Missed the Cut: North America
With only the World Championship remaining in the RLCS 2021-22 season, and 24 teams competing for a historic championship, many teams have seen their seasons come to an end. In North America, that list includes a Major qualifier and several other teams who had high expectations. Here’s a breakdown of what went right, wrong, and everything in between for those teams.
Complexity Gaming
Complexity Gaming were one of only a handful of teams to qualify for a Major and miss out on the World Championship, and the only North American team to do so. Moving over from South America under the banner of True Neutral, Facundo “Shad” Vallerino, Victor “Reysbull” Duran Parra, and Lautaro “ajg” Gusinsky took North America by storm in the Fall Split. Three top eight results, highlighted by a top four finish in the Haunted Hallows Cup, saw the roster tied with Spacestation Gaming for the fifth and final Major spot. Complexity Gaming won an epic seven game series, sending them to the Fall Major.
A top eight finish at the Fall Major had Complexity Gaming looking like contenders in not only North America but the world, especially as they continued to adapt to play in a stronger region. However, they took too long of a break after the Fall Major, and struggled out of the gate in the Winter Split. A top eight finish followed by a last place finish left Complexity Gaming needing a miracle to qualify for the Winter Major, and a top six finish in the final event was not enough. Despite the lackluster Winter Split, they were still in position to qualify for the World Championship.
Entering the Spring Split, Complexity Gaming’s hopes of a better start were quickly dashed. They finished twelfth in the first event, and seemed far away from the team that finished top eight in the Fall Major. Two more top six finishes were not enough to reach the Spring Major, and the former South American trio was left watching from home to see if they would qualify for the World Championship. A strong Spring Split from Team Envy (now OpTic Gaming) and disappointing early exits in the Spring Major from G2 Esports and FaZe Clan meant that OpTic Gaming jumped Complexity Gaming, and North America only sent six teams to the World Championship, and Complexity Gaming finished one spot outside of a berth in Dallas.
A promising start led to a disappointing season for Complexity Gaming, but they showed better form at the end of the season. The team performed best when they put pressure on themselves, such as transferring regions in the Fall Split. Missing out on Dallas should add some of that pressure, and Complexity Gaming are certainly capable of contending in North America next season if they stay together.
Oxygen Esports
Oxygen Esports began the season as a “bubble” team, and missed out on the first two events. They had a promising top eight finish in the final event of the Fall Split, but were still nowhere near contention. Then, entering the Winter Split, Oxygen Esports leveled up. They added Jesus “gimmick” Parallax to compete alongside Logan “Lj” Wilt and Eli “Toastie” Nichols. Oxygen Esports exploded in the Winter Split. They finished in the top six of every event in the Winter Split, and Lj put in a performance that had him billed as one of the best players in North America.
The standout performance, however, was not enough for Oxygen Esports to qualify for the Winter Major. In the Spring Split, they struggled to repeat their performances in the Winter Split, and once again fell short of a Major. They needed all five North American teams to perform incredibly well in the Spring Major, which didn’t come to fruition, and so they stayed home.
Oxygen Esports has one of the highest ceilings in North America. The difference between Oxygen Esports and the true top contenders, however, is consistency. If Oxygen Esports can raise their floor over the offseason, or find a way to improve the roster, they can enter the top level of North American contenders. Otherwise, they’ll remain on the fringes of Major and World Championship contention.
Rogue
Rogue entered the season without their top player from last season, Jason “Firstkiller” Corral, and had low expectations without him on the roster. They went 1-3 in each of the first three events of the season, but had a glimpse of hope entering the Winter Split. They signed a highly sought-after young prodigy in Christopher “aqua” Campbell. He joined the duo of Jirair “Gyro” Papazian and Alexandre “Taroco” Reis Pedrogam.
Rogue saw a marked improvement in their results with aqua on the roster, highlighted by a top six finish in the second event of the Winter Split. Though they never truly fought for a Major spot, Rogue looked promising with aqua. As he continues to gain experience and improve, Rogue could become contenders as early as next season behind his play as one of the most exciting young stars in the game.
Ghost Gaming
Ghost Gaming entered the season with a rebuilt roster of Hunter “LionBlaze” Woitas, Raul “Roll Dizz” Diaz, and Nathan “Shock” Frommelt. The Fall Split was middling for Ghost Gaming, as they couldn’t break through the ceiling of top eight. The roster then fully bottomed out in the Winter Split, as they finished last, last, and missed out on an event entirely. The disappointing split led to Roll Dizz’s retirement, and he was replaced by Colby “hockser” James.
Ghost Gaming then opened the Spring Split with a surprising top four run, and looked like contenders for the Spring Major. Statistically, 92% of teams who finished in the top four at some point during a split qualify for the Major. Ghost Gaming, however, returned to their Winter Split form after that. They failed to win another series, finishing last in the final two events of the season.
Ghost Gaming had an up and down season after a middling start, but it was mostly down. They struggled to contend outside of a pair of top eight finishes in the Fall Split, and ultimately had a disappointing season. There’s no clear direction for the team, but LionBlaze is among the most talented players in North America and is a player who a contender could be built around. As long as he stays, Ghost Gaming should at least consistently be qualifying for RLCS main events.
Susquehanna Soniqs
The Susquehanna Soniqs had one of the most consistent performances throughout the season, though it was never consistently great. They only missed out on one main event, the third of the Fall Split, but never finished higher than the top eight, which they only achieved once. The trio of Tristan “tcorrell” Correll, Andrew “Andy” Nolan, and Anthony “ZPS” Marcello Perez started and ended the season together, and, barring any moves, will begin next season together. Unless something changes, either on the roster or with the grind of an offseason, Soniqs will remain a bubble team for the foreseeable future.
XSET
XSET began the season as dark horse contenders after the addition of Olivery “percy” Ortiz, but tailed off after opening the season with two top eight finishes. They struggled from that point on, only winning multiple series in an event one time. At the conclusion of the Winter Split, the team decided to shake up the roster. Jalen “rapid” Parker was brought in to compete alongside percy and Jacob “JPow” Powell, and the new roster was again hyped as a contender.
Instead, XSET missed out on an event for the first time all season to open the Spring Split, and again missed out to close the season. With an offseason to gel, XSET has a promising roster. They could easily reach the level of Oxygen Esports, if not become Major contenders.
North America’s first six teams to miss out on Dallas certainly had intriguing seasons, and several of them could contend next season. Until we find out what happens with the top six at the World Championship, make sure to keep up with Shift for all your Rocket League news!
