mVENewsletter Week #2: RLCS Season X - Fall: EU event 2 Sunday Main Stream Recap

 Hey y'all! This week I was able to catch the main stream for Fall EU event 2 games on Sunday, which consisted of the group B games to get the last 8 of the top 16 teams for stage 2. I have made some adjustments, like highlighting the names of players to coordinate with their teams, to try and better the overall format for both new and experienced readers to RLEsports. As per usual my stats are gotten from octane.gg and any images or bracket info was picked up from liquipedia.net. As well you can tweet at me @maachV on twitter! now on with the recap...

Series 1: Top Blokes vs. Fadeaway

                Both teams start with some solid back and forth before Tigreee scores the first game of the series for Fadeaway 2:06 into the game. Top Blokes are able to respond, though, with Archie demolishing the goalie to tap in an already sure shot from FlamE. Most of the pressure now is coming from Top Blokes, but outside of the one goal against Oscillon, Fadeaway has been able to clean up their mistakes. This game does remain scoreless for the last 2:03 as it heads to overtime, and is wrapped up only +0:04 off a kick-off bounce that sets up Freakii with an easy goal. Game 1 ends 2-1 for Fadeaway and finds the team some much-needed momentum against a recently dominant team.

               Top Blokes get off to a much quicker start in game two, scoring just 13 seconds in, with the goal coming from FlamE after a shot attempt from Kassio turned into a beautiful setup pass. Fadeaway does not take long to respond, though, as Tigreee can get an amazing 115 kph shot off an Oscillon clear out of the corner wall. Fadeaway is able to take the lead only a couple of seconds after the face-off from their last goal after some constant pressure caused Top Blokes defense to fall. Fadeaway gets up to a 4-1 lead before FlamE is finally able to stop the bleeding and score with 1:54 remaining, and Top Blokes can try and swing momentum back in their favor. The effort is for naught in the end as Fadeaway takes game 2 with a score of 5-3. Top Blokes put up a good fight in the end, but Fadeaway was just too good as a team. They stuffed the stat sheet with every team member having at least one goal, assist, save, and shot, which you can see through their gameplay with great rotations, and beautiful setup passes.

               Game 3 starts with another quick goal by Tigreee, 18 seconds in to give Fadeaway a 1-0 lead that would last the whole game. Fadeaway ended game 3, saving all 7 of Top Blokes shots while Top Blokes were able to stop 9 of Fadeaway’s ten shots. This game was indeed a defensive piece of art, and it showed a lot of the promise for both teams, with Fadeaway just being able to capitalize on the mistakes slightly better. Oscillon looked amazing in net this game with a total of four saves and looked impressive the other two games as well. Fadeaway was continually leaving them without the ability to counter-attack, which is Top Blokes bread and butter. It was also lovely to see Freakii get some revenge against his former team, who replaced him with Archie when they were dropped by Veloce esports earlier this year.

Winner: Fadeaway (3-0)

MVP of the match: Oscillon

Series 2: Team Liquid vs. Solary

    Game 1 starts slow for both teams, getting decent shot attempts but either finding the posts or being stopped by the opposition. The 0-0 stalemate only ends with 0:05 left in the game as Solary was able to swing some momentum in their favor off some good pressure. The goal comes from ExoTiiK, who angled his fennec perfectly to tuck the ball in right beside the left post. Things are not looking too great for Team liquid as Solary has the momentum going into game 2. Solary has shown they can beat Team Liquid, winning 3-0 against them in week 2 of The Grid, although Team Liquid did get revenge in week 4 of The Grid with a 3-1 win.

