FaZe reached the maximum points threshold, while Astralis and Liquid made significant progress in this month's team rankings.
April marked the beginning of the post-Major period following PGL Major Copenhagen, a time typically characterized by changes among teams that either underperformed at the Major, missed it entirely, or were waiting for a market opportunity to arise.
The month following the first Major of 2024 has been unusual in that regard, with many teams previously rumored or linked to roster changes seemingly waiting for the mid-season tournament break scheduled from June 17 to July 14.
Adding to this timeline were IEM Chengdu and ESL Pro League Season 19, the two major events dominating April's schedule. The former commenced just a week after the Major and concluded on April 14, followed immediately by the roster lock for ESL's flagship league starting on April 23.
Despite these short windows, some teams took the opportunity to adjust their lineups, notably Virtus.pro with the surprising addition of Denis "electroNic" Sharipov and FURIA parting ways with Andrei "arT" Piovezan. However, top teams largely remained unchanged.
In addition to the flagship events in Chengdu and Malta, some teams participated in the Global Esports Tour Rio in Brazil—a tournament marred by delays, technical issues, and scheduling conflicts—and ESL Challenger Melbourne in Australia.
Several online events also unfolded, including Skyesports Masters and numerous LAN qualifiers for upcoming tournaments such as Esports World Cup, BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, and ESL Challenger Jönköping.
For those unfamiliar with the HLTV World Ranking by 1xBet, it is based on teams' achievements over the past year, recent form over the last two months, and performance in recent events within the last three months.
FaZe Clan
FaZe reached the points ceiling after securing their first title win with David "frozen" Čerňanský at IEM Chengdu. Despite exhaustion from their busy schedule, FaZe bounced back from defeat in the grand final of PGL Major Copenhagen.
After losing to Astralis in Group B, FaZe had to fight past Cloud9 and FlyQuest in the lower bracket to reach the playoffs. They excelled under pressure, defeating Liquid and exacting revenge against Astralis in the semifinals. Helvijs "broky" Saukants played a key role in these victories and continued his excellent performance in the grand final against MOUZ, leading FaZe to a triumphant finish.
FaZe had already solidified their position at the top of the rankings by making every grand final since the transition to CS2 and winning two LAN titles. With Natus Vincere and Spirit absent in Chengdu, FaZe capitalized on the opportunity to maximize their ranking points in form, achievements, and LAN results. They now aim to maintain their position in the playoffs of EPL.
Astralis Makes a Comeback to the Top 10
A period of underwhelming performances since the addition of Martin "stavn" Lund and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard, which ultimately led to missing their home Major, has been costly for Astralis over the past few months.
The organization slipped out of the top 10 in December and hit a historic low of No. 26 after parting ways with Benjamin "blameF" Bremer. During the six weeks on the sidelines, while the Major was underway, the team underwent rebuilding with Alexander "br0" Bro completing the roster and Nicolai "device" Reedtz taking over as the in-game leader. However, without any official matches, they had no opportunity to demonstrate their worth or regain ranking points until IEM Chengdu.
Upon their return to action in China, however, Astralis showcased remarkable form. They comfortably defeated Steel Helmet, FaZe, and Virtus.pro to secure a spot in the semi-finals but fell short against karrigan's side, exiting the tournament in 3-4th place.
Nevertheless, Astralis swiftly bounced back in Malta, sweeping aside Eternal Fire, FaZe, and 3DMAX to clinch the top spot in their Pro League group. These efforts propelled the Danish team up by 17 spots from last month's ranking. With a bye to the quarter-finals of EPL, they could potentially climb even higher if they advance further.
MIBR & Pro League Teams Surge in Rankings
MIBR also faced setbacks due to missing the Major but dominated the competition in South America throughout March and April. Despite stumbling at GET Rio with consecutive losses to eventual champions paiN, Felipe "insani" Yuji's squad quickly rebounded, claiming victory at ESL Challenger Melbourne by defeating Apeks and Aurora in the playoffs.
This achievement pushed MIBR back into the top 20, a feat also accomplished by Liquid and FlyQuest. Liquid made the playoffs in China, while both teams reached the bracket stage of EPL. Additionally, 3DMAX's playoff berth in Malta propelled them into the top 30, with M80 ranking just above them. M80 had a strong start with Elias "s1n" Stein, securing qualification for the Esports World Cup over Liquid and exchanging series wins with G2 at Pro League.
Cloud9 Drops from Rankings After Core Loss
The American organization is currently unranked due to having only two players on the active roster: Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov and Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov.
The team suffered a significant blow with electroNic's departure to Virtus.pro following IEM Chengdu, leading to Cloud9's exit from EPL and participation in the EWC qualifier with a stand-in, where they fell to Sashi.
Shortly after, the organization announced that Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy and Abay "HObbit" Khassenov had been benched, marking the beginning of a rebuilding phase around the remaining players and resulting in their removal from the rankings.