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The RLCS world championship preview

10 Nov 2017
Stuart Gollan

Is the reign of Europe finally over?

That is the big question hovering over the fourth Rocket League Championship Series World Championship finals this weekend in Washington D.C. For the last 12 months Europe has dominated the event, claiming the second and third titles and most of the top four places in both tournaments. European teams were too fast, too coordinated and too individually talented, and North America nor Oceania could stop them.

That was before Cloud9. The dominant North American squad has claimed just about every tournament they have entered since the off season, winning Dreamhack Atlanta, Northern Arena and taking top seed in North American RLCS league play in a canter, beating rivals from both sides of the Atlantic. Cloud9 are the favourites to be world champions, but this is undoubtedly the most stacked RLCS bracket we’ve ever seen.

It is an intimidating environment for our Oceania representatives to find themselves in. First we have Chiefs, making a return trip to the RLCS finals after a solid debut last season. They have dominated Oceania for the last three months after a spotting off season, and have spent two weeks over in the U.S preparing for a championship run. A first up match against the inconsistent but brilliant G2 squad gives them a great chance to rack up another series win on the biggest stage, but can they go even further this time?

They are joined by Pale Horse, a young, entertaining squad with no expectations on them for RLCS success but also with the talent to cause some major upsets. They are up against it from the start, taking on European superstars PSG, but a win there would immediately stamp them as title challengers.

It will be early starts if you want to cheer our boys on. Chiefs make their debut at 5AM AEDT Saturday morning, Pale Horse at 6AM AEDT. The first round will then continue from 7AM through 11AM. On the second and third day play again kicks off at 5AM AEDT, with the finals on Monday running through until about midday. You can watch all the action over at Twitch.

With the biggest prize pool in Rocket League history on the line, as well as the prestige of being world champions, this shapes up to be the biggest and best Rocket League tournament ever. Let’s take a deeper look at each and every team competing over the weekend in our massive, mega preview. Get comfortable.

Chiefs Esports Club

They might not want to admit it, but Chiefs have high expectations heading into their second RLCS LAN appearance. There were enough signs at the season three finals that this roster can compete internationally, beating Denial in the opening series then taking games from both Mock-It and Leftovers in losing tight contests. With only a few days of scrims against NA and EU squads, Chiefs adapted to international play and put up a fair showing. This time around they have two weeks to acclimatise and more importantly practice against the best in the world, you don’t put in that much effort just to make up the numbers.

While OCE teams have shown fair teamwork and pace, the biggest differentiator between them and the international squads is usually individual brilliance. You can teach rotations and positioning, but you can’t teach the kind of magic that players like Squishy, Chausette, Jacob or Kaydop can pull out to turn a series. In Torsos, Chiefs have the closest OCE can get to those mechanical freaks; a master of tight angles, double touches and redirects that still managed an incredible 42% shot accuracy, two points better than any player in OCE, EU or NA, and only five players total shot above 35%. If that accuracy can translate to international play, Chiefs will be well poised to take advantage of the fewer chances the best defenses in the world will allow them.

That isn’t to say this team is all Torsos, Chiefs have probably the most balanced roster in OCE. Torsos took down the Throwdown season 4 MVP award but Jake was finals MVP and Drippay the season 2 MVP before that. This is a squad that plays to its strengths and adapts to the rotation, while Jake was a defensive powerhouse in the last RLCS finals he is by no means a defensive specialist for the squad. The Chiefs are capable of a panicked double commit or finding themselves starved of boost and defending in net, but it is a rare occasion.

Chiefs have also spent a fair bit of time refining their style to compete on the world stage. Their rocky performances as Billy Fan Club following RLCS season 3 can largely be put down to experimenting with what they thought they would need to do to beat EU teams, and the eventual mix of those lessons and their original play style has delivered results in league play for season 4. They’ll still hammer the backboard more than most teams, but they adapt well and present a rock solid defense first and foremost.

