Rocket League esports is versatile. Where one week we have the RLCS with a million-dollar prize pool, the next we’ll watch a community member’s $1,000 tournament on Twitch. The thing these two have in common? They feature the same players. The absolute world top still competes in smaller online tournaments, and The Brawl is the most recent excellent small tournament to grace our screens with casualness, humor, and top-tier Rocket League. Or, well… mostly top-tier Rocket League.
What is The Brawl?
The Brawl is a weekly $1,000 tournament hosted by RLCS analyst Adam “Lawler” Thornton. Each week professional players from Europe and North America alternately play in a single- or double-elimination tournament, depending on how many teams there are.
But here’s the twist: They are not allowed to play with their own professional team. Every team has a captain and this captain chooses two teammates. These two teammates can be together on a professional team, but they cannot be on the same pro team as the captain. This makes sure that we see teams play together in sometimes never-before-seen lineups.
The team that wins the tournament is automatically invited for the next Brawl of their region, and if they successfully defend their title they will get 100 percent of the prize pool, rather than the 65/35 split for first-time winners.
Many rules are still subject to change as Lawler irons out the kinks, but once he’s done so, he will also open up a single spot for the public. Not only is it a fun way to include the community, but it also allows new talent to show up and show their potential.
Why else should I watch it?
While The Brawl’s prize pool is small, it’s still excellent entertainment with players and personalities we know from the professional Rocket League scene. Lawler also invites players onto the stream where they speak about current events in the professional scene while a game between six pro players is being played in the background. Sometimes there’s casting, sometimes there’s banter, and sometimes there are quite some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits being shared. On the most recent stream, for instance, Garrett “GarrettG” Gordon talked with Lawler about NRG’s new acquisition of Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver and how the signing came to be. It all adds up to a very casual tournament with a very chill vibe.
On top of all that, Lawler also often joins the teams in their voice comms. And with the tournament being a little less serious than usual, the results are often… interesting. Listen for example to Triple Trouble’s Aldin “Ronaky” Hodzic’s moon theory in the middle of a match as he plays alongside Rocket League legends Turbopolsa and Francesco “Kuxir97” Cinquemani.
Where and when can I watch it?
Glad you asked. The Brawl is hosted on Lawler’s Twitch channel every week, though the days may differ per week. It’s best to keep an eye on the Liquipedia page or Lawler’s Twitter page. He also tweets out new information for upcoming weeks, so it’s a good idea to follow him in general. Of course, if you happen to miss one or want to watch the previous weeks back, you’ll be able to find those on his YouTube channel. The next broadcast of The Brawl will be held on Aug. 2 for players in North America.
