Jens Koornstra

<div>In this episode of ShiftCast, RLCS enthusiast <a href="https://twitter.com/belleairballer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Belleair</a> joins the ShiftCast crew to talk about the four upcoming Open Qualifiers and Rocket League's response to payout and server issues plaguing the pros. The podcast is available below on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Q5fnoAWSM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube </a>as well as on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VnQqoGrjg7fKDEajfig7z" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>The topics for this week:</div><ul><li>NA Regional preview</li><li>SAM Regional preview</li><li>MENA Regional preview</li><li>SSA Regional preview</li><li>Buy The Dip</li><li>RLCS payouts &amp; DDOS issues</li></ul><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54Q5fnoAWSM?si=jBuC1JH5z8BKlmPT" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3VnQqoGrjg7fKDEajfig7z?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div>

RLCS enthusiast Belleair joins the ShiftCast crew to talk about the four upcoming Open Qualifiers and Rocket League's response to payout and server issues plaguing the pros.

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ShiftCast Ep. 13: Split 2 is finally here!

Elliot McSheen

<div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Former </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/2389-spacestation-gaming/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Spacestation Gaming</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> coach </span>Robert "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d69-chrome/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chrome</a>" Gomez<span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> has joined </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/4686-gen-g-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gen.G Mobil1 Racing</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> as the new head coach, replacing </span>Braxton "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d91-allushin/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Allushin</a>" Lagarec,<span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> who has been moved to the “reserve roster”. The 31-year-old reunites with </span>Jason "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3eb6-firstkiller/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Firstkiller</a>" Corral<span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> eight months after the pair worked together on </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c155-faze-clan/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">FaZe Clan</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><code>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;New RLCS coach unlocked 🔓&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Welcome &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ChromeRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ChromeRL&lt;/a&gt; as the new head coach of Gen.G Mobil1 Racing!&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GenGxMobil1?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#GenGxMobil1&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RLCS?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#RLCS&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/PczC6nmWE4"&gt;pic.twitter.com/PczC6nmWE4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Gen.G Esports (@GenG) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/GenG/status/1783572020493709613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </code></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">With a career spanning over eight years both on the field and as a coach, Chrome is one of the most experienced figureheads in the game. The American enjoyed long-term success as a coach working with Spacestation Gaming between 2019-2023, earning several Regional Event wins and the </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/3a3a-rlcs-x-fall-north-america-major/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">RLCS X Fall Major</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> title in October 2020. During his time with the organization, he competed with players such as Caden "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3ede-sypical/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Sypical</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Pellegrin, Slater "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4263-retals/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Retals</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Thomas, and Daniel "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4363-daniel/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Daniel</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Piecenski playing a pivotal role in their development as professionals. Chrome departed Spacestation Gaming in March 2023 and would not find a new gig until FaZe Clan came calling in August. Chrome replaced the incumbent Raul "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f7c-roll-dizz/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Roll Dizz</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Diaz who was released by the organization that same month. Amid increasing public pressure on the roster, Chrome appeared at only two events for the organization and was even forced to play with the squad at </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/f5ed-gamers8-2023/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gamers8 2023</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> when Sypical could not compete at the tournament. He later departed the organization when the squad disbanded following the conclusion of RLCS 2022-23.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Since departing FaZe Clan, the veteran coach has been working with </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/9330-gen-g-esports-black/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Gen.G Black</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, the organization’s women’s team. Under his guidance, the squad recently placed second behind </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/548d-g2-luna/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">G2 Stride Luna</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> at the </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/cb65-raidiant-star-chasers-showdown-series-1-north-america/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Raidiant: Star Chasers Showdown 1</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Despite this, star player Courtney "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a598-courtney/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Courtney</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Johnson </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/geng-black-part-ways-with-courtney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">departed the squad last week</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> and now Chrome has followed suit. The former </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/41b4-evil-geniuses/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Evil Geniuses</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> player replaces Allushin as head coach, ending the Canadian’s 18-month partnership with the Gen.G lineup. However, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/GenG/status/1783572023878512764" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the organization did announce on Twitter</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> that there was “more to come regarding his future”. Under Allushin’s stewardship, Gen.G appeared at all four RLCS LANs during RLCS 2022-23 and won the </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/467c-rlcs-2022-23-fall-major/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Fall Major</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. </span></div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/4686-gen-g-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gen.G Mobil1 Racing</a> lineup for Split 2 consists of:</div><div><br></div><ul><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jack "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4161-apparentlyjack/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ApparentlyJack</a>" Benton</li><li>🇺🇸 Nick "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41c9-chronic/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chronic</a>" Iwanski</li><li>🇺🇸 Jason "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3eb6-firstkiller/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Firstkiller</a>" Corral</li><li>🇺🇸 Robert "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d69-chrome/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chrome</a>" Gomez (coach)</li><li>🇨🇦 Braxton "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d91-allushin/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Allushin</a>" Lagarec (reserve)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Elliot McSheen</div><div><strong>Thumbnail: </strong>Psyonix</div>

