mVENewsletter Week #5: RLCS Season X - Transfer window rumours and Fall NA Major recap
Hey guys! After taking some time off for some personal reasons I'm back to hopefully do weekly or bi-weekly updates! For updates please follow me on twitter! @maachV and onto week #5 starting with transfer window and winter split news.
Prior to the Grand Finals for the NA major, RLEsports announced the winter major. They will be moving away from the swiss system used in the fall split, and are instead going back to a double elimination bracket-style format. This makes a lot of sense, but they are also cutting the teams per event to 24 teams instead of 32, which I at the moment, disagree with but we will have to wait and see how the first couple tournaments play out to compare. EU's first event starts on November the 7th, with championship Sunday happening November 15th. Meanwhile, NA's first event starts November 21st, with their championship Sunday happening November 29th. This winter split will be especially exciting considering the number of teams rumored to be making roster changes during this transfer window.
The RLCS transfer window opened up recently and that has sites, like ShiftRL, exploding with rumors but I am going to go over a couple that truly piqued my interest, or that have already been confirmed. if I miss anything I'm sorry because it has already started to get chaotic.
Magnifico finally gets picked up by an org after a good first fall split for them. I think they performed really well in the swiss format but we will see if they can keep consistent results, under a new name, and in a new format.
BARRAGE DROPS OALY AND RISE, KEEP CYNICAL AS CONTENT CREATOR WHILE HE DECIDES FUTURE
Barrage made a huge splash in the first split, qualifying for the major but sadly not making the playoffs. After some drama with Oaly, the team was looking towards rebuilding a new roster around Cynical. Sadly after some searching, they could not find a 3rd player and instead wanted to let the players choose their own fates and find other teams for the winter split. Honestly, from a community member and fans' perspective, it's really hard not to love Barrage and especially Barrage Jeff. I have had a small DM conversation with him and he has expressed his appreciation and gratitude towards the RL community for their support so I don't expect Barrage to be leaving RL esports anytime soon. I hope that they can find success once again, whether built around Cynical or with a brand new 3, I know the community will always be behind Barrage.
CHARLOTTE PHOENIX DROP DAPPUR, PICK UP ALRAZ AS REPLACEMENT
After an unimpressive first split from CLT, they drop a very good player in dappur, who sadly suffers from playing on the west coast since the pandemic which players have said can lead to some ping issues in-game. who knows if that was the only reason, but he is fairly swiftly replaced by Alraz, who previously played for Stromboli. I don't know much about Alraz but hopefully, this is the pickup, and boost, Charlotte needed to make a deeper run in the winter split. I've always loved watching Karma and Shadow so I hope for their success.
SOSA JOINS PITTSBURGH KNIGHTS, KINSEH IS DROPPED
Sosa, an incredible talent in his own right, is replacing kinseh who did not have the greatest end of split but still was a proven talent. Kinseh will probably move to another high profile team, while PK looks to make some more noise with this big pickup. This team has much bigger upset potential than in the fall split so it should make for some extra exciting matchups.
A move I feel has been coming ever since AS Monaco dropped their roster, FC Barca looks to be moving on from RLEsports. Most of the original football clubs that tried to get into RLEsports fell off because the profit wasn't good enough for them and now arguably the most profitable, and expensive, the team has folded. I'm not exactly sure if the team is sticking together at all, but it looks like at least their coach, El General, is no longer coaching them. This sucks to see as any org leaving hurts but maybe that will open up the landscape for some true esports orgs to come in and pick some bigger names up.
EDIT: My whole take has already been proven wrong as FC Barca picked up a new roster for the winter split.
These are not all the most recent transfer news, just the stuff I could condense down this week. if you guys want to keep up to date with the latest transfers, you can check out here:https://liquipedia.net/rocketleague/Transfers Now onto the Major Recap...
Game 1: Kansas City Pioneers vs. Spacestation Gaming
Game 1 of the weekend opens with a Memory goal from rapid 29 seconds in. beautiful aerial right above the crossbar to hit it just below the defense. Arsenal quickly evens it up off the faceoff with a 1v1 dribble play. The game is very hectic on both sides, with lots of bumps and demos. Memory getting some good shots for KCP. SSG get a beautiful chance but hit the post on an open net. An awkward transition from rapid leads to the go-ahead goal for KCP. KCP can’t keep control as Arsenal gets it passed one defender and dishes to retals for the tying goal with 22 seconds remaining. KCP tries to put the pressure on for a 0-second goal, but out of nowhere, SSG keeps the ball up for the counter-attack, they get the game-winning goal to steal game one from KCP. KCP had momentum for most of the match, but SSG’s pure skill shined through in how they dealt with the adversity.