               Game 2 was much more of an offensive showcase, as it only takes kuxir97 10 seconds to score the first goal, and 2 seconds for Kerian to respond to that goal. I should have known from there that this was not going to be the same as game 1. Team Liquid gains the lead back only 10 seconds later as it is 2-1 for Team Liquid, and less than 30 seconds of in-game time has passed. Some back and forth ensues as at just under a minute into the game, Solary ties it up at 2-2 in a play the casters can only describe as a "calamity". Solary continues to feed off the momentum as ExoTiiK hits a ceiling shot 15 seconds later, and an aerial goal with 3:23 left in the game to give Solary a 4-2 lead. Team Liquid hasn't looked comfortable all game as they can't seem to clear the ball from their end. They do get some momentum back, though, as kuxir97 freestyles for a beautiful pass in front of the net to fruity, who finishes it off. Team Liquid seems in complete control of the ball after that goal as they all seem so comfortable in the offensive zone. Kuxir97 ties the game up with 20 seconds left, and Team Liquid gets the game-winning goal in overtime at +2:24 off a missed clear from ExoTiiK. The goal comes from a double-tap from Speed as it looks like ExoTiiK thought the initial shot attempt was going in. Series is tied 1-1 with truly neutral momentum.

               Game 3 sees Solary retake momentum, making Team Liquid look so uncomfortable on the defensive end. You can see that just some constant pressure in the corner from Solary messed with Team Liquid's rotations in the first minute. They were able to capitalize with the game's only goal, coming from ExoTiiK, off an assist from Kerian again. The similarities between this game and game 1 were not all the same as Team Liquid looked more on form, but Solary looked pretty solid whenever they had full control of the ball. Team Liquid, on the other hand, looked shaky on the defensive end again, but as the game went on, they came more into form, which probably helped this game stay 1-0 after the last match showed that both teams could score.

               Team Liquid shows the between game improvements a lot in game 4, as they get six-team saves to shutout Solary 1-0. They looked more confident on the defensive end, and they managed to get some better clears to put themselves in much better positions for scoring chances. The lone goal was scored by Speed off a beautiful flip-up pass from kuxir97 right in front of the net, which looked like a veteran play from the two. Solary had a couple of chances to tie it up towards the end of the game, but it was too late as they head to a game 5.

               Game 5 showcased Team Liquid's adaptability as they score their first goal with 2:23 left to go and don't look back from there. They looked much improved on the defensive end, almost as if the starting games may have been them getting loose and ready, but who knows. Speed was able to pick up another goal, as was fruity as game 5 ends 3-0 for Team Liquid, and they take the series 3-2. They did look very rough in games 1 and 2 even though they won game 2, but they improved with every minute, and it was much needed to overcome this formidable Solary roster. Ever since they replaced Meloshisu with Yukiss, they have been an excellent team and have looked much improved on the offensive end. Hopefully, as for Team Liquid, they can carry this game 5 momentum into the next game, and maybe even into stage 2 if they can make it.

Winner: Team Liquid (3-2)

MVP of the match: Speed

Series 3: Endpoint vs. Fadeaway

    Fadeaway is looking to close out their group stage by going 3-0 with a win over Endpoint. They beat Dignitas in a five-game series and were able to take down top blokes in just three games and now are looking to go a perfect 3-0 and secure a spot in the second round. Tigreee finds the net 6 seconds in for Fadeaway, as a weird bounce off the face-off gave them a firm opening possession. Metsanauris is able to even the score back up approximately 45 seconds later with an excellent side-roll flick that goes over Oscillon’s head and bar down. Oscillon then misses the face-off, and Virtuoso gets a fair shot attempt to make it 2-1 Endpoint with only two in-game seconds passing. The game calms down after that, with some good clears and passes coming from both teams. After a little more feeling out time, Endpoint starts to choke Fadeaway’s clear attempts at midfield. Off a friendly contest, RelatingWave gets a beautiful aerial goal assisted by Virtuoso to give Endpoint a 3-1 lead and full in-game control. The game ends 3-1 as Endpoint remains mostly in control but cannot net another goal, and Fadeaway is left looking lost without Oscillon popping off.