The 31-year-old has replaced former Canadian professional Allushin as head coach of the starting lineup. 

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Chrome joins Gen.G Mobil1 Racing as head coach

Finnerdt

<div><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d890-luna-galaxy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luna Galaxy</a> have announced the signings of Sergio "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f70-ltk_atomik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LTK_AtomiK</a>" Pérez Cortés and Damian "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e1e-tox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tox</a>" Schäfer to accompany Bruno Alexandre "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/428c-acronik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AcroniK.</a>" dos Santos Lopes for the second Split of RLCS 2024. The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d942-magnifico" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Magnifico</a> core was on the hunt for a new third following Gaspar "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6db4-stizzy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stizzy</a>" Rosalen Andres' <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/sources-magnifico-duo-in-talks-to-join-acronik-on-luna-galaxy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transatlantic transfer</a> to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas</a> and will be filling the positions most recently occupied by Andre "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e31-arafar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">arafar</a>" Reis and Rinor "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/ab4e-ringa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ringa</a>" Gashi. André "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/8e0b-xpere" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Xpére</a>" Ruivinho rejoins Luna Galaxy after representing the the organization as a player in Split 1, now once again coaching fellow Portugal national AcroniK.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Introducing Our International Rocket League Roster: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;🇵🇹 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/AcroniK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@AcroniK&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;🇪🇸 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/LTK_AtomiK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@LTK_AtomiK&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;🇩🇪 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Tox_RL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@Tox_RL&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;🧑‍🏫 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Xpere_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@Xpere_&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Action starts tomorrow 😈&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RiseAndDefy?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#RiseAndDefy&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/CbOHqS2bLq"&gt;pic.twitter.com/CbOHqS2bLq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Luna Galaxy Esports (@LunaGalaxy_gg) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/LunaGalaxy_gg/status/1783549657513148508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </div><div><br></div><div>AcroniK extends his ties with Luna Galaxy after the Iberian <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/acronik-forms-new-portuguese-squad-under-luna-galaxy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed with</a> Luna Galaxy at the end of January in the wake of his dismissal from <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/64ca-team-liquid" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Liquid</a>. The former <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e9e0-bs-competition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BS+COMPETITION</a> member announced his <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/acronik-announces-he-wont-compete-at-the-start-of-rlcs-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">intent not to participate</a> in the opening Split of the season in late November, but eventually gave in to his competitive drive and formed a initially Portuguese squad with arafar and long-time coach Xpére in a playing role. The latter departed after <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd1-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #2</a> to take on a coaching project with North America's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ef2e-the-snowmen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Snowmen</a>, but now returns to Luna Galaxy as a coach. </div><div><br></div><div>Professional footballer Diogo Jota's organization, which was founded through a partnership with Galaxy Racer, struggled to produce results befitting AcroniK's superstar status, enduring a downward trend in placements over the course of the Split. After losing the lower qualification match to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7793-belligol" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Belligol</a> in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d636-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #1</a>, LXG rounded out the Split with a top 48 and a top 64, suffering elimination at the hands of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Endpoint</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc86-solary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Solary</a>, respectively. This spell of poor results meant AcroniK missed out on his first RLCS LAN since his offline debut at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b36-rlcs-2021-22-spring-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2021-22 Spring Major</a>, going on to finish top eight or higher at every in-person RLCS tournament since then.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Magnifico's fortunes contrasted that of Luna Galaxy. The Spanish-German combination formed back in September 2023, with Tox and LTK_AtomiK reuniting after previously sharing the pitch at <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ce7d-luminosity-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luminosity Gaming</a> from January to July 2022. The addition of stizzy and coach Arnau "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3a37-xterazzz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">xTerazzz</a>" Mostazo completed the lineup, which debuted with a tournament win in the €10,000 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/f7af-faceit-offseason-open" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FACEIT Offseason Open</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Magnifico emerged as the leader of the chasing pack in Europe, seeking to overthrow the French big four. A semifinal exit sandwiched by two top-eight placements were insufficient to achieve this, however, as Magnifico concluded the Split in fifth place, three points off tying Europe's fourth seed at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e7ac-rlcs-2024-split-1-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Copenhagen Major</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/689c-gentle-mates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gentle Mates Alpine</a>. Due to the European contingent all putting together deep runs in Denmark, the deficit has stretched to 21 points, double Magnifico's current tally. The roster's points will be inherited by Luna Galaxy since two of the three starters have stuck together, putting the organization in a prime position to challenge for a seat at the table of the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/8b0a-rlcs-2024-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Championship</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Europe's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d638-rlcs-2024-split-2-europe-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> is set to kick off on April 26th.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d890-luna-galaxy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luna Galaxy</a> roster currently consists of:</div><ul><li>🇪🇸 Sergio "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f70-ltk_atomik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LTK_AtomiK</a>" Pérez Cortés</li><li>🇩🇪 Damian "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e1e-tox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tox</a>" Schäfer</li><li>🇵🇹 Bruno Alexandre "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/428c-acronik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AcroniK.</a>" dos Santos Lopes</li><li>🇵🇹 André Filipe de Jesus "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/8e0b-xpere/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Xpére</a>" Ruivinho Costa (Coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Editor:</strong> Jens Koornstra</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

