World Championship Roundtable

Who was your Wildcard MVP?

Travis / @TMessall: Even though ApparentlyJack put up some incredible numbers, I thought Aztral was MVP. Karmine Corp looked incredible in going 3-0, and Aztral was the catalyst to me. He was noticeable in every series as the best player on the pitch (maybe besides noly against OpTic). Aztral was top five in the Wildcard in score per game, goals per game, shots per game, and shooting percentage. If Aztral continues this form into the Main Event, Karmine Corp will at least reach the playoffs, and can dream of a World Championship.

Michael / @dgnro_: I think Aztral or mist were likely the best players in the wildcard, but the most valuable player for their team had to be Fever. I’d be willing to bet that less than a tenth of Rocket League fans saw Renegades making it out of the wildcard, and even fewer thinking they’d go 3-1 (besides me, of course, who put them in my Shift 16). Fever played a huge part in that, playing the best Rocket League of his life and standing out in every series the team played. He popped, especially in the OpTic series, which was potentially the biggest upset of the entire wildcard. If he continues to play the way he did this weekend, Renegades could be a dark horse candidate to qualify for the Playoffs. 

Jalen / @1jayski: There were a handful of players that really stood out to me this weekend, but I’m ultimately gonna have to go with OpTic Gaming’s mist. When I think of value, I think “what would a team be like if a certain player wasn’t on said team.” With that in mind, I do think OpTic’s chances of qualifying for the Main Event falter if mist isn’t at the helm. Every time he was able to get involved in a play on offense, good chances were generated for OpTic’s offense. Then, we have to factor in his defense and the many heroics he put on display during the Group Stage.

Mark / @ar1essss_: ApparentlyJack showed outstanding performance during the Wildcard stage and helped his team to attend the Group Stage. But I want to point out ExoTiiK from SMPR Esports as the most valuable player within the Wildcard stage. This is only his second international LAN event. His first, Gamers8 2022, was only three weeks ago. Few expected the French team to play so well during the Wildcard, as they had some problems during Spring Split. But in Dallas so far, SMPR has won all three matches they played, including an incredible series against Spacestation Gaming. 

What was your favorite series of the Wildcard?

Travis / @TMessall: The best matchup was our first taste of North America vs. Europe: OpTic Gaming vs. Dignitas. The series may have been a sweep in OpTic’s favor, but 15 of 33 series in the Wildcard were sweeps, so it doesn’t take away from the match. Two of the games went to overtime, with a third coming down to a single goal. It also proved to be a matchup of two early MVP contenders, with mist and ApparentlyJack going head to head. There were questions surrounding OpTic Gaming entering the series, despite their top eight run in London, since they hadn’t beaten a top team yet. They resoundingly put those questions to bed, delivering Dignitas their only loss of the Wildcard, and cementing their spot as a contender.

Michael / @dgnro_: While these are subjective questions, I can’t imagine anyone enjoying a match more than the Wildcard’s final one, the Flu Game itself, Spacestation Gaming vs. Pioneers. Rocket League is obviously an extremely taxing game mentally, but you basically never see a player fighting through physically in the way that Arsenal did during this series. Backs to the wall, season on the line, SSG still performed. Despite only going five games, the series felt like a nail-biter; Pioneers fought as hard as they could, and proved they’ll be a force as they continue to grow and improve in the coming years. It also had maybe the most satisfying ending to any series in RLCS ‘21-’22, a clinical double tap from Arsenal himself to vault his team into the main event. It’s a series that will be remembered for a long time, and will likely come to define this year’s Wildcard. 

Jalen / @1jayski: With 33 series taking place, we only had one go to a Game 7, which was Spacestation vs. SMPR Esports and that’s gotta be my pick for my favorite series. It was one of the few matches during the Wildcard that actually had that World Championship feel to it and both teams brought it which just made for something entertaining regardless of which side you were rooting for.

Mark / @ar1essss_: I can confidently say that it was the a series between SMPR and Spacestation Gaming. It was the only one match out of 33 which went to all seven games. Each of them was very interesting and exciting. Especially the last one, which ended in overtime. I’d also note the power of the timeout. It worked here. as Spacestation took a timeout and won the next game. SMPR used theirs as well, and it helped them to grab the whole series.

Which series are you most looking forward to in Main Event Round One?

