Tier 1 NA is a one-team region, whichever team has FNS
Compared to EMEA, NA really lacks good IGL's that are internationally proven. The only one with consistent success is FNS, who is a really good caller but his poor mechanics will hold him and his team back. In the pre-franchising era, when the talent was more diluted, this was okay, and the rest of Optic could pick up the slack in terms of fragging. However, with how stacked teams are now, it's really such a disadvantage
to have someone going perma negative. I do think his calling makes up for it though for the most part, and I do think NRG is the best NA team. I just don't see how NRG's lack of firepower will compete with the very best teams
like Navi and Fnatic, who have IGL's as good as FNS but who are much better fraggers. Both teams also have 4 S-tier fraggers in other positions. While Liquid had a really poor showing, Redgar is another internationally proven IGL who can frag. In South America, Saadhak from Loud and King from Leviatan fulfill that same niche. Saadhak is actually probably the most complete IGL, in terms of firepower and calling.
This isn't to say NRG won't make deep runs in international LANS, I think they will. But compared to the absolute top level, I don't see NRG having any hope beating Navi or Fnatic. I don't see any current NA team having any chance either. Looking at the other franchise teams, they don't have IGL's that really inspire confidence to perform consistently at the top level. Dephh got outcalled super hard by Boaster - although that was only one series, it was such a huge diff that it's really troubling. He's also a bot mechanically. Vanity hasn't had consistent success either and has a troubling reputation of having a poor mental. Yay being dropped from C9 is a big red flag. Stellar is actually really good, but I just don't see him standing up to the best of the best. And I don't even know who IGL's for EG. Looking at Tier 2, Valyn is probably the best fragging IGL in NA. I'd say he got diffed internationally, but that was by prime PRX and Optic so that's not fair. Anyway that guy should really be in TIer 1. Shazham is a question mark because Sentinels had a really bad year, but I think he also has the talent.
Not to say these guys aren't good - anyone who competes at this level is amazing. It's just that with these post franchising superteams, it's kinda unfair now how good some of the non-NA teams are. And FNS is the only IGL I'd consistently trust on the international stage, but he's gonna get aim-diffed. Think about it this way: if you had a fantasy Valorant draft all time starting 5, you're legit not picking anyone in NA except for Yay and Marved. If you aren't thinking about language barriers: you're picking Saadhak Angel Boaster King Stax Redgar for IGL/flex, Yay Derke Aspas Jinggg for duelist, Marved Mako Pancada for smokes, Shao Leo Chronicle for initiator/flex, Nats Suygetsu Alfajer for sentinel. The thing is some iterations of these teams actually exist lmao.
Also this post will probably get hate cuz Im straight up hating on players. But these guys already get paid stacks to play a video game and they're professionals. It's an occupational hazard to get hated on. If we're gonna legitimize e-sports as a sport, you gotta accept that fans are assholes lol. The only difference is Lebron doesn't browse r/nba.
Edit: I changed my mind about FNS. I think that guy is top-tier and can field a world-beating superteam. I still maintain that the other IGL's in NA are bots though and any non-FNS teams will get bodied unless current IGL's make a leap or new talent comes up. And because of that, only NRG will see international success imo. I still don't think NRG has the chops to contend with Navi, Fnatic moving forward but not cuz of FNS, but because Victor is too inconsistent.
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