The former Team Liquid star is joined by LTK_AtomiK and Tox for Split 2, and reconnects with his former coach..

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AcroniK and Magnifico core sign with Luna Galaxy

<div>Nearly three years after departing the organization, Maëllo "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f83-aztral" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AztraL</a>" Ernst has finalized his return to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc86-solary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Solary</a> under whose banner he made his two only RLCS grand final appearances since the advent of the open era. The Belgian joins fellow veterans Alexandre "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d9a-kaydop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kaydop</a>" Courant and Thibault "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dc9-chausette45" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chausette45</a>" Grzesiak on the field. The latter had been moved to the bench following Split 1, but returns to the active lineup, meaning Solary keep hold of the four points they collected over the course of the opening Split. The experienced pair opted to remove Next Up prospect Jovinson "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4edf-rysfox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rysfox.</a>" F. after competing alongside the youngster throughout most of the offseason, during which they triumphed in several editions of <strong>The Rendez-Vous</strong>.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="fr" dir="ltr"&gt;Conférence de presse : Rocket League &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Départ de Rysfox, retour d&amp;#39;Aztral chez Solary. &lt;a href="https://t.co/i5mbaswKvY"&gt;pic.twitter.com/i5mbaswKvY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Solary (@SolaryTV) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/SolaryTV/status/1783526382234222972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </div><div><br></div><div>AztraL spent Split 1 playing for <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f7f7-redemption" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Redemption</a> with Kurtis "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4024-kash" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kash</a>" Cannon and Ivan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e10-ivn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ivn.</a>" Sabri. Although the side recorded back-to-back playoff runs to close out the first half of the campaign, the English-Austrian duo decided to switch to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6ac9-resolve" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Resolve</a>, where they were welcomed by David "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e0c-rezears" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rezears</a>" Wünsch. AztraL then inked a deal with the organization he represented during the RLCS X Spring Split, lining up next to Chausette45 and current <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dcbd-karmine-corp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Karmine Corp</a> coach Victor "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dca-ferra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ferra</a>" Francal.</div><div><br></div><div>During this period, Solary reached the grand final of both <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/a1df-rlcs-x-spring-europe-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spring Regional 2</a> and the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/3490-rlcs-x-spring-europe-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European Spring Major</a>, falling short against <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ac15-team-queso" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Queso</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc74-team-bds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team BDS</a>, respectively. Their stint with the French club culminated in a sixth-place finish at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e83e-rlcs-x-championship-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS X European Championships</a>, dropping a Best-of-Three Best-of-Five set to Sergio "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f70-ltk_atomik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LTK_AtomiK</a>" Pérez's Queso.</div><div><br></div><div>While AztraL racked up a threesome of main event outings, Solary struggled to match their form from the offseason. <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d636-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #1</a> ended in 33rd-48th place before they stumbled at the final hurdle against <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Endpoint</a> in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd1-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #2</a>. They finally reached the promised land in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d637-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #3</a>, but bowed out of the Swiss stage after winning just two games.</div><div><br></div><div>Europe's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d638-rlcs-2024-split-2-europe-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> kicks off this weekend with the double elimination portion.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc86-solary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Solary</a> roster currently consists of:</div><ul><li>🇫🇷 Alexandre "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d9a-kaydop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kaydop</a>" Courant</li><li>🇫🇷 Thibault "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dc9-chausette45" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chausette45</a>" Grzesiak</li><li>🇧🇪 Maëllo "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f83-aztral" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AztraL</a>" Ernst</li><li>🇫🇷 Baptiste "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41ef-batou" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BatOu</a>" Sauvey (Coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

