The Rocket League Hub
Check out breaking announcements, live RLCS updates, my opinions and analysis, and thoughts from the community.
Explore Content
Latest Posts
Recent Posts
April 28, 2022With an exciting Winter Major now behind us, we look forward to one more Major before the trial of them all, the World Championship (set to take place in Dallas). The Spring Split is sure to bring us even closer to the edge of our seats as teams compete for their last chance to qualify for international competition. North America is set to start April 24th (closed qualifiers).
The Rocket League World Championship.Will you be there to witness history? #RLCS pic.twitter.com/ZVGB2VT3EA— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) March 27, 2022
The rest of the 8 teams will come from open qualifiers, set to start April 22nd. Closed qualifiers will once again be in a Swiss format (the best format), and the top 8 teams will move on to the main event; set to premiere April 29nth – May 1st. These are the dates set for NA, MENA, OCE, and APAC S. You can see the starting dates for the other regions below, they will follow a similar seeding and formatting (you can see the current standings and rosters for each region here).
Event Schedule
April 28 – 29: Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Regional #1April 29 – May 1: Verizon Ultra Cup (NA); Asia-Pacific South (APAC S), and Oceania (OCE) Regional #1May 6 – 8: Dacia Spring Cup (EU); Asia-Pacific North (APAC N), South America (SAM) Regional #1May 13 – 15: 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup (NA); APAC S, MENA, OCE Regional #2May 20 – 22: Tour de Rocket League (EU); APAC N, SAM Regional #2May 27 – 29: Regional #3 (NA), APAC S, MENA, OCE Regional #3June 3 – 5: APAC N, SAM Regional #3June 10 – 12: Super 16 (EU)June 29 – July 3: Spring Major
Obtained from The Official Rocket League Esports Website
Broadcast Start Times | Spring Split
Asia-Pacific North (APAC N) RLCS: 7 p.m. JST (3 a.m. PT)Asia-Pacific South (APAC S) RLCS: 5 p.m. SGT (2 a.m. PT), Fridays at 7 p.m. SGT (4 a.m. PT)European (EU) RLCS: 8 a.m. PT (3 p.m. UTC)Middle East & North Africa (MENA) RLCS: 8 p.m. KSA (8 a.m. PT) on April 28 – 29; 6 p.m. KSA (8 a.m. PT) all other datesNorth America (NA) RLCS: 10 a.m. PT (5 p.m. UTC)Oceanic (OCE) RLCS: 5 p.m. AEST (12 a.m. PT), Saturdays at 3 p.m. AEST (3 p.m. PT)South America (SAM) RLCS: 4 p.m. BRT (12 p.m. PT)
The main event (tune in here for news and analysis) will be your classic double elimination. No more fluffy group stages, it will start with a round of 16, you lose twice you are sent packing. Tune into team streams to view who you want to win (or lose). This means we may again observe a bracket reset.
Seeding
For seeding decisions regarding an RLCS Regional, Major, or World Championship, the following rules will be applied…
Cumulative RLCS Points from the three most recent Tournament events, including both Regionals and MajorsCumulative RLCS Points The team with the better placement in the most recent stage of a Tournament event, followed by the most recent stage until a tie is broken. Outside of the stages within a Main Event, Day 3 of an Open Qualifier shall also be considered for seeding purposes.
Psyonix continues to reward teams with recent showings of improved skill as they increased point allocation for placements by 50. For example, whoever placed second in a Winter Major Regional got 300 points, now they will get 350. This is so that teams that are performing better at the current time have a greater shot at the World Championships. A team like Guild for example, who if they acquire marc_by_8 might suddenly have more skill than Dignitas, will be recognized for their improvement.
This Spring Split will be one for the books. Rosters are crazy, new rivalries have emerged, and those bubble teams only have one more chance to make it to Worlds. If you want to see who will be going head-to-head, check out my rosters and standings sheet here. Players will be competing for a flight (or train) to London where the Spring Major is set to be held in Copper Box Arena on June 29nth.
There you have it, if there is even a minuscule chance that you want to read my analysis of Regional 1, you can check out this page where I provide some insightful thoughts and strategy. [...]
Read more...
April 28, 2022Unreal Engine 5 is the latest version of Epic Games’ popular game development software and has been available for use since the start of 2021. A year later, more studios have begun to adopt the software as the foundation for projects that can leverage its versatile power to create detailed games.
Epic Games Announces Unreal Engine 5
Psyonix and Epic Games have long stayed quiet regarding rumors of a system overhaul. Actually they just kind of stay quiet about all updates, but mainly the elephant in the room, Unreal Engine 5. Rocket League currently runs on Unreal Engine 3, made back in the dark ages of 2007. Because of this dinosaur still rearing its ugly head, typical features you would expect of a game in 2022, like creative mode, remain absent.
Let me start by saying this, Unreal Engine 5 is a big deal, not just for Rocket League, but for all media. If you know little about computer science (and made your website using as little coding as physically possible) like me, you might be wondering how this system is used to construct video game environments. Well I’m not going to answer that, but what I will do is paste the google description of it right here; “Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences.” Basically, you know when you get scored on and then a giant e-girl dressed as a bunny pops out of the screen… well that was made using Unreal Engine 3 (and you know, the maps and cars and stuff).
An example of the dynamic and realistic lighting effects in Unreal Engine 5
Now, if you’re in the know like me, you know that Epic Games makes Unreal Engine. And if you’re really in the know, you know that Epic Games bought Psyonix, acquired Rocket League, made it free to play, and swam in the cash they made. So, if this is the case, shouldn’t the jump from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 5 have happened way back when Epic Games bought them (May 2019)? Well that’s a bit tricky, for a number of reasons that I will try and probably fail to adequately explain.
Delays but not Dismays
Psyonix largely has to wrestle with the fact that almost none of their design elements will transfer over to Unreal Engine 5. Goal explosions down to the pixel will have to be recreated on the new software (if they even bring over the same explosions) and not simply imported. One does not simply place this in a new patch, they place it in a new game entirely. And this new game has to run smoothly on all devices (Wii U players am I right), making integration even more tricky. (If you want to see how Unreal Engine 5 renders huge spaces with dynamic lighting check out the beginning of this video)
Unreal Engine 5 is Coming to Rocket League… at some Point
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. For one, the physics engine – you know the thing that makes the ball go nowhere after you did the perfect Kuxir pinch – should be able to be migrated right over. So a reconstruction of the ball physics will not be needed. Plus, as pointed out earlier, Epic Games owns Unreal Engine 5, so integration and troubleshooting should hopefully be smoother.
Psyonix hasn’t announced their future plans (would they ever though) and Epic hasn’t dropped any hints, so how do we know Unreal Engine 5 is coming to the table? Well, like a company trying to find a nice way to fire someone, it was a job posting in August 2021 that revealed their upcoming plans.
“The marketing department continues to build out its team in order to maintain and expand its ability to support Rocket League’s ongoing initiatives, as well as future Psyonix projects including Rocket league: Sideswipe and Rocket League’s move to UE5. The role would create a dedicated resource to all copy and messaging development needs within the marketing department.” — Psyonix’s Job Posting
How Unreal Engine 5 Will Benefit Rocket League
Rocket league needs to move to a more modern infrastructure if they hope to stay relevant. And I don’t mean more skins (or a bad reskin of a previously existing map), I mean things like creative mode, ball pathing and prediction within training, seamless map download and sharing, detailed cars and diminished delays server-side.
These are a few of the benefits we can expect from Unreal Engine 5. With a stronger set of software tools, Psyonix will be able to expand its auxiliary game modes and add previously absent features that currently require add-ons to obtain (cough cough Bakkes Mod). Moreover, they will be able to design gorgeous map environments at a much quicker pace. In fact, Unreal Engine 5 boasts 16,000 pre-rendered assets for automatic use in Rocket League map creation. I personally want to see some hyper-realistic egg people.
When Fortnite launched its creative mode, it held competitions for community map builders. Similar opportunities for community involvement within the Rocket League scene would help spur increased interest in the game. I don’t just want to hit the ball, I want to race, play hide-in-seek, and try new puzzles; game modes that community map building could bring the best out of.
Patience is a Virtue
With this said, hints from Rocket League castor and youtube personality Lawler indicate this may be even further back in development than initially thought. An upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 is a years-long endeavor and attempting to estimate a release date is pointless – although an acknowledgment that it’s happening may be nice. Anyhow, I will remain loyal as long as it takes, and it’s nice to have something to look forward to. Rocket League may not have all the bells and gadgets that would require a state-of-the-art artistic software engine, but I wouldn’t hear anyone complain about some extremely responsive turf or extravagant boost animations.
If you want to see more about upcoming Rocket League changes and my informed but also un-informed opinion on them, check out more stories here! [...]
Read more...
