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5 New RLCS Teams You Need to Know for Season 4
These fresh Rocket League threats could give top squads a run for their money.
It's been a busy offseason, but the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) is finally back in full swing this weekend with the start of season four League Play. The lower-division Rival Series runs today across North America and Europe, while the top-tier NA action kicks off tomorrow and the EU RLCS teams battle it out on Sunday.
Some organizations, including NA powerhouses NRG and G2 Esports, have maintained their same starting lineups from last season. Others, including Euro leaders Team EnVyUs (formerly Northern Gaming, the current champs) and FlipSid3 Tactics, have tweaked their powerhouse rosters to try and rule the RLCS this season.
But there are plenty of new faces this time around, and some of these teams have already proven their skill during summer tournaments or last weekend's RLCS Play-In tournament. Before the matches get underway this weekend, here's a look at five of the most promising debut teams that could make waves in the Championship Series this season.
Cloud9
We've already done a deep dive on Cloud9's first Rocket League team, and that's because this roster made a big splash in late July by winning DreamHack Atlanta as The Muffin Men, an unsigned team. They were already fan favorites, and now under the wing of one of the top organizations in esports, they appear poised to make a serious run in the NA RLCS.
What's made Cloud9 such an impressive threat already is their team synergy: they keep pulling off ridiculous passing plays that tangle up opponents and wow viewers. Mariano "SquishyMuffinz" Arruda possesses incredible mechanical control, yet has emerged as a passing threat, while Kyle "Torment" Storer takes more of a defensive, midfield role, and Jesus "Gimmick" Parra is more prominent on offense.
Every time they play, you're almost guaranteed to see some kind of insane, highlight reel-worthy play involving the entire trio, and they're using that unified team mindset to win big series. NRG remains North America's proven powerhouse, especially after last season, but Cloud9 could give them a run for their money.
Frontline
Victor "Ferra" Francal may forever be known among Rocket League fans for one of last season's most spectacular plays: a slow-rolling series of fake-outs against FlipSid3 Tactics that helped put The Leftovers on the map as Europe's biggest surprise. But he's not on The Leftovers anymore: they had a falling out in the offseason when his teammates decided to pursue other options.
Instead, Ferra formed a brand new squad, Frontline, with Thibault "Chausette45" Grzesiak—formerly of Gale Force Esports—and Dan "Bluey" Bluett (ex-Team Infused). They're like a new trio of leftover players who have come together for this fresh season, and likewise, they're determined to make a strong impact. In fact, they already did it by sweeping The Leftovers at the Play-In tournament.
It was sweet revenge for Ferra, and while this team has only been together for a few weeks so far, they looked spectacular. Bluey, in particular, stole the show at the Play-In with an offensive barrage the helped bury last season's #4 team at the finals, and earned the 15-year-old the EU RLCS player of the week honors. Europe has a few intimidating teams at the top of the pro scene, but Frontline has the potential to shock the stalwarts.
FlyQuest
FlyQuest is new to Rocket League, but the NA organization's roster certainly isn't. In fact, two-thirds of the roster—Kais "Sadjunior" Zehri and Gabriel "CorruptedG" Vallozzi—played together last season for Denial, who made it to the World Championship. They split soon thereafter, and the pair then teamed with season one champ Brandon "Lachinio" Lachin under Myth Gaming for a couple weeks. But that fell through, and now they're back in action under FlyQuest with Rob "Chrome" Gomez (previously of Genesis).
And they looked really sharp in the Play-In tournament, defeating fellow RLCS S4 team Renegades (ex-Selfless) to kick off the NA broadcast. It ended up being the most exciting match of the day, going a full five games with an overtime result at the very end. FlyQuest looked pretty fantastic all the while: the offense was firing on all cylinders, the team plays were precise and plentiful, and this team of RLCS veterans looked like they can really hang in NA this season.
It might come down to the performance of Sadjunior, who has played on great, prominent teams—like Cosmic Aftershock and NRG—in the past, but put up meager numbers with Denial last season. He impressed on all fronts last weekend, earning NA player of the week honors, and his resurgence could power FlyQuest's success this time around.
Aeriality
A couple of little-known teams squeaked into the RLCS by taking slots from better-known squads, and Aeriality made the biggest splash of them last weekend. In the very last series of the weekend, they faced off against The Leftovers to decide who made the RLCS and who landed the consolation prize of the Rival Series. And Aeriality won out.
It wasn't just that Aeriality won against last season's #4 team, who were a seeming lock for the RLCS, but also how. The series went all the way to game five and then into an incredibly tense overtime, which stretched on for almost six minutes before Stephen "Tylacto" Griffin capitalized on a passing mistake (see the clip here) with a dazzling play to secure the win.
It was one of the best series of pro Rocket League we saw all summer, and Aeriality gutted out the win, denying the incredibly talented Leftovers their prized RLCS slot. We haven't seen a lot of this team, to be honest, but if Aeriality—which also includes Jack "FlamE" Pearton and former Leftovers substitute Oliver "Continuum" Meier—can maintain that kind of grit and determination during the regular season, then they might surprise even more EU rivals.
Ghost Gaming
Here's another squad composed entirely of RLCS veterans hoping they've found the right team to elevate them to greatness. Ghost recently acquired the roster, which was rebuilt from the ashes of long-running Rocket League squad Genesis, with captain Jason "Klassux" Klass returning from the last two seasons. Joining him this time around are Treyven "Lethamyr" Robitaille (ex-Denial) and Christopher "Zanejackey" Jacobs (ex-Take 3).
The NA competition looked fierce this season, but Ghost came into the Play-In and confidently took down Fibeon—a much-hyped, up-and-coming team that ultimately landed in the Rival Series—in a three-game sweep, with two of those wins coming in overtime. Ghost looked strong all around the pitch, whether they were effectively defending against Fibeon's offensive pressure or notching silly, two-car pinch goals like the one in the highlight above.
All three Ghost players have RLCS finals experience and are proven competitors, but haven't found overwhelming team success with past squads. Given their Play-In performance, perhaps this lineup can put a scare into the NA competition this season.
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