Regional Preview: EU/OCE/APAC/SSA
Moist Esports after winning the Spring Major (photo: Martin Faltus / @imfalty)
The largest World Championship in RLCS history is quickly approaching, and there are more teams and regions than there have ever been in an RLCS tournament. With 24 teams from 7 regions competing across a 10-day tournament, there will be 60 series of high level Rocket League. With all of that in mind, it’s hard to keep track of every team throughout the year. Here’s a breakdown of the teams from Europe, Oceania, Asia-Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa:
Europe
Main Event Team(s)
Moist Esports (formerly Team Queso), Team BDS, Endpoint CeX
Moist Esports are the most in-form team in the world. The young trio of Joe “Joyo” Young, Axel “Vatira” Touret, and Finlay “rise” Ferguson are reigning international champions, having stormed through the lower bracket to take the Spring Major crown. They were also runners-up at the Winter Major, and won three of the final six events in Europe, reaching the Grand Finals in two more. By those incredible standards, the team had a lackluster Fall Split, finishing tied ninth in Europe. They worked incredibly hard during the following trade window, however, and the results since then speak for themselves.
Moist Esports are one of only two European teams to qualify for the World Championship without making a roster change this season, with the other being Dignitas. The team is incredibly balanced, with none of the three players being clearly better than any other. Vatira was named European MVP and Spring Major Defensive MVP, while Joyo was named Spring Major Overall MVP. rise received votes for Winter Major MVP, and had a record setting performance in that event as far as goals scored in an RLCS LAN. The roster is incredibly balanced, and they enter Dallas as the favorites to win the World Championship.
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Team BDS began the season in Moist Esports’ current position, as the dominant team in Europe favored to win most competitions. They opened the season with a roster of Evan “M0nkey M00n” Rogez, Alex “Extra” Paoli, and Marc “MaRc_By_8.” Domingo, the same roster that dominated in RLCS X. They failed to win a regional event in the Fall Split, but won the Fall Major, the first international RLCS event in two years. The Winter Split saw improved results, as the team won the second regional of the Split, and they entered the Winter Major with high expectations. They made it to the top eight of the event, but were perfect swept by FaZe Clan, a disappointing result for such a successful team.
The catastrophe of the perfect sweep led to a roster move for the team, as Enzo “Seikoo” Grondein was brought in and MaRc_By_8. was moved to the bench. The new-look Team BDS took Europe by storm, winning the first two events without dropping a single series. They fell short of a regional sweep, losing to Moist Esports in the Grand Finals of the third event, but were still favorites entering the Spring Major. The Spring Major was a disaster, however, as Team BDS were swept by both Team Secret and Pioneers. Team BDS will enter the World Championship on an 0-9 game streak at LAN events, and there are major questions surrounding the roster as the tournament begins.
Endpoint CeX are the only European team besides Team BDS to have qualified for all three Majors this season, an incredible feat. They also did it with a roster change, as they lost Seikoo to Team BDS and brought in Archie “archie” Pickthall to play alongside Lucas “RelatingWave” Rose and Otto “Metsanauris” Kaipiainen. Endpoint CeX won two of the first three events this season (with Seikoo on the roster), and looked poised to contend throughout the season. They finished eighth at the Fall Major, but still had a tremendous Fall Split. They struggled more in the Winter Split, entering the Major as only the fourth seed from Europe. They didn’t make it to the crowd days, losing to FaZe Clan in the Lower First Round.
Seikoo then left for Team BDS, and no team would recover easily from losing one of Europe’s top players. archie is among the most capable replacements in the region, however, and his play allowed Endpoint CeX to maintain their status among Europe’s top teams. They qualified for the Spring Major again as the fifth seed. Much like Team BDS, they were swept twice at the Major, and the team has now lost their past twelve international matches in a row. They will need to turn it around before Dallas if they want to bring the World Championship back to Europe.
Wildcard Teams
Dignitas, Karmine Corp, SMPR Esports
Dignitas were among Europe’s top teams in the first two Splits, qualifying for both Majors. The trio of Joris “Joreuz” Robben, Jack “ApparentlyJack” Benton, and Kyle “Scrub Killa” Robertson was put together before the season, and flashed incredible potential. They won the second event of the season, and also went a perfect 9-0 in the Swiss Stage of the Fall Major. The trio also finished both the Fall and Winter Splits as the second seed in Europe, but a disappointing finish to the Winter Major saw their season spiral downwards quickly. They were reverse swept by both Spacestation Gaming and Evil Geniuses to fall out in the top twelve, a poor result for a team with their expectations.