April 28, 2022Sandrock Gaming has long been a team plagued by administrative woes and unfortunate circumstances. Of course, recently memorable happenings include Senzo’s leaving of the team due to wifi issues at home. Although Sandrock ended that ordeal on the brighter side of things – acquiring trk511 who turned out to be one of the best talents in the Middle East – they faced adversity again in the leadup to the RLCS 2021-22 Winter Split Major. See below for details…
The deflating news doesn’t stop there as the CEO and Founder of Sandrock Gaming, INCIVIK, announced on March 22nd that he would be stepping down. For those who may not follow the ME region, INCIVIK was monumental in providing Middle Eastern Rocket League players with a cadre of opportunities to play with one another before standardized RLCS seasons were brought to the region. He hosted and organized tournaments while overseeing one of the greatest rocket league teams the world has ever seen.
It is with this universally lauded resume that INCIVIK leaves the scene; he was a pioneer for minor regions, and an essential member of the rocket league family. While his absence will surely be felt by everyone in the rocket league community, those with the greatest heartbreak are likely the players whose lives he changed by simply being dedicated to the Esport.
Upon allowance of the Middle East and North Africa into the RLCS, not only did we see their depth increase tenfold, but we saw this minor region put up a fight and take top 8 in the 2021-2022 Fall Major. We can largely thank INCIVIK’s individual efforts within the rocket league community and around his own region for this never-before-seen representation on the world stage.
Our mission at SRG was to put MENA on the map, we did that and I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. With that being said, i’m stepping down as CEO of the org. Good luck on your future endeavours, you’re this country’s pride and joy ?— INCIVIK (@incivik) March 22, 2022
Following INCIVIK’s untimely departure, Sandrock Gaming released their roster of Ahmad, oKhaliD, and trk511. So at this point, it seems like Sandrock are imploding worse than a blog writer who went to the Winter Major and planned to write down a bunch of notes but got a little tipsy and also forgot a notebook. Why? Well INCIVIK posted the statement below…
What could this mean? It’s really hard to tell and appears to bring up more questions than it answers. While it is hinted that a lack of commitment from the players or their families inflamed the situation, it is also stated the teammates do not wish to work with any other management team other than INCIVIK’s. This is despite previously having the option to (and likely still have the option to) enter into EU’s RLCS for a chance at more money and greater prestige.
As alluded to, this is not the first time Sandrock have displayed a disconnect between management and players. Family values are given a much higher priority in the Middle East, this could play a role. In preparation for this possibility, INCIVIK stated that he did not put the players under contract to account for any discrepancies that may emerge in the future. Yet problems still arose, enough so to end Sandrocks historic’s run in the RLCS.
Although the name Sandrock will be relegated to archives of Rocket League past, the players themselves will not meet such a boring and unearned demise. Former Top 5 MENA team the Falcons have officially secured the new roster (despite it being announced on April 1st… always sketchy) and released their old squad of Smw., Twiz (I bet you’ll be seeing more of this guy in the future, dude’s a superstar), and ironically, former Sandrock sub, Senzo. Now you might be asking, if they were already Top 5, arguably Top 3, why switch?
Well, only one team gets to represent MENA on the national stage, and receive with it the praise and glory that comes from worldwide recognition. The former Sandrock team has displayed a legacy of domination, the Falcons Esport organization is hoping to tap into that potential for more brand recognition and higher earnings (RIP Moist Esports, you gave it your best shot, I hope you acquire a team in the future that would be awesome).
Their journey continues as Falcons. رحبوا معنا بالفريق العالمي المُمثل لفالكونز في لعبة روكيت ليق: @AhmadRL_@oNzxwi@Trk511__ #FalconsAreHere pic.twitter.com/sgL0Y1OYcq— Team Falcons (@FalconsEsport) April 1, 2022
The previous Falcons roster has now revived the old/new team, EMPTY, and will be competing under this name in the coming Spring Split. I expect they will continue to give the former Sandrock roster a hard time, each player has the mechanics and playmaking ability to carry their teammates to victory (especially Senzo, the guy stays being underrated).
Despite previous frustrations, it is clear INCIVIK has no ill will, and replied to the good news with love.
TLDR: Bye INCIVIK, Bye Sandrock, Bye Falcons, Hello Falcons (but secretly Sandrock), Hello EMPTY (but secretly Falcons)
If you want to find out more about the spring split, check this page out for in-depth details and my misguided opinions. [...]
Read more...
March 25, 2022Rocket League Region: Oceana
OCE has long followed in the footsteps of NA with a few select and long-running super teams. However, as NA RLCS has slowly evolved into the chaotic power struggle that EU is known and loved for, so too has Oceania. Renegades, made up of Kamii, CJCJ (the man himself), and Fever, and Ground Zero with Torsos, Amphis, and Express have long sported a rivalry for that top spot. Regional 1 of the 2021-2022 RLCS season quickly dispelled any rumors of continued gatekeeping; as for the first time in a long time, we saw two teams reach the finals that weren’t Ground Zero or Renegades; they were Dire Wolves and Forkidden (Don’t recognize that second name? Don’t feel bad, that means you might have a life, but I don’t. The Pioneers picked up this roster upon a disappointing exit from North American RLCS.) Of course this development is healthy for Rocket League, proven depth in the OCE region further confirms the improved meta shift we are seeing throughout all regions, and encourages competitions/increases viewership.
Some important questions had to be answered…We had a little 1-on-1 interview session with #KCPRL, this is how it went: pic.twitter.com/nPS82mX3LM— Pioneers (@PioneersGG) March 18, 2022
Regional 2 substantiated this evolution as Pioneers and Renegades met in the final. By now you might be asking what studs make up this newly dominant roster, and that would be Scrub, Superlachie, and Bananahead. This squad has now made two regional finals in a row, while Ground Zero hasn’t even seen a championship match. You wouldn’t be alone in thinking there are still two commanding teams, and the Pioneers have simply replaced Ground Zero… but you would be mistaken as Gound Zero roared back to take home the trophy in Regional 3.
Unfortunately, Ground Zero’s poor results early on the season were too much and they were denied seating on the plane to LA in place for the newly signed Pioneers (Rip Torsos). Renegades are heading to the major with 1031 points, and Pioneers are following with 980 points. While much speculation remains regarding the Pioneers potential success in a Major LAN environment, the Fall Major gave us a few hints into how Renegades may perform. The Oceanic roster recorded a round 1 win against EU’s Endpoint, a round 2 loss to FaZe, a round 3 loss to Ground Zero, a round 4 win against Furia, and a round 5 loss against Semper, they did not make it to the playoff bracket. But, with a win against Furia, who beat G2, and an early victory against Endpoint, this team I not to be underestimated. Along those lines, neither is Pioneers.
REGIONAL CHAMPS WOOOOO can’t believe the best team in OCE isn’t going ??— Torsos (@TorsosRL) February 20, 2022
Rocket League Region: South America
Similar to OCE, and at this point all of RLCS, South America has displayed a level of depth unforeseen in previous seasons. Regional 1 was a great example as the historical powerhouse Furia were eliminated in the Lower Bracket Round 2 while teams Noble and KRU competed for the top spot. Furia, with new addition and mechanical mastermind yanxnz, were upset in the group stage by Chromax, and thus battled Noble early in the bracket.
Regional 2 ended any talk of Furia being washed as they took home the gold against Noble. While Furia’s roster may be obvious to typical RLCS fans, that is CaioTG1, caard, and yanxnz, Noble is less recognizable (for now) as their roster includes Sad, nxghtt, and math – a veteran squad if there ever was one. Unfortunately (or fortunately, Noble as an organization had many internal squabbles and inconsistencies), Noble left the RLCS scene mid Fall season and the rogue squad were picked up quickly by an old RLCS org, Team Secret, whom previously recorded one of the worst RLCS seasons of all time, going 0 and 7 in season 4.
Regional 3 threw a wrench into the works, so to speak, as Furia took home a regional victory against a team previously absent from the regional finals, eRa Eternity. eRa had shown consistently good results throughout the two previous regionals, and thus with Furia, eRa, and Secret all reaching the Upper/Lower Bracket Final in regional 3, every game had something on the line. If you’ve never seen SAM RLCS, that meant even more aggressiveness, and even less defending. SAM teams are so confident in their challenges, so quick to get to the ball, they often use a playstyle that I believe is the future meta for the RLCS (just look at Complexity!). Despite eRa making a final, it wasn’t enough; Team Secret and Furia Esports are heading to the Winter Major with 991 and 982 points respectively.
If you’re a fan of eRa Eternity you’re likely punching a wall as the team recorded two 3rd place finishes and a 2nd place finish and yet did not secure enough points to head to the major. Team Secret’s introduction to LAN leaves a lot of questions up in the air, but for Furia, we do have some idea about their likelihood for success in the Winter Major based on Fall Major results. They recorded a nail-biting loss to Semper in Round 1, and a 3-2 victory over G2 in Round 2. Round 3 resulted in a loss against an amazing looking SRG, and round 4 they were defeated by Renegades. Thus, Furia was not a member of the playoff bracket, but they secured a huge victory for their region and showed calmness under pressure. Like OCE, South America is developing into an increasingly threatening region.