SSG slows down game two and gets a goal 35 seconds after retals discombobulates the defense. SSG much more in control in game 2. KCP gets a handful of opportunities, and SSG’s defensive abilities really start shining in this game 2. Another great opportunity, but instead, SSG plays calm and scores another goal with 14 seconds left to put them up 2-0. Game 2 ends 2-0 for SSG, as both teams looked competent on defense, just KCP could not get it done in the offensive end. SSG goes up 2-0 in the series and looks to close out their KCP related demons, as KCP has recently beaten SSG a couple of times.
An excellent demo play, but KCP cannot even put the ball on net, and early in the game, the offensive woes remain. Arsenal dishes it off the wall to Sypical for the 1-0 SSG lead with 3:46 left in game 3. KCP responds off the faceoff, beastmode scores through a demo to tie it up 1-1. SSG is playing their demo-heavy playstyle with retals taking the position as defensive-disruptor. Retals gets a beautiful touch off the wall that soars on goal and catches all the defenders off guard to give SSG the 2-1 lead late in game 3. They hold the lead for the final 45 seconds, and KCP falls to SSG in a 3-0 sweep. SSG just looked very polished and in form as they look to make some serious noise in this fall major.
MVP of the match: retals
Game 2: Rogue vs. G2 esports
Firstkiller with a beautiful double-tap attempt, but he misses, and G2 capitalizes off the turnover and transitions down the field for a goal from Chicago off a pass by Rizzo. G2 leads 1-0 45 seconds into game 1. Rizzo is playing truly in form this game as his reads are unique. Rizzo is also able to give G2 the 2-0 lead with a goal from a Chicago pass with 3:23 remaining. Rogue picks up the pace and gets some offensive pressure, which leads to a gorgeous double-tap from Turinturo to bring the lead to just 2-1. Rogue continues the pressure, but G2 stands stout on the defensive end, with saves coming from every team member. Rogue seems to love going for the double-tap as they go for another, and it almost goes in but is saved off the inside of the net by G2. Rogue is unable to tie the game up, and G2 gets the win in game one. Rogue picked up momentum in the second half of the game, so we will see if they keep any momentum into game two or if G2 will prove to be too much for them.
Both teams spend most of the game trading offensive possessions before Rogue gets an open net on the transition, and it's put in safely by Firstkiller for the 1-0 lead with just over a minute left. Rogue looks like they will hold on for the game two win, but then Rizzo takes the ball downfield on a transition, and Chicago heads downfield and starts bumping, even on the backboard, the only defender back for the tying goal with 7 seconds remaining. Game 2 is heading to overtime. Neither team takes a firm hold of the momentum in game two until G2 starts countering some Rogue clear attempts. Chicago successfully opposes a clear, and it pops out in the middle of the field for Rizzo for the game-winning goal, +2:18 into overtime. This game was extremely close, but it still does end with G2 going up 2-0 in the series, and if they can hold on for another game, they can move on to the semi-finals.
G2 starts game three off well as JKnaps gets a double-tap goal a minute into the game. Rogue continues to find their footing, but JKnaps intercepts a clear and scores another goal; G2 lead 2-0. Still, more Rogue offensive pressure, which leads to a 50/50 that bounces into the top right corner for G2 as they boost their lead to 3-0 and look to close the game out with two minutes left and take the sweep. Just under ten seconds later, Chicago gets a beautifully placed aerial goal as G2 starts running away with the 4-0 lead. G2's offense is on point as JKnaps picks up the hattrick to give them the 5-0 lead. Kronovi is able to pick up a consolation goal with 27 seconds remaining, but G2 as well picks up one more to win the game 6-1 and take the series against Rogue with a 3-0 sweep. Rogue kept games 1 and 2 pretty close within reach, but G2 just looked confident in closing it out, and hopefully, they can carry momentum into the semi-finals against SSG.
