Day one of the Rocket League Championship Series Season X (RLCS) North American Winter Major has come and gone. We now know who is headed into day two and guaranteed top six or better, and who fell short.
With the Winter Major as the final event of the winter split, teams are looking to secure the lion’s share of $100,000 and a hefty chunk of points that determine who goes to the world championships later this year. There weren’t a whole lot of upsets, but we did see some mild surprises on day one.
Envy continues their strong run, while G2 falls short
Team Envy has been North America’s strongest team this season, and this major they continued to show dominance. Four-time RLCS world champion Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver and his team have won the previous major and now secured at least top three by making quick work of The Peeps (4-0) in the upper semi-final, despite the individual games being close.
NRG also secured top three and await Team Envy in the upper final on day two. The team of three former world champions had no trouble with SpaceStation Gaming, who are sitting in third on the leaderboard–which makes the quick 4-1 win all the more impressive.
So, the season leaderboard top three (Team Envy, NRG and SpaceStation Gaming) and last regional’s winner Rogue are all still in the race to claim first place this winter major. G2 Esports, however, fell short and flunked out of the tournament with two straight losses; first against Ghost Gaming, then against Rogue in the lower bracket. They are currently sitting in fourth place on the leaderboard, but can still be overtaken by multiple teams. Despite still sitting in the top six (for now) that goes to the world championship, G2 has not looked like a strong contender for the crown this season. But a better result than last place was expected at the very least.
What’s happening on day two of the RLCSX NA Winter Major?
Several more great matches await us on day two of this RLCSX NA Winter Major. With NRG versus Team Envy and SpaceStation Gaming versus Rogue, we are likely looking at the future top four of the region all facing off against each other in their first rounds of the day. But The Peeps versus Version 1 (formerly Cloud9) matchup also cannot be forgotten. Rocket League is volatile and anyone can pull a win out of the hat.
But there’s more. Besides the battle for this major’s championship, another tournament will conclude the same day, on the same broadcast. The Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational will see its own conclusion before the grand final of the major. Two so-called freestylers will perform their creative, mechanical skills in front of a jury to battle for the grand prize of a real-life Ford F-150. The first rounds were held earlier in the week, and if they are anything to go by, the grand final should be a spectacle to behold.
The RLCSX NA Winter Major Day 2 continues on Sunday Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. ET on Twitch and YouTube.