Rocket League Region: Middle East | North Africa
I mean, if you’re talking Middle East you’re talking Sandrock gaming; the team has reigned supreme over the Middle East and North Africa region for countless seasons… but, there are chinks in Sandrock’s armor. Regional 1 of the 2021-2022 season went as you’d expect, with a Sandrock victory. Notable competitors include Falcons Esports, Ultimates, and SCYTES, the last of whom challenged Sandrock in the first regional final. And thus a small rivalry was born, as SCYTES, made up of ix, EviL, and Fahad77, proceeded to back up their fighting spirit by upsetting Sandrock Gaming in the Upper Semi-finals of Regional 2. You might think, oh, that’s cool the underdog won… SCYTES were lower than an underdog, as was every other team in contention. This is like number 2 seed Kentucky’s recent loss in March Madness to 15nth seed Saint Peters, except even more insane – I lost a lot more money on one of these things though.
The fairytale story wasn’t meant to be unfortunately as SCYTES met Sandrock again in the finals and were swiftly defeated. Like an arrogant player talking back to their coach, Sandrock commandingly demonstrated their mastery over the idealist pupils with a 4-0 4-0 bracket reset sweep. The squad of Ahmad, oKhaliD, trk511 and sometimes Senzo took Regional 3 to complete the 3-peat. Ultimates were their opponents and took a respectable two games off Sandrock.
While the depth of other regions continues to grow, so too does MENA’s, just maybe a bit lackadaisically. The fault does not lie with their fellow teams like the Ultimates, Falcons, or SCYTES, but with Sandrock Gaming, who’ve long demonstrated that their skills are on par with that of EU and NA. With Senzo in place of oKhaliD, they started Round 1 of the Fall Major with a 3-0 sweep of G2, a win over Furia in Round 3, a win over Ground Zero in Round 4, and took 2 games off of a hot NRG in the Quarterfinals. And since then, their chemistry with new addition trk511 has grown exponentially. This team is exhilarating to watch, and they are sure to make the flashy plays that get fans out of their seats come LAN time.
Update*
Winter Major Team Update pic.twitter.com/ylZuwwRr30— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) March 22, 2022
Rocket League Region: Asia-Pacific North
For a region little talked about, Asia-Pacific North has had quite the drama preceding the Winter Major. The teams to watch out for in this region include DeToNator, Nimmt55, and Tokyo Verdy. The latter of which we saw perform at the Fall Major. However, Nimmt55 were actually the team that took home the gold in Winter Regional 1, beating Tokyo Verdy in two sets: 4-3 & 4-1. DeToNator were close behind, losing to Nimmt55 in the Lower Bracket Final.
Regional 2 was similarly a heated battle. Except this time DeToNator replaced Nimmet55 as the Lower Bracket Final Champs and proceeded to the final against Tokyo Verdy. They were swiftly defeated as Verdy racked up a 4-0 scoreline to put them back on top. Notice that these 3 teams continually meet in the deep bracket, this pattern remains for regional 3. Tokyo Verdy took the top spot, with Nimmt55 losing the hard-fought battle in two sets. Again we see DeToNator right behind, their Upper and Lower Bracket final loss sealed their fate just out of Winter Major contention… or did it (spoilers it didn’t). Now quick qualifications walkthrough. Asia-Pacific North and Asia-Pacific South only get one team in the Major, the 1st and 2nd place teams from both regions are sent to a qualifier to determine who will head to the Winter Major. Nimmt55, with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finish, were on track to head to the qualifier with Tokyo Verdy, but for an unknown reason (there’s probably a reason, I heard it was work-related issues, I’m just way too lazy to look it up… also this article is getting a bit long isn’t it?) were unable to make accommodations for travel to the major and thus forfeited their spot at the qualifier.
Rocket League Region: Asia-Pacific South
Asia-Pacific South’s RLCS scene looks eerily familiar to North’s. 3 Rats are the team to watch, as they wore the crown for all 3 Winter regionals. Teams UHUH and Dark Rift were always close behind, exchanging spots with each other in the finals against 3 Rats (who were recently picked up by Gaimin Gladiators… so that’s awesome). Therefore, the newly minted Gaimin Gladiators took the top spot heading to the qualifier with 1053 points, and UH HUH struggled behind with 820 points.
Now if you thought the drama was over, you’d be sorely mistaken. We head to double-elimination qualifier and immediately DeToNator loses to Gaimin in the Upper Bracket Semi-Final. They drop down and follow up their loss with a win against UHUH to head to the Lower bracket Final. Here they meet Gaimin again, but this time, they upset the newly signed team 3-2 and head to the Grand Final… against their APAC North counterparts Tokyo Verdy. At this point, DeToNator are likely shaking in their boots. Since only one team from the qualifier is sent to the major, DeToNator, who weren’t even supposed to make it to the qualifier, had a chance to go to LA. But, they had to win a major upset against their APAC North rivals… and that they did. DeToNator in the grand final upset Tokyo Verdy in a wild game 7 series (seriously go watch this match) to make the major despite the odds . While they aren’t likely to make a huge splash at the major, APAC is simply behind in mechanics and speed compared to most other regions, this fairytale story already has a happy ending, it would be cool to see them take a few games off a nervous NA great though wouldn’t it.
The Future of Minor Regions in the RLCS
While the minor regions remain underdogs in almost every sense of the word (excluding MENA, Sandrock is insane), it is critical to keep these regions in your sights as RLCS develops into a more coherent and robust Esport. These regions are all obviously improving, as well as experiencing never-before-seen competition within their ranks. It appears that a structured and regulated tournament system has been undoubtedly positive for these players. I am thrilled to see this much representation on the Rocket League stage, hopefully we will be able to see just how much dedication these minor regions put into the sport. Maybe a few upsets here or there, cause that’s the thing about LAN, we saw it during the Fall major, sometimes experience goes out the window, and it’s all about which team is more clutch. Clutch is one characteristic I doubt any of the minor regions are lacking.
If you want to see more about the Winter Major, check it out here, and see the video below for more on Minor regions!
See more here! [...]
Read more...
March 20, 2022Rocket League Field expansion is not a new topic. In fact, you can find a thread of pros discussing a longer pitch in a 5v5 format here. Today however I am not advocating for a novel playlist with two additional players on the field; I am proposing a bigger pitch for our current RLCS format of 3v3.
Extend the field and make a 5v5 playlist to test the waters, I don’t know bout you but that sounds pretty interesting to me. While we’re at it make some next level massive field and make it 11v11 see how that goes. Imagine actual positions on each player, I’d be down for that.— NRG Squishy (@SquishyMuffinz) May 30, 2018
While in 2018 an extended pitch with more players likely sounded like an intriguing update to the only professional RLCS playlist in rotation, 3s, mechanics, intelligence, and speed have advanced markedly in the last few years – so much so that I think if you asked current pros about adding players, they’d call you coocoo.
Why Now is the Time to Expand Rocket League’s Pitch
Lately, speed as an RLCS statistic has grown in prevalence; players at the top of their class like Ahmad strike fear into the opposition and force opponents to make awkward jumps or take uncomfortable 50/50s. It isn’t a coincidence that many of the fastest players in the world are also on some of the best teams.
Of course, speed isn’t the only facet of RLCS that makes a team great, mechanics and brains play just as big a role. Flip-resets and musty flicks are now commonplace in the professional scene. These are mechanics that not only assist teams in dangling around their opposition, but also get the ball across the field at a much quicker rate.
With ball-possession, passing, and brains setting the new status quo for RLCS meta, boomer-ball is now a playstyle veteran fans look back on fondly. However, the shift from long clears to pitch control indicated more than a philosophical transition, it tightened the pitch. No longer are teams gaining possession with space in front of them. Every ball has a challenge, and while this new mindset has facilitated improved mechanics and chemistry, the field is feeling a bit… cramped.
There is a reason many pros now tout 2’s as the chosen ranked playlist; inherently it provides more time on the ball and as a result, we get to see player personality and skill on display in transparent fashion as compared to 3’s. A consequence of quick play is that one tactic has adopted increasing prevalence in recent years… 50/50s. Indeed, if you watch the latest RLCS matches, almost every hit is a 50/50, not a bad thing if you’re okhalid, but, for the viewer and player alike, it seems the skill ceiling might be hitting the top of the Champion’s Field stadium. Additionally, where “ball-chasing” was previously debated as a slimy tactic, it is now the name of the game. If you aren’t ball chasing, you’re not winning. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad development, just that it takes away so much possibility from the game.
What will be Gained from a Larger Rocket League Pitch
To increase time on the ball in today’s current climate, you have two self-explanatory choices, lower the number of players, or extend the pitch. Observing 2’s is all one needs to do in order to see a few of the advantages that more room will bring.
