This weekend, the eighth RLCS World Championship will take place in Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain. With four European teams, four North American, two Oceanic, and two South American, the Rocket League pros will battle it out who will be the next world champion. Before we reach the event, though, let’s take a look back to see what storylines have developed over the past season. Perhaps we’ll see some of these conclude this weekend.
Will there be a four-time RLCS World Champion?
Two players — who happen to be former teammates — have a chance at setting a new record. NRG’s Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver was the first player to reach three world champion titles, and he did it consecutively in seasons three, four, and five. Last June, he was joined by Renault Vitality’s Alex “Kaydop” Courant, who won seasons four, five, and seven. Will either of these two take a step over the other again, or should we expect a completely new champion?
Last time NRG played in an RLCS grand final, Kaydop and Turbopolsa (who scored the series-winning goal) robbed the title from under NRG’s nose. Now Turbo can do the opposite by bringing NRG to new heights. But we shouldn’t forgot that Kaydop has five consecutive RLCS Grand Finals to his name. He only lost seasons three (with current teammate Victor “Fairy Peak” Locquet, and against Turbo) and six.
History has just been made.@Turbopolsa has rightly earned, the THREE TIME World Champion with @TeamDignitas.#LANdon
🚀https://t.co/YaSObsS1RI
📺https://t.co/PpKjSDFoZt pic.twitter.com/UXruirOPrm— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) June 10, 2018
Can Pittsburgh Knights continue their LAN streak by winning RLCS?
Okay, they may not be on an actual streak yet. They did win the most recent major, however, and the question since then has been whether they can keep up that level of play. They’ve shown they’re one of the world’s best teams throughout the North American RLCS league play, and now the question is if they can do it again this weekend. The newcomers have blasted onto the professional scene, and they show no signs of stopping.
Out with the old guard, in with the new
There are some notable absences at the RLCS World Championships this season. Where G2 Esports were last season’s runners-up, they have now failed to qualify altogether. Cloud9, the season six World Champions, will also not represent North America in Madrid. Instead, we’re looking at newcomers eUnited (formerly known as Birds), SpaceStation Gaming (failed to qualify last season), most recent LAN-winners and fellow-newcomers Pittsburgh Knights, and the ever-impressive NRG.
On the other side of the pond, Veloce directly qualified by placing second. Having been promoted in unconventional ways, the team has performed impressively throughout the season and will represent Europe alongside title-holders Renault Vitality, the new Dignitas, and the European champions of Team Reciprocity.
What about Oceania and South America?
One of the questions we ask every season is whether any region can challenge the giants of North America and Europe. So far, the highest place an OCE or SA team has reached is fourth (by Chiefs in season four). Can they do better this time?
The RLCS World Championships will happen this weekend, Dec. 13-15. All scheduling information can be found on the official information page. The level in the RLCS is rising every season, so you don’t want to miss it! For all coverage of the event and everything Rocket League, stay tuned to Daily Esports.
