World Championship Day Two
Day Two of the World Championship saw the last four teams book their spots on Championship Sunday, as FURIA, The General NRG, Karmine Corp, and Version1 joined G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, Team BDS, and Moist Esports in the final bracket. The eight teams will compete with everything on the line: the title of World Champion and the culmination of a 10 month long season. All seven matchups will happen today, starting at 11am CT, and each is a best of seven. Here’s how the four matchups yesterday went down:
FURIA vs. The Club
The day opened with a South American showdown, as FURIA and The Club went head to head for a playoff spot. The teams matched up five times in the Spring Split, with FURIA winning four of the five matchups and the last three all going to Game 7. The first two games of the matchup showed how far South America has come as a competitive region, as both were 1-0 in favor of FURIA. The tight, defensive matchups were a stark contrast to the early days of South American Rocket League, which was known for high-flying mechanics and aggressive offenses. The Club got one game back, winning Game 3 2-1 in overtime thanks to a strike from KV1.
FUIRA and The Club after their epic seven game series (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
FURIA responded in Game 4, exploding for three goals in a 3-2 victory, overcoming two goals from Lostt. The Club took their tactical timeout, and, much like yesterday, saw immediate success. They won Games 5 and 6 by scores of 3-1 and 2-1, respectively, shutting down FURIA’s offense for most of both games. FURIA took their timeout in turn, and the teams headed to Champions Field. It was the first Game 7 of the Main Event, and only the third of the tournament so far. CaioTG1 nabbed two goals for FURIA as they raced to a 2-0 lead, but Aztromick got one back with 27 seconds left to set up a frantic ending to the game. The crowd roared as The Club pushed for a 0-second goal, keeping the ball up for nearly fifteen seconds and getting a backboard setup. FURIA knocked the chance away, however, and claimed South American supremacy. They’ll matchup with Moist Esports today in the quarterfinals.
The General NRG vs. SMPR Esports
Unfortunately for SMPR Esports, both Chausette45 and Exotiik tested positive for COVID-19, and were unable to participate on stage. Thanks to some great work from the Psyonix team, they were still able to compete, but Kassio had to face the North American crowd alone. Chants of “NRG” rang out before the match was underway, and could be heard again frequently throughout the series. SMPR Esports started strong, dominating Game 1 via a 4-2 scoreline, but couldn’t keep up the rest of the way.
The General NRG celebrate after advancing to Championship Sunday (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
The General NRG took Game 2 in overtime, and didn’t look back. They won each of the next three games to close out the series, but each was a one goal game except for a 2-0 shutout in Game 4. SMPR Esports kept it close, but their circumstances, The General NRG’s wealth of experience, and the crowd were too much to overcome. GarrettG also became the first player in RLCS history to accumulate 1,000 career goals, an incredible feat. The General NRG will play against G2 Esports in their first match today, the first edition of “El Clasico” on LAN and the renewal of a historic rivalry.
Karmine Corp vs. Team Falcons
Despite Karmine Corp’s Blue Wall, Team Falcons had the definite crowd advantage entering the matchup. Coming off of a 4-0 sweep at the hands of FaZe Clan, however, Team Falcons started slowly. Karmine Corp took each of the first two games, first by a 2-1 scoreline then by a 1-0 score in overtime in Game 2. Itachi scored each of the first three goals for Karmine Corp, showing up when it matters most and delivering for his team. Team Falcons regained in the next two games after taking their tactical timeout, shutting out Karmine Corp in 3-0 and 1-0 victories.
Itachi was locked in during Karmine Corp’s series (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Karmine Corp elected not to use a timeout, a decision which ultimately paid off. They took Game 5 2-1 behind strong play from noly, as their newest player registered a goal and an assist to put Team Falcons on the brink of elimination. Neither team found the scoresheet in regulation of Game 6, but Aztral finally broke through nearly two minutes into overtime to send Karmine Corp to the playoffs and Team Falcons back to MENA. All three players on Karmine Corp showed up in a huge way during the series, and they’ll be a difficult test for Team BDS in their quarterfinal matchup today. Itachi said the matchup will come down to “who’s the best on the field on the floor [today],” as both teams are familiar with each other and closely matched.
Version1 vs. Spacestation Gaming
The crowd was at its loudest yet this weekend for the North American matchup, as Version1’s Ultras brought the energy to match Spacestation Gaming’s raucous fanbase. Chants of “SSG” and “Dan-iel” still rang out before and during the matchup, but they weren’t favored the way they were yesterday. It was Version1 striking first, taking the first two games of the series 3-1 and 1-0 thanks to a stellar performance from Beastmode. He scored a hat-trick in Game 1 before scoring the winner in Game 2 with only four seconds left. Spacestation Gaming used their timeout to slow the momentum, and it worked.
Beastmode after providing the Game 6 OT heroics (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Spacestation fought back to take the game, winning 3-1 thanks to two goals and an assist from Retals. Daniel went on to score the only goal in a 1-0 Game 4 victory, tying up the series. Version1 used their timeout at this point, and coach Fireburner later said “the timeout was to kill [Spacestation Gaming’s] momentum,” rather than change anything in their own play. The strategy worked, as Version1 fought back to take Game 5 2-1 behind two more goals from Beastmode. Beastmode showed out again in Game 6, winning the series with an overtime goal and scoring both goals in the 2-1 win. Beastmode had a 100% goal participation in the series, scoring eight of Version1’s nine tallies, and will be a threat to FaZe Clan in their quarterfinal series.
The final bracket (image courtesy of Rocket League Esports)
Over ten months of incredibly high-level Rocket League, and a 900+ day wait for a new World Champion, both come to an end today as a new team is crowned. The reigning champions The General NRG are still alive, but so are all three Major winners in Team BDS, G2 Esports, and Moist Esports. Karmine Corp and FURIA have both proven they can contend at the highest level, while FaZe Clan and Version1 will have the backing of the North American crowd and two of the most dominant players on the planet in Firstkiller and Beastmode. All eight teams could win, so each of the seven series will be tense. Make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your news throughout the day, and the transfer scramble sure to come.
