RLCS 22-23 World Championship Recap

Nobody could have asked for a better way to end the year than this incredible event. The RLCS 22-23 World Championship finished the season with a bang, leaving fans across the world astounded. Lets take a look back at the best moments, starting from the very beginning.

Wildcard

Before we could get into the main event, sixteen teams were forced to battle it out for the remaining eight spots. A gruelling Swiss bracket was played over the course of four days, a short amount of time for so many matches to be run. But it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Day 1

Surprisingly, the first day of the event pretty much went as expected. No real upsets were achieved, which is unheard of in the RLCS. Twisted Minds started the day by dismantling OCE’s Pioneers, KRÜ Esports Complexity Gaming, G2 Esports, Team Falcons and Moist Esports all followed in their footsteps by sweeping their respective opponents. Oxygen Esports and Spacestation Gaming were not so convincing in their victories, both series’ were nailbiters. PWR and Team Secret took both major region teams to game six, unfortunately this was as far as they got. The Round 2 matches were now set, and a few bangers were soon to be played in both the lower and upper rounds. What wonders would the event’s second day bring?

Day 2

Day 2 kicked off with a bang, Complexity Gaming and Oxygen Esports went head to head in a best of seven marvel. The two teams battled all the way to game seven overtime where Complexity Gaming where able to close it out and propel themselves into the Upper Round 5 of the Wildcard. The rest of the Upper Round games went a similar way, all were extremely close. The Middle Eastern teams closed out wins on Neo Tokyo over Moist Esports and KRÜ Esports, while G2 Esports knocked their countrymen at Spacestation Gaming down by closing out the second game seven overtime of the event. Meanwhile, the lower round was almost the complete opposite. The minor regions of APAC and SSA were destroyed in three of the four series’. However, APAC’s Elevate had different idea’s coming into their game versus G1. An astounding upset was pulled off by Asia’s finest, they had given the region their first win versus a non APAC or SSA team ever in the RLCS, truly unreal.

Day 3

The first two team to be eliminated would be decided on this day. We would have loved to see some close series to find out who would not be moving on, unfortunately this was far from what happened. G1 and Limitless swept their respective opponents in Gaimin Gladiators and Valiant, meaning one APAC team and one SSA team were no longer in the event. Teams were not only being eliminated today, some were qualifying through to the Main Event. Only two would be able to do this with a 3-0 record in swiss. First up was the Middle Eastern brawl of Team Falcons and Twisted Minds. Team Falcons were favoured in this matchup, having had a better season all around. However, the way this series began, you would never know. Twisted Minds took a dominant three game lead, looking to finish in a sweep. The series did finish in a sweep, but not the kind they had expected. Team Falcons won four consecutive games to take the win, after they won their first it never even looked close. This was the first best of seven reverse sweep at an RLCS LAN, absolutely unbelievable. Team Falcons were now through to main event, one more team would get their shot to join them 3-0. G2 Esports decided they wanted that spot more than Complexity Gaming. They showed this by sweeping them into round four of Swiss and taking the spot for themselves.

Despite Day 3 already offering us some great series, it still had more to give. On the B stream the mid round matches had been going down, and they were by no means any less entertaining than the games the A Stream had shown us. Moist Esports started us off by avenging their EU brothers and sweeping Elevate back in their place. KRÜ Esports took a strong 3-1 lead over PWR in the next series, then PWR almost brought it back before being shut out in game seven. Spacestation Gaming stomped Pioneers and Team Secret upset Oxygen Esports in six games to finish the day. Everything would be decided on the final day of the World Championship Wildcard.

Day 4

No one could have asked for better way to start the Wildcard’s final day with an Elevate upset win. They pulled of their second of the tournament, over Pioneers. Sending them to Round 5 of Swiss and keeping their Cinderella run alive. PWR kept OCE in the event by sweeping SSA’s last team in Limitless out of the tournament. The Europe on Europe match of G1 and Oxygen Esports was meant to be close and Oxygen Esports were meant to win. However, this was not at all what went down. G1 destroyed Oxygen Esports, taking them down in five games. This was a crazy upset considering G1 had lost to APAC in the same round as Oxygen Esports went to game seven versus Complexity Gaming, nobody saw this coming. The high round kicked off with two sweeps. Complexity Gaming regained after their loss to G2 Esports by sweeping Team Secret. Twisted Minds however, certainly didn’t regain. KRÜ Esports ran through them, shattering any hopes they had of shaking off the disaster in the previous round.