MVP of the match: Rizzo
Game 3: Team Envy vs. Alpine esports
Envy picks up an early goal for the 1-0 lead but Alpine kicks up the intensity after the goal, with Percy making some monster saves. Alpine picks up on the offensive end as the game goes on, but the 1-0 stands for the entirety of game one as Team Envy wins and leads the series 1-0. Both teams looked evenly matched, with Envy just getting a little more comfortable a little earlier, so we will have to see how both teams start in game two.
Alpine opens up the game this time, with Percy scoring the opening goal just 18 seconds into game two. Team Envy responds 45 seconds later with mist perfectly faking the defense after a pass from Atomic to even up game 2. Team Envy gets some great shots, but Alpine shows off some even greater defensive ability, but Envy finally nets one top shelf with 2:42 remaining. Team Envy is fully able to take control offensively and defensively as they finish the game off with the 2-1 victory. That gives them a significant 2-0 advantage. We will have to see if Alpine can finally get early momentum and keep it with game three, unlike the last game.
Team Envy comes out of the gates strong with some offensive possessions, but Percy finds them cheating upfield for an Alpine goal roughly a minute into game 3. Alpine looks to be keeping some momentum as they keep up the offensive pressure and net two goals after one-another with just under 3 minutes left to play. Turbopolsa responds off a pass from mist to cut the lead to 3-1. As Envy starts to get a little momentum, they get caught cheating up again as MaJicBear scores to make it 4-1 for Alpine. Alpine closes out game three and ends it with the 4-1 lead. Alpine avoids the series sweep and cuts the lead to 2-1. Alpine out-shot Envy the whole game, with Alpine ending with 12 shot and Envy ending with 6. We will see if any momentum will carry over to the next game as in this series, it's been unclear.
Percy starts game 4 with a beautiful dunk off the wall just 6 seconds in; Alpine lead 1-0 early. It does not take long for Envy to respond as Alpine takes their time on defense, and Turbopolsa makes them pay. Turbopolsa gets the tip on a strong clear and gets Envy another goal just over a minute into game 4. Envy leads 2-1. Alpine puts on some immense offensive pressure as MaJicBear perfectly places a shot bardown for the tying goal with just over a minute remaining. This game remains tied despite some good chances from both teams near the end, but we head to overtime. Envy has excellent ball control to start overtime, and Atomic cuts off an Alpine clear and ground pinches the ball into the net for the game-winning goal. Team Envy wins 3-2 and takes the series against Alpine 3-1 to move on to the semifinals. Alpine showed their promise but couldn't pull it off in the end, as they are sent home from the fall major.
MVP of the match: Turbopolsa
Game 4: NRG esports vs. the Peeps
Jstn with a beautiful double-tap 29 seconds in for the 1-0 NRG lead. NRG is continuing to create some good opportunities but the Peeps staying stout on defense. The Peeps flip momentum and get some shots before NRG finally clears it, and Squishy gets an open shot to put NRG up 2-0, which is enough for them to win game 1. The Peeps had some excellent opportunities towards the end, but NRG looks so good that they may be unsatisfied with anything but a 3-0 series sweep.
A positive bounce lets squishy hit it off the backboard for jstn to clean up to give NRG and early 1-0 lead in game 2. Right off the next face-off, GarrettG gets another goal for NRG, and another couple of seconds later, jstn takes a pass from Squishy and puts it directly past the defense as NRG puts the exclamation point on their dominance. GarrettG carries the ball upfield and sends it hard off the back wall for another jstn goal. Then directly off the face-off, jstn scores another goal, just shooting from half, and then another goal from jstn off another face-off. 6-0 for NRG now. What is going on with the Peeps? GarrettG picks up another goal for NRG, and they look on a mission this major. Just pure dominance coming from NRG. The Peeps are still putting an effort in, which leads to jstn picking up a transition goal; he now has six goals in game two. The Peeps are hoping to move on and make some adjustments for game 3 to avoid getting swept. For NRG, there is not much to say outside of just wow. A very dominant game and Team Envy should be on the lookout in game two unless something magical happens for the Peeps.
