There was always a certain feeling of inevitability to it.
NRG Esports announced on their Twitter page that they have signed Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver to replace Jayson “Fireburner” Nunez, who retired earlier this month. Rocket League’s North American Regional Champions added another important cog to their machine.
Dignitas released Turboplsa a day before the Season 7 World Championship one month ago.
Turbopolsa is just the second cross-region transfer in Rocket League history. Having won three World Championships with EU teams. Now NA presents a whole new challenge for the three-time champion.
This is one of the most important roster moves the game has ever seen. Questions swirled around the region when Fireburner retired, but they’re all answered now. Turbopolsa stands in Fireburner’s place on one of North America’s most dominant teams.
The move had been foreshadowed by Turbo on Twitter earlier in the day when Beyond the Summit announced the participating teams for next month’s event. NRG were on the list, and Turbo cheekily tweeted the following:
Sucks to miss the first ever BTS RL 😔 https://t.co/fcpVX8iLBU
— Pierre Silfver (@Turbopolsa) July 25, 2019
Turbopolsa was the player that ended NRG’s dream of a storybook World Championship in Season 5. Justin “JSTN” Morales scored the iconic zero second goal that sent Game 7 to overtime, but Turbopolsa is the one who scored in OT to secure the championship.
Now they play on the same team.
Turbo’s production suffered a slight drop off in Season 7 with Dignitas. After averaging 1.00 GPG, 0.74 APG, 1.77 SAPG and 2.71 SHPG in Season 6, he submitted an average scoreline of 0.69 GPG 0.23 APG 1.58 SAPG and 2.27 SHPG.
Still, he is one of Rocket League’s most decorated players and has been able to adapt to new situations well throughout his career. Turbo won the World Championship as a sub for Northern Gaming back in Season 3.
JSTN and Garrett “GarrettG” Gordon add a savvy and confident player to replace Fireburner. Turbo isn’t the flashiest or gaudiest players around, but he is a consistent player with an amicable work ethic.
Power Balance Shift
This move shifts the balance of power intensely. NRG should still produce at a high level with Turbo, and teams that haven’t locked their rosters down in EU just had to say goodbye to the region’s most sought after free agent. Teams like Team SoloMid, Complexity and The Bricks will have to move on without him.
In the grander scheme of things, Turbo’s move is unlike anything Rocket League has ever seen. Sure, Matthew “Drippay” Den-Kaat made the move from Oceania to NA with Evil Geniuses, but that was different. Drippay left an inferior region for a team that wasn’t in NA’s Big Three.
Turbo, on the other hand, left EU, a region which stands on the same proverbial footing as NA and he landed with the Region’s most dominant team. NRG didn’t drop a series in online play this season and lost to eventual champions Renault Vitality at worlds.
It’s hard to say whether the move is a sure upgrade over Fireburner, but they are similar types of players. They’re both mature, solid and versatile, which is exactly what this team needs.
Will NRG deploy Turbo as third man, or will they ask him to finish the bulk of chances in front of net? As good as GarrettG and JSTN are it may not matter.
NRG are the best Rocket League team to never win a World Championship, and Turbo has the pedigree to change that. This move shook the Rocket League world, and now that the biggest domino has fallen, the rest of the teams will settle into place.
Featured image courtesy of WSOE.
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