               For the first minute of game 2, Endpoint still looks heavily in control of the game coming out of the gate with some spectacular passing plays. Both teams are trying to play a fast-paced, demo-ridden game style, allowing a slow transitional goal from Metsanauris before the Fadeaway defenders can respawn. That’s not the last time we’d see that type of transitional play from Endpoint, but it would only result in a goal for them. Oscillon is able to respond and tie it up for Fadeaway with a beautiful carry to mid-air bump, but with 6 seconds left, RelatingWave carries the ball from his corner-wall to bounce it past Oscillon for the game-winner. Freakii has been off for Fadeaway the last two games, totaling just two saves and two shots in both games combined, so hopefully, they can rebound and prevent the sweep from Endpoint.

               Game 3 sees Fadeaway come out of the gates hot with Oscillon scoring just 40 seconds into the game to give them an early lead. After the initial goal, both teams trade clears again as it looks even. Endpoint gets a great shot, but its turned away by Tigreee as he carries it from his corner to the net, where Virtuoso gets a piece of it, but not enough as Fadeaway go up 2-0 with 1:46 left to go. Endpoint gets plenty of reasonable shot attempts, with six shots total in the game, but they get shut-out, as they fall to Fadeaway 2-0. This game played out much like game 2 but just with less Endpoint dominance. Tigreee had a great showing, scoring and getting an assist on the Oscillon goal.

               Virtuoso hits a beautiful cherry-pick shot early in the game, but is turned aside by Oscillon; from there starts a back and forth of momentum before Fadeaway can finally net a goal 2 minutes into the game for the 1-0 lead. The goal comes from another aerial bump from Oscillon but is set-up by a beautiful defender bump by Tigreee. Endpoint comes so close to tying it with a Metsanauris shot that goes off the crossbar and sits on the goal-line before Oscillon comes in at an odd angle to clear it to a safer area. Endpoint continues to pound on the pressure as Fadeaway is showing the strength of bending and not breaking. Less than a minute left, and Endpoint gets caught up in the offensive attack with RelatingWave going for a 0 boost contest, but he’s beaten to the ball by Oscillon, who wave dashes onto the wall and rips a 64 KPH goal to give Fadeaway a decisive 2-0 victory.  Oscillon and Tigreee looked on form, and I think when they are playing their best, the teamwork and chemistry from everyone shines through.

               We are headed to Champions field for game 5, as this series has been a nail-biter. Every game could have swung the other way with only a missed hit or some improved rotations, so game 5 between these teams seems promising. It delivers as promised, though, as we get 3 minutes of intense back and forth opportunities for both teams. It seemed as though anytime there was a good shot opportunity from either team, a defender would fly out of the side of the screen to make the save. That is until Tigreee gets a prime demo onto Virtuoso, and nobody is in position to stop the Oscillon shot, and that give Fadeaway a 1-0 lead that would stay for the last 2:06 of the game. Fadeaway takes the series in a 3-2 reverse sweep of Endpoint. My prediction of Oscillon needing to pop off for them to improve was right in the sense that the stats might seem that way, but Tigree was the unsung hero for Fadeaway. He had plenty of crucial bumps and demos, while also stuffing the stat sheets with some goals and assists. Both teams looked phenomenal, and all I can say is I hope to see these two teams meet up again in stage 2 this upcoming weekend.

Winner: Fadeaway (3-2)

MVP of the match: Tigreee

Series 4: Team Liquid vs. Renault Vitality

    Game 1 started slow, with both teams felt each other out with some soft shots before Alpha54 hits an aerial tap off his shot attempt to put the ball behind Speed. Seven seconds after Vitality get up 1-0, Alpha54 hits a double-tap with a Fairy Peak assist to make it 2-0, and Vitality doesn’t look back as Team Liquid can only get an easy transitional goal off a Vitality miss, and the game ends 4-1. Kaydop was an absolute stalwart in the defensive end with all of Vitality’s six-team saves. Alpha54 was able to cap off the hat-trick as they take hold of the momentum in the series going into game 2.

