European Fall Open preview
After FaZe Clan took the first North American title of the 2022-23 season last week, it’s time for 16 of Europe’s best to compete this weekend in the European Fall Open! Europe had a wild rostermania over the offseason, as only two teams that qualified for a Major or the World Championship last year returns the same roster - reigning World Champions Team BDS, and the young Team Liquid.
Rostermania Recap
European MVP Axel "Vatira" Touret left Moist Esports to join Karmine Corp, and former Karmine Corp player Maëllo "Aztral" Ernst joined Moist Esports in his place. Former SMPR Esports player and World Championship standout Brice "ExoTiiK" Bigeard also joined Karmine Corp, since Joseph “noly” Kidd left to play in North America alongside Jack "ApparentlyJack" Benton.
ApparentlyJack’s old teammate, Joris "Joreuz" Robben, is now on Oxygen Esports, alongside Archie "archie" Pickthall and Ole "Oaly" van Doorn. They’re one of two completely new lineups, as G1 signed the Spanish trio of Sergio "Atomik" Pérez Cortés, Marc "MaRc_By_8." Domingo Ruiz, and Ivan "DORITO" Ruiz Jiménez. Plenty of other familiar faces and organizations have new teams, and they’ll be discussed below.
Swiss Stage Round One
Oxygen Esports vs Aogiri
A new roster on the block, Oxygen Esports dominated the Invitational Qualifier, going 3-0 with a 9-2 game record. Both archie and Joreuz played in two Majors and the World Championship last season, and will hope to combine that success with the talents of the veteran Oaly to continue a strong start to the season. On the other side of their first round matchup is Aogiri, who competed together in the Spring Split last season. They finished 14th in the Spring Split, but their continuity through the offseason could do wonders for the team.
Evil Geniuses vs Susquehanna Soniqs
Evil Geniuses had several ups-and-downs last season, highlighted by missing out on the Fall Major on the last day of the Split, finishing second among European teams at the Winter Major, and a stunning collapse in the Spring Split that saw them miss out on the World Championship. They’ve now brought Damian "Tox" Schäfer onto the team, and hope that he’ll be able to keep the team at a consistently high level. The early returns are promising, as they finished 3-0 in the Invitational Qualifier. Susquehanna Soniqs have left North America to pick up a new roster in Europe, consisting of two-thirds of last season’s Solary team and Otto "Metsanauris" Kaipiainen.
Moist Esports vs Goldbridge Ball
Last season’s feel-good team, Moist Esports, are here to show that they can have sustained success, and weren’t a one-season wonder. French superstar Vatira may have left, but they still have Spring Major MVP Joe "Joyo" Young and clutch goalscorer Finlay "rise" Ferguson, alongside their new veteran presence in Aztral. If Aztral can steady the team, and they can maintain their dominant form, they’ll be top World Championship contenders. Their opponents, Goldbridge Ball, are a new all-English team consisting of Kurtis "Kash" Cannon, Dylan "eekso" Pickering, and Lucas "RelatingWave" Rose. The trio all have extensive RLCS experience, especially RelatingWave, who played in all three Majors and the World Championship last season.
G1 vs Top Blokes
The new Spanish trio of G1 made their debut together in rle.gg’s Roster Royale and struggled. They only picked up one win in the event, finishing 1-3 overall. Those struggles were washed away with a very strong Invitational Qualifier performance, however, as they went 3-1, with their only loss coming to top-seeded Oxygen Esports. Top Blokes, on the other hand, struggled in the Invitational Qualifier, going 0-3. They managed to bounce back in the Closed Qualifier, going 3-1 to qualify for the main event as the 13th overall seed.
Team BDS vs Guild Esports
Team BDS are the reigning World Champions, an unstoppable trio since signing Enzo "Seikoo" Grondein before the Spring Split. They won two of the three Spring Split regionals, and went undefeated at the World Championship to stake their claim among the best teams in history. They suffered a shock early loss, getting reverse swept by Evil Geniuses, before ultimately going 3-1 in the Invitational Qualifier. Their first round matchup is with Guild Esports, who have picked up a completely new roster headlined by former Karmine Corp player Marc "Stake" Bosch. They floundered in the Invitational Qualifier, going 0-3 while only winning two of their eleven games, but put up a 3-1 record in the Closed Qualifier to reach the Fall Open Main Event.
Karmine Corp vs Solary
Karmine Corp finished 5th-8th at the World Championship last year, losing to eventual World Champions Team BDS. They took the champs all the way to Game Seven, before falling 2-1 and seeing their season come to a close. Their spot at the World Championship was only locked in thanks to a remarkable Spring Split, in which they closed a monumental 500 point gap to Evil Geniuses, also jumping over SMPR Esports, in order to qualify. They also finished fourth at the Spring Major, but they’ve now retooled the roster. If reigning European MVP Vatira, Exottik, and Amine "Itachi" Benayachi can find their groove together, Karmine Corp could top last season and win a Major and/or the World Championship.
Solary has moved on from last season’s roster after only participating in the Spring Split, as they’ve picked up the former Team Vitality duo of Victor "Fairy Peak!" Locquet and Alexandre "Kaydop" Courant, as well as their fellow Frenchman Thibault "Chausette45" Grzesiak. The team qualified for the Main Event after going 1-3 in the Invitational Qualifier and 3-1 in the Closed Qualifier. Their 1-3 Invitational Qualifier did still have a highlight, however, as they beat Team Vitality, who chose to move on from Kaydop and Fairy Peak!, for their only win.
Team Liquid vs Williams Resolve
Team Liquid return all three members from last season’s Spring Major team, as the young trio signed for future success are primed to compete. They only became eligible to participate before the Spring Split, as two of their players were not old enough before then. They went on a run to the Spring Major, however, shocking Europe by performing so well. When Team BDS was asked after their World Championship win which teams could make a big splash in the 2022-23 season, their coach Théo "Mew" Ponzoni said that “Liquid is definitely going to be a contender.” It’s a ringing endorsement from a World Champion, and shows just how good everybody knows Liquid could be.
“Liquid is definitely going to be a contender.”
Their first round opponents are Williams Resolve, who have moved forward from last season with a roster of Jack "FlamE" Pearton, Noah "noahsaki" Gillespie, and George "Breezi" Rusiecki. They played each of the top five seeds in the Invitational Qualifier, eventually finishing 2-3 and having to participate in the Closed Qualifier. They went 3-0 in that event, however, and have looked like a contender for a playoff spot early this season.
Monkeys vs Endpoint
Monkeys returns two-thirds of the former Misfits Gaming roster in Ario "arju" Berdin and Mitchell “Mittaen” Dressen, and added Keever “Smokez” Ryan to the team. The team finished 10th in the European standings last season, and went 3-2 in the Invitational Qualifier to reach the Main Event of the Fall Open this season. Their first round opponents, Endpoint, were seeded outside of the top 16, and as such had to play in the Open Qualifier. They managed to reach the Closed Qualifier, where they dominated by going 3-0 to grab the 9th overall seed.
The Swiss Stage starts today, with team streams supplementing the main stream on twitch.tv/rocketleague, at 3 p.m. UTC (11 a.m. EDT), with the Playoffs occurring Friday and Saturday at the same time on the same channel. Throughout the weekend, and all season long, make sure to keep up with Shift for your RLCS news!
