Winter Major Preview
After over two years without an RLCS LAN event following the Season 8 World Championships in Madrid, the Fall Major in Stockholm was a smashing success for the esport. Now, fans will be returning for the first time since Season 8, as the Winter Major kicks off in Los Angeles at the Youtube Theater! Fans won’t be joining until the playoffs begin on March 26th, but the action gets started on March 23rd, as the group stage gets underway. All four groups will play out over the first two days of the event, with tiebreakers concluding the groups and the first round of playoffs, which will narrow the field to eight teams, on March 25th. Then, the fans will join for the main playoff push, as four more teams are eliminated on the 26th and a champion is crowned on Championship Sunday on March 27th.
When the 16 best teams in the world are all competing, any one of them can take home the title of international champion. However, some teams are better equipped than others to do so. Team BDS, the most dominant team in the world since the beginning of RLCS X, will look to follow up their victory at the Fall Major with another Major title. They could make it a perfect five for five in Major events since the beginning of last season, including two victories in international competition, but The General NRG will be looking for revenge after finishing second to Team BDS in Stockholm.
The General NRG are technically still reigning world champions, having won the aforementioned Season 8 title in Madrid, and their superstar GarrettG has qualified for every RLCS LAN. They are the team best positioned to take down Team BDS, but Team Queso comes in as the top seed in the event, having taken the #1 seed in Europe by winning two regionals and finishing second in the other. That dominance included the only lower-bracket run in either Major region this split, so they can never be counted out. Dignitas, Endpoint CeX, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, Renegades, and FURIA Esports all return to the international stage after qualifying for the Fall Major, and can use their experience as an advantage throughout the Winter Major.
Group By Group Breakdown
Note: Sandrock will not participate in the Major
(image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Group a - Team Queso, FaZe Clan, Version1, DeToNator
The top overall seed, Team Queso, headlines the only group with two North American teams, FaZe Clan and Version1, and the Asia-Pacific champions DeToNator. Team Queso won the first and third European regionals, and finished second to Team BDS in the second event. Their young roster will be making their RLCS LAN debuts, but should not be taken lightly after dominating Europe so thoroughly in the Winter split.
FaZe Clan returns to the international stage, this time with new signing Sypical, and look to improve on their third/fourth place finish in the Fall Major. North America’s #3 seed didn’t win any events this split, but finished in the top four of every event, having gone a perfect 9-0 in group stages.
Their regional counterparts, Version1, enter as the #4 seed from North America, but they won the third and final event of the split. They also picked up a new player after the Fall split, signing Beastmode from Shopify Rebellion, and he was the catalyst for their success. This may be their first Major of the season, but their recent success and the pedigree of former World Champion Torment make them a true contender.
The group is rounded out by Asia-Pacific champions DeToNator, who finished as the #3 team in APAC-North, but went to the APAC Major qualifier after Nimmt55 were unable to participate. They then stunned Tokyo Verdy Esports, APAC’s Fall Major representatives, to win a spot in Los Angeles. Last split’s APAC champions failed to win a game in the Fall Major, but DeToNator will be looking to get Asian Rocket League in the win column.
Group B - The General NRG, Endpoint CeX, Renegades, FURIA Esports
Fall Major finalists and North American #1 seed The General NRG headlines a group made entirely of teams who have qualified for both Majors, and will all be pushing for playoff spots. In the Fall Major, and at times throughout the Winter split, The General NRG struggled in the group stage. They’ll need a top performance here if they hope to return to a third straight Grand Finals at an RLCS LAN event, as there are no easy games.
Endpoint CeX had some early struggles in the European Winter Split, but put it all together in the third event, finishing second to Team Queso. This won them Europe’s #4 seed, but a top-two performance in the final event will give them confidence. They’re in form going into Los Angeles, and will be a difficult out.
Renegades were just one win away from qualifying for the playoffs in the Fall Major, and now enter as Oceania’s #1 seed. They triumphed over Endpoint CeX in the Fall Major Swiss Stage, and should feel they can beat anyone. They have one of the oldest and most experienced rosters at the event, and know what it will take to emerge from such a difficult group.
FURIA Esports took South America’s #2 seed, and will be hungry for success after being eliminated early by Renegades in the Fall Split. They have experience to build on, and are the hottest team at the Major after having won the last two events in South America.