With more space, player mindsets will be on full display. Right now, players are making split-second decisions as every ball likely has a quick challenger. With time on the ball, audiences will have the ability to observe the decision-making process with much more clarity. I am positive Arsenal would make a play on the ball much differently than MonkeyMoon; however, I wouldn’t know, as pros rarely have the time to cycle through potential scenarios. On an expanded pitch, we will not only see how RLCS pros differ in their playmaking abilities, but it will give RLCS players that much more of a personality. How does Squishy’s defensive third man role compare to Rise’s… or how is Comm’s striking ability stack up to Jknapps.
These are questions with tough answers given the current field dimensions, but with more room contrasting playstyles will become readily apparent. I don’t believe the advantages end with improved play, since a new pitch size would correlate to individualism taking on a much bigger aspect of play, fans would have much more to argue about and enjoy. Debates about who is the smartest player, or the most mechanical, would have much more merit given the player’s extended time on the ball.
In keeping with fan entertainment, mechanics would also grab the spotlight on a bigger pitch. I can’t tell you the number of interrupted flip-resets and unpinched pinches that happen per game, but it’s a lot. More time on the ball means more time to display mechanical skill, more chances to double flip-reset, more chances for pre-jump ariels to actually be an intelligent play and not something I do when I’m already 5 goals down. Indeed with the Rocket League mechanics meta showing no sign of slowing down, now would be a perfect time to give RLCS players more opportunities to show off. Fans would similarly enjoy the update as matches would have more highlight-reel goals (Those I won’t act like those are few and far between).
Team-plays are another aspect of RLCS that would see renewed vigor. Cross-map passes, pre-jumps, fakes, and in-field plays are all vital parts of the game that don’t see as much use with the new rate of speed rocket league has reached. Most passing plays are interrupted, most fakes are followed by another defender, and pre-jumps are virtually non-existent given their risk. Heck, here is a quote from Rl legend CorruptedG way back in 2018 exemplifying the same mantra…
“I’ve actually always wanted to test that out. I’m really curious how it would work. I always talk to other pros about what would happen if they made the map bigger, wider, or longer, whatever it is,” he explained. “It’ll introduce way more chemistry between teams. Passing would be way more important, which would be really fun to watch as well, and I’m just curious. I want them to do it eventually.”
Rocket League’s Future
I love Rocket League, and I will continue to no matter Epic Games’ future endeavors. The current field size does provide a few benefits. While cross-map passing plays don’t see the spotlight too often, the passing plays we do see are quick and exemplify the pace these players are capable of playing to. Additionally, with such little room, the mechanical goals that do find the back of the net are all the more better, and require significant ability to pull off under such aggressive pressure. But, with the pace of play only getting faster, and incredible mechanics residing within most rosters, it might be time to think about giving the players a bit more room to work with, I’m sure the fans would enjoy it.
Maybe Rocket League 2.0 on Unreal Engine 5 will head in this direction, or maybe 2’s will become a standard RLCS playlist… whatever the case I believe change is needed. Of course, I don’t know how much it should be extended, or if the ceiling should go higher, or if anyone really agrees, but isn’t that the point of writing opinions, I don’t have to do the work I just get to complain.
If you agree with this thought, or vehemently oppose it, leave a comment telling me why, and check out some of my other insights here. [...]
Read more...
March 19, 2022Previous Results
The Brawl Showdown just wrapped up as we got to bear witness to two of the best in NA square off in a rare non-RLCS event. Previously, Rogue and Spacestation took to the pitch and left us speechless as Arsenal, Retals, and Daniel took home a game 7 victory over the lower-seeded Rogue (See that match here). Now two nascent rosters are going head to head; but, instead of the young-gun battle we got before (Aqua v Daniel), we have G2’s Atomic taking on FaZe’s Sypical. This matchup is sure to be a clash of mechanics vs team chemistry as FaZe have struggled to adequately secure a 3 man rotation (3 mechanical Gods on one team, one can only imagine why this roster pushes so heavily), however, you would struggle to find a team on either side of the pond with a higher peak mechanical ability.
What to Watch For – The Brawl Showdown (G2 v FaZe)
While these teams probably aren’t preparing for this match-up with the normal intensity of scrimms and mental preparedness that RLCS inevitably produces, it is a great indication of what is to come. G2 and FaZe are both headed to LA at the end of March to compete in the Winter Major at Youtube Theatre (The first LAN with fans!). As two NA powerhouses, both with very real chances of making it to the championship, early match-ups like this give audiences an insight into how the Major results may play out.
Kronovi and Lawler are back in infamous fashion, supplying all the RLCS insights and decision-making play-by-play that can only come from a caster and a former Rocket League great in the booth. In sponsorship with metafy.gg, the winning team will go home (or I guess, stay home?) with $1000 dollars and more importantly, bragging rights.
Metafy.gg is a website for one-on-one video game coaching, popular in esports like League of Legends, Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and of course, Rocket League.
G2 vs FaZe Clan | The Brawl: Showdown Presented by MetafyNow on @YouTube Fill video linked below pic.twitter.com/d4tevXDrAT— Adam Thornton (@LawlerTV) February 26, 2022
Match Results and Analysis
The first game did not disappoint – going into almost a 4 minute overtime with both teams seemingly in a defensive standstill throughout the match. Many including myself questioned Dreaz’s trade to Envy for Atomic. While I doubt anyone is questioning Atomic’s mechanical prowess, Dreaz seemed a smooth fit for G2’s pass-heavy playstyle and the results concurred. This however may just be a great example of how certain rosters need time to acclimate to new teammates – unlike teams like Oxygen whose new signing of Gimmick immediately gave the team a breadth of life. G2’s results with Atomic have been far from poor, and Atomic’s leadership on the pitch in conjunction with Chicago all but guarantees the team will see a trophy in the near future. In this game that potential was made readily apparent as Atomic led the team to victory, supplying a simple game-ending doink to mastermind striker Jknapps to seal a game 1 win.
Game two was taken straight off the script as the end of regulation showed an uneventful scoreline of 0-0 and golden goal took over. Overtime did not last nearly as long as Sypical – on zero boost – sent a flick upper 90 from a bad angle to end G2’s hopes for going two games up just 27 seconds in. Ironically, the new additions to each team were the ones that ended the first two games, showing their novel status on the veteran rosters would be but a talking point, and not a hindrance.
A few mistakes clearing the ball from FaZe and solid control of the midfield from G2 spelled the end for the mechanical roster in game three. Similarly as nailbiting, the two evenly match teams sent a third game in a row to overtime with another 0-0 scoreline at the end of regular time. FaZe struggled not to give the ball away as their clears out of defense were met with an immediate counterattack. This roster has been criticized for their one’s minded mentality and passing second playstyle, which was on clear display here as a majority of FaZe’s defensive clears were met with G2 possession. G2’s presence on the pitch will always be their ace in the hole, if they can take control of the midfield and are confident defensively, any team will become incredibly frustrated facing off against such a methodical roster. Their pass-heavy mentality puts G2 at the forefront of Rocket League playstyles as it seems many teams down the bracket are hoping to imitate and find similar success.
Threatening the fourth overtime in a row, game four was a tennis match till the 1-minute mark when FaZe roared back from their previous loss. Firstkiller hit a nasty angle dunk to start the scoring, and then promptly followed it up with a flip reset to put their team up two goals. As I am always reminded, Firstkiller should never not be in the conversation for best in the world; his understanding of the game is on a higher level than most professional players (a lot of whom are older than he), and he is a big reason for why FaZe are in contention for a Winter Major victory. If you were to look at pop-off potential alone for RLCS rankings, you’d be hard-pressed to find a team with more inherent skill than FaZe.
We were back in overtime for game 5, this time the longest yet at over 7 minutes (my hands would be soaking). So far if I were asked to pick a better team, I would probably just stare at you for 40 minutes. This isn’t unforeseen however, the top teams in NA have long been frustratingly even in skill, making regional and major predictions extremely difficult. NRG have held the crown for a few years now, but with the skill ceiling rising everyday it only remains a matter of time. Atomic again led G2 to victory, recording 1034 points by the end of the match. The game ended in typical G2 fashion, a passing play from Jknapps to Chicago forcing a bad rebound for Atomic to send home.
Game 7 and the Winter Major
Hey guess what, the script is back. With G2 seemingly ready to go home and splurge $1000 dollars on new Christmas hats for Chicago, FaZe ties it up with a 3 man passing play on 0 seconds (Lawler was appropriately flabbergasted). Unfortunately, Champions Field was just out of reach for FaZe (metaphorically of course, they played on the same map each game). Atomic finished with a nasty top-shelf shot from a tough angle to send FaZe packing and give G2 a huge sigh of relief. After close to an hour of Rocket League, these two teams have never appeared so evenly matched. Atomic was an obvious catalyst in the series, ending multiple overtimes as acting as the necessary playmaker for G2 throughout the series. While this matchup helped absolutely no one with Winter Major predictions (a few touches go the other way and FaZe is walking away happy), it did confirm just how sweaty the Winter Major will be. The Winter Major will take place at the Youtuber Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, March 23rd-27nth.
