The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season 2 League Play kicked off this Saturday with the North American teams setting the pace for the action to come.
Match One: Exodus versus Deception
Exodus came into this kick-off match as the very heavy favorites. Deception made this a surprisingly close set with games 1, 2 and 3 all going to overtime and Deception coming out 2-1 ahead. Exodus grew into the series taking games 4 and 5 to grab the set 3-2 and move to a good start to season 2.
Exodus needs to struggle to return to the world's elite. Deception on the other hand simply needs to go for top six for regional qualification, and a result like this shows how close they are. A slight bit of improvement could see Deception move into a higher group that could be near the very top.
Match Two: Deception versus Vendetta
Deception and Vendetta are possibly two of the most evenly matched teams in all of Rocket League but in the early stages didn't look to show it. Games 1 and 2 were dominant from Deception as they hurried out to a quick 2-0 series lead looking for a possible sweep and confidence boost after their heartbreaking loss to Exodus. Unfortunately for Deception, one man had a problem with the sweep. Jacob "Darkfire" Gurrola decided to show his stature as the best striker in North America. Darkfire pulled Vendetta back from the brink in game 3 to lead them to the reverse sweep all the way in game 5.
Deception know they are close, oh so close, to the next level and a spot in the Regional Qualifiers. Vendetta on the other hand need to improve their level to distance themselves from the teams similar to them, such as Deception.
Match Three: Vendetta versus Genesis
The third match of the day featured Vendetta coming off a high from their reverse sweep of Deception and Genesis looking to show why they can compete at the very highest level in North America. Game 1 went one way with Vendetta taking it 6-0 and looking very confident in their high pressure offense. Unfortunately for Vendetta they never looked to really be in the series again as Genesis took the next three games confidently with some convincing wins. While this was an expected result, Vendetta had likely hoped to get more out of this series; Genesis on the other hand was very content with the comfortable 3-1 series win and looked to push on for a 2-0 on day 1.
Match Four: Genesis versus Revival
Genesis came out strong and took down Revival late in game 1. Moving into game 2, Genesis pushed the advantage hard, pressing high up the field on offense. On the back of excellent rotations and calm play, Revival managed to take game 2 despite how close the game ended up being. Game 3 saw a resurgence of form for Genesis as they came back to look like the confident top four contender they always could be. In game 4 Genesis ended the day 2-0, winning both series 3-1 and looking like a very momentum-based team.
When Genesis gets going they seem nigh-on impossible to stop. Revival will need to look to push forward more, as they found themselves stranded in their own goal almost every single game against Genesis.
Match 5: G2 Esports versus Revival
The return of the world champions to RLCS came in the fifth set of the day as G2 Esports, formerly iBUYPOWER Cosmic, faced off against just-defeated Revival. Game 1 started poorly for the reigning champions as they got out-pressured heavily by a Revival looking for the upset. Revival managed to continue the pressure, giving us the first sweep of the day. With the former champs falling 3-0 to Revival the RLCS predictions are all thrown amok. It seems that new blood teams are seemingly able to take games, and now sets, off of anyone.
Match 6: G2 Esports versus Take 3
G2 come into their second match of the day needing a win badly to show some fight before they risk falling 0-2 in the first day of League play. Unfortunately for the champs, Take 3 piled on the trouble for them, taking game 1 and taking it comfortably. Game 2 saw the return of G2 who finally looked like they had a return to form, keeping Take 3 pinned back all game. G2 kept their hot streak going in Game 3 where they took the game comfortably to move to set point, on the edge of recovering the match. The game was taken to game 5 by Take 3 who were looking to complete the win and send G2 on their way to the worst possible start. In game 5 G2's darkest fear was confirmed as Take 3 succeeded in just that. G2 had a very poor week, looking toothless on offense and seemingly having trouble with a lot of miscommunicated defensive calls.
Match 7: Take 3 versus Kings of Urban
The final match of Saturday, between the high-flying Take 3 and the Kings of Urban, was expected to be an exciting finish to the first day of League Play. Take 3 continued their incredible form, taking the first game off of the favored Kings and led by key play from Dillon "Rizzo" Rizzo. The Kings swiftly answered back, taking the second game with a strong performance from the entire team. Take 3 then took the final set of the day to match point by taking game 3. Game 4 went the way of the Kings to set our final match of the day up for a deciding game 5. The final match of the day ended 3-2 for Take 3, who were happy to take the slow roller from Rizzo and to take their 2-0 start to League Play.
RLCS League Play has returned with all of the incredible upsets and underdog stories you could imagine. On Sunday, the RLCS will return with the Europeans looking for their turn to compete for the lion's share of $250,000. Whether it's the high flying FlipSid3 Tactics or the newly rebranded Northern Gaming, Europe's elite should put on a show to the same caliber as North America's, or better.