A promising sign for Chiefs on this stage is that speed of play doesn’t phase them. Their league best 1.48 goals against per game dropped even further to 1.27 per game against Pale Horse, the fastest team in OCE. No particular style in the region has phased them, they handled Pale Horse with ease at every meeting, JAM’s passing and pressure couldn’t crack them with regularity, and despite series losses to Scylla and Legacy, both were more on the opposing defense than their own failings.

The Chiefs style of play also translates well to the LAN environment. In OCE LAN competition they have barely dropped a game, let alone a series over the last six months, and the pressure of a live arena shouldn’t phase them. It isn’t a huge advantage, but considering the pressure on some other squads this composure may end up being the difference in a tight series.

This tournament bracket is stacked, but there are plenty of teams here I think Chiefs can beat, even if they wouldn’t be favourites against anybody except Pale Horse. Where they will most struggle is against the mechanically excellent squads who won’t feel the pressure of the big stage, notably the regional champions Cloud9 and Gale Force. That hardly makes them unique, and I definitely think they can beat G2, Ghost and even do well against PSG and Method. Anything better than a 7th-8th finish would be a massive effort, but a first round win against G2 is a chance and depending on matchups from there, anything is possible.

Pale Horse Esports

While not the only fresh roster to appear in the RLCS finals, Pale Horse has by far the least amount of big time experience of any team in the world championships. Even the short timeline of their existence is misleading, as their impressive run through the off season Throwdown gauntlet and the ESL finals was largely done with a rotating cast from their five man roster. The core of Kamii, Kia and CJCJ has only started to play together consistently in the last two months, and the rate of improvement they have shown in that time may be their best chance coming into the world championship finals. A few days of scrims against the best in the world will be a bigger boost for Pale Horse than any other team in the competition.

Pale Horse have made their name in OCE as a fast squad, quick to the ball and dangerous on the counter attack where they are able to set up passing plays on the turnaround. For the speed at which they operate their shot accuracy is pretty good, particularly Kamii who shoots at above 35%. All three members of Pale Horse were in the top seven for shots taken in OCE, an indication of their relentless attacking pressure and the speed at which they operate. Kia and Kamii also finished top three in the region for assists, which resulted in CJCJ finishing second in OCE in shots made and goals per game.

Pale Horse use that speed to control play, they are a strong defensive squad with good rotations, and prefer to make their stand in the midfield rather than the goal mouth. Against world class opposition they will need to be on point in scramble defense and maintain competitiveness to the ball at midfield. That will determine how far Pale Horse can go in the world championships, if their OCE speed translates against the likes of Method and G2, if they can win their fair share of 50/50s and avoid being pinned to their own goal then it won’t take them many chances on the counter attack to threaten their opponents.

Pale Horse are also incredibly adaptable. Maybe their short time together means they aren’t married to a single style, perhaps the early substitute swaps with the extended roster mean they are quicker to adapt, but usually the longer a series goes on the better Pale Horse plays. They’re also a team that doesn’t feel pressure, multiple times on the biggest stages they have come from behind and even from being one goal from elimination to win big series’. While they haven’t yet tasted ultimate tournament success, finishing second to Chiefs at ESL and Throwdown and third to JAM and Chiefs in Mockit, they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the occasion.

There are a wide range of outcomes here for Pale Horse. If they are international fast, and not just OCE fast, they will be a threat to anybody. The individual skill of all three players is impressive, and they aren’t afraid to try ambitious passing plays or go for speculative shots to keep the pressure on. They do have a change of pace and can add some deception to their individual games, but I don’t think any OCE team is going to succeed on the world stage purely through mechanics. Pale Horse know what they are up against, and know it will take something against the grain to beat some of these more fancied rivals. I think they will show plenty of that in the championships, but a single series win will be considered a good result, anything more than that a massive achievement.

