Are We Set for the Most Competitive RLCS Season to Date?
With the current unconventional social status of the world, Rocket League Esports has adapted brilliantly with a flurry of community events, keeping fans gripped nearly every weekend. However, nothing quite hits like the RLCS does, and with some recent adaptations to the format, anticipation is ramping for the tenth instalment of the competition that has blessed us with so many memories over the last four years. Season 10 undoubtedly hosts some incredible sides, in both NA, EU and the smaller regions in OCE, SAM, and Asia. Will this mean that we are set for the most competitive championship series ever? First off we have to look at previous seasons.
To date, there hasn’t been one side that has dominated season upon season without serious competition. You can look at the early FlipSid3 team, but even they only won the RLCS once in Season 2. The RLCS has always been hotly contested by multiple sides, boiling down to some intense matches in the World Championships. In the early seasons, it was very closely contested by three or four sides that could potentially win it, but with a chasm of skill between them and the chasing pack. Looking at seasons 1-3, in which it was predominantly dominated by EU sides, it was teams such as FlipSid3 and Northern Gaming (soon to be Gale Force) being dominant, with competition from IBuyPower in Season 1, Mock-it eSports in Season 2, and NRG in Season 3.
Looking at Season 1, the skill gap was evident in the World Championships, with the top three sides only dropping a single game between them against teams outside of the top three. IBuyPower, FlipSid3 and Northern Gaming swept every other team 3-0, apart from Kings of Urban taking one game off FlipSid3 in the Quarterfinals.
The same skill gap was evident in Season 2 Worlds, as only one game that pitted the top three against lower sides went to a game five. Runner ups, Mock-it, were the only side to come close to losing in the Worlds, in the Quarterfinal stages versus Orbit eSports where GarrettG was on the rise.
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Very rarely since then have we had an array of teams in the conversation to be the best side in the world or had the potential to break into the finals quite like we do today. Even during the Dignitas dynasty, few teams had the capability to rival Kaydop, Turbo and ViolentPanda (and Maestro for Season 3 league play). Year upon year teams would begin a charge to try and break the meta. Method did well to keep up, and NRG fluctuated in calibre, but nobody could break the wheel for two years until Cloud9 managed to pull of a bracket reset win in Season 6.
It is difficult to remember a season where you could name four solid contenders for the world’s best teams, and another lower bracket of teams very much capable of winning a World Championship on their day, until this season.
Yes it is still early days, and teams haven’t quite settled on their rosters yet, but if we take the line-ups that we have right now, you could argue a case for potentially six sides to be able to win a World Championships.
Over in EU, Dignitas have proven that they have what it takes, and as we see Joreuz try and impose himself, their poor pre-season will surely be improved upon to put them back into contention. Their recently departed superstar AztraL has found a home at Oxygen Esports, of whom look seriously impressive as a trio and if Fusion was anything to go from, Oxy look like a team capable of being the best side in the world, especially with the ex-Reciprocity duo of Ferra and Chausette45 that were Season 8’s best European side. Renault Vitality also show no signs of slowing down, as runner ups in the previous World Championships. Alpha54 compliments Kaydop and Fairy Peak! extremely well, and can easily maintain their status as the top 2 in the world, if not one better. Even sides such as Team Singularity have the potential to break into that conversation with the acquisition of Scrub Killa, and should they find consistent form they have the potential to be a top 3 EU side.
Click to enlargeTaking the focus away from the Worlds, to just the EU minors/majors (depending on the RLCS format) no sides appear to be a walkover. The competition outside of the top 3/4 looks hotter than ever, with Top Blokes, BDS, ex-Mouz, Barca, Endpoint, Singularity, and Solary all capable of beating each other, with no side sticking out like a sore thumb to be the easy fixture of the league. Each side in EU looks capable of beating anyone on their day, we could genuinely see the most game fives that RLCS has ever seen.
In North America, a similar pattern seems to be forming. NRG and Team Envy look set to go toe-to-toe with each other with their recent roster moves, with G2 and Spacestation Gaming not far behind. All four are prominent forces in NA, capable of beating each other, such as recent community tournaments suggest. SSG was prominent in Fusion, NRG in Codename: Covert and nV in the Brawl 10K, whilst G2 took home the Spring Series title prior the those.
Lower down the league, Rat Enterprises could remain as a big side should Gimmick and Torment find a third that suits them, and Pittsburgh Knights are yet to settle on their roster but have the potential to be a top side. Alpine look seriously impressive with MaJicBear blossoming and Rogue has performed solidly in recent events. Furthermore, despite not finding much form recently, the Susquehanna Soniqs ended last season in third place, they shouldn’t be underestimated. Again, the NA region is set to be a thriller with so much flair, you cannot distinguish any side to be the worst, and all sides could show form worthy of being champions.
Click to enlargeOutside of NA and EU, Sandrock Gaming has been making huge waves and could be the first team from the smaller regions to be World Champions. Chiefs Esports Club came closest in Season 6 coming fourth, but the Saudi Arabian outfit featuring Senzo, Ahman and OKhaliD boast huge potential, evident by their third-place finishes at both Fusion and Eurocup. Should they be given the opportunity to compete in big events, this roster can only improve and rival the top sides in the world.
Ground Zero Gaming, Cringe Society and Ellevens have also been performing well in the lesser-known regions, and can only improve with tournaments such as the RLO Grand Slam. If any of these teams break into the Worlds, they could certainly put up a fight to reach the latter stages.
Overall, RLCS Season 10 has so much potential, and cannot come soon enough.
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