Gyro with a goalline save as the Peeps looks to have reset themselves for game three. They were looking a little stronger on their pushes. Allushin nets an excellent shot after a demo leaves the net open for him; the Peeps lead 1-0. NRG is putting a bunch of pressure on, with them trying to demo defenders, but the Peeps are still stretching out for saves to keep the 1-0 lead. Finally, with 56 seconds left, Squishy nets a pass from GarrettG to tie the game up 1-1. We head to overtime for game three as neither team can pick up a last-second goal. NRG opens OT with a ton of pressure, but the defense holds on for now. A miss in the corner from jstn leads to Allushin netting an overtime goal to give peeps the 2-1 victory and gives them some life, as they at the very least avoid the series sweep.
The Peeps are playing unreal goalline defense as they clear the ball after an onslaught of shots. A minute into game 3, AyyJayy puts a perfect shot in to give the Peeps a 1-0 lead. The Peeps getting the first goal again is a very positive sign. It takes less than a minute for NRG to finally break through the Peeps defense to tie the game 1-1. Jstn with a shot on an open net off a transition, but it hits off each post before the Peeps clear it out of harms way. This game remains tied 1-1 as game four heads to overtime. The defense for the Peeps is tested multiple times before Squishy sends a slower pass to jstn in the midfield, which nets the game and series-winning goal as NRG wins 2-1. They also move on to the semifinals with a 3-1 series victory over the Peeps. Big credit to the Peeps for making NRG work for it, but who knows if they angered NRG more for their next matchup against Team Envy.
MVP of the match: Squishy
Game 5: Spacestation Gaming vs. G2 esports
SSG starts with all three members netting a goal, with retals getting a second about halfway through the game. SSG has a 4-0 lead. Rizzo's smart touch leads to an aerial bump and goal for G2; SSG still leads 4-1. G2 cannot make a comeback as SSG plays the rest of the game pretty safely and only lets in two very late JKnaps goals for the 4-3 SSG victory. Spacestation gets the game victory and starts the series 1-0, but G2 does seem to have some momentum going into game 2.
Rizzo gets an early goal with a well-placed shot just 29 seconds into game 2. G2 keeps the pressure up, but SSG finds a good counterattack shot to tie it up 1-1. It isn't tied up for long, though, as G2 gets pressure off the face-off, and JKnaps nets a goal for the 2-1 G2 lead. G2 holds on to the 2-1 lead with some stout defense as they even the series up 1-1. G2 is looking in form after about mid-game one and looks to hold that momentum for game three. SSG looks to capitalize on their defensive opportunities more in game three, mostly looking to retals who had two goals in game 1 to get the spark.
Both teams have some excellent rotations and team play, but neither can find a goal in the first half. G2 double commits on a clear, and retals get an easy shot on an open net for the 1-0 SSG lead with 2 minutes to go. Not long after, Chicago passes it to JKnaps in the midfield for the tying goal; it's a 1-1 game. SSG gets some pressure, and the G2 defense breaks after long enough, Sypical with a beautiful aerial goal for the 2-1 SSG lead. G2 misses on a shot opportunity, but G2 keeps the pressure up, and Chicago cleans up a shot off the backboard to tie the game at 2-2. Chicago with a beautiful carry downfield for the last-second shot attempt, but he hits the post, and we head to overtime. SSG puts up a ton of pressure in overtime, and a challenge from Arsenal leads to a pinch between him and Rizzo for the overtime goal. SSG wins 3-2 and takes a 2-1 series lead. SSG with a much-needed win to get some momentum back on their side, but at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if the series hits a game 7.
Rizzo gets a beautiful shot that is saved before Chicago comes in and sneaks it in for the clean-up goal to give G2 the early lead. SSG with a beautiful offensive chance, but they hit it off the post and can't finish. Both teams very actively bumping in the offensive zones, but it remains 1-0 until Sypical flicks his way past two defenders and ties the game up. Retals get a beautiful bounce out in front of the net, and Sypical finishes to give SSG the 2-1 lead with a minute remaining in game 4. G2 puts some pressure on, and JKnaps finds a shot and Chicago bumps the goalie for the tying goal. The game ends 2-2 as we head to another overtime. G2 keeps that momentum into overtime as Rizzo centers it off the ceiling for Chicago, who perfectly places a shot to the far side for the game-winning goal. G2 regains some momentum as they tie the series up 2-2.
