Previous 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 Metafy
— Adam Thornton (@LawlerTV) February 26, 2022
Now on @YouTube
Fill video linked below pic.twitter.com/d4tevXDrAT
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!