Here are the teams attending, let me know who you think will make it to the championship.
Read similar articles on my Winter Major predictions, and interesting storylines to watch out for here. And while you’re at it, sign up for push notifications so you can see when I post next! [...]
Read more...
March 12, 2022While many of the bubble EU RLCS teams are showing poise, making deeper bracket runs than ever before (Karmine, Guild, Luminosity), it is the EU greats that remain blockading any entrance into the top 4. RLCS Regional Event 3 provided a host of dramatic finishes and heartbreaks as some teams competed for seeding, while others fought for just a spot to the Winter Major; taking place at the Youtuber Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, March 23rd-27nth. See who made it and how they did it below!
Karmine Corp finally displayed the dominance many assumed they would have at the start of the season – although a 3-0 victory with 3 overtimes still got our heart rates up. BDS, coming off an already shaky group stage, fall in lower bracket round 1. Again proving that Europe’s Rocket League scene is about as unpredictable as a platinum’s rotation.
Kuxir’s Minions ends their run together as the roster of Kuxir97, Rxii, and Growlii record a lower bracket lost to Evil Geniuses. Heartbreaking to see the Rocket League legend come so close to the spotlight again but ultimately fall just short.
Guild continues their improvement in Europe with a decisive 3-1 victory over Semper. Semper, a former top 4 team in the region, now sits at 11nth; many including myself are wondering if this might spell the end of Kassio, archie, and Chausette45’s time on the pitch together.
Fellow RLCS leader Team Queso also looked questionable going into the lower bracket and remained inconsistent into their first match with William’s Resolve. However unlike BDS, Queso reverse swept to just squeak out a win and keep their hopes of another regional victory alive.
Luminosity’s command of the group stages – recording a neat 2-1 victory against BDS, Kuxir’s Minions, and another tiebreaker win over BDS – did not transfer well to the bracket as Endpoint swept them 4-0 in the Upper Semi’s. Despite the scoreline, each game remained anxiously close with only one goal separating the pair.
If you want to see what it looks like when a top-tier RLCS team has fun, go watch the Dignitas v 00Nation game. Dignitas took light-hearted control over the series with a 4-0 sweep; I say light-hearted because the players were smiling and seemingly enjoying themselves despite the pressure. Luckily in most cases when pros are having fun, they play better. And watching Joreuz just go to town on 00Nation, I can’t imagine anything more satisfying.
It takes an abundance of expertise, intelligence, and mental strength to consistently lead your team to victory. Despite this, Seiko performs to the top of his ability so regularly he makes it look like cakewalk. This guy is unbelievable; he regularly forces his name into the conversation of best players in the world. That’s it, that’s my analysis, it’s Seiko being insane and guiding his team to a win over Dignitas who didn’t look nearly as strong as the day prior.
Evil Genuises sent a strong message to the team of noly, Deevo and crr in Lower Bracket Round 2. Guild’s hopes at further improvement and deeper bracket runs were therefore unfortunately cut short.
Karmine Corp then went head-to-head against Winter Major frontrunners Team Queso. Again they appeared much more put together, displaying a chemistry, aggressiveness, and skill ceiling so far unseen for the mechanically heavy trio of Aztral, itachi and Stake. It wasn’t enough. Team Queso clench a nail-biting win over Karmine to advance.
Queso was back in form for the Lower Bracket Quarter finals, though it didn’t appear so at the start. 00Nation, a team with so much talent and depth but no results to show for it, started wondrously with a 3-0 win in game one. However, Queso is simply a better team, and ended the battle right as it began with 4 victories in a row. Rise remains, in my opinion, one of the smartest players in the world.
In a virtual battle for an in-person LAN, Evil Geniuses squared off against Luminosity; two teams with painstakingly equal talent and poise. If Luminosity won, they would have needed a second-place finish to join their counterparts in California. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for EG, they will not be heading to the promise land as EG win on Champion’s field to secure there spot at the major.
Team Queso continues their terror over the EU region, blowing out Dignitas who again appear sluggish on the day. Joyo hit a nasty goal that you would expect from a freestyle 1v1, so go check that out. Dignitas again fail to see a championship.
For the first time this split the bracket is reset after Queso takes the first series following their dominance over Dignitas. Queso racked up a quick 3-1 game differential in the first series, however, Endpoint weren’t so ready to lose. They took a much-needed timeout, which I have to admit, looks like a lot of fun over in Endpoint HQ. Then bounce back two games to send it to a tiebreaker game 7. Queso won a marginal 2-1 victory to enter another round of 7, where they proceeded to close it out 4-2. Queso did well to put all the haters in their place as they are undoubtedly the best team in Europe coming off another regional win. They enter the major one of a few favorites, alongside BDS, Dignitas, and NRG.
Here are your current standings… the top 5 teams listed below will be heading to California at the end of March to face off in the Winter Major. Noticeable seeding discrepancies, with BDS at the 3rd seed a few teams are going to be very unlucky in groups, EG clutched it out in this regional to just beat out Luminosity for the LAN spot, and Endpoint is still in the conversation but much less so than last major. March is sure to shake up some European power rankings.
Keep up-to-date with Major news, standings, and analysis here at Rocket Talk. Look out for my predictions, and notes on what to watch out for in the upcoming clash of regions by signing up for push notifications or subscribing. Thanks! [...]
Read more...
March 2, 2022With the regionals in the rearview mirror and the Winter major quickly approaching, we are already seeing the dominoes fall for those teams who didn’t make the cut. Experimenting with new additions this early after the split provides a host of advantages – ideally more time to find, tryout, and practice with new teammates – so it makes sense that teams are already announcing potential roster changes.
Heroic
The earliest news brings disappointment to Heroic fans as the Oaly separates from his teammates ViolentPanda and Yukeo. The two veterans and underrated mechanical mastermind weren’t able to qualify for any regionals during the Winter Split. Given the achievements of ViolentPanda and Yukeo I’m sure this was a huge disappointment.
This pass-heavy team relied on Oaly as a front man, and Yukeo and ViolentPanda as supports. Oaly’s mechanics and unselfish playstyle seemed like a perfect fit for his two less mechanical teammates, similar to Comms addition between Torment and Gimmick.
Oaly, a historically talented but little-noticed player decided to part ways with the experienced duo in search for a new team following consistently poor results. While fans of the team may be heartbroken, fans of Oaly should be giddy with anticipation – the team that secures this guy will be lucky to gain his mechanical talent and intelligence on the pitch (Often compared to Aztral).
THANK YOU OALY❤️Heroic and @OalyRL has decided to part ways in mutual agreement. Oaly is a very skilled and talented Rocket League player. Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to get the best out of him or the team as a unit. All the best in your next adventure!— HEROIC | ROCKET LEAGUE (@Heroic_RL) February 28, 2022
Kuxir’s Minions
Despite a recent a top 12 appearance for Kuxir’s Minions the team has decided to disband after exceedingly average results. While not a surprise, the progress made by the roster and flashes of brilliance that they often displayed hinted toward potential for deeper bracket runs. We will never get to find out as the squad of kuxir97, Growlii, and Rxii have all gone LFT.
This leaves many questions on the table. Kuxir97 has been an OG in the Rocket League scene now for years, but recently hasn’t displayed the dominance he once did. Is retirement on the horizon, or will kuxir97 continue on his quest back to the top? I personally am hoping for the latter. Kuxir97’s unique playstyle and excellent 50/50 game still controls the pitch, to see the last of this Rocket League goliath would be tragic.
However, what I am most looking forward to is seeing where Growlii will play next. The new RLCS addition showed mechanical genius several times on the pitch and played with the smarts of a long-time professional. Kuxir97’s knowledge and poise on the field likely rubbed off on him as well, hopefully we will see his potential be realized on his new team. In my opinion, Growlii is one of the most underrated in the RLCS scene at the moment and is sure to make top 4 appearances with a better roster at his side. Currently, it appears Growlii will be sticking with Rxii and together they will be trying out new thirds, however, as with any early roster move, much is up in the air right now.
After the latest RLCS results the team has decided it’s the best for them to try other options.Every member of the team will make a post explaining their individual situations but orgs and players can already contact them: @kuxir97 @Gr0wlii @RxiiRL @IaanRL_ sadge— Kuxir’s Minions (@KuxirMinions) February 26, 2022
BS+ Competition
Lastly, BS+ Compeittion said goodbye to Godsmilla. This team once made regular top 12 appearances, however without their former teammate Acronik the team of FreaKii, Rezears and Godsmilla haven’t put up noticeable results. Godsmilla did hint that he may take on a new role on the RLCS as a coach or content creator; whether he stays on the pitch remains to be seen. Freakii and Rezears both possess unlimited potential as they both embody the mechanics and decision-making of top players in the RLCS. Their new third may just be the push these two need to send them to a major. (Rezears is a future great I’m calling it right now)
.@GodsmillaRL will no longer be part of our #RLCS roster. It’s sad, as we love him. That’s why we want him to stay with us one way or the other. Time will tell. For now we say ????? ???, Smilla. Our door will always be open for you! ? pic.twitter.com/Hg2MnPEf8P— BS+COMPETITION (@BScompetition) February 25, 2022
Check out more RLCS happenings here! Leave your thoughts on where these know rogue players will end up, and who you are most excited to see on a different team. [...]
