7-Eleven Slurpee Cup Recap
A Burgeoning Dynasty
G2 Esports winning back-to-back events in the Winter Major and the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup was highly impressive, as no other team in North America or Europe had matched that feat. Now, G2 Esports has stretched their run into three consecutive titles by winning the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup. Their longest tenured player, JKnaps, won MVP of the tournament, which means a different G2 Esports player has received the MVP award in every tournament they’ve won during this streak. They possess one of the most balanced rosters in the world, and have become the world’s most dominant team.
G2 Esports became the first team to qualify for the Spring Major in London in the entire World, and only need to win two series in the third regional to clinch North America’s #1 seed for the event. They’ve now won four out of five events, finishing third in the other. There are only three other teams in the world who have won four out of five events (including Majors), in Team Falcons from the MENA region, Gaimin Gladiators from APAC-S, and Orlando Pirates from SSA.
G2 Esports are on a historic run at the moment, and in the third regional they will look to be the first Major region team to sweep a Split since the beginning of the Open Era of RLCS. The scariest part of G2’s dominance is that they continue to look more and more impressive. In each of their three previous wins, they lost the first series of the Grand Finals before bouncing back to win it all. This time out, they didn’t need the bracket reset, as they cleanly dispatched Version1 in six games to win the title.
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Spring Major Lookahead
With four spots still available behind G2 Esports for London, and fourteen teams still alive for those spots, the third regional for North America will be action packed. Currently sitting in the four remaining spots are Version1, Team Envy, FaZe Clan, and Spacestation Gaming. Each of these teams has qualified for a Major previously, and will be hungry to get back to a LAN event. Just outside of the spots are the other two teams who have made a major from North America this season, The General NRG and Complexity Gaming.
The race will likely come down to these six teams, but Ghost Gaming and Rogue are still in striking distance. The teams below them, while still technically in contention, would need several results to break their way to have any hope of qualifying. In the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup, The General NRG, Version1, and Team Envy very strongly improved their bids for spots. The General NRG bounced back from a disappointing showing in the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup to finish fourth this time out, meaning a similar result should be enough for them to qualify. The team is trying to implement a new playstyle, something which has been proven to take time, but should pay massive dividends if they can make it to London.
Version1 went on a strong lower bracket run, winning five straight series before running into G2 Esports and finishing second. The result, combined with a top six finish in the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup, means they have the best chance to qualify going into the third regional. Team Envy went on a long upper bracket run all the way to a top three spot, losing only to G2 Esports and Version1. Spacestation Gaming and FaZe Clan had disappointing showings, but they finished second and third in the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup, leaving them in strong positions to qualify. The race promises to be the closest for a Major spot yet, with every matchup between these teams potentially being the difference.
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
The Early Rounds
While many of the teams at the top had been there before, some teams with similar experience fell out early. Ghost Gaming, who finished fourth in the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup, finished last after losses to Team Envy and Spacestation Gaming. Oxygen Esports matched the result, likely taking them out of Major (and Worlds) contention. AllMid did no better, and still have not won a series in the RLCS this season. Rogue, XSET, and Pittsburgh Knights all fell to twelfth place finishes. Pittsburgh Knights had a strong showing relative to expectations, as the current roster played in the RLCS for the first time this season. They were the only team to take G2 Esports to a winner-take-all game five, and beat Oxygen Esports before a loss to FaZe Clan.
XSET started strong, beating Spacestation Gaming, before losing to The General NRG and Team Envy. The new roster with rapid showed signs of promise, but failed to put it together for multiple series. Rogue, who had been steadily improving, lost to G2 Esports and a Susquehanna Soniqs roster who lost only to Complexity Gaming and Version1.
North America’s depth continues to shine, but G2 Esports reign supreme at the top. Next weekend, Europe will resume their season in the Tour de Rocket League. Make sure to stay up to date with Shift until then for all your RLCS news!
