub / mid laner. While I don’t know much about this player other than they are in high school and HilkTV is coaching them, Yuuta should be under the spotlight as we look to see how he holds up versus Radiant Twilight's Kruetz.
#3 Dreaded Dawn
Okay well, I had to be unbiased here, Dreaded Dawn is making their return to the Rift after losing in the semi-finals of LBL Economy. Dreaded has been on hiatus since December and with their return they are bringing: a friendly new face, a boomer, a role swap, a washed ADC, and SNC Talon. This team has the potential to be the best if they are in postseason form, and with the addition of SNC Bristle Bear (formerly Furry) top, they might actually have some good macro that doesn't involve fighting 24/7.
Players to watch:
SNC Talon: A contender for one of the top players in SNC as well, his support Zoe is to be feared. An extremely fun player who perfectly embodies Dreaded Dawns playstyle of "let's fight until we win!" I don't know if Talon has ever lost a two-on-two matchup in bot lane, and I don't expect that he will anytime soon.
SNC Cat Bear: Cat makes her return to the comp scene coming from the long disbanded but never forgotten Sun Bears / Guardians. Another player who's absolutely full of joy and can keep a team untilted even when they're losing, I expect Cat will fit in perfectly to the atmosphere of Dreaded Dawn.
SNC Cerionna: Kind of a hit or miss player, sorta washed, probably not even worth a Jinx ban tbh. However Arctic does have some tricks up his sleeve for this tournament and it'll be fun to watch what new champs might make their debut in the bot lane.
#4 Tempest Flame
This is another up-and-coming SNC gold team full of players everyone will recognize--since they are on all the time. With AmandathePanda as coach, this team could be very deadly with the right tools in their hands. Twempest Fwame are eager to test themselves versus the competition and have a good dynamic, so it will be exciting to see them test the waters against some SNC vets.
Players to watch:
SNC Tea: Tea is one of the most impactful players on Twempest. If he can get ahead, there's nothing stopping him from rolling the entire enemy team. Coming over from Radiant Twilight, Tea has proven to be top tier anywhere he goes.
SNC Reign: This bot duo has insane chemistry and is one of my bot lanes coming into this Scuffle. Reign is another former Radiant player looking to challenge their previous team.