Dignitas were still contenders entering the Spring Split, but finishes of twelfth, twelfth, and sixth saw the team miss out on the Spring Major. They had a poor start to the Split, and could not bounce back when results were not going there way. That had been a theme throughout the season for Dignitas, so they brought in Nicholas “NIck” Marrone as coach on May 19th. There is hope that he can steady the team and help them to bounce back, because Dignitas has shown promise as one of the world’s top teams this season.
Karmine Corp started the season off as top contenders in Europe, especially after their dominance in the WePlay Invitational, an event featuring many of Europe’s top teams. The trio of Marc “Stake” Bosch, Amine “Itachi” Benayachi, and Maëllo “Aztral” Ernst was billed as one of Europe’s most talented rosters, and the expectations were sky high. Instead, Karmine Corp finished last in the second regional of the season, and couldn’t bounce back to qualify for the Fall Major. The Winter Split followed a similar trend, as Karmine Corp were unable to break into the top eight. Two Splits in which Karmine Corp were expected to reach the Major were instead disappointing, as the team finished seventh in Europe in both Splits.
The poor form in the early season caused the team to make a roster move, and they brought in Joseph “noly” Kidd from Guild Esports to replace Stake. Behind noly’s play and leadership, Karmine Corp found a new gear, finishing sixth and third in the first two events. They only needed to avoid a disappointing finish in the third event, and their top eight placement was good enough to qualify for London. In the Spring Major, they faced a difficult early bracket including FURIA and G2 Esports. Karmine Corp instead put in a shocking performance, beating FURIA before reverse sweeping G2 Esports. They pushed all the way to the top four, ultimately losing to Moist Esports in a tightly contested Lower Semifinal. If Karmine Corp can find the same form in Dallas, they can push to the playoffs and potentially even further.
Karmine Corp competing at the Spring Major (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
SMPR Esports had a good start to the season, finishing in the top eight of the first two events before ending as runners up in the third. Those results were good enough to qualify for the Fall Major, where SMPR made a run to the semifinals before losing to eventual champions Team BDS. The trio of Andy “Kassio” Landais, Thibault “Chausette45” Grzesiak, and Archie “archie” Pickthall looked like one of Europe’s truly elite teams. The Winter Split was a comparative disaster, as SMPR Esports finished twelfth in all three events, which meant they finished twelfth in Europe for the Split.
This led to changes with the roster, as archie was loaned to Endpoint CeX for the remainder of the season. The team brought in Brice “Exotiik” Bigeard to compete alongside Kassio and Chausette45, hoping to remain relevant in the RLCS. The team struggled to contend in the Spring Split, finishing no higher than eighth, but the performance was enough to qualify for the World Championship. The new trio will need to improve in order to make it out of the Wildcard in Dallas, let alone contend.
Oceania
Wildcard Teams
Renegades, Pioneers (formerly Forkidden)
Renegades were the most consistent team in a highly competitive Oceania region this season, and finished as the first seed. They won three events, which was tied for the most of any team in the region (PWR also had three wins). Renegades qualified for the Fall Major after winning two of the first three events and taking the second seed from Oceania. The trio of Cameron “CJCJ” Johns, Cameron “Kamii” Ingram, and Lachlan “Fever” Aitchison entered the Fall Major hoping to make a mark for Oceania, and did it by upsetting #2 overall seed Endpoint CeX in their first match. They bowed out in the top eleven after going 2-3, but it was still a performance which showcased their potential.
Renegades then had another strong Split within their region in the Winter, finishing in the top three of every event and winning one of them. They entered the Fall Major as the top seed from Oceania, but exited in last place after losing to The General NRG in a tiebreaker. They then failed to qualify for the Spring Major despite three more top three finishes, as they only finished third in the region. Team PWR finished last at the Spring Major, which allowed Renegades to qualify for the World Championship. They showed their potential at the Fall Major, and will be hoping to find that quality again to make it out of the Wildcard in Dallas.
Renegades’ CJCJ competing at the Winter Major
Pioneers came on later in the season than Renegades, but had an incredible performance when they did. The Pioneers roster of Ethan “Scrub” Klumpp, Lachlan “Superlachie” Gordon, and Jon “Bananahead” Anastaakis finished fourth in the Fall Split, struggling to make their mark in Oceania. In the Winter Split, however, the team finished second in the first two events before a third place finish in the final event. They qualified for the Winter Major as the #2 seed from Oceania, where they qualified from their group despite an 0-2 record. They lost their next match to Team BDS 3-2, but nearly came back from a 0-2 deficit to stun the Europeans. Despite finishing the event without a series win, Pioneers had announced themselves to the world.
