Two years of waiting has led to this moment. NRG Esports’ iconic win over Team Vitality at the Rocket League Championship Series Season 8 World Championship in December of 2019 was the last fans saw of international competition. From Dec. 8-12, that wait finally comes to an end with the RLCS 2021-2022 Fall Split Major in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sixteen teams will qualify for the event. Two of them are from regions that have never before played on an international RLCS stage. Asia Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa finally have their chance to play among the greats, while North America, Europe, Oceania and South America get to battle over who improved most in the last 24 months. Can Jason “Firstkiller” Corral lead FaZe Clan to glory or will Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver win yet another RLCS LAN?
This is the RLCS Fall Split Major preview, Part 2 of 4. Part 1 covered NRG, Dignitas, Sandrock Gaming and Renegades, while Part 2 featured G2 Esports, Team BDS, Ground Zero Gaming and FURIA Esports.
North America: FaZe Clan
- Austin “AyyJayy” Aebi (USA)
- Braxton “Allushin” Lagarec (Canada)
- Jason “Firstkiller” Corral (USA)
FaZe Clan came blazing out the gates after signing mechanical superstar Firstkiller ahead of the season. But, after winning the first regional, their form dipped in Regional 2 and they bombed out of the event on Day 1. In Regional 3, major contention was back on the menu when they reached top eight and claimed their spot in the top five.
Despite the brief dip in form, FaZe look like strong competitors at the RLCS Fall Split Major. Of course, signing one of NA’s best players has that effect and, alongside AyyJayy, the two mechanical monsters are a threat to any defense. With Allushin backing the two up, FaZe have shaped themselves into a team anyone would want to avoid.
With a top one and top three finish in the first and third regional, respectively, FaZe are one of the strongest contenders in the tournament.
Europe: Team Endpoint
- Lucas “RelatingWave” Rose (England)
- Otto “Metsanauris” Kaipiainen (Finland)
- Enzo “Seikoo” Grondein (France)
Ahead of the season, not many would have expected Team Endpoint to have improved as much as they did. But, by signing the relatively unknown French prodigy Seikoo, the team immediately showed what they were capable of by winning the first regional. The second regional, they pulled a FaZe and fell on the first day, but in Regional 3, they continued right where they left and won that one too. It was enough to claim a spot to the RLCS Fall Split Major as Europe’s No. 1 seed.
Alongside Seikoo are veterans Metsanauris and RelatingWave, the former of which is a World Championship runner-up. The two had a decent Season X run, finishing in 10th place. With their new wunderkind, their ceiling seems to have been launched into the stratosphere.
Endpoint’s new strong form is so fresh, no one knows if they can stay consistent or if they can translate it to offline success. But, it’s clear that Endpoint is the unexpected success story in Europe, and it’ll be exciting to see their RLCS Fall Split Major performance.
South America: eRa Eternity
- Luiz Fellipe “AztromicK” Lopes (Brazil)
- Matheus “math” Gonçalves (Brazil)
- André “snipjz” Da Silva Mendonça (Brazil)
After winning the second regional, eRa Eternity ensured their LAN attendance by a hair in Regional 3. They are one point ahead of Noble Esports, who fell to FURIA in the semifinal and, therefore, missed out on crucial points. By that time, eRa Eternity had already been eliminated, so the major spot was there for the taking. The 301 points from winning Regional 2 were just enough for them to gain that one extra necessary point.
It goes to show how close the competition in South America is and how the region has been growing. While most performances at previous LANs have not been those to write home about, things may be different this year.
Of the three players, math is the most experienced. He played at the Season 8 World Championship in Madrid, Spain and finished in top three in South America in Season 9. Since then, he hasn’t seen as much success, but the 2021-2022 season is looking bright for him again. Both AztromicK and snipjz placed on the lower end in previous seasons, but have found their stride alongside math by reaching top two. AztromicK, in particular, has a habit of pulling out some nasty plays.
🤯Haciendolo ver FACIL🤯@Aztromick poniendo clavo en el primer partido de la segunda serie
📺https://t.co/i9kjF8jW7G
🏆#RLCSxRocketStreet pic.twitter.com/umxcWwVbjd— Rocket Street 🚀🏟 (@RocketStreet) November 7, 2021
Until we actually see them on the Fall Split Major stage, it’s nigh impossible to judge whether they’ll be able to take down some of the other RLCS regions like Oceania, the Middle East and Asia, or even Europe and North America. But, with how the region has improved over the years, eRa Eternity can at least be considered the favorites over Asia and, now that Sandrock Gaming is forced to play without their superstar Khalid “oKhaliD” Qasim, probably the Middle East as well.
North America: Team Envy
- Massimo “Atomic” Franceschi (USA)
- Nick “mist” Costello (USA)
- Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver (Sweden)
Back to North America. With five teams from the region qualifying, it was impossible to spread them evenly across four previews. But make no mistake, Team Envy is no laughing matter. They went from top eight to top two over the span of the three regionals and, with four-time world champion Turbopolsa flying to compete in his home country of Sweden, it’s easy to feel sorry for their opponents.
In the end, Team Envy had to fight for their spot. But then again, everybody in NA did. For Envy, it was an extremely close call in the third regional with a 4-3 win over Spacestation Gaming in a direct battle for qualification.
Anyone from NA may be able to take the win at the RLCS Fall Split Major, so calling Envy one of the favorites would not be wrong. Still, without a regional win under their belt, they can’t allow themselves any mistakes. Their form has been on the rise, so now it is up to them to prove they can follow through at the RLCS Fall Split Major. But this is Turbopolsa we’re talking about. If anyone has the capacity to pop off at LAN, it’s him.
Published: Nov 23, 2021 11:00 am