               After the teams start game 2 with some back and forth shot attempts, Speed is able to capitalize on a poor clear attempt from Alpha54 to give Team Liquid the 1-0 lead. Alpha54 bounces back and capitalizes off a missed contest from kuxir97 on the transition, as he ties the game 1-1, and it goes to overtime. Overtime is a nail biter as it lasts +3:18 before kuxir97 perfectly aims his batmobile to pinch the ball against the crossbar to sneak it in. Team Liquid had a good chance earlier, but some miscommunication between kuxir97 and Speed led to some great opportunities for Vitality. The momentum is even as we enter game 3.

               Game 3 plays out very similarly in favor of Team Liquid, as Speed picks up a goal around 1:30 into the game. Vitality does respond with approximately 1:38 left in the game, but Alpha54 gets it off a beautiful middle pass by Kaydop. Again, this game remains 1-1 and goes to overtime, but this time overtime does not take as long. After sending clearing hits to each other respectively, kuxir97 goes to dribble to ball up the right-field, but Kaydop’s challenge sends the ball off his tires and flying crossbar-down and into his net for the 2-1 Team Liquid victory. That was probably the weirdest +0:16 overtime I have seen so far in Rocket League, and my ranked games get funny. That being said, Team Liquid holds a strong 2-1 lead in the series as well.

               The first goal of game 4 comes 2 minutes into the game and after some dominant ball control by Vitality. Fairy Peak is able to sneak one passed kuxir97 with a reliable assist off the side of the net from Kaydop. Almost the same pass-to-goal situation with Kaydop to Fairy Peak happened again 1:49 later to give Vitality what turned out to be all they would need as they hold off Team Liquid for the 2-0 win. Speed missed his clear attempt as that allowed Kaydop to head at the goalie while Fairy Peak iced the game. This series heads to what should be an exciting game 5.

               Game 5 saw Team Liquid show up and play a great game, but their inability to finish shots shined through as Vitality takes the match 3-0 and the series 3-2. The first goal came from Kaydop, who lasered an Alpha54 center with a top corner shot. Alpha54 then, with 0:38 remaining, shows his superb ball control skills as he takes it all the way upfield and dribbles it passed fruity for the second goal of the game. The third goal then comes off the face-off from the last goal as Fairy Peak perfectly times his contest to shoot the ball over Speed and fruity and into the net. While Team Liquid may have fallen apart at the end of the game, I think they showed real promise by holding on for most of the game. As for Vitality, they are continuing to be a top 4 EU team and have been for years. A fantastic all-around series from both teams.

Winner: Renault Vitality (3-2)

MVP of the match: Alpha54

Series 5: Endpoint vs. Solary

    Only 6 seconds into game 1 before Metsanauris scores for Endpoint, but from there, the rest of the scoring comes from Solary as it only takes 41 seconds for ExoTiiK to respond. Yukiss then gives Solary the lead with 2:45 left in the game, after cleaning up a missed shot attempt from ExoTiiK. The final goal is nothing but icing on the cake as Kerian scores with 0:02 seconds left off a transitional shot. Game 1 ends 3-1 in favor of Solary, and Endpoint looks like they cannot play their offensive style, and they cannot gain control without that.

               Metsanauris is able to score early again in game 2 as it takes him 0:24 seconds this time and comes off a backboard assist from RelatingWave. Game 2 does not follow the trajectory of game 1, though, as Endpoint is able to cap a second goal before even a minute into the game, this time a full field roller from RelatingWave as Solary didn’t have a man back after the pass was broken up. Solary is finally able to respond with 0:54 seconds left in the game as Yukiss dribbles off the wall and gives a strong pass to Kerian for the goal. Solary was looking to get some momentum after that goal, but after disrupting their clear attempts, Metsanauris is able to close out the game with a little air dribble. Game 2 ends 3-1, this time in favor of Endpoint, as they looked much better in game 2. We will have to see if they can keep the momentum continuing, though, as Solary is good even with the odds against them.