Read more...
March 1, 2022This list was not easy to make. There are numerous players whose talents are not appreciated by fellow players, fans, and casters alike. While maybe not as deep a player base as the EU RLCS, NA is on the rise and I don’t expect this disparity to remain for too much longer; listed below are some of the players that are helping close the gap. This was not written to highlight the good players on lackluster teams, no these are players whose names I believe belong up there with the best in NA, and yet don’t receive this level of admiration. Let me know your thoughts below, I’m sure there are many,
Honorable Mention: Majicbear
Torrent’s consistent results put even teams like NRG to shame, though they probably aren’t celebrating. The group regularly falls in group stages, or just barely misses the mark in the closed qualifier. While not spectacular, the effort is admirable; Torrent have displayed flashes of brilliance, contending with top teams more the once, but ultimately falling short or losing to a team they have no business losing to.
During those short spurts of smooth play, one player stands out as a leader and catalyst, and that player is majicbear. Alongside kinseh, an underrated player in his own right, and Jordan, a defensive wall, majicbear’s striking capabilities are on full display.
Torrent recognizes the weight majicbear brings to the roster. Active with the team since 2016, he has been a shining beam of hope during rough series play. So much so that Torrent made the controversial move to depart with percy, and continue building around the offensive and defensive masterminds of majicbear and Jordan.
It would be no surprise to see Torrent burst into the top 5 in the upcoming NA Winter Regional 3. A team with so much history together, consistently strong play by each roster member, and solidified roles can only remain out of the spotlight for so long.
5. Comm
Comm filled big shoes taking Squishy’s spot between Gimmick and Torment as the former World Champions Could9 made their exit from Rocket League. It was apparent the pair needed another mechanical genius to take on the role as their lead man (especially given Torment’s defensive ability). Comm took on his new leadership position in stride, yet the newly minted Version1 didn’t see the same results as with their previous roster – their furthest bracket run came in NA Fall Regional Event 1 with a 3rd-4th place finish. That said, they consistently held top 8 appearances, and surely exemplified the skill that top teams demonstrate (Their consistent failure to secure game 5 wins definitely did not help their case).
The 2022 Winter season brought with it several roster changes to a once pretty dull NA trade window, and Version1 were no exception. They signed former Shopify Rebellion wunderkind Beastmode in place of Gimmick to hopefully give the team a better shot at the title. With a fellow mechanical mastermind in Beastmode, the two have worked in conjunction with Torment’s defensive prowess to produce a noticeable improvement.
Here Comm shines, his mechanics and playmaking ability (who knew Comm liked to demo so much) are on brilliant display with Beastmode as his partner in crime. The novel roster unburdened Comm, and saw him break out of his shell into a player that at his best, is easily considered in the top 10 NA RLCS players. Beastmode owns a spot on this list, but don’t be so quick to overlook Comm, I expect better results as this team develops deeper chemistry.
4. Aqua
The brand-new kid? He just turned 15! And yet here he is, getting underrated. A new potential Rogue starter was the subject of quite a few whisperings before Aqua’s induction into the RLCS. Like Dreaz, Daniel, and even Scrub, it was recognized that once he surpassed the age barrier, he would be quickly picked up for his unmatched rocket league potential. Rogue were the lucky organization that received a signature, and now he performs on the pitch next to Taroco and Gyro.
This team has seen modest results: eliminated lower bracket round 1 in the Winter NA Regional Event 1 and reaching a satisfactory 5th-6th in the Winter NA Regional Event 2. Rogue’s role within the NA RLCS ranks is still unknown, can they reach up to those top spots with NRG and Faze, or will they remain stuck in the chaotic middle ground battlefield with Complexity, Envy, Version 1, XSET and Ghost. What is apparent is Aqua’s influence and leadership on the new roster. He has successfully filled the missing void created by Firstkiller’s absence. Acting as that mechanical frontman for Gyro and Toroco, known supportive powerhouses, Aqua has silenced anyone who doubted the impact he would make on the pitch.
If these are the results and skill we can expect from Aqua now, his improvement will only serve to solidify his dominance in the league for many years to come.
3. Dreaz
Dreaz was among the first wave (excluding the GOAT Scrub Killa) of Rocket League talent realized at a young age. His name did not bring the pomp and circumstance that recent young additions Daniel and Aqua made; however, their entrance into the RLCS at 15 years old brought with it immediate signing and starting rosters – where Dreaz was selected for a spot as G2’s sub before reaching 15 years of age, and promptly took over upon Rizzo’s heartbreaking exit.
There, his one’s prowess quickly became apparent and Dreaz was immediately considered one of the best mechanical players in NA. Moreover, G2’s early adoption of a team-oriented playstyle, opting for quick passing plays and strategic ball leaves, provided Dreaz the necessary 3s playstyle experience he would need to compete at the top.
And that he did. Dreaz, alongside JKnaps and Chicago came in second in the 2021 Spring NA Major, and later won the NA Fall Classic Regional Event 3 among a host of other high placements throughout his time on G2
Now he occupies a seat next to Turbo and Mist on Envy. Although they don’t yet posses the chemistry that we saw out of G2 upon Dreaz’s introduction, it remains only a matter of time before we once again see Dreaz’s name on the list of RLCS Champions.
2. LionBlaze
Ghost gaming occupy a precarious position just outside of the middle of the pack. They were eliminated in the group stages for both the 2021-22 Winter Regionals and sit at 11nth overall. By no means bad, but surely not satisfactory for the team. One player on the team has seen recent victory, Lionblaze, but maybe not in the way you’d expect.
Like Dreaz, Lionblaze chose to display his incredible talent on the ones pitch before beginning his journey in the pro scene. For a time, Lionblaze was easily considered a top 5 NA ones player, and his goal-line defense is still touted as the best in NA.
Why is this significant? Well, we have often seen established one’s talent transfer well to the 3’s playlist. Daniel, a world-renowned ones player, now sits with Spacestation as possibly one of the best young additions in years, and Firstkiller remains in the argument for best in the world – a former ones god.
While we haven’t observed a similar shift in Lionblaze, it isn’t from lack of skill. Lionblaze can easily compete with the best, and any team would be especially thankful for his defensive ability on the field.
His catalyst is unknown, maybe a different roster, or maybe it will simply take further 3s experience. What is undoubted is his future, Lionblaze will continue to demonstrate his calculated playstyle and hopefully we can see it on the main stage in years to come.
Most Underrated Player: Lj
Many would say that Oxygen’s newly found strength in the RLCS is a result of Gimmick’s inclusion in the roster, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But, they would be overlooking who has had the biggest impact, and that is undoubtedly Lj. An absolute all-around beast, his presence on the field is unmatched; presenting a whopping 73% goal participation rate in Winter North America Regional 2. While his potential as a striker was there from the start, Gimmicks playstyle, and more importantly, his ability to refresh a stale team, has given Lj the push he needed to play at his best.
Oxygen ranked in season X a measly 15nth, edging out eUnited. Since the start of the 2022 year, they have placed 5th-6th 3 regionals in a row, and sit at an uncomfortable 8th place. The novelty of a new player is sure to invigorate any team, however Oxygen seemed to have taken an especially large advantage. Lj and Toastie even boasted about their found enthusiasm.
Lj has consistently led his team across the stat book, and at times demonstrated remarkable mechanics reminiscent of Firstkiller or Daniel. Whether he can be considered on the same level as these two giants has yet to be determined.
If you think I left out someone, or had the wrong order, let me know in the comments. See more of my thoughts on RLCS here! [...]
Read more...
March 1, 2022Kronovi, the one and only, on the mic, and two of the best teams in NA squaring off for $1000, what could be better. Lawler, your Rocket League go-to for news (other than me of course), recently hosted The Brawl: Showdown in sponsorship with Metafy.gg.
The Brawl: Showmatch presented by @TryMetafy @G2esports vs @FaZeClan ? Best of 7 – Winner Takes All || $1,000 ? Thursday February 24th, 2022 at 4pm EST?️ @LawlerTV & @KronoviRL ?️ https://t.co/TFpKlqWAuE pic.twitter.com/O4E9LDd7WO— Adam Thornton (@LawlerTV) February 22, 2022
Metafy.gg is a website for one-on-one video game coaching, popular in esports like League of Legends, Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and of course, Rocket League.
