If you've played The Finals for any length of time, you know the skill floor is in the attic and the skill ceiling rests high above the clouds. You can enter a cashout game and be the best player in the first round and in the second round you get zero eliminations and die nine times and secure zero cashboxes the whole round. What does that all mean? It means that there are distinct levels of skill in this game. Welcome to Finals ESports.
As someone who is active in the competitive scene, let me be the first to tell you that there is no feeling like securing a last second steal on a box to secure a series and move on to the next round of competition. So never let anyone discourage you from competing. However, there are good players, there are great players, there are diamond players, there are ruby players, and there are pro players. I like to make this distinction between ruby and pro players for a specific reason: while almost if not all pro players are or have been ruby before in a previous season, a seasoned pro team will make a three stack of ruby players look like they are a hard-stuck-platinum team.
A competitive pro team runs practice rounds (called scrims) against other pro teams almost every single day for hours at a time, then spends hours reviewing footage of that scrim with their coach, identifying areas of missteps, areas where someone might be underperforming, identifying successful strategies, and ensuring the team gets better every time they play. A pro team runs hours of high level ranked play with their team in order to get reps in and play against different strategies since not every ranked player is a competitor.
All of the above being said, when you sign up for your first Finals competition, know that these players do exist, and there is a good chance you play against them in the first round of the first tournament you ever play in. But never let that discourage you. After getting absolutely smacked and sent home by one of the best teams in the game. It can feel heavy and make you want to quit competing. But remind yourself this: the only way out is up. You can only get better by keeping on the attack. This doesn't mean immediately sign up for the next tournament you see. It means putting in the time to get better. It means finding a group of people who you mesh well with, who challenge you to be a better player, who provide insight to your team and who want to grow. It means putting in the time and the effort with your team to grow as a unit. And when the time comes and you feel as if you and your team have taken those strides, sign up for that tournament. Throw your hat in the ring and see how far you've come. See how much you've grown since last time. When you meet that pro team that puts you back to square one, do it all over again.
I truly believe The Finals ESports is the most exciting, rewarding, tense, dynamic, and awe inspiring form of competition there is in gaming. I hope to see it continue to grow and watch it become one of the biggest scenes in competition. We watch new teams every time a new tournament arises. We see new names get closer and closer to that 1st place position. The only question is, when will it be you?