               Solary feels like they are missing out on the early goals, so Kerian opens game 3 with a beautiful double-tap, with a backflip to angle his car just right. It stays 1-0 for a while before Endpoint can respond with what announcer Jamesbot called a  “low-altitude double-tap” from Virtuoso. Endpoint can then gain the lead as RelatingWave puts a shot passed all three defenders as they triple commit on the save attempt, but soon after, Kerian responds with a great read off a Yukiss shot attempt goes off the crossbar to make it 2-2 with 0:21 left. The game goes to overtime, but Solary does not waste time ending it as just +0:10 in ExoTiiK scores after a demo discombobulates Endpoint. Both teams were able to respond to adversity; it just looks like Solary is getting that extra edge that they need to finish off games.

               Game 4 sees a lot of back and forth with no team having clear momentum. It takes halfway into the game before Endpoint setup, an immaculate tic-tac-toe play that ends in a Metsanauris goal. RelatingWave is then able to give them a more comfortable 2-0 lead after intercepting a clear and flicking it past the remaining defender. Solary is not shutout though, as Yukiss gets a goal after an extended dominant offensive possession, but that’s all Solary can get as the game ends 2-1 for Endpoint and sends the series to Champions Field.

               Game 5 starts with a lot of offensive pressure from Solary, allowing Yukiss to grab an early goal, only 54 seconds in, off a pass from Kerian. Kerian would then pick up a goal of his own as he taps a Yukiss shot while being a nuisance to the Endpoint defense. Virtuoso can finally respond with 3 minutes left in the game as he feeds off a missed clear attempt by Yukiss. 2 goals would be all Solary needed, though, as they take game 5 2-1 and the series 3-2. Both teams looked very evenly matched, but even I, like the on-screen talent, thought Endpoint would win this game, but I don’t know if they ever got to play their renowned demo playstyle, at least not to the fullest extent.

Winner: Solary (3-2)

MVP of the match: Kerian

Series 6: Team Liquid vs. 2Baguettes and a half

    Game 1, Team Liquid was as dominant as expected, with their veteran experience helping them finish on good shot opportunities. Their first goal came a minute in from Speed off a pass from kuxir97, and then, back to back, Speed, and fruity scored a goal each, respectively, at around the midgame point. Team Liquid is looking for a sweep if they can keep this pace and game control.

               Speed makes a beautiful save a minute in, and the start of game 2 sees Team Liquid on the defensive as 2BGS is getting much more time on the attack this game, but nobody seems to break on the defensive end. Team Liquid regains control to get some offensive chances, but 2BGS defense has improved from game 1. This game heads to overtime as it's taking both teams longer than 5 minutes to figure out each others' defense this game. Meanwhile, it does not take Blurry long to read the missed double-tap from pryyme to score the game-winning goal just +0:23 into overtime. The series is tied 1-1 as 2BGS makes this closer than Team Liquid would like it to be.

               Game 3 starts with Team liquid trying to regain control again, which leads to a simple kuxir97 goal from Speed just 14 seconds in. The game stays fairly even until 2BGS is able to respond with 1:31 remaining in the game. Blurry was able to sneak a transition shot just past Speed, who was the nearest defender. This series has back-to-back overtimes. This overtime though, does play out a little longer with Speed able to put away 2BGS with a dunk on Iryzer at +1:18. The series seems more evenly matched, with Blurry trying to help them force a game 5.

               Team Liquid comes out of the gates scoring with kuxir97 taking only 44 seconds to flick the ball past the 2BGS defense. There were some good offensive chances from both teams the rest of the game, but Team Liquid was not playing as aggressive, and as a result, we get another low scoring game. Team Liquid wins 1-0 and finishes the series 3-1to move on to the second stage of the regional. This was a much-needed victory for Team Liquid as last EU regional they did not make the second round. 2BGS did hold their own very tremendously, but they don't have the experience to relax in some situations like Team Liquid.