Gale Force Esports

Gale Force are a bit like the villains in a Disney sports movie: European, incredibly successful, a bit arrogant, prone to falling to the “good guys” at the final hurdle and they turn out to be nice, normal people once you meet them off the field. While they technically broke their streak of second place finishes with a win at the 2v2 Universal Open in August, in full team play Gale Force have made an unfortunate habit of being runners up on the biggest stage.

That did not stop them entering league play as the best team in Europe and as the hot favourites not just to win the region but to take down the world championship. The individual skill of Kaydop, ViolentPanda and Turbopolsa is undeniable, all three would be contenders for the top ten and perhaps even top five players in the world. That they can also produce silky smooth pass plays and insane one on one moves to beat defenders is just unfair. They are a squad that is not just individually talented, but they make their opponents play worse, starving them of boost and frustrating them with midfield control and sterling defense.

Gale Force did end up as regional champions for Europe, but not in the way many expected. Early losses to Method and PSG had people questioning if Gale Force had come back to the pack, but later results showed losing close series to the eventual 6-1 finishing Method and PSG was hardly an indicator you are now residing on struggle street. Gale Force were dominant in the regional finals, beating down Flipside Tactics and getting revenge on PSG before winning three straight in impressive fashion to come back from 3-1 down to beat Method in the final. It wasn’t just the comeback win, it was how Gale Force won that series that was so impressive, Method never looked like beating them after game five. Gale Force had figured them out.

So how can they be beaten? Shot accuracy has been a major problem for Gale Force in season four, they finished second last in NA and EU for shot percentage, despite leading both regions in shots taken. This wasn’t just backboard passing plays miscalculated as shots by the game; Gale Force had some horrible accuracy from mid range throughout league play and even in the finals. That kind of pressure is hard for any opponent to take, but if you can judge a ball early and know when you can leave it, you can save precious boost and take the opportunity to build a counter attack.

There is also the chance they just don’t handle the pressure of LAN. Losses to NRG, Cloud9 and more recently PSG and Ghost at Northern Arena could haunt them, their Northern Arena performance in particular was very disappointing but could be put down to a combination of poor preparation and jet lag (indeed Turbopolsa said as much recently in an interview with Red Bull). The high pressure environment of RLCS could get to Gale Force, but if I was opposing them I’d want to have more in my back pocket than just “let’s hope they don’t play well”.

For Gale Force, anything less than a world championship will be a disappointment. They have high expectations both of themselves and placed upon them by others. They have the talent and results behind them to justify those expectations, they’re on the, I can’t say easy side but the less-hard side of the bracket, and if all goes to script they will be playing in that grand final. I rate only Cloud9 better than them right now, and I think we’ll get the chance to see if that holds when the finals come round.

Method

Method are about my favourite team in international Rocket League. I love their style of play, the pure speed that still somehow translates into slick passing, the synergy between all three members of the roster and just how much fun they seem to have together. Their underdog story of sticking together after a poor season three league performance, putting their heads down and dominating season four league play is the kind of thing somebody who has to write thousands of words about Rocket League each week loves. Method will undoubtedly be a must-watch team at the RLCS world championships, but can they win it all?

Method may have unfortunately reached their ceiling. Gale Force took one of those wins against them in the European regional finals that would leave a team asking “just how can we beat them?” and similarly they surrendered reverse sweeps to Cloud9 and NRG at Northern Arena, beating only Ghost (albeit in dominant fashion). The psychological impact of dropping a reverse sweep cannot be underestimated, to be one win away from a series and to miss that chance three times can leave you questioning yourself. It is hard to believe Method will not be carrying any demons from those recent performances when it comes to LAN.

It is only the finishing blow that Method seem to struggle with, as getting those series leads has not been a problem. Their fast play may be exposed somewhat as one note, but that one note proves tough for opponents to make themselves heard over. For how fast they react and reach the ball, their placement and clearances are world class and their shot accuracy is impressive. Letting Method get on a roll is both the surest path to a loss and one of the most entertaining viewing experiences you can have. You don’t want to let Method hold a lead, as when they dedicate their pace to defensive play and don’t overextend on attack they are near impossible to crack.