Group C - G2 Esports, Team BDS, Team Secret, Evil Geniuses
Reigning Major champions Team BDS lead a group with two powerhouses and two new Major teams. G2 Esports won one event in North America, and had consistently strong performances to take the #2 seed. After falling short of their expectations in the Fall Major, they added Atomic, who has helped solidify their defense and only added to their historically dominant offense. They have legitimate title aspirations, but standing in their way in the group stage is Team BDS, Europe’s #3 seed.
Team BDS has won all four major events they’ve participated in since the start of last season, and won one European event in the Winter split. They’ve been one of the most successful teams the RLCS has ever seen, and hope to start building a dynasty in international competition.
Team Secret, in their first international event, took the #1 seed from South America by finishing in the top four in every event. Math is the only player on their roster with LAN experience, having played in the RLCS Season 8 World Championships, and will look to lead them out of the group stage.
Evil Geniuses broke through into the Major as Europe’s #5 seed, after falling just short in the Fall split. They had a top four finish in each of the final two events, and will be hungry to break into the upper echelon of the RLCS with a strong performance.
Group D - dignitas, Pioneers, Spacestation Gaming
In a group which unfortunately only has three teams, everybody is safe from elimination. However, the stakes are still high, as winning the group and breaking into the top six is crucial when every team is capable of beating every other team in the playoffs. Dignitas, Europe’s #2 seed, had a strong performance in the Swiss Stage of the Fall Major, going a perfect 9-0 in three dominating sweeps. They’ll look to build on that success and go even further, as they are one of the top contenders at the Winter Major.
Pioneers, Oceania’s #2 seed, finished in the top three of every regional event in the Winter split, including two second place finishes. They’ll be making their international debuts, but have shown they can play with some of the very best teams in Oceania.
After missing out on the Fall Major via losing a tiebreaker to Complexity Gaming, Spacestation Gaming will make their season debuts at a LAN event. Their new superstar, Daniel, will be the youngest player to ever play in an RLCS LAN event. If he can have a similar performance to his play throughout the Winter split, Spacestation Gaming will look to outperform their #5 seed ranking from North America, and they will have a chance to win the Major.
Heartbreak for Sandrock Gaming
After years of fighting for a spot in the RLCS, Sandrock Gaming finally got their chance when it was announced that the 2021-22 season was expanding to include the Middle East. Some of the world’s best players would finally be on the esport’s grandest stage, competing to show that they were a top team in the world, despite not being in the RLCS until now.
Sandrock Gaming has thoroughly dominated the Middle Eastern region, having won every event and already clinching a spot in the World Championships, even if they fail to win a single game until then the rest of the season. When their star player, oKhalid, couldn’t make it to the Fall Major in Stockholm, their old sub Senzo rejoined the team. Even with a substitute, Sandrock Gaming showed the world just how dominant they could be. They swept an RLCS mainstay in G2 Esports in the first round, and had the #3 seed as the playoffs began. They ultimately fell short to The General NRG, but looked to be the stronger team after they shook off their nerves. The world was excited to see what Sandrock Gaming could do with their full roster in Los Angeles.
But Sandrock Gaming can’t participate. They were unable to secure visas, and as such cannot play in the United States during the upcoming event. Having won the hearts of fans around the globe by their performance in the Fall Major, they would’ve been a fan favorite and a strong contender in the Winter Major. Sandrock Gaming will have to wait even longer to prove just how good their full roster is.
Sandrock Gaming, however, are no strangers to adversity. They have proved time and time again that they are a solid, committed group of extraordinary Rocket League players who won’t back down from anything. Fans around the globe should be disappointed that Sandrock Gaming won’t be able to participate, but we shouldn’t count them out. They’ll continue grinding, working as hard as they always have. And Sandrock Gaming can certainly come back from this, as they have from so many things. Everyone will be wishing that Sandrock can play in the Spring Major, and especially the World Championships in July. Hopefully, the full roster will be able to show off their skill then.
Even without one of the world’s strongest teams, the gathering of talent in Los Angeles is still one of the greatest that the RLCS has ever seen. The Winter Major promises close matchups, all the way from the first round of the group stage through to the final game on Championship Sunday. Fans returning will only add to the atmosphere and tension, as the world’s very best compete on an international stage. Make sure to tune in March 23rd-27th, especially as fans join starting on the 26th. Matches will start at 1 p.m. EST every day on twitch.tv/rocketleague!
