WePlay Esports Invitational: Karmine Corp Enjoy Stellar Debut And Turbo Does Turbo
The WePlay Esports Invitational, Rocket League, started off as a pre-season warm-up in many fans' and players' minds, but after showcasing a broadcasting stage like no other, offering up a prize pool of $100,000, and opening up the event to both NA and EU's most fearsome teams, the tournament soon became much, much more than a curtain-raiser.
EU - Karmine Corp Find French Form
Over in Europe, five rosters were on display for the first time, including a changed Sandrock Gaming whose tails were up after finally being included in the upcoming Rocket League Championship Series Season 2021-22. Guild Esports, SMPR, Dignitas, and Karmine Corp all flexed their new arrivals, as an early jostle for seasonal momentum and a large cash prize was in the line.
Despite many anticipating fans hoping for the Middle-Eastern representatives to shine bright, their unavoidable ping problems contributed to back-to-back losses, alongside SMPR who were overpowered by two of the top-three sides.
However, success for a new side was on the cards, as a former Spanish squad found a new home that was sprinkled with the signature French finesse that Rocket League has become accustomed to.
Karmine Corp, fresh into the scene with former Vodafone Giants duo of Marc "Stake" Bosch and Amine "itachi" Benayachi and Season 9 EU MVP Maëllo "AztraL" Ernst, summoned the championship-winning form often replicated by Team Vitality. The debutants knocked beat their native rivals on the road to the final, where SMPR and Dignitas also fell to the newcomers, with the latter game having to go down to a gave seven overtime.
The Grand Finals saw BDS take their usual roles as title contenders, as a three-set final final offered both sides a shot at the $15,000 first prize. A whopping 17 games later and Karmine Corp upset the RLCS X dominators, becoming WePlay Esports Invitational Champions.
Terrific Turbo Towers Tall
Just as the French have a habit of grabbing silverware, the four-time world champion Pierre "Turbopolsa" Silfver is the best in the business for getting the job done. Since making the switch over from Sweden to North America, the championship demon has added multiple community tournament wins to his ever-growing cabinet.
The stack of trophies and medals in Turbo's tray is continuing to burst, and the WePlay Esports Invitational was yet another that can take prime position on the mantlepiece.
Despite being humiliated in the first round to FaZe Clan, who themselves were eyeing success with their new addition Jason "Firstkiller" Corral, Envy swept through the lower bracket with consecutive wins against SpaceStation Gaming, G2 Esports, FaZe Clan (rematch), and NRG to set up a typical playground for Turbo.
Shopify Rebellion were Envy's foes in the Grand Final, although the former KCP roster couldn't keep the Swede away from Champions Field in the first set. After tying the first series 3-3, Turbo stepped onto the field and took control, smashing in three goals in a convincing 3-1 match, securing set one.
From there, Massimo "Atomic" Franceschi, and Nick "mist" Costello turned on their flair boosters, taking back-to-back sets to be crowned champions. Just as RLCS begins to purr its engines, Turbo has found his form, which bodes well for Envy fans.
A Word On WePlay Esports: Rocket League's Best Production Since LAN
As Rocket League returns to LAN, with Stockholm set to host the first Major of the 2021-22 RLCS season, WePlay Esports kicked the online production up to a new level with their Rocket League Invitational.
A clean and simplistic in-game overlay was paired with an on-site broadcast team who undoubtedly benefited from being able to sit next to each other in a studio, creating synergy between themselves, fans, and even players joining them post-match.
When speaking to GGRecon, WePlay Esports' Maksym Bilonogov claimed "while watching our broadcast, you will feel as if you met an old friend whom you have known for many years", and that is exactly what it felt like to be reunited with a near-LAN experience, and a perfect stepping stone for the esport as a whole. As far as online production goes, Rocket League has never seen anything of this kind before, and it now sits as a benchmark for any upcoming events.