The Belgian joins fellow veterans Kaydop and Chausette45 at the French organization.

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AztraL completes Solary return

<div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Following the release of Keever "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/7de0-smokez/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Smokez</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Ryan, </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Endpoint CeX</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> have confirmed the signing of Ben "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/ee61-toxiic/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Toxiic</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Salmon from Top Cougars. The Englishmen will compete alongside experienced duo Ario "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a385-arju/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">arju</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Berdin and Mitchell "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f9b-mittaen/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Mittaen</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Driessen for Split 2.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><code><span class="ql-cursor">﻿</span>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;A guy who&amp;#39;ll come through in a pinch 👌&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Welcome to Endpoint &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ToxiicRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ToxiicRL&lt;/a&gt; 🤝 &lt;a href="https://t.co/LTLAb1v6Tk"&gt;pic.twitter.com/LTLAb1v6Tk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Endpoint CeX (@TeamEndpoint) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TeamEndpoint/status/1783496185560567945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </code></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">After releasing their RLCS 2022-23 roster, Endpoint announced their return to the scene for Split 1 by acquiring free agents Mittaen, arju, and Smokez, a core of players that had previously competed together under </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc34-soniqs/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Soniqs</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Containing players that had been long-term staples in the RLCS, fans expected the roster to reach main events consistently. In </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d636-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-1/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Open Qualifier 1</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, Endpoint achieved its best result of the Split, surprising the community with a playoff appearance after wins over </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6ac9-resolve/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Resolve</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f5e6-f4wd/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">F4WD</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, and </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc33-oxygen-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Oxygen Esports</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. The squad reached the remaining two main events of the Split, but could only muster up a 1-3 record in both swiss stages. Choosing to make a change following Split 1, Endpoint </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/sources-smokez-to-make-way-for-toxiic-on-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">were linked with a move for Toxiic</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> in early April.</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Since making his debut in the RLCS in the 2022-23 Winter Split, Toxiic has been one of the region’s chief up-and-comers, appearing on </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/next-up-iteration-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Next Up iteration 1</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> ahead of RLCS 2024. The 19-year-old graduated from the iteration following the conclusion of Split 1, after qualifying for two more main events with teammates Aston "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9b8c-accro/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">accro</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Smith and Lucas "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f97-relatingwave/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">RelatingWave</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Rose on Top Cougars. The free agent roster has since announced the addition of F4WD star Simas "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/23f9-simas/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">simas</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Gurskis as a replacement for Toxiic. Fans will get a chance to see both rosters in the early stages of Open Qualifier 4 starting this Friday. </span></div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Endpoint CeX</a> roster for Split 2 consists of:</div><ul><li>🇮🇹 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ario "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a385-arju/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">arju</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Berdin</span></li><li>🇳🇱 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Mitchell "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f9b-mittaen/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Mittaen</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Driessen</span></li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ben "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/ee61-toxiic/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Toxiic</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Salmon</span></li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ryan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/547c-andythemandy/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANDYTHEMANDY</a>" Gardner (coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Elliot McSheen</div><div><strong>Thumbnail:</strong> Will Connell</div>

