The RLCS Season 7 World Championship was filled to the brim with dramatic moments, rivalries, key goals and most importantly, a North American vs European final. With the odds stacked against them, Renault Vitality produced a masterclass performance to sweep aside North America’s big three on home soil.
Their main challengers were an in-form G2 Esports, but the European giants were simply too much to handle for the North Americans. Renault Vitality showed that they were simply not a flash in the pan online team, but in fact a worthy successor to the era of Dignitas.
Photo courtesy of Rocket League
Renault Vitality’s Passage To The Finals
Vitality came into the competition as Europe’s #1 seed and faced off against Ground Zero Gaming in their opening match of the tournament (you can hear their thoughts from day one here).
The squad defeated the Australians with relative ease and then came up against G2 Esports on day two. In a fiery matchup G2 Esports came out of the blocks firing to put a spanner in the works for the French organization, who lost 1-3. As a result, Vitality moved onto day three as the #2 seed from their group and had to face North America’s finest NRG Esports in a Dreamhack Dallas rematch.
Photo courtesy of Rocket League
In a typical day three performance from Kaydop, Vitality controlled the opposition with a smart and dominant display that saw them move onto face Cloud9 in the semi-finals. While C9 had produced a skilled performance against FC Barcelona in the quarter finals, Vitality were a whole new monster and the reigning world champions simply couldn’t contend with a Fairy Peak that was having the performance of a lifetime.
The grand finals saw Vitality come up against a G2 Esports, where they were able to contain the duo of JKnaps and Chicago, consequently defeating the North American fan favourites 4-1.
A big congratulations to @TeamVitality, they were crowned the @RocketLeague#RLCS7 World Champions yesterday! 👑They took the championship against @G2esports 4-1 in the grand final! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2XLsOT8nuN
— Gfinity Esports (@Gfinity)
June 24, 2019
Scrub Killa Fulfils The Expectations Of 2015
Scrub Killa was always destined for greatness and while we all had an inkling back in 2015, making that a reality is no mean feat. Earning himself the MVP award and becoming the first LAN debutante since RLCS Season 1 to win.
While statistically Scrub Killa placed third compared to his teammates, he lives and breathes the game; being an inspiration for all and thus thoroughly deserved the MVP award.
French Rocket League Reigns Supreme
Kaydop becomes the second player in the world to win the world championship three times, rivalled only by his former Dignitas teammate Turbopolsa. There is no doubt that Kaydop is now the greatest professional to have ever graced competitive Rocket League, having participated in five consecutive grand finals and winning three of them.
Yet, Kaydop is no longer alone at the top in the French scene. Fairy Peak becomes the second French player to win a world championship, having now participated in two grand finals. Additionally, four other French players were able to make the top eight this season including Alpha54, Kassio, Chausette45 and Ferra.
Missed opportunities For North America
While G2 Esports and Rogue performed admirably, there is much to be said about the disappointing performances from Cloud9 and especially NRG Esports.
Cloud9 missed a vital opportunity to cement their names in Rocket League history and to create an era to rival Team Dignitas. After winning RLCS Season 6 in 2018 and then Dreamhack Dallas three weeks ago, the stage was set for Cloud9 to match their former European rivals, but Team Vitality put in a dominant display that saw Cloud9 only score two goals in four games.
NRG Esports on the other hand came in as the top North American seed. Yet, another dismal display on LAN from the roster suggests that there is so much more work that needs to be done. No doubt a potential change is on the cards for NRG, who have to recognize all three players suffer major statistical drops on LAN.
Photo courtesy of Rocket League
Teams Head To Dreamhack Valencia Next
In a mere two weeks, Dreamhack Valencia is set to kick off and will feature several teams from the RLCS Season 7 world championships.
Team Vitality will be looking to build upon their victory in Newark, while Cloud9, G2 Esports and NRG will all be looking to redeem themselves.
Furthermore, we’re also set to witness the debut of several new rosters including The Bricks who have picked up al0t to replace Miztik, Method who have picked up Tigreee to replace Oscillon and Team Dignitas who have yet to announce a new third. The former Evil Geniuses duo of CorruptedG and Klassux are also teaming up with Turbopolsa on a roster named “River Rats” which should add a bit of cross-region spice to the line-up of teams. The summer still has plenty of Rocket League to offer.
What did you think of the RLCS World Championship? Tweet us!
Did you miss our interview with the winners Renault Vitality? Read it here.
Gamescom 2019 will no doubt have more information on the future of Rocket League. Read more about Gamescom here.
Written ByElliot McSheen@SlybaeRL