G2 starts game 2 with a couple of mistakes early, but SSG is unable to capitalize. SSG finally breaks through as Arsenal gets a good center out of the corner, and Sypical goes up to score the opening goal midway through the match. SSG keeps up the pressure, but that leads to a counterattack from G2, and Chicago is able to hit the net from long range and tie the game up at 1-1. G2 gets a late goal to get the 2-1 lead, and SSG cannot tie it back up as G2 sneak the 2-1 win away from SSG. G2 holds the 3-2 series advantage and looks to finish SSG off in game 6.
Sypical gets an early goal for SSG, 1-0 just 45 seconds into game 6. G2 puts pressure on for the whole game, but they cannot capitalize on their opportunities as with a minute left, retals advances the lead to 2-0 for SSG and looks to possibly seal the victory. SSG holds on to the 2-0 lead for game six victory and sends this series to a do-or-die game 7. SSG does move into game 7 with momentum, but as we've seen previously in this series, G2 can be very unpredictable. We will see what comes in game 7.
Sypical with a heads up play along the wall early in game 7 gives him a shot on an open net, which he hits for the 1-0 SSG lead. Both teams with some back and forth pressure, but Arsenal catches G2 off guard and gets a long shot on an open net to give SSG a 2-0 lead. G2 with plenty of tension in the final 2 minutes, but their accuracy just isn't there combined with SSG just able to perform on defense leaves G2 scoreless in game seven as SSG wins with a score of 2-0. SSG moves on to the finals, and now they watch Team Envy v. NRG to see who their finals opponent will be.
MVP of the match: Sypical
Game 6: Team Envy vs. NRG esports
The desk mentioned pre-game that Envy has never beaten NRG when NRG wins game one, so we may have to look at game one as an essential factor. NRG opens with two goals, one after another, nearly 2 minutes into the game. Envy stops the bleeding and slows down the game with some offensive chances of their own. NRG is staying passive and playing defensive now to maintain the 2-0 lead. They manage to keep the lead till the end and win game 1 2-0. Envy had some opportunities towards the end of the game but couldn’t get it passed the NRG defense. We will have to see if NRG can carry the momentum but the signs point towards yes. Envy hopes to change their post-game one luck against NRG, but we will see if they can do it.
Both teams get some pressure to start game two, but Envy pulls off an excellent passing play after a demo to take a 1-0 lead. Game 2 is full of back and forth offensive pressure with some fantastic shots and saves both ways, but the game ends with a 1-0 Envy victory. They tie the series 1-1 and look to keep that momentum into game three and beyond.
Three seconds into game three, mist collects the face-off and flicks the ball off the crossbar, and cleans up for the early goal to give Envy the 1-0 lead. Squishy with a panic hit, which centers the ball for Envy to get a wide-open goal and increase their lead to 2-0. NRG looks to be struggling to get the offense going. Envy mishandles the ball in their end and sets it up for jstn to get a beautifully placed shot to start the comeback. Eight seconds later, squishy gets the ball passed a defender and passes to GarrettG for the tying goal with over half of the game remaining. And they keep the pressure up as an onslaught of shots ends in jstn netting their third goal straight. A fourth goal comes from jstn styling the defenders with an air dribble down the field as NRG looks back in control. NRG nets a fifth goal off an awkward transition shot for Squishy played perfectly by GarrettG and to give NRG a comfortable 5-2 lead. NRG keeps control of game three and finishes with the 5-2 win. They retake control of the series with a 2-1 lead and regain their momentum as well. Team Envy started hot but couldn’t get it done on the defensive end; they’ll have to tighten up if they want to move past a team like NRG.
NRG starts with some pressure, which leads to a perfectly placed aerial Squishy goal a minute into game 4. Envy beginning to pick up the pressure, but NRG still looks dominant unless Envy can find a touch going their way. NRG gets a great shot opportunity before jstn intercepts the clear and can give NRG the 2-0 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Envy tries their best to finish out the game but cannot find anything offensively, which seems to be the difference. NRG with the 3-1 series lead now, but Envy could easily regain momentum between games with a vet like Turbopolsa. We will have to see how they come out in game 5, though.
