EU Fall Open: Joreuz, Oxygen dominate en route to victory
After 40 incredible series, Oxygen Esports are European Fall Open champions! They knocked French superteam Karmine Corp off in the Grand Finals, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to win by a 4-2 final scoreline. Their three consecutive wins to close out the series saw Oxygen Esports outscore Karmine Corp 11-2, shutting down the Frenchmen to take home the title. The trio of Archie "archie" Pickthall, Joris "Joreuz" Robben, and Ole "Oaly" van Doorn became the first majority-Dutch roster to ever win an RLCS event, an impressive feat.
Joreuz was especially dominant, posting a 1.207 Octane Rating and 1.00 goals per game, being the only player in the whole event to reach that mark. He also registered 4.23 shots per game to lead all players, and put those shots away at a 23.66% clip, leading his team in shooting percentage. The Dutch star has long been regarded as one of the most gifted players in the esport, and appears to have found two teammates to maximize his potential.
Joreuz competing at last season’s World Championship - Photo courtesy of Psyonix
Oxygen Esports opened the playoffs by beating Gamers First in six games, and it was a tight matchup between two teams who appear set to contend all season long. Oxygen Esports went on to sweep Quadrant in the semifinals, dominating the team that knocked out defending World Champions Team BDS in a seven-game quarterfinals matchup.
On the other side of the bracket, Karmine Corp and reigning European MVP Axel "Vatira" Touret won their grudge match against Maëllo "Aztral" Ernst and Moist Esports, taking it by a 4-1 scoreline. Karmine Corp previously won their quarterfinal matchup against Tundra Esports, allowing only four goals in a 4-1 win. Moist Esports got to the semifinals by prevailing against Team Liquid 4-2 in this season’s first edition of El Splashico.
The top ten European teams by points from the Fall Open - Image courtesy of Psyonix
All eight playoff teams have qualified for both the Fall Cup and the Fall Invitational going forwards, and are in the thick of contention for a spot in Rotterdam for the Fall Major. The eight teams eliminated in the Swiss Stage will be seeded into the Fall Cup’s Closed Qualifier, and will need to prevail there to have any hope of reaching Rotterdam.
Monkeys, Susquehanna Soniqs, and Aogiri all finished 2-3, only missing out on the Playoffs by a single match. The result was especially difficult for Aogiri, as they started the Swiss Stage 2-0 before dropping three straight series. Solary, Evil Geniuses, and Williams Resolve all debuted their new rosters and picked up a single win in the process, finishing 1-3. Guild Esports and Endpoint CeX both struggled to 0-3 finishes, and will need very strong performances in the Fall Cup to keep their Fall Major hopes alive.
The RLCS will return next weekend, as North America returns to competition with the Fall Cup! Until then, make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your RLCS news, including new editions of the Shift 16 and Five Takeaways.
