Rosters to Watch for The Kickoff Qualifiers
Featuring $45,500 in prize money across two sub-regions, The Kickoff is set to be the biggest event in Asian Rocket League. Ahead of this weekend’s qualifiers.
Here’s a rundown of some of the top rosters to look out for in the latter qualifying rounds.
Ooga Booga - Poofy, Kaizen, JarelNaden
Ooga Booga exploded onto the Asian scene back in March when they upset 1NE and We Dem Doggo (now Zoomer Remover) to take home the inaugural Ketteisen Cup. Three months later, their form seems to have stagnated as they failed to reach the top four of any subsequent Ketteisen Cup. With new third JarelNaden replacing Hargun, Ooga Booga finished fourth in both of APL’s Biweeklies, with strong victories over Atlas Gaming and Xayfhers helping to propel the Singaporeans up the rankings.
1NE eSports - Misty, Revoir, Gon
When 1NE’s previous roster, consisting of Misty, Kaotik and LCT, left the Thai organisation for the Qatari Oryx Esports, many were left questioning whether we’d see the former Asia Pro League runners-up back in Rocket League. Well, it took just three days for those questions to be answered as 1NE eSports signed a new roster, this time consisting of 1NE alumni Revoir, as well as Gon and Kerwin. Three days later, it was already time for change as Misty returned in Kerwin’s place, and the roster appears to have settled in today's roster-lock. Since forming, results have been decent. A top-three finish in APL Esports’ most recent Biweekly has certainly put some confidence into the roster, and they’ll be looking to carry that form through to Sunday’s first qualifier.
Click to enlargeVELLFiRE - Maru, Battlelain, Tenhow
This trio of veteran Japanese stars, whilst lacking in tournament practice together, certainly isn’t a team to sleep on. Maru, Battlelain and Tenhow are all capable players, with the former two having been teammates on HANAGUMI a few months ago. In terms of tournament results, Maru is certainly the standout player on this team. Whilst on We Dem Doggo and then Panini, he reached the top four of every Ketteisen Cup and put in some stellar performances whilst he was at it.
Redundant - Hargun, Kerwin, Broski
After being kicked by Ooga Booga, it didn’t take long for Hargun to find a new home. Initially forming with Kerwin and Nunki, the players were quickly forced into a roster move. Despite a strong Biweekly performance with Jassen, Hargun and Kerwin decided instead to go for Broski, who they’ll be looking to qualify with, in the tough double-elimination brackets. The real storyline here is Hargun attempting to get his revenge on Ooga Booga after being removed from the roster not long ago. They’ve already taken down his old side once in the first Biweekly in a surprising sweep, but it’ll take a lot to take down the competition and qualify for The Kickoff.
HANAGUMI - Burn, OLPiX, shaolon
Shaolon is definitely a name that long-time fans of Asian Rocket League will recognise. The Japanese star spent two years on the Glory Stone roster that won the Asia Pro League’s second season but found himself struggling to find a team when the lineup disbanded. Eventually finding his way onto TF Gaming’s roster, he secured some strong Ketteisen Cup results with Burn and OLPiX as they claimed top-four spots several times. Now signed under Japanese org HANAGUMI, and with Grand Final appearances in both Biweeklies (including a victory over invited side Oryx Esports) secured, HANAGUMI are looking like the team to beat if anyone wants to qualify for The Kickoff.
The action starts June 27 with the first qualifier for The Kickoff - Middle East. It’s set to be an incredible three weeks of Asian and ME action and we’ll be bringing you all the latest news from Asia’s largest Rocket League tournament to date on GGRecon.
Images via DreamHack | APL Esports