They followed up their strong Winter Major by winning two events in the Spring Split, and qualifying for the Spring Major as the top seed in Oceania. They lost to Spacestation Gaming via reverse sweep, but then swept Team BDS, doing what they could not in the Winter Major. They lost to the eventual champions Moist Esports in the next series, but continued to prove themselves. As one of the youngest teams in the world, the Pioneers have the potential to make a serious run in Dallas if they can continue to grow and improve with more experience.
Asia-Pacific
Wildcard Teams
North - Tokyo Verdy Esports, South - Gaimin Gladiators (former 3RATS and Pulse)
Tokyo Verdy Esports were the dominant force in Asia-Pacific North this season, winning six of the nine events as well as being the only team to qualify for all three APAC Qualifiers. They only reached one Major, but were the first team from the APAC region to ever qualify for an international RLCS event. They failed to win a game at the Fall Major, but still had a groundbreaking performance for the region. The trio of Shogo “ReaLize” Ikeyama, Tenhou “Tenhow” Igushi, and Itsuki “Maru” Fukuda participated in the Fall Split and Major for Tokyo Verdy Esports, but the roster would not stay the same for long.
Maru left the team after the Fall Split, and Yukito “Kanra” Nishikawa joined the team for the Winter Split. The team reached all three Grand Finals in the Winter Split, winning two of the events, but fell short against DeToNator in the APAC Qualifier. Kanra left the team after that result, and Isaac “sigms” Cooper joined the team for the Spring Split. Tokyo Verdy Esports again reached all three Grand Finals in the Split, this time winning one of the events. The team lost to DeToNator yet again in the APAC Qualifier, but DeToNator’s eventual loss to Gaimin Gladiators meant that Tokyo Verdy Esports still clinched the World Championship Wildcard Spot. Asia-Pacific has yet to win an international series in the RLCS, but Tokyo Verdy Esports may offer their best chance in Dallas.
Gaimin Gladiators qualified for the Spring Major after dominating the Asia-Pacific South region this season, winning eight of the nine events. The only event they failed to win was the first event of the Spring Split. Their dominance in their region did not translate against Asia-Pacific North, however. Gaimin Gladiators struggled to beat the teams from the North in the first two APAC Qualifiers, going 3-4 in series against those teams but just 1-4 outside of the first round. They finally broke through in the Spring Split, beating DeToNator 4-3 in the second series of the Grand Finals. They failed to win a game in the Spring Major, but gained valuable experience going forward.
The duo of Louis “LCT” Christian Thamrun and Max “Maxeew” Ng played the entire season together, but had a different teammate for each Split. They played in the Fall Split with Joshua “ballerrees” Tng, but ballerrees left when Pulse dropped the roster. LCT and Maxeew joined with Jules “Kaotik” Blondel for the Winter Split, but their failure to qualify for the Winter Major caused Kaotik to be dropped to the inactive roster. Abhai “Abscrazy” Ponna filled the third spot on the roster, and had the most success of any player in the spot. Though the team did drop their first regional together, they bounced back in a big way to qualify for the Spring Major. Despite the turmoil, LCT was named APAC-S MVP, leading the region in both goals and shots. Both Tokyo Verdy Esports and Gaimin Gladiators had one duo surrounded by three different teammates throughout the season, but Gaimin Gladiators have the more valuable experience with their current roster, and may have a chance to win Asia-Pacific’s first ever series in Dallas.
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Sub-Saharan Africa
Wildcard Teams
Orlando Pirates Exdee, Bravado Gaming
Orlando Pirates Exdee were the top dogs in Sub-Saharan Africa for much of the season, winning six of the nine events. They were the top team in the regional standings in both the Fall and Winter Splits, but ended second in the Spring Split. The roster of Gareth “Snowyy” Spiers, Ethan “Darth” Deysel, and Niel-Robèrt “SkillSteal” Burger played the whole season together, and that experience could prove valuable for the World Championship. Unfortunately, Sub-Saharan Africa was not given any Major spots throughout the season, so the teams will be the most inexperienced in Dallas, but Orlando Pirates Exdee did participate in the recent Gamers8 event. They finished tied last in the event, but the experience gained could be incredibly valuable to the team going forward.
Bravado Gaming didn’t have the luxury of participating in Gamers8, but they finished the season on a higher note than Orlando Pirates Exdee. They won all three events that the Pirates did not win, and were the number one team in the standings in the Spring Split. Their trio of David “2Die4” Morgenrood, Kamran “Daisy” Christopher Naidoo, and David “Happymeal” du Plessis started the season slowly, finishing third in the region in the Fall Split, but improved in each Split. If the trio are peaking at the right time, they could have the most success in Dallas that any debut team has had in an RLCS LAN to date.
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Watch out for the upcoming Wildcard preview from Shift, featuring many of these teams. The biggest tournament in RLCS history begins in just two days, so make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your Rocket League news until and up through the World Championship!
