NA Fall Cup: Version1 win while Gen.G win race to Rotterdam
For the second time since entering the RLCS in Season X, Version1 are North American champions! They went on a stellar playoff run, conquering FURIA in seven games, besting NRG in five, and defeating Gen.G Mobil1 Racing in an epic seven-game Grand Finals series. It was Gen.G Mobil1 Racing’s second consecutive appearance in the Grand Finals, and they’ve become the first team to clinch a spot at the Fall Major in Rotterdam. It’s an incredible achievement for a team that couldn’t easily practice together for much of the offseason while waiting for Jack "ApparentlyJack" Benton and Joseph "noly" Kidd to complete their moves from Europe.
Version1 and the Fall Open champions FaZe Clan are both right behind Gen.G Mobil1 Racing in the standings, and can clinch next time out by winning at least two series in the Swiss Stage. Several other teams have clinching scenarios for the Fall Invitational where they control their own destiny, including this event’s semifinalists NRG and Spacestation Gaming.
The North American RLCS points leaders - Image courtesy of Psyonix
The Fall Invitational
For the first time in the Open Circuit Era of RLCS, the next Regional - the Fall Invitational - is not reachable by Open Qualifiers, but rather only by points accrued this Split. Each of the 10 teams in the graphic above has qualified for the Fall Invitational, as well as Dignitas, Team AXLE, Pittsburgh Knights, and Rogue. That leaves two spots in the 16-team field, and three teams are tied for those two spots: 26 Rising, Flashes of Brilliance, and Sol. The three teams will compete in the season’s first tiebreaker on Wednesday, October 26th, for their spot in the Fall Invitational.
Since 26 Rising and Flashes of Brilliance each participated in the Fall Cup, while Sol competed in the Fall Open, they’ll be given seeds in the Upper Bracket, while Sol will be in the lower bracket. 26 Rising and Flashes of Brilliance will go head-to-head for a Fall Invitational spot, while the loser will play against Sol for the final place in the event. The tiebreaker will start at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, October 26th.
Early Exits
The most surprising result of the weekend was G2 Esports failing to qualify for the Playoffs, as they opened 2-0 but lost three straight series in heartbreaking fashion to finish 9th-11th in the event. They swept their way through 26 Rising and eventual champions Version1, and came up against FURIA in the third round. It went all the way to Game 5 overtime, but G2 could not get the job done and dropped to 2-1. They then played Spacestation Gaming, going down 0-2 before forcing a decisive Game 5. They once again fell short, and had to play Gen.G Mobil1 Racing in a win-or-go-home series, one which Gen.G Mobil1 Racing took via 3-1 scoreline.
Shopify Rebellion also fell short of the Playoffs, losing their fifth-round series to Version1. Complexity Gaming and NRG were the new teams in the Playoffs this time out, replacing G2 Esports and Shopify Rebellion in the bracket. The result for Shopify Rebellion was somewhat surprising after their strong run in the Fall Open to qualify for the Playoffs, but they’re certainly not out of Fall Major contention yet. Both G2 Esports and Shopify Rebellion still control their own destiny, and can qualify for Rotterdam if they win the Fall Invitational.
The RLCS will return in Europe next week, as they kick off the European Fall Cup on Friday. Until then, make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your RLCS news!
