The Rocket League Championship Series is only a few weeks away. That leaves enough time for weekly team-by-team previews of the world’s best Rocket League teams. This series will act almost as previews for what to expect during Season 7 for each team. Check out the rest of the previews here.
This preview will look at the best and worst case scenarios for the flat brimmed gods: Team SoloMid.
Season 6 Results: As We Dem Girlz in Season 6, the roster finished 4-3 and third place in EU. They finished in second place in the EU Regional Championship and qualified for the LAN playoffs. WDG finished in third place at the World Championships behind Dignitas and Cloud9.
Off-season Movement:Â Signed with Team SoloMid, so now they make a lot more cool hype videos.
Off-season Performance:Â ELEAGUE Champions. 5-6th place at WSOE. Day 1 exit during the group stage of DreamHack Leipzig.
Team MVP:Â Jordan “Eyegnite” Stellon.
Realistic Team Goal:Â Top four finish at RLCS Season 7 World Championship.
Background and Team History
The ELEAGUE victors were picked up by mega-org Team SoloMid after their victory in Atlanta. TSM showed their confidence in not only their team, but in the esport as a whole with their decision to invest in Rocket League. The move was monumental and a heartwarming moment for a team that struggled to find an org all of last season.
Their 4-3 finish was solid in the ever competitive EU region. They had a world class performance at the World Championships though. We Dem Girlz (their moniker before the TSM signing) knocked Cloud9 to the loser’s bracket in round one and continue their run all the way to third place. After their performance at the World Championships, there was buzz that WDG was one of the best teams in the world.
EyeIgnite, Remco “Remkoe” den Boer and Otto “Metsanauris” Kaipiainen then had a bittersweet off-season. They took home the ELEAGUE crown to kick things off, then proceeded to look disappointing in their other appearances.
Their exit at WSOE was excusable, they lost in the playoffs to their foil Cloud9. Dropping out of DreamHack after losing to mCon esports on the other hand? That was jarring. TSM looked uninspired in both of those tournaments. Were those performances just flukes? Was the team not taking them seriously?
Maybe, but if TSM is going to reach their potential, they have to be on in every single series. This is the first team in the preview series who has a legitimate chance at taking home the World Championship. They’re more than talented enough to get there. Now, it’s about consistency.
Team SoloMid’s Best Case Scenario
As just outlined, TSM could win the whole Season 7 shebang. They’re skilled and experienced enough to do it. When all three players are at the top of their game they’re close to unstoppable. The problem is that they aren’t always playing at the top of their game.
Their best case scenario has to do with developing a Dignitas level of focus. TSM needs to learn to set the tone and control each series they play in. No matter what the score or situation, TSM need to up their concentration. They need to play they same way they did when they beat Cloud9 at ELEAGUE as when they face off against mousesports. That will prepare them for a quality RLCS run.
Is it unreasonable to think that TSM could go 6-1 and finish in first place in EU? Absolutely not. Metsanauris and Remkoe are two of Rocket League’s most versatile players. TSM is one of the most balanced teams in the esport right now. All the roster shakeup could lead to chemistry issues on other teams. All of this adds up nicely for TSM.
If all goes right, TSM could form a Cloud9-like situation where it’s hard to tell who the team’s best player is, but it’s obvious that all three are world class.
Their mistake punishing style can take them a long way. Rocket League’s skill ceiling is still rising, and with the more that players try more mechanically demanding things, the more likely they are to mess up and the more likely TSM is to score. If they can all play their absolute best, they can win the World Championship. Only a handful of teams can say that.
Team SoloMid’s Worst Case Scenario
Losing to mCon Esports was as close as you can get to TSM’s worst case scenario. EyeIgnite, Remkoe and Metsanauris are three excellent players, but each has a tendency to vanish from matches for long periods of time. EyeIgnite led the team in scoring, assists and saves, so when he disappears, TSM are in big trouble.
Not to mention the added the newfound expectations that follow their new org and offseason LAN victory. Remkoe and Metanauris have RLCS Grand Finals experience, but there’s never been so much pressure to perform on this team. They were one of four invited teams to WSOE and DreamHack which basically soldified their status as a top four team in the world, and then they played poorly. Are they really one of the world’s four best teams?
Their worst case scenario is that the answer to that question is yes. What if ELEAGUE was a fluke? Why did TSM get involved if this team isn’t for real? How can the team improve? Are there any roster moves out there that can make this team substantially better?
You can’t rule anything out given the talent in EU, but it’s difficult to imagine TSM finishing bottom two. It isn’t very difficult to imagine them struggling against the likes of Dignitas, Renault Vitality, ex-Flipsid3 Tactics or anyone else in EU and finishing fifth or sixth.
The only way this could happen is if the team lets the game pass them by. If up and coming rosters like Triple Trouble and Savage! can manage to make one of the game’s reliable teams look slow, TSM are in a rough spot.
The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of great Rocket League teams and TSM sometimes lacks the ability to separate themselves from the shuffle. If they drop a couple of close series against bottom feeders or lose focus against top teams they could be on the outside looking in.
TL;DR:Â TSM could be one of the best four teams in the world. They’re one of the favorites to win the World Championships. The scary side is that TSM may be a mid table team that had a really nice run at one LAN. Only time will tell, but it’s more likely than not that we’ll see Team SoloMid come playoff time.
Featured image courtesy of Team SoloMid.
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