Winner: Team Liquid (3-1)

MVP of the match: Speed

Series 7: Endpoint vs. Singularity

    Virtuoso gives Endpoint an early lead, scoring a double-tap goal 19 seconds into game 1. After that, both teams trade shots with no one getting any great chances until Virtuoso completes the hat-trick with goals at 1:16 and 1:09 remaining, respectively. Singularity is able to respond quickly, though with Breezi being the scoring player. Singularity is able to get another shot chance or two, but that leads to Metsanauris carrying the ball downfield for a RelatingWave goal to seal the game off, 4-1. Endpoint win game 1 without it ever really being in doubt even though so much of the game was back and forth.

               Game 2 is a complete offensive onslaught for Endpoint, starting with a RelatingWave goal 18 seconds in, and ending with a 7-0 game 2 victory for Endpoint. RelatingWave picks up four goals in the game, with Metsanauris and Virtuoso getting 2 and 1 goals. Every Endpoint goal also had an assist as the team chemistry and dominance in this game by Endpoint was entirely just on display. Singularity will have to pull it together if they aren't already too mentally boomed from that game to make a comeback.

               Game 3 looks like it's going to go from bad to worse for Singularity as RelatingWave scores just 3 seconds into the game. Endpoint got four unanswered goals before Breezi can get a beautiful pass to hibbs for Singularity's first goal since game 1. Endpoint is able to net a couple more goals before Singularity gets one more to make the final score 8-2. Just an absolute monstrous showing from Endpoint as they move on to stage two and Singularity get eliminated.

Winner: Endpoint (3-0)

MVP of the match: RelatingWave

Series 8: Top Blokes vs. Triple Trouble

    Top Blokes have been underproducing so far, which is why they lost two games and have to play against Triple Trouble for a spot in stage 2. The Top Blokes had a massive offensive presence, as Kassio had eight shots by himself as the game would eventually go to a 0-0 overtime. Kassio was also the lucky man to score the overtime goal, picking up his own rebound after the defense had dispersed post-save. Triple Troubles defense kept them in the game with a combined ten saves for them, with Bluey leading the way with 6. Triple Trouble is hoping to bounce back with a more offensive game in game 2.

               Triple Trouble has a great start to game 2 as Tadpole gets them on the board 33 seconds into the game, with an assist from Bluey. Top Blokes are able to respond with Kassio finding Archie's clear off the backboard correctly for the goal with 3:20 remaining. The teams trade offensive possessions, and game 2 is headed to overtime as well. Overtime starts with some back and forth, but then at +0:46 into overtime, Archie fakes a pass, then delivers a pass to FlamE for a beautiful game-winning goal and puts Top Blokes up 2-0 and looking for the clean sweep.

               Game 3 sees them again trade some offensive possessions, but its Kassio who scores first for Top Blokes. Triple Trouble struggles to finish on shot the whole match, and it looks like it will be a clean sweep before the relentless pressure allows Bluey to slip a goal in after some tremendous passing with just 0:16 second left on the clock. That means game 3 is heading to overtime as well. Triple Trouble does not waste a lot of time in overtime as Calix hits a nasty ceiling shot just +0:13 in, to send the series to a game 4 and to keep Triple Trouble's hopes alive.

               Triple Trouble is genuinely fighting for their lives as they are getting bombarded by the Top Blokes. Top Blokes ended with ten shots, and Triple Trouble ended with 0 as Top Blokes scored a 0-second goal to win the series 3-1 and send Triple Trouble out of the tournament. Top Blokes just dominated this game and this series as a whole.

Winner: Top Blokes (3-1)

MVP of the match: Archie

And that's the conclusion of stage 1 for the Fall EU event 2. If you've made it this far I would just like to say thank you and I'll be back next week to cover the championship Sunday for the Fall EU event 2! Follow me on twitter @maachV for more updates and possible live game tweeting!