Michael / @dgnro_: I was really hoping to see a FaZe-OpTic matchup, to be completely honest; it would represent how far the esport has come, to see two of gaming’s most iconic brands going at it in front of 13,000 people. With that off the table, I’m still most interested in watching FaZe play, but they’ll be against The Club. The Club look hungry and dangerous, and given that FaZe haven’t yet played a series, I think there’s a fair chance we see an upset in round 1. They tend to struggle against aggressive, mechanical teams (Moist, Falcons, Liquid) and The Club is relentless on the attack. On the flip side, I could be completely wrong. FaZe seldom loses to teams that aren’t as individually skilled as them, and are probably the best team in the world at burying inferior opponents. It’ll be a fun one nonetheless.

Travis / @TMessall: I’ll take the opposite team from Michael’s dream matchup and highlight OpTic Gaming vs. G2 Esports. Based on where both teams are now, top sixteen in the world, their much-discussed Atomic–dreaz swap was the biggest roster move of the season. It paid immediate dividends for G2 with a Winter Major victory, but the move is coming to fruition for OpTic as well. The winner will face a difficult second round matchup, the winner of FURIA vs. Karmine Corp (another series which would be an excellent choice here, given the recent history), but no matchup will feature the storylines of this one.

Jalen / @1jayski: I’m looking forward to the Moist-Spacestation rematch in Round One. I think this series will let us know one of two finalists who are going to make it to the Grand Finals (under the assumption that Arsenal is healthy moving forward). Both of these teams have something to prove, which means they’ll bring nothing less than their A-games. Spacestation wants to get their revenge and Moist are trying to retain their title as the current best team in the world. I think this series goes all the way to another Game 7 overtime where, hopefully, no flukey kickoffs happen.

Mark / @ar1essss_: I will choose another rematch from LANdon – FURIA vs. Karmine Corp. These teams met in the lower bracket at the Spring Major. The Brazilian team was very close to a top 4 spot, but itachi took the win for Karmine corp. FURIA made massive progress this season, and now every team has stopped underestimating them. The team’s main star, yanxnz, shows incredible performance in each game. KCorp has already shown solid play in the Wildcard. I’m sure that this series will again end in another incredible Game 7.

Which region will win a LAN first, APAC or SSA?

Michael / @dgnro_: I gotta go with APAC. Senbei Strikers looked competitive against non-APAC or SSA teams despite not winning much, and I think with time, they’ll grow to be contenders if they keep grinding. 

Jalen / @1jayski: I think it’s APAC by a pretty large margin  –  they kind of have a leg up on SSA due to having representation at previous Majors already (even if they didn’t win a lot). ReaLize has proven he can perform internationally, but the contending teams (as a whole) coming out of the region have got to clean up the bad habits they’ve developed from dominating their regions.

Travis / @TMessall: I’ll have to agree on APAC. In the old days, Oceania could never compete internationally because it was an extremely top-heavy region with minimal depth. The top teams were never pushed to be better, and SSA looks like it will fit that mold as nobody truly challenged Orlando Pirates or Bravado Gaming throughout the year. APAC already has depth in both regions, and multiple teams with international experience. That will push every team to improve, and lead to better results for APAC sooner than SSA.

Mark / @ar1essss_: I think it will be APAC. At least because they have a chance to perform at Majors, while SSA has now only Worlds slots. In my opinion, APAC has more chances to find true talents from the whole region, than SSA. If that talent makes it to the RLCS as fast as possible, and develop correctly, success waits for them. 

Will the World Champion come out of Group A or Group B?

Michael / @dgnro_: If the unguardable, world-beating G2 from Los Angeles shows up in Dickies Arena, it’s Group B. If not, Group A first seed Moist likely repeats. Hoping for the former. 

Jalen / @1jayski: Gotta be honest, I feel like Group B is more stacked than Group A despite the favorites, Moist Esports, being in A. So, I think it’s more likely that one of FaZe, G2, Falcons, FURIA, and even Karmine will make a run for the title.

TMessall / @TMessall: Group B is incredibly loaded, with five top contenders and three more teams that showed incredibly high ceilings during the Wildcard. The four teams that make it out will be more battle-tested than Group A’s teams, and even though Moist may be the favorites, it’s too difficult to win at this level of RLCS to expect the favorites to always win. I think Group A is neither as deep nor as topheavy as Group B, and the winner will come from there.

Mark/ @ar1essss_: Despite the fact that Moist is in group A, I’d say that the winner will come from Group B. The number of candidates for the World Championship in Group B is definitely more than in Group A. Although only four out of eight teams can advance to the playoffs, all eight of Group B look very scary.

Did you agree with our choices? Let us know on Twitter @ShiftRLE, and make sure to keep up with Shift for all of your Rocket League news throughout and after the World Championship!