Round 5 began with a match that had thousands of eyes on it, Elevate versus Team Secret. The world wanted to know if the Elevate wonder run would continue into the Main Event. Unfortunately they fell just short, the Brazilians took them down in six games and finished what two teams before them could not. Elevate’s run through the Wildcard had proved to people that APAC deserved a little more respect than they were given, they would certainly be watched out for at the next event. Twisted Minds were certainly shook from their last two disasters in the Swiss Stage, but they managed to pull through and beat PWR in sweeping fashion. Hopefully this win would bring back some of that confidence for the Main Event to come. This win over PWR also meant OCE’s only wins all event were against SSA team, slightly embarrassing for a region that has been in the RLCS for years on end. The final game of the Wildcard was another European face off. G1 were back but now they had Moist Esports to fight, and this team was nothing like their last opponents. Despite being a nail biter, Moist Esports manged to close it out six games. This secured their spot in Main Event and meant that the World Championship Wildcard was all wrapped up. What an experience it had been and what more could this event give us?

Group A

With the Wildcard all wrapped up, the sixteen teams left in the event were ready to battle it out in groups to find out who would make the playoffs. To kick off we were given a South American battle between KRÜ Esports and Ninjas in Pyjamas. This matchup had been seen many times within the SAM region but never on LAN, it was set to be a close one from the start. The series began and it quickly became clear that it would be more than close. Game one went to KRÜ Esports in 3-1 fashion, then the next four games proceeded to go to overtime, all combining together for almost three extra games worth of Rocket League. The series ended in a game seven thriller, ultimately going in KRÜ Esports’ favour. With the combined overtimes and the series going all seven games, this match ended as the longest series ever seen on LAN, truly an amazing way to begin the Main Event.

The first game was certainly a spectacle, but nobody was ready for a second in quick succession. Team Liquid versus Complexity Gaming was a similar affair. Games were traded all the way to the second game seven of the day, and the final fight did not disappoint. With just a few seconds left on the clock, the terrifying Team Liquid counterattack is put in motion. Oski takes to the sky with the ball in his grasp as his teammate, Atow, stays grounded and sets his sights on the opponent’s cars. Two demolitions are found by the young Belgian, leaving the goal open for Oski to send a double flip reset sailing under the crossbar. An incredible play by the European duo to give their team the victory over one of NA’s best. The final two series of Group A’s first round were fairly close but ultimately closed out by the two European colossi, Team BDS and Karmine Corp.

With four teams now in lowers and four in uppers, we had more games to be played. Team Liquid dealt with KRÜ Esports and Team BDS destroyed Karmine Corp, sending the first two teams into playoffs. While a duo had now qualified, one was unfortunately set to be eliminated. Complexity Gaming versus Ninjas in Pyjamas was the first match of Group A’s Lower Bracket. It was closer than most expected, but Complexity Gaming ultimately closed it out in six games. Team Falcons dismantled Team Secret in the second matchup, meaning two South American teams had been sent home back to back. KRÜ Esports stood tall as the regions last hope. Though this hope was squashed by Team Falcons’ heavy step with little time wasted. The Middle Eastern super-team were now in playoffs and ready to show the world that they were truly a top eight team. The final game of Group A was written in the stars as an all time series from the beginning, Complexity Gaming and Karmine Corp would not disappoint. Game seven was found after many gruelling games were fought to brink, with Karmine Corp ultimately taking it for the home crowd. Half the teams were now locked in for playoffs, Group B would decide who we would see join the early victors.

Group B

Many stories were being created, continued and crushed as the event went on. Some good, some bad. Some long and extended while others were ended before they could begin. A story that was neither beginning nor ending was Team Vitality’s run of form and their crushing grip on the Spring Split since picking up sixteen year old RLCS rookie zen. The young gun had burst on to the scene and elevated his team to new heights, taking them to three regional victories and a trophy at the Spring Major. Now zen and his team were looking to add a World Championship to their list of achievements. There is no better way to prove you’re still the best team in the world than sweeping your first match of the event. So of course, that’s what Team Vitality did. Moist Esports were the unlucky prey of the French authority, standing no chance against their suffocating offence. Now one match away from the top eight, Team Vitality would have to wait for their opponent, decided by the result of the next series. It was hard for the winner of FaZe Clan and Spacestation Gaming to feel rewarded for taking the other down, knowing what waited for them in the next round. Never the less, Spacestation Gaming won for the fans. They sent FaZe Clan to the Lower Bracket with ease. In the next two games, the North American teams took their respective wins over MENA’s second and third seeds.

The Upper Bracket had two more matches to be played, neither were of particular interest. Gen.G Mobil1 Racing destroyed G2 Esports four games to one and Team Vitality followed in their footsteps by taking the expected win over Spacestation Gaming, adding to their long list of decisive victories over the best teams the world has to offer. Moving on to the Lower Bracket, the Middle Eastern matchup of Twisted Minds and Rule One went all the way to seven. The rookies of the region closed it here, moving on to play Spacestation Gaming and sending Twisted Minds home. The next series lit the arena up, Moist Esports freestyled on FaZe Clan. The crowd was fully behind their home team and FaZe Clan stood no chance versus the combined power of Moist Esports’ creativeness and the sheer wall off sound positioned against them. With this result going through, FaZe Clan had been sent out of the event in dead last, their worst result to date. But the Group Stage was by no means over. Spacestation Gaming and their star player Lj dismantled Rule One. Lj put up numbers that were unheard of on a LAN, with goals multiplying by the game, a performance for the ages. Finally, Moist Esports fell to G2 Esports in a sweep to wrap up Groups. What an experience it had been. But we were far from done, playoffs loomed and no fan on earth was ready for what was to come.

