WePlay’s Rocket League Invitational brought audiences some high-octane competition a few weeks ahead of this year’s Rocket League Championship Series season. The event’s NA and EU division contained surprising matchups leading to unexpected grand finals that saw Karmine Corp in the grand final against Team BDS. NA was slightly more predictable, but it saw favorites NRG in the lower bracket final. The question now remains of how the final results for the WePlay Rocket League Invitational may influence the power ranking leading to RCLS’ invitational qualifier for the first split of the fall season in both NA and EMEA.

After a solid upper-bracket run that saw them eliminating Team Vitality in day two of competition, Karmine Corp faced Team BDS in the upper bracket final, losing to them 4-1. BDS would manage goal steaks in at least three of the five games played against Karmine Corp, but they never really broke into insane leads like we had seen earlier in their games against Guild Esports or Sandrock Gaming. BDS would shove Karmine Corp into the lower bracket to face Dignitas, coming in hot after a dominating match against Team Vitality. The games between Dignitas and Karmine Corp were immensely close, with either team only managing a one-goal lead over the other except for game five, which saw Karmine Corp dominate 5-0 on Neo Tokyo. Karmine Corp would manage to secure their spot in the grand final after beating Dignitas 4-3. 

The grand final for EMEA went the distance, with each team battling for domination of the set. Karmine Corp would eke out slim victories at the beginning of the set only to get shut out by BDS in the following six games, ending with a 6-0 shutout on Aquadome.

The second set would see Karmine Corp and BDS battling ferociously for each goal attempt, leading to insanely tense games where one goal would make the difference between a bracket reset or the spark of momentum for BDS to close out the set. Game one of the second set would see an OT of over two minutes as BDS and Karmine Corp battled it out in the air and sides for the chance at a single goal.

Ultimately, Karmine Corp would win both the second and third set by securing consecutive victories in the later half of the sets, gaining them $50,000 and the distinction of being WePlay’s EMEA champions for the WePlay Rocket League Invitational – EMEA. 

NA’s event was a little more straightforward, as NRG would drop to the lower bracket final after a harsh defeat at the hands of Shopify Rebellion. In the lower bracket, Envy would face NRG after a close match against FaZe Clan but manage to win out against NRG 4-2. The highlight of this match was game six, with an OT that clocked over eight minutes as both teams sat at an even 2-2 on Neo Tokyo. 

Envy came in hot after their wins against NRG to face Shopify Rebellion in the grand finals. Games between these two would see the Rebellion clocking in early wins with sturdy goal leads until the fifth game. Another OT on Neo Tokyo would see Envy securing their second win and sparking momentum to close out the set 4 to 3. Set two would see win trades between both teams until it was time for play on Neo Tokyo again, which gave Envy the momentum they needed to close out the set 4 to 2 and crown them the NA WePlay champions of the WePlay Rocket League Invitational.

The event was a great foray by WePlay into the Rocket League scene. It showcased just how passionate and creative the Ukrainian esports agency can be with events outside its Dota 2 and CSGO wheelhouse. Hopefully, WePlay continues to support Rocket League during the RCLS offseason with more invitational tournaments or regional events for smaller scenes. If you’re curious about getting into Rocket League, watching the WePlay Rocket League Invitational should be an excellent starting point to prepare you for the new season of RLCS and its new format.