If you can score early and take a lead, boost control and midfield dominance have proven effective ways to shut down Method. It sounds easy right, just score an early goal and put the pressure on them, but in practice only the best in the world can manage it. Unfortunately for Method, those very best in the world will be their opponents at the world championships. It might be too late for Method to add a change of pace or alternate style to their game, and you might say they don’t need it considering their success in league play, but in their recent losses it has looked like they have no answer to an opponent who can stifle their preferred style.

I can see a wide range of possible finishes for Method, everything from a two loss exit (should they lose to NRG first up they are likely to face PSG or Cloud9 in the lower bracket if they get past the loser of Chiefs/G2) to a world championship run. I think a 5th-6th finish is the most likely result, but a storming run to the grand final would not be a surprise at all. I’m going to split the difference and say they finish top four.

Mockit Esports

Mockit are a very dangerous team, at their best perhaps the most potent attacking squad in the world. The final week display they put on against Excel and Team Secret to ensure a place in the regional finals was incredible, securing Paschy the golden striker award. They were clinical in the regional playoffs against Excel and had some moments against Method before ultimately falling, but Mockit saved their best for last with a huge reverse sweep against PSG to claim third place in the region.

Those explosions of offense will strike fear in the hearts of any Mockit opponent at RLCS, but ultimately the record of this roster on the big stage hasn’t been great. While the Mockit name has taken runners up twice in RLCS LAN, only Paschy remains from season 2 and Fairy Peak from season 3, this combination of the Mockit roster is relatively fresh. Without Northern Arena form like the rest of the NA and EU RLCS finalists, we have to dig back to Dreamhack Atlanta to compare LAN performances of this Mockit squad, where they bowed out in the quarterfinals to Gale Force and lost in league play to NRG.

They are undoubtedly a better team now, but the fact remains that their win over PSG in the regional third place game is their only win against a fellow EU RLCS finalist. Mockit are a scary proposition on a game by game basis, taking multiple games from PSG and Gale Force in league play series losses, but in a five and especially a seven game series it remains to be seen if they can hold consistency against the best in the world. The PSG win indicates they can, but how much of that was Mockit climbing that hill, and how much was on PSG?

Mockit were the worst defensive team of all EU and NA qualifiers in season four, the only team to let in more than two goals per game. Their attacking stats are skewed by that ridiculous last week performance against Secret, but they did finish the best team in EU for goals scored and second behind Cloud9 overall. They are among the best at creating front of net chances with short passing plays, particularly cutting in front of the goal rather than above it. A Mockit highlight reel will undoubtedly feature a lot of Paschy shooting behind a defender at close range, and a lot of Party Time balloons.

Mockit are a team I really hate having to give a prediction for. 5th-6th feels like the most likely result, grabbing a win against Ghost then falling to Gale Force. A run to the final from the top bracket is a chance, but I think they run into a squad more consistent than them sooner rather than later.

PSG Esports

Watching PSG feels like watching an NBA All Star game where the players actually care about the result. The individual plays that Chausette and Bluey can go for would be considered selfish if they didn’t pull them off with such regularity. Ferra is the perfect foil for them, an elite finisher and steadying influence there to finish off chances and to hold the squad together in some form of structure.

While a last round capitulation to Envyus saw them surrender top place in European league play and some lacklustre results in the regional finals see them enter the world championships as fourth seed, PSG are one of the biggest threats in the entire bracket. They were the only European roster to stand tall on day two at Northern Arena, taking Cloud9 to the limit and forcing a bracket reset before dropping the grand final. On the way to that final PSG bested NRG twice and Gale Force, making up somewhat for the poor regionals play, and only lost to Cloud9.

