PGC 2023 Tier List: Who Claims The Title?

PGC 2023 Tier List: Who Claims The Title?

Time Stamp: November 21, 2023 8:42 PM

After a full year of domestic play, regional play and multiple global LANs since 2019, the PUBG Global Championship is back. With the 2023 PUBG esports year wrapping up, it is time to crown this year’s global champion. The city of Bangkok, Thailand will see 32 teams from across the world descend upon Central Ladprao for just over two weeks of madness. Who are the favorites to win and who is just happy to be here? This PGC 2023 Tier List should explain that.

Image courtesy of PUBG Esports

PGC Favorites: Danawa e-Sports, Twisted Minds, 17Gaming

Going into PGC 2023, these three teams are the favorites to win. Each team put their own stamp on PUBG Esports this year. Any of these teams winning PGC would not surprise anyone.

17Gaming, despite the retirement of Shou, won PGS1 and PCL Summer. They not only the entire tournament running well, but they have pre-existing chemistry that can only help them on stage. The key to 17’s rise lies in the evolution of LilGhost and xwudd. Since xwudd’s addition in June 2022, the two players have dominated the statistical metrics on this team.

Image courtesy of PUBG Esports

Twisted Minds, meanwhile, are not only the best team in Europe but maybe the best team in the world. No team has performed as well as consistently since they became a four-man unit in 2020 under the Northern Lights banner. In four years, they won 10 domestic titles, top three in three others and top five at four straight global LANs. Their teamwork is hive mind-esque and their fragging comes from everywhere. They are the most functionally sound team in the world.

Lastly, there is Danawa e-Sports. The Korean titans dominated domestic play in 2023, claiming both PWS titles. On the global stage, they finished fourth in both PGS events. Their best trait, however, is the talent on their roster. If the last two years have proven anything, it is that Seoul is the best player in the world. No player consistently puts up big stats in meaningful matches like Seoul. Alongside him, however, lies an equal challenge for any roster to face. Loki’s shift to Danawa turned him into one of the best support players in the world. Salute remains one of Korea’s best young talents and secondary fraggers, all while Inonix sit there taking turns with him to determine the second-best player on the team.

PGC Contenders Part 1: Soniqs, Luminosity, Cerberus Esports

Soniqs and Luminosity sit inextricably tied to each other in this list. Despite not claiming a single domestic title in 2023, Soniqs were the best-performing team from the Americas internationally. Their PGS2 win was a sign that, with the introduction of Gunner, this team is a good as its ever been. However, they quickly replaced M1me with Luminosity’s star fragger Kickstart. In turn, M1me landed on Luminosity. Luminosity where the kings of America in 2023, with an average finish in PGS point-giving events being 1.66 place. Their LAN struggles continued, however. Every LAN we say LG could win if they get it right, but is this the roster they will actually win with?

Image courtesy of Kickstart (@KSnKickstart)

Similarly, Cerberus ran in 2023. While they finished tied for the most points from Vietnam, they took the next step on the international stage. They spent 2022 building a resume of regional success, but their last three LANs have shown a dangerous team. While two sixth places finishes and a ninth may seem underwhelming on the surface, the content of those results is key. They dominated large stages of all three tournaments, they always ended up petering off or hitting roadblocks, however. At PGS2, that came as a twelve-point opening day of the Grand Finals. If they can sustain success for an entire tournament, they could claim APAC’s first international title.

What Is Going On Here?: Tianba

Image courtesy of Tianba Esports (@EsportsTia71012)

I hesitantly put Tianba here because in a vacuum they are one of the best teams in China and the world. However, after missing PGS2 something strange is happening inside this team. Longskr, one of the best players in the world, did not play during the team’s second-place PCL Summer finish. In his stead, they utilized a rotating pairing of iL1u and Zyy. Now going into PGC, Longskr remains off their roster and the other two players are participating. Who is starting remains between the two remains unknown. They may even continue the rotation. That lack of clarity, mixed with one of the best players in the world missing from the roster, makes this a hesitant contender. If they fail to make finals because of this, I would not be shocked.

SHOULD be in Finals, Part 1: Four Angry Men, NewHappy, Futbolist

Image Courtesy of NewHappy Esports (@NewHappyEsports)

It feels weird to have a team that did not make a single LAN in 2023 as a PGC 2023 finals soft lock, but Futbolist are different from other teams who missed LANs this year. First, they are immensely talented. Aitzy, Beami, vard and TeaBone are known quantities who are still at the top of their game. Secondly, they finished with the second-most PGC points of any team in EMEA. That was not by mistake. They missed out on making PGS1 by seven points and PGS2 by 15 points. They were around all year, they just never got to LAN.

Alongside them, the Chinese tandem of Four Angry Men and NewHappy should find their way to finals. These two teams share an inextricable link, however. A midseason roster change for NewHappy saw HSmm and ZpYan1 land on 4AM. Despite lacking strong global performances, 4AM were dominant in domestic play. NewHappy, on the other hand, came crashing down to earth after a strong two-year run. Two underwhelming global performances led to a roster change. While they never matched their peaks from the prior two years, they remained around the top of the PCL.

