With week two of the second RLCS Open Qualifier nearly upon us, it seems like a good time to take a look at some of the teams who'll be vying for a place in the group stages. With iBUYPOWER Cosmic and Kings of Urban pre-qualified for the group stage there are just six slots available this time around, and a whole lot of teams vying for the places. If you want to see the bracket for yourself, it's over at SmashGG.

Exodus (740 Points)

Having finished third in the first online final Exodus were in a strong position already ahead of the second bout of RLCS qualification, but in theory the addition of Moses could put them even further ahead. They don't appear to have many matches under their belt with their new line-up, but they have vast amounts of potential . They shouldn't have too much difficulty in the upper bracket with FakeOut Nation the only other power ranking representative.

Genesis (600 Points)

Genesis have been a little hit-or-miss of late following their slight roster change. Losing Moses to Exodus (formerly Eanix, Turbulence and VexX) was a blow, but having appointed Espeon as his successor they stand a very good chance of success. If they can avoid the teething troubles that new rosters often face this new roster of Pluto, Espeon and Quinn could go far. They already displayed their potential by taking the first two games from iBP Cosmic in their first match together in Rocket Royale, but then they demonstrated their potential to collapse, too.

With a few weeks extra weeks of practice together I'd expect them to see off the challenge of Empyreal or Kindergarden in the upper bracket to progress. Even if they hiccup there, they should have the power and skill to move through the lower bracket with relative ease.

Retrospect (480 Points)

Retrospect are another team that saw heavy roster changes just before the RLCS registration deadline, but ultimately settled on a fine roster of Klassux, Chrome and Genocop (formerly of Orbit). Sadly for them, they have quite a tough path to qualification, likely having to play both The Gaze and Lucky Bounce if they want to avoid fighting through the lower bracket.  Lucky Bounce in particular have been on an upward surge recently, and with comparatively little play time together under this new Retrospect's belt there is a chance they'll struggle. Ultimately I feel this Retrospect side is too strong not too qualify, but whether they'll go through undefeated is a different matter.

Mockit eSports NA (340 Points)

Following their acquisition of Zanejackey, Mockit NA are sitting pretty in third in the power rankings. If recent matches are anything to go by they shouldn't struggle to qualify for the group stage. In the upper bracket the only opponent of note they'll have to face is Chemistry (aka Selfless, but they are down as Chemistry on the bracket for reasons unknown). While this will likely be close, my money would be on Mockit NA victory, which would see them qualifying for the group stages without a loss.

Selfless (220 Points)

Selfless did remarkably well in the previous RLCS qualification process, but since they've kind of fallen off the face of the earth. They made good progress in the first week of the open qualifier and have still been practicing despite their lack of competitive matches, so they should (hopefully) be in a good position going into the second week of qualification. I can't really see them defeating Mockit NA at the moment unfortunately, which would throw them down into the messy abyss that is the lower bracket of this tournament. From there's it's anybody's guess as to how it will play out, but on their day Amoney, Matt and Sizz definitely have the quality to beat most teams.

The Non Group-Stage Teams

Those are the previous group stage teams, but there are certainly other competitors. FakeOut Nation, The Gaze, Lucky Bounce, The Gaze, Kindergarden and Xylophone Zebras have all been brushing the lower end of the power rankings in recent weeks. With just 64 teams left in the competition a few good performances could see any of them reach the group stage. With just five of the previous group stage teams left, at least one of them will be getting a slot in the group stage.