Shift 16: Top three remains the same, Liquid enters the ranking

The top three of the Shift 16 remained the same, as G2 Esports and Team BDS each won their second consecutive regional events. Version1 entered the top five on the back of a run to the grand finals of the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup. Dignitas, Ghost Gaming, and Luminosity Gaming all dropped out, while SMPR Esports, Complexity Gaming, and Team Liquid all entered the rankings.

1 - G2 Esports

Last Ranking: 1 (No Change)

G2 Esports added a third straight and fifth overall victory to their cabinet in the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup. They’re only getting, better too: in each of their first four victories, they lost a series in the grand finals before recovering to win the event. This time, they put Version1 away in only six games, and notched an undefeated run with only six game losses in total. They have a chance to lock up a spot at the World Championship itself, not just the Wildcard, if they can outperform FaZe Clan by a large enough margin in the Nissan Classic. G2 Esports were also the first team to clinch a spot at the Spring Major in London.

2 - Team BDS

Last Ranking: 2 (No Change)

Team BDS matched G2 Esports by notching a second consecutive regional win to open the Spring Split, and they also ran the bracket undefeated. The two rosters are the only ones to have pulled off back-to-back wins in a major region this season, and the only two to win a Major. Team BDS with the addition of Seikoo looks like one of the most unstoppable teams ever, as they’re yet to lose even a single series. They’ll be looking to get the job done by winning the Spring Major, and the World Championship, to cement their legacy as one of the best ever. Team BDS is the only team from Europe to have clinched a spot in the Spring Major, and were the first team from Europe to secure their spot at the World Championship.

3 - Moist Esports

Last Ranking: 3 (No Change)

Moist Esports had their streak of five consecutive grand finals snapped with a loss to Karmine Corp, but they still finished fourth in the Tour de Rocket League and are in prime position to qualify for their second consecutive Major. They also joined Team BDS as the second team from Europe to clinch a spot at the World Championship in Dallas.

(North American Spring Split standings - courtesy of Rocket League Esports)

4 - Version1

Last Ranking: 8 (Up 4)

Version1 managed to reach their second grand final of the season after a long lower bracket run, winning five straight matchups before running into G2 Esports. The result leaves them second in the North American Spring rankings, and they should be able to qualify for the Spring Major and the World Championship with a similar performance in the Nissan Classic.

5 - Spacestation Gaming

Last Ranking: 4 (Down 1)

Spacestation Gaming matched their worst result of the season last time out, laboring to a twelfth place finish. Their run to the grand finals of the Verizon 5G Ultra Cup still leaves them in a tie for fourth place in the Spring rankings, a strong position to clinch a spot in London. They should also be able to clinch a spot in Dallas, as long as they don’t have a similar result in the Nissan Classic.

6 - FaZe Clan

Last Ranking: 5 (Down 1)

FaZe Clan only managed an eighth place finish in the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup, their worst result since the second event of the season. They still clinched a spot at the World Championship, and should be able to lock up a spot at the Spring Major. They’re comfortably in third place in the North American rankings, which means that they are likely to secure a berth directly to the World Championship if North America can perform up to standards at the Spring Major.

(European overall standings - courtesy of Rocket League Esports)

7 - Karmine Corp

Last Ranking: 14 (Up 7)

A third place finish in the Tour de Rocket League sees Karmine Corp jump up into the top half of the rankings, as it was their best result of the season. The new roster with noly looks to be in peak form, and Karmine Corp are looking to break through and qualify for their first Major of the season. They’re also creeping up on Evil Geniuses for sixth in the overall European standings, which might be good enough to secure a spot in Dallas.

8 - Team Liquid

Last Ranking: Unranked

The young guns in Europe, Team Liquid made it all the way to the grand final in just their second event as a team together. The roster is full of three young prodigies, who are all capable of being highly successful mainstays in the RLCS for seasons to come. Right now, however, they’re already showing off that talent. They perfect swept Moist Esports, and overcame contenders in Dignitas and Karmine Corp before losing to Team BDS. While they’re almost certainly out of World Championship contention, the team can still get a berth to the Spring Major in London and gather some valuable LAN experience.