SHOULD be in Finals, Part 2: FaZe Clan, Question Mark, Daytrade Gaming

FaZe Clan and Question Mark, the two sides of the EMEA coin. This year was a year of fresh faces for FaZe. Jeemzz and curexi joined the roster. While their success on LAN was mixed, they constantly lurked around the top of the leaderboards in EMEA. Plus, there is the legend of a “FaZe Sunday.” With how they are performing this year, it is dangerous to doubt FaZe at PGC 2023.

Image courtesy of PUBG Esports

Question Mark is such a strange team. In the words of Joe Pesci, they are ”a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.” For the better part of three years, the various iterations of this team have put up fine, but forgettable results in the first half of the year. Yet, in the second every year, they turn into world beaters. No one can explain how ADOUZ1E does it, but at this point, it may as well be voodoo. This roster always makes small little changes that pay off. With them on a heater again, they should make finals.

Daytrade Gaming has been the most consistent APAC team over the past four years. While other teams faded from relevance, they maintained form and continued to dominate the Thai PUBG scene. This team benefits from Flash and Nourinz being one of the best duos in all of APAC based purely on fragging potential. However, unlike Cerberus, their peaks on LAN are never sustained for long enough to truly break through like Cerberus. If their run of form continues they should make finals, but they probably won’t win. 

Battle Royale: Spacestation Gaming, Genius Esports, Acend, Theerathon Five, Legacy, Gen.G, Tyloo, Petrichor Road, Veronica7, Team Falcons

This is the gigantic tier of PGC 2023 teams that I think can be in finals or could just miss out entirely. Outside of Danawa, the rest of Korea remains questionable. Pio may drag Gen.G to finals and Veronica7 may continue the Korean youth movement. Neither is strong enough to predict that outright. 

Tyloo and Petrichor Road sit in a similar situation. Both rosters have enough talent to make a run to the finals, but their consistency over the course of 2023 is lacking. Both teams made major changes this year. Shen fundamentally changed Tyloo, returning them to prior heights. Summer, meanwhile, helped turn around a massively underperforming Petrichor Road roster. With a roster as talented as PeRo’s, a final run would not be surprising. Historically, however, this team runs notoriously hot and cold.

Image courtesy of PUBG Esports

Genius Esports and Theerathon Five are not the best teams from their regions, but they are some of the best teams in APAC overall. Genius Esports is the majority of the BN United core that produced notable results in many APAC tournaments across the last few years. Theerathon Five, after a strong 2022 domestically, failed to match those marks in 2023. 

Spacestation Gaming, formerly Friendly Fire, stormed their way to PGC after a massive second-half roster change. After Corsac retired, former Heroic and Mercurial star fragger PaG3 came over to play alongside his former teammate PiXeL1K. They should easily make the finals if they can carry their momentum over from domestic play. 

Team Falcons and Legacy arrive at PGC as the last hopes of South America. Falcons, formerly FUIMBA, are constantly present at end-of-year LANs thanks to their experienced leadership and talent. Legacy, meanwhile is this year’s star Brazilain roster filled with young talent, highlighted by guizerra. Either team could make finals, but South American teams have a fickle history on LAN. That lands them here.

Lastly, there is Acend. The German team began 2023 in strong form, surpassing all expectations for the team. They petered off towards the end of the year, however. Yet, this team always seems to hang around in games and collect points when no one expects. This team has defied expectations all year, who says they can’t do it again?

What Do I Do With You?: Dplus, Exalt, Purple Mood E-Sport, Howl Esports, Sheng Yi Xin Long

Image Courtesy of PUBG Esports

This was the hardest to figure out of all the PGC 2023 tier. Teams like Sheng Yi Xin Long and Dplus are both talented rosters, but sit on opposite sides of the same rubicon. One consistently underperforms and can’t settle on a roster while the other is experienced but newly formed.

Exalt and Howl Esports both started strong in the early stages of 2023, but fell off in the aftermath of PGS1. They are the exact inverse of Question Mark, but they have significantly less of a track record. 

Purple Mood E-Sport remains an underwhelming option out of Thailand despite the country’s depth. Even with known quantities like ThanawatTH and DUCKMANZ, their underwhelming domestic showings compared to other regions make them less appealing of a team.

Surprise Me: PMA, Enter Force.36, Exo Clan, Pentagram

Image Courtesy of PUBG Esports

Escaping the first round on the PGC 2023 bracket stage should be considered a win for all these teams. PMA  outlasted global LAN regulars Xavage Men Esports (former GEX) to earn a spot at PGC. However, this is a fresh roster with no major LAN experience. This is a learning experience for them.

This Enter Force.36 roster is not all too different from what the Japanese organization produced over the last few years. Starlord is still at the helm, but the roster still lacks the punch to do anything globally.

Pentagram meanwhile is the classic roster of veteran Korean players. Adder, Akad, Hikari and WICK2D started strong domestically this year, but their play petered off as the year went on. Despite their immense LAN experience apart, collectively they do not move the needle at all.

Through the chaos that is APAC, Exo Clan lands themselves back on LAN. It took the wackiest last two games of a tournament in recent PUBG memory to land them in Thailand for PGC 2023, but they do not feel destined to stay. While monty, Insight, Akita and rip are all fun players, a repeat of PGS1 is on the cards.

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