While Northern Arena is hardly RLCS, it was encouraging to see PSG performing on the live stage, as the pressure of a live audience was a question mark for the relatively young roster. Chausette in particular needs to carry over his near-MVP form from league play into the live environment, but Bluey will need to show some of the individual brilliance he is known for, as well as continue his role as a distributor and creator for the squad. If this young pair feel the pressure it will be too much to ask of Ferra to carry them through the finals.

In both Northern Arena and the regional finals, PSG dropped off in performance sharply as the day wore on. In Northern Arena that was understandable, playing three series back to back will do that, but the path to the world championship is almost certain to test them in a similar way. It is testament to their skill that all of the concerns around the roster are around fatigue or mental toughness, if they can handle both of those aspects then a top four finish is all but assured, even if starting on the tougher side of the bracket with Cloud9 waiting for them should they beat Pale Horse.

PSG’s time will come, but this time around I see a top four finish for them rather than a grand final run. Gale Force and Cloud9 have recent results on them, and both of those squads only seem to grow stronger as the tournament wears on. PSG will be must see viewing throughout the weekend, but the path to the final may be too tough.

Cloud9

Cloud9 are the undisputed best Rocket League team in the world right now. It can’t be argued; they dominated North American league play, cruised to the regional title, and have claimed the last two international LANs in Northern Arena and Dreamhack Atlanta, beating their North American and European rivals in the process. They are deserving favourites for RLCS and I can’t see anybody beating them for the title this weekend.

Cloud9 possess both some of the most individually talented players in the world and the most pinpoint passing game of any team in the world. Their passing game is legendary, nobody creates more opportunities and from so many different positions. Vertical passing, roof and wall crosses, fast, sharp passes into the box, three and four touch moves, Cloud9 run rings around the opposition in their passing skill. That they can finish from angles few others could and have amazing aerial skill makes it just unfair that they create more shots than any team other than PSG and Gale Force, and only Rogue had a better successful shot percentage in league play.

So they create more opportunities than most teams, finish better than most teams and each member as the individual skill to score from just about anywhere by themselves. How do you beat them? Their defense is good but not unbreakable, Cloud9 are mid pack in save percentage but they don’t give the opposition many shooting chances. If you can control the midfield you both deny them their own chances and can put pressure on, but “control the midfield” is an ideal strategy regardless of opposition, and a very difficult plan to implement against the best team in the world.

Any team that beats Cloud9 will be on point, at their absolute best when it counts. G2, NRG and PSG all have series wins over them in recent times, but no one style has managed to break them down consistently. Method couldn’t find success with their speed, NRG’s stellar defense couldn’t hold up against them, PSG’s individual brilliance wasn’t enough either. They have taken all comers in recent times and have the confidence and the skill to beat anybody. Cloud9 are the chalk pick to take it down, but favourites jump at short odds for a reason. This world championship is Cloud9’s to lose.

NRG Esports

NRG were long the team to beat in North America, the back to back regional champions who held their own at LAN while their compatriots fell to the might of Europe. The emergence of Cloud9 has seen them fall back into the ranks, but the tenets of NRG’s long term success remain: a strong defense, denying their opposition shots, and #Jacobthings.

Jacob is the star name in NRG, capable of amazing solo plays and some ridiculous goals, but this season he has taken on a playmaking role, making occasional cameos to let us all know just how talented he is but standing more as a defensive rock while Fireburner and GarrettG took on the brunt of the attacking work. The control NRG aim to maintain leaves them with plenty of chances, their accuracy isn’t the best out there but it is certainly good enough when paired with an elite defense.

NRG feel like a consistent 8 out of 10 team this season. If the best teams are even slightly off they will topple them, but if the best dig deep for that top gear NRG haven’t been able to match them. They fell to PSG twice at Northern Arena (though did beat Method) and while they did get some big wins over Cloud9 in the Rivals Week they have fallen to them whenever the two teams have met in pressure situations, including the regional championships and Dreamhack Atlanta. I think the draw might just end up too tough for NRG this time around, a first up clash with Method will be crucial as losing that will put them on the path to an elimination top eight clash against PSG or Cloud9 in the lower bracket, a battle I don’t see them winning. I think NRG will struggle with that draw, and a 7th-8th finish awaits them.