What to Watch
Exciting notes coming into the match include the young-gun battle between Aqua on Rogue and Daniel on Spacestation – two players very well acquainted with each other and who now lead their team of veterans.
Spacestation enters the match as obvious favorites. Occupying fourth place in the league rankings, with Rogue a deeper 10nth. Spacestation’s recent acquisition of Daniel has paid dividends; the stability of retals and Arsenal have given him the room he needs to prosper. He went number one in the draft, so to speak, and has consistently proven why. Spacestation came in second in regional 1, and 4th in regional 2, so the odds are undoubtedly in their favor. The team has shown weakness in their chemistry however, Rogue will have no problem exploiting it.
Rogue have displayed promise, coming 5th the two most recent regionals; and Aqua has proven a necessary addition to the two best supports in the region in Gyro and Toroco. Their outings exhibit the possibility for future deeper bracket runs and higher placements. Once a reality with Firstkiller, now again within their sights.
Brawl Showdown Match Results
With these two powerhouses going head to head, it only makes sense that the event was as nail-biting a series as you’d expect. Rogue began with a commanding game 1, winning a decisive 4-1 victory over Spacestation. Taroco owned the pitch, scoring 2, assisting 2, and making the team’s only 2 saves to secure the large lead.
Spacestation weren’t down for long – they fired back with an even more decisive 4-0 sweep against Rogue in game 2. The new addition Daniel proved to be the catalyst, he scored 3 of Spacestation’s 4 goals and laid an impressive 5 shots against a struggling Rogue defense. Spacestation would go on to win 3 games in a row, forcing Rogue to fight for several match points.
If anyone wasn’t ready to lose, it was Taroco. Despite losses in three previous games, he led his team in each, and kept pushing to mark a 2-1 victory of Spacestation in game 5. While I don’t like to look at points as the sole indicator of contribution on the pitch, Taroco’s ferocity, recording an mvp appearance in all but game 2 for Rogue, was the most influential factor compelling the series to game 7.
Despite Taroco’s best efforts, Spacestation left nothing to the imagination as they ran up a 6-2 game 7 triumph over Rogue. Simply put, Spacestation owned the field as every player on the roster contributed to a conclusive rebuttal of Rogue’s offense. Daniel, Arsenal, and retals appeared well acquainted with anything Rogue had to throw against them, and demonstrated why they are not a team to be underestimated.
Broadcast Team
Throughout the broadcast, Lawler’s curiosity of behind-the-scenes RLCS happenings and the mentality of pro-level gamers proved an entertaining match for the library that is Kronovi. Those who tuned in heard about what these players go through, what drives them, and a host other knowledgeable facts that only a seasoned veteran could provide. If you’re searching for excellent gameplay and a podcast-like exploration into the circumstances RLCS pros and contributors find themselves in on a daily basis, this is the stream for you. Check it out here, and be sure to sign up for post notifications to be notified when I again write something awesome about Rocket League.
If you like this and want more gameplay analysis, check out more articles here! [...]
Read more...
March 1, 20227-Eleven has teamed up with popular esport Rocket League to offer a series of in-game items including decals, boosts, and other cosmetic add-ons. If you’re getting Deja Vue, don’t fret, 7-Eleven also sponsored the RLCS Summer Series in what feels like a lifetime ago… 2017; evidently interest still exists between the game developer and gas station enterprise.
7-eleven Partner with Rocket League… Again
“We’ve been helping customers level up for years to crush whatever they need to in real life. Now, we’re bringing the same boosts to the world of Rocket League. Take part in the Boost Your Rewards program to earn your shot at insanely exclusive in-game items, only available to 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes customers.”
Supposedly born from “carfies,” which are photos of cars at a 7-eleven store, the new collaboration will introduce several 7-eleven inspired items like their famous Slurpee, the design of which will feature a decal and boost, and a hot-dog/shark combination to spice up (or bite down, am I right??) the top of your antenna.
How to Obtain Rewards
How can I get them? Great question omniscient narrator! These in-game items can only be obtained via purchase of Mountain Dew, Doritos, and other various food and beverage products at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes stores. Make sure to scan your 7-Eleven or Speedway app at checkout to get credit for your purchase. You can also use 7NOW delivery, Mobile Checkout or Fuel Loyalty.
If your purchase qualifies, you’ll receive a notification to claim your code via push, email, or both. Fill out the form to claim your in-game items. Act fast, there’s a limited supply! Your one-time-use code will be delivered to you via email. Use that code in Rocket League, and the item will appear in your garage.
In celebration of this legendary team-up, 7-Eleven has renamed its iconic Blue Raspberry Slurpee drink to Blue ROCKETBERRY for a limited time. Moreover, with the help of social media, 7-eleven is bringing Rocket League to life. Followers of 7-Eleven’s Instagram and Twitter pages with be able to vote on the wrap design, rim color, seat design, custom grill, snack holders and even the scent of the Model 711 – a IRL car soon to be built.
7-Eleven plans to select one lucky fan to win the car. To secure your chance at a real-life Rocket League car (that’s bigger than a foot… SunlessKahn), interact with them on social media, order delivery, or buy a participating item in-store to be entered into the sweepstakes.
7-eleven and RLCS
To further solidify the partnership, 7-Eleven is officially sponsoring a North American Regional Event, the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup, taking place on May 13-15, 2022.
For more details on the 7-Eleven Boost Your Rewards program and Model 711 sweepstakes, visit https://www.7-eleven.com/boost-your-rewards or 7-Eleven.com. Gamers looking to get involved now can download the 7NOW delivery app from the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting 7Rewards.com.
Check out more Rocket League RLCS Updates here! [...]
Read more...
February 26, 2022With the NA Winter Major looming on the horizon, the Mobil 1 Mountain Classic proved just as thrilling and suspenseful as we had hoped. All eyes were on Version1, Spacestation, Complexity, and Oxygen who were battling it for two tickets behind NRG, G2, and FaZe on the plane to Inglewood, CA, March 23-27. Read below to see the results!
Mobil 1 Mountain Classic Bracket Results
Torrent displayed a high degree of chemistry and took the Lower Round 1 win over the Soniqs; the recent addition of Kinseh again proved worthwhile as the team appears to be coming into their own. An unfortunately early and ultimately close clash with NRG would be their downfall – this despite NRG appearing lackluster for most of the regional.
In a rare siting – unlike EU – a rogue team (you’ll get that joke in a sec) called Randoms not only made it through group stages by beating NRG, but won their first bracket match against Rogue. The squad of Chronic, 2Piece, and Night stunned the ordinarily uniform NA bracket teams. Oxygen, however, had more on the line and competed as such, sweeping Randoms to advance.
The pressure was on as Complexity needed a win to guarantee their trip to the major. Unfortunately, Version1 weren’t so willing, and beat the former South American team in a heated 7 game battle. With this, Version1 virtually locks up their spot at the major, and Complexity is out of contention.
The Lower Quarter-Finals can be summed up with one sentence, the better team won. NRG overwhelmed Complexity who were coming off a loss, and FaZe swept Oxygen, who are prone to struggle against high-ranking teams.
The finals brought with it… apologies, the Lower Semi-Finals brought with it an intense squaring-off between two of NA’s best teams in NRG and FaZe. By securing a close Game 7 win, NRG have allowed themselves some breathing room in the major as they now enter the number one seed.
Version1 with the duo we didn’t know we needed, Comm and Beastmode. Together they played unshackled as Comm took demand of not only the ball, but the pitch, with his increasingly bump-heavy playstyle. G2 on the other hand struggled defensively, and even uncharacteristically offensively as they failed to generate momentum. G2 would now fall to the Lower Bracket Final.
G2 put up a commanding fight – as opposed to what the match score may indicate – but despite 3 overtimes and 5 games, NRG would not fall to this team two regionals in a row.
Rocket League Regional 3 Final (V1 v NRG)
Bootcamping has seen mixed success within the pro scene, but for V1 it appears to be their holy grail. The roster slammed NRG, employing a very aggressive playstyle that overwhelmed the typically level-headed team. No more overtimes or games seven’s for V1, who record their first regional win, and take the fourth seed over Spacestation by one point in the upcoming Major.
Major Standings
Not only do we now have a new team to bring some much-needed competition to the NA Top 3, but we have our 5 teams heading to the Major.
It is nice after so many seasons and attempts at a cohesive roster to see V1 on this list in that number 4 spot. Indeed their winning bracket run secured an overall 1 point lead over Spacestation in the standings. They picked the right time to peak.
Keep up-to-date with Major news, standings, and analysis here at Rocket Talk. Look out for my predictions, and notes on what to watch out for in the upcoming clash of regions by signing up for push notifications or subscribing. Thanks! [...]
Read more...
February 18, 2022Vibrance finally have a new home in Akrew as the roster of astro, oath, and Fefe was recently signed by the esports organization.