Envy opens the game with Atomic dunking on Squishy off the face-off, and a lucky bounce off a defender gives Envy an early 1-0 lead. Envy’s offense finally looks to be clicking, as 10 seconds later, Atomic nets another off an infield pass for the 2-0 lead. Turbopolsa also gets in on the scoring, with an aerial goal to give Envy the 3-0 lead early in game 5. NRG finally responds with Squishy hitting a bardown shot, then off the face-off jstn dismantles the defense and leaves the ball for GarrettG to shorten the lead to 3-2. 18 seconds later, jstn pulls a fake and gets a clean shot to tie the game up at 3-3. GarrettG brings the ball downfield with less than a minute left, and jstn cleans up his initial shot to give NRG a 4-3 lead with 47 seconds remaining. Then with 31 seconds remaining, NRG put the nail in Envy’s coffin with a 5th goal coming from GarrettG. Jstn gets one more goal for the stat sheet, and NRG takes game 5 6-3, and win the series 4-1 to move on and face SSG in the grand finals. NRG has looked scary good today, and it leaves me questioning whether SSG will be able to handle it, but they have played well themselves.
MVP of the match: jstn
Game 7: Spacestation Gaming vs. NRG esports
Arsenal picks up the first goal 31 seconds into game 1, giving SSG the early 1-0 lead. NRG tries to get some momentum back, but SSG capitalizes off a retals demo to increase their lead to 2-0. None of the bounces seem to be going in NRG's favour as Arsenal cleans up another 50/50 for SSG's 3rd goal, and with a minute remaining, it looks like they have taken game 1. Squishy gets a too-late goal as SSG takes game 1 3-1. SSG looked in form with retals attacking the defense as well as performing on the defensive end himself. We will have to see if SSG can keep up the pressure or if NRG can turn the momentum around.
Arsenal gets a magnificent goal to start game 2. He reads the ball beautifully off the back wall and gets a weird angle shot perfectly to give SSG the lead just 9 seconds in. Sypical takes the ball off the wall and gets it passed the defense as Squishy left the net to get boost, then quickly after Arsenal gets SSG a 3rd goal to give them a dominant 3-0 lead with 3 minutes to go. A mistake on defense from SSG is quickly capitalized on by jstn to cut the lead to 3-1. NRG continues to attack, and Squishy nets another NRG goal to cut the lead to 3-2 with a minute 30 remaining. Another mistake, this time a double commit, is capitalized again by jstn to tie the game with just over 30 seconds left. SSG turns it around and creates some offensive pressure of their own, and retals scores the go-ahead goal with 9 seconds left. NRG uses the 9 seconds to get about as close as they could get, but the ball touches the ground, and SSG takes a 2-0 series lead with a 4-3 win.
SSG is firing on all cylinders in game three, but as is NRG, which leaves a 0-0 defensive stalemate until they reach overtime. Both teams are putting shots on net, but all of them are getting turned aside. The stalemate continues into overtime until a minute 24 seconds into OT as Squishy picks up a pass from jstn, and NRG wins 1-0. NRG also stays alive in the series, cutting SSG's lead to 2-1. Will NRG keep any momentum from that game, or will SSG come back out guns blazing and quickly retake their dominant role.
Game 4 starts with some back and forth, but jstn nets a double-tap approximately a minute in to give NRG the 1-0 lead. SSG does not look like the SSG from games 1 and 2 as their offense doesn't seem to be clicking in the same way. NRG seems to have finally picked up with their offensive abilities, at least enough for a win, as the game does end 1-0. NRG evens up the series 2-2 and takes a fair amount of momentum heading into game 5.
SSG starts game 5 with pressure before it's too much for NRG, retals scores the opening goal after Arsenal bumps the defender off the backboard, 1-0 SSG. Both teams press back and forth, and for the third game in a row, the game ends 1-0. SSG gain the series advantage at 3-2 and look to wrap up the major in game six. NRG was still there on defense, but SSG just kept meeting them at the ball, and they make so few mistakes that NRG is just struggling to capitalize.
NRG getting demoed every 5 seconds, it seems but still a 0-0 game early on. Retals sets himself up off the backboard, and Squishy misplays it in net as SSG gets a 1-0 lead here in game 6. NRG tries their best, but SSG continues to stand tall on defense and offense as Sypical nets a beautiful insurance goal with 37 seconds left in the game. SSG wins game 6 2-0 as Spacestation Gaming are your NA Fall Major champions. What a grand championship Sunday for SSG as they couldn't have done it better against a bunch of stacked teams.
MVP of the match: Arsenal
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