Ghost

Ghost’s Lethamyr demanded early in the season that people stop doubting them, but looking at the teams competing against them in the world championships it is hard to avoid some of that doubt about their chances creeping in. Their aggressive style has been fun to watch and caused a few upsets through league play, but can it carry over to world championship success?

The results on the board say that there is plenty of hope for Ghost at LAN. They’ve handled G2 several times now in the regional finals and Northern Arena, a tournament where they also bested Gale Force. They played Cloud9 close in the regional finals even if they only took one game in the series, and the list of teams to beat them since league play started includes only Method, NRG, Cloud9 and G2.

Where my concern comes from is that loss to Method at Northern Arena, where they took the first game but were then outpaced and outclassed to the tune of 15-3 in three games. They recovered well the next day to put a solid beating on G2 and take a good victory over Gale Force, but the bad losses always stick in your mind more than the solid wins and they never looked like getting on top of Method in that series.

For a relatively new squad, Ghost works together with remarkable synergy, and are improving week by week. Zanejackey took a while to find his place in the squad but has recently stood out, while Klassux hit the ground running and Lethamyr is well known as a class player. They embraced the bump meta fully and like to play a disruptive defense, it creates opportunities if you can avoid it but causes frustration and breaks rotations if you fall victim to it.

Numbers wise, Ghost were middle of the road for most of the season, average in shot accuracy, shots against, scoring and defense. They’re a motivated squad that I think will handle the pressure of LAN without issue, but I can’t shake the feeling they will be good but not good enough for a deep championship run. A single win over Mockit will ensure them a top six finish but I think that will be as good as it gets for Ghost.

G2 Esports

If Rocket League was an athletic sport then G2 would have the jaded fan base that barely cracks a smile at wins and proclaims doom upon the first sign of faltering. Despite being an all star name in Rocket League led by one of its earliest stars in Kronovi, G2 missed out on season 2 and season 3 LAN appearances and built up a reputation for inconsistent, often erratic play.

Fans had started to call that the “old G2” by the end of league play, where the squad went 6-1, finishing second and being the only team to beat Cloud9. A surprising loss to lowly Flyquest was the only reminder of the old, inconsistent G2, replacing them was a defensive powerhouse with strong rotations, led by league MVP JKnaps. G2 had turned the corner, and were ready to stand atop the Rocket League world.

Then came the regional finals, where their defensive record counted for little as they dropped back to back 4-1 series losses to Ghost and NRG, falling all the way to fourth seed in North America. It didn’t get any better for them at Northern Arena, unable to beat Cloud9 and once again falling to Ghost to bow out of the tournament in straight sets. Now the dominant G2 of league play is just a memory, and everybody is left to wonder whether they can pull it together for a run at the world championship.

Where G2 tend to fall apart is freelancing under pressure. Their defensive rotations were on point for all of league play and were rewarded with a league lowest goals against total, but Kronovi especially is known to break those rotations and attempt to put the team on his back when they need to score. With the form of JKnaps the squad are best off attempting to set him up with aggressive passing plays, but if G2 start to go it solo then losses will inevitably build up.

At their best G2 are a great pressure team, relentless in their assault on the goal, great at control and capable of long and short passing movements. With a long boot camp to prepare for RLCS you would hope we see them at their best, but right now G2 are a “believe it when I see it” squad. Any team in the finals will be hoping they can crack G2 with pressure, and if they do then G2 will beat themselves. I hope we see the best of G2 at LAN, but preferably after the Chiefs beat them in the first round.

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Stuart Gollan

From Amiga to Xbox One, Doom to Destiny, Megazone to Stevivor, I've been gaming through it all and have the (mental) scars to prove it. I love local multiplayer, collecting ridiculous Dreamcast peripherals, and Rocket League.