9 - The General NRG

Last Ranking: 6 (Down 3)

The General NRG bounced back from two poor events to secure a fourth place finish in the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup, but the results still weren’t on par with the early parts of the season. The General NRG has now missed out on three straight grand finals for the first time all season, and they’re currently on the outside looking in for the Spring Major. It will take a great performance, and some help, for them to qualify for London. They have, however, already guaranteed themselves a spot in the World Championship.

10 - Team Envy

Last Ranking: 13 (Up 3)

Team Envy put together their best event since losing Atomic before the Winter Split, as they marched to the upper finals before losing to G2 Esports and Version1. They still secured a third place finish, and are currently third in the Spring rankings for North America. If they can hold on and qualify for the Spring Major, they should also lock up a spot at the World Championship, assuming North America doesn’t suffer a regional catastrophe in London.

(European Spring Split standings - courtesy of Rocket League Esports)

11 - Team Vitality

Last Ranking: 11 (No Change)

After a top four finish in the Dacia Spring Cup, Team Vitality looked revitalized with the addition of Radosin. However, old problems popped back up in the Tour de Rocket League, and Team Vitality fell to a twelfth place finish. They’re currently sixth in the Spring rankings for Europe, and will need to outperform at least one team ahead of them to qualify for London. If they miss out on London, they’ll also have no chance to recover and make it to the World Championship.

12 - Endpoint CeX

Last Ranking: 12 (No Change)

Endpoint CeX have qualified for both Majors so far this season, but are currently only eighth in the European Spring rankings. They’ll need a strong performance to make it three for three, but the roster did show signs of improvement in the Tour de Rocket League, finishing sixth in their second event since replacing Seikoo with archie. They should still have enough points to qualify for the World Championship, even if they fail to make it to London.

13 - Solary

Last Ranking: 9 (Down 4)

Whether the honeymoon phase ended or Solary simply faced a tougher bracket, the roster was unable to match its third place performance from the Dacia Spring Cup. Instead, they fell to a twelfth place finish, leaving them in danger of missing out on the Spring Major. Much like Team Liquid, since it’s their first split together, Solary has almost no chance of making it to the World Championship, so the Spring Major is their main priority. They’re still in a spot as the rankings currently stand, meaning a return to form should send the team to London.

(North American overall standings - courtesy of Rocket League Esports)

14 - Complexity Gaming

Last Ranking: Unranked

After qualifying for the Fall Major, the South Americans turned North Americans have struggled to regain their form from the Fall Split. They’re currently in seventh in the Spring rankings, but The General NRG (in sixth) also stand between them and London. Complexity Gaming has a healthy lead on seventh in the overall rankings, which means that even if they fail to qualify for the Spring Major, they’ll be able to make it to the World Championship as long as North America can maintain its previous success at the Majors.

15 - SMPR Esports

Last Ranking: Unranked

SMPR Esports have also struggled since qualifying for the Fall Major, and the loss of archie seemed to only compound their problems. Instead, Exotiik has brought a fresh look to the team, breaking them out of their Winter Split rut. Though they currently sit only in seventh in the Spring Ranking, they were still successful enough in the Fall Split that they should be able to qualify for the World Championship, even if they don’t make it to London.

16 - Rogue

Last Ranking: 16 (No Change)

Rogue had been showing consistent signs of improvement heading into the 7-Eleven Slurpee Cup, but the roster fell to a twelfth place finish, leaving their chances for the Spring Major very slim. Though they aren’t technically out of the running for the World Championship, they essentially need to win the Nissan Classic and Spring Major to have any hope of qualification.

Dropping out: Dignitas, Ghost Gaming, Luminosity Gaming

Did you agree with our rankings? Let us know on Twitter @ShiftRLE or down below in the comments. The RLCS will return on Friday in North America with the Nissan Classic, but make sure to keep up with Shift for all your RLCS new until then!