Playoffs

All season long teams had fought to make it here, now just eight remained. North America has sent four to prove their worth, the Middle East one, all while Europe’s finest four stood tall above the rest. The Quarterfinals gave us four cross region matchups, all that anyone had wanted.

Quarterfinals

First up was Team Falcons, MENA’s last hope at a World Championship win this season. In their way stood Team Vitality, Europe’s greatest was looking for dynasty levels of success and claiming a trophy on this stage would all but secure this title. While it was close, the Frenchmen had the slight edge all series long. This flourished in the final game on Neo Tokyo were Team Vitality closed it out with four goals unanswered. Semis were secured and the world could only watch on and wait for the penultimate episode of this wonderous show.

The second matchup of the playoff bracket was a faceoff the world had been waiting for all season. Consistency is key to make the World Championship and the two first seeds of the best regions the planet had to offer had shown they had it all season long. Gen.G Mobil1 Racing and Karmine Corp were destined to meet, now was the time for each team to show their worth. This was the biggest moment of the season for each player, for some it was career defining. Unfortunately, this turned out be no battle for the ages. Karmine Corp took control off the start, and held it all the way through to sweep NA’s highest ranked roster.

While North America’s first seed had fallen, there were two more teams to keep the Stars and Stripes flying. Spacestation Gaming looked to turn the tides of the Atlantic and send the waves back Europe’s way. Just one thing blocked this assault, Team Liquid. Representing Europe in this bout, they were the only ones controlling the water flow. Shutting down Lj was the key to success against this Spacestation Gaming team, and Xpére had certainly taught his players well. A brilliant showing from Team Liquid sent Lj and Spacestation Gaming home, securing Europe another spot in the Semifinals. Could they got four for four?

Only one team could stop this European masterclass, NA’s favourites at G2 Esports. Unfortunately for North America, Team BDS sat in G2 Esports’ path. The reigning world champions were looking to double up and defend their title, nothing NA could throw at them would stop their run. Despite their being three overtimes and one lasting over five minutes, G2 Esports never really stood a chance. With a 4-1 win, Team BDS secured their spot in the Semifinals and eliminated the final non-European team from the event.

Semifinals

Where many have fallen, four had stuck it through. The best teams in the world were the only ones that remained, but only two would make the final. The first game was the all time matchup of Team Vitality and Karmine Corp, the rivalry had evolved to new heights throughout the Spring Split. This was the final chapter, the French franchise. Every game had a difference of one goal until Karmine Corp called their infamous timeout, ending game four in a 5-2 victory for them. However, this dominance did not last, with Team Vitality winning the next game by just one goal and then running away with Neo Tokyo to win the series. This is certainly a series to watch back and arguably bought out the loudest crowd the esport has ever heard, one for the ages.

One finalist was secured, one to go. Team BDS had had Team Liquid’s number the last few times the two had played, this time was no different. The first game seemed close, but after a loss in overtime, Team Liquid seemed broken. They went on to lose the next two games in regulation, even after calling a timeout. By this time the series seemed over, and it was. Despite reaching overtime in game four, an early goal just fourteen seconds in booked Team BDS a shot at defending their World Championship. This final would be one to remember.

Grand Final

Just two remained. The reigning world champions looked to defend their title, while their challengers, led by the greatest talent the world had ever set eyes on, looked to steal it away. Team Vitality had no doubt felt a touch of doubt coming into this final, anyone would after watching the way Team BDS picked Team Liquid apart. This doubt however, was non-existent the second the timer went off for game one to begin. 3-0 to Team Vitality. A goal and two assists for zen. Game two was similar, despite it being just 1-0 zen’s defence was on another level. Team BDS call a timeout and the next game goes to overtime. Team Vitality take it forty seconds in. A goal, two assists and four saves for zen. The final game of the series was never even a fight, despite the score being just 2-0. Team Vitality closed it out and zen scored both the final goals.

With this decisive victory, Team Vitality had won their second World Championship as an organisation, the first to ever do it. The dynasty was complete, Alpha54, Radosin, zen and Ferra were crowned as kings of the world. The MVP medal went to zen, as expected. This win incapsulated Team Vitality’s season; taking the risk on a rookie the world had never seen. They started slow but proved that they were a force to be reckoned with when it mattered. Nobody could have foreseen a better way to end the event, the season was over and all we can do now is wait out the offseason.

Written by @typo_yk