We are excited to announce our entrance into @RLEsports! @VibranceRLE have been signed to form the new Akrew Rocket League Team. Leggo @rl_astro, @oathler, @rl_fefe!Sub: @gearrlCoach: @stupidshoebillManager: @thomascrdbl #WeAreAkrew pic.twitter.com/kw7KtHtUBf— Akrew (@akrewhq) February 10, 2022
Vibrance Results
While this roster hasn’t turned many heads, they have put up consistent first and second-place wins in several non-RLCS events: recording victories in both the Alienware Tournament Series and the Trovo Titans: Smashing Beta tournament in recent months.
Their RLCS appearances unfortunately don’t reflect the chemistry these players obviously share with each other on the pitch. Vibrance fell in Lower Bracket Round 1 in North America Regional 1 by G2, and haven’t made appearances in any following regional thus far.
The team is made up of a few recent roster changes, with astro being the only player to remain after fellow teammates hec and Ness departed. Oath joined following a short and modest stint on team Scuba Squad, and fefe was picked up from team Total Grease.
Even with relatively small beginnings, the squad has managed to put up good enough results to attract an organization. Akrew.
Akrew Enter Rocket League
Akrew occupies a relatively small space in the esports scene, supporting a few content creators and fielding a Valorant team in addition to their entrance into Rocket League.
With monetary backing, I am hoping to see a roster that lets their guard down and moves with a little more unpredictability. Always a good sight to see more organizations entering the RLCS scene.
Check out more news here to see how the RLCS landscape is evolving. [...]
Read more...
February 17, 2022Rocket League inherently embodies the playmaking and mental strategy employed by real-world physical sports. The obvious comparison is soccer, however, Rocket League parallels Hockey and even Tennis – sharing similar methodology in decision-making and approach. Experience participating in these sports will undoubtedly transfer to in-game play. Rocket League comms, i.e., RLCS players talking to each other during a match, are an aspect of gameplay I think exposure to sports can have a benefit in.
BDS v Queso
How to Improve Rocket League Communication
Imagine a soccer player on the pitch; one of eleven. If you’re within earshot, your objective is not to exclaim information about your status to the player with the ball; he is focused on his next move and the opponent positioned directly in front of him. No, your role is to effectively convey what information you have to the player on the ball, as you have a wider few of the pitch and significantly more information at your disposal.
I was a former high-school hockey player, and a practical based approach to communication between teammates was regularly the difference between getting scored on, or scoring. Hockey, like rocket league, is incredibly quick, and talk between players must remain precise as to give your teammate information they can make a decision from in the span of a few nanoseconds.
Callouts like defend right can help a player know what side of the ball to challenge, ultimately positioning your teammates for an ideal follow-up or double team. This is especially helpful when the opposing player is hidden behind the ball.
Similarly, location callouts can give a teammate with time on the ball more options. If their opportunities for play are dwindling as an opponent steps, a callout from a teammate like “quick” can let the man on the ball know the ball must leave his car in the next few moments. Even deciding for a fellow teammate, exclaiming pass while the man on the ball debates going for a solo play or not, is permissible as once again, the information you have off the ball is tenfold your teammate’s.
Understandably, even at the quick pace ice provides, Rocket League far succeeds the speed of most physical sports and esports alike. This makes the aforementioned callouts understandably difficult in execution.
However, a team-based based system for communication is much more practical than the current methods utilized by most professional teams. Listening to comms videos (a very enlightening experience and something I recommend by the way), the over communication readily apparent.
Why Rocket League Comms are Disfunctional
Status updates on boost amounts, bumping callouts on opposing players not relevant to the play, and typical rotation callouts fill the airways; things that despite the level of play, still need to be said?
The callouts themselves are just a symptom of an underlying dysfunctional system. It’s like for example, a mathematician, using a calculator for an elementary multiplication problem.
Your location behind your teammate while he goes up for a solo play will not present any sort of influence on the play, and just serves as a distraction or worse, an interruption; on the contrary, your callout to take the ball low, as you can see the opponent has challenged expecting another ariel hit, could result in a goal.
There are exceptions of course. Boost callouts when you’re getting ready to defend, or rotation callouts when things get confusing will keep you from getting scored on. My point is not that the current methods employ by RLCS teams in entirely unhelpful, simply that it does more harm than good in its current and relatively novel state.
If you disagree, or think more should be done to change the current understanding surrounding in-game Rocket League communication, leave a comment with your thoughts, and check out some of my other opinions here. [...]
Read more...
February 15, 2022EU Rocket League is back with another regional as the RLCS Winter Major in March at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California looms on the horizon (This time with fans!).
Notable absences from the playoff bracket include Team Vitality and Williams Resolve who both fell in the group stages; while teams Misfits and Evil Genuises continued to display just how deep EU’s talent pool is. Team Queso proved they’re not a one-hit-wonder, making an argument for why they should be considered a Top 3 roster.
Ultimately, BDS once again displayed their consistency under pressure, sweeping Team Queso in the finals and taking home their first regional win. Read below for stage-by-stage results and analysis.
Premier Cup Bracket Results
To sum it up… poor Luminosity. The squad of eekso, LTK_Atomik, and Tox successfully overpowered powerhouse Endpoint just run into the wall that is Dignitas. This team has so much talent, with more opportunities in the future I hope to see deeper bracket runs and contention with the top teams. 5 overtimes against Joreuz is a feet of its own.
New addition of Spanish player crr has clearly paid dividends with Guild once again displaying their improvement. Their 3-2 win over 00NationDNB promptly shut up any rumors of a fluke. The roster is coming into its own and I expect to see further results – perhaps the noly of 2021 can be born again, that would be a spectacle.
Evil Genuises are another team itching to work their way to a grand final. They possess top-tier mechanics, but BDS are not lacking in those. BDS overwhelmed the young roster, again proving the mental struggles that plagued the veterans earlier this season – and the end of last – are a thing of the past.
Queso claims the lower bracket with two nail-biting wins against EG and Misfits. Although we saw superstars like Kash light up the field, Vatira’s striking and Rise’s smarts proved too much for the hopeful teams. Top 3 is no longer a question in my opinion, it’s 1 or 2 for the cheesy team.
Premier Cup Finals (BDS v Queso)
Finally besting the top 4, Team BDS claims their spot among the regional champions. Dispelling doubts about their ability to remain at the top of the competition, BDS again demonstrated their chemistry and consistency are unparalleled.
M0nkey M00n, as always, stood out in his contribution to the blowout. His level-headedness and participation within every series, game, and shot leaves little to the imagination as the star refuses to entertain any argument against his dominance within the league.
While BDS celebrates their first regional win of the season, Queso too takes home a victory by securing their spot to the major upon placing top 3.
at the last rlcs lan with fans i was there as a 1800 rank b+ player, at the next one ill be playing. wtf— rise. (@riseRL_) February 6, 2022
The Future of Rocket League is Here
Within the spectacle of regional 2 came a time for realization for Rocket League RLCS viewers: no one is safe. Once seemingly confident Endpoint seemed the ceiling, and now fans like me are worried they have already peaked. While I doubt this is the case (an argument can be made for Dignitas too), what has been made obvious is the threat all teams down the bracket pose.
Misfits and Evil Geniuses came to play, making deeper tournament runs than ever before. Guild as well displayed impressive synergy as crr and the rest of the team demanded their name remain in contention. A new era of Rocket League speed and mechanics is growing near, and teams like Vitality will need more than boot camping to prove why they should still be considered a top-tier roster.
The RLCS 2021-22 – Winter Split Major will take place March 23rd – March 27nth in Inglewood, CA. Be sure to check it out to see how these teams stack up against international competition.
Check out more Rocket League Regional and Major Results here, leave a comment about who you think will take home the trophy in California. [...]
Read more...
February 4, 2022Eagles running back Boston Scott can now officially add his name next to the likes of Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders on the list of multi-sport professional athletes… though popular eSport Rocket League may have been your last guess for where he took his talents.
ESports organization Dignitas recently signed the NFL player to their Rocket League roster, and he is said to be participating in scrimmages with the team before the Winter Major (March 26-28).
Our Rocket League team just became more stacked. ?Welcome to @DignitasRL, @BostonScott2 – the first two sport NFL and Rocket League pro! pic.twitter.com/avrrDgBbds— Dignitas (@dignitas) February 3, 2022
Why was he picked up?
Could this be for publicity? Of course! He’ll also be creating content for the team. But don’t be fooled, he’s got the stats to back it up.
Scott boasts a spot in within the top 0.52 percent of all Rocket League players as a Grand Champ, and is said to play regularly – though is likely to soon find his rocket league schedule significantly more strenuous.
NFL Updates
The 26-year-old’s season ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card game; Scott enjoyed a season total of 373 yards and seven touchdowns.
I for one am looking forward to some great comms between Scrub Killa and Scott (B0ston), the second Dignitas duo we didn’t know we needed. [...]
Read more...
Join the Rocket Talk Community
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.