The 19-year-old will link up with experienced duo arju and Mittaen for Split 2. 

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Endpoint confirm Toxiic signing

<div>With the first batch of Split 2 main events fast approaching, it's time for the second iteration of Next Up! Over the course of Split 1, nine pupils passed with flying colors, three of which even graduated magna cum laude. You can read all about them in our <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/next-up-class-of-iteration-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class of Iteration 1</a> article. In addition to these players, two additional spots opened up with the removal of Juan Manuel "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/13d8-dying" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dying</a>" Valero Ferrera, due to inactivity, and Diego "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/420f-lasa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lasa</a>" Sala. As a result, eleven new prospects have been inducted into Next Up.</div><div><br></div><div>This article will repeat the eligibility requirements and contains the full list, split up by region, as well as the top 10 prospects voted on by Shift staff. Several pieces of content related to Next Up will be released over the next few months, so make sure to watch this space!</div><div><br></div><h2>Eligibility requirements</h2><div>In order to be eligible for Next Up, a player must:</div><ul><li>have played five or less RLCS main events (Top 16 from RLCS 2024 onward);</li><li>have not played at an RLCS LAN;</li><li>be 20 years old or younger.</li></ul><div><br></div><div>Next Up focuses on the future stars of the 3v3 scene. In order to ensure representation from outside the major regions, the 50 prospects on Next Up are selected based on perceived potential relative to their region. The top 10 are ranked based on their talent relative to the world stage.</div><div><br></div><div>Players can graduate from Next Up either by playing their sixth main event or by qualifying for an RLCS LAN. In either scenario, the players would not graduate until after the Split has concluded and the next iteration is released. Should a player turn 21 midway through a Split without achieving either of these objectives by the end of that Split, they will age out of the list without being considered a Next Up graduate.</div><div><br></div><h2>Iteration 2</h2><div>Players are listed in no particular order along with their nationality, age, team, and number of main events participated in so far. Players that already qualified for Open Qualifier #4 will not have this reflected in their main event tallies as the counts were taken prior to the Split. All previous and future iterations are listed in the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/announcing-next-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">introduction article</a>. The upwards arrow indicates newly inducted prospects.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Europe:</strong></div><ul><li>🇩🇰 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/1fc1-tempoh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TempoH</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/bd76-wylde" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WYLDE</a>, 3)</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/1c3e-gomb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gomb</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/a49f-nordschleife" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nordschleife</a>, 4)</li><li>🇫🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6c32-mtzr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mtzR.</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c799-saudade" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SAUDADE</a>, 0)</li><li>🇧🇪 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4edf-rysfox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rysfox.</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c799-saudade" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SAUDADE</a>, 1)</li><li>🇪🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/dc6f-tehqoz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TehQoz</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f1bf-suhhh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suhhh</a>, 2)</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/ac4b-crispy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crispy</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0a2c-100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">100%</a>, 4)</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/b528-charlieb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CharlieB.</a> (19, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b9bb-novo-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NOVO Esports</a>, 2)</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/5896-triton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">triton.</a> (19, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0a2c-100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">100%</a>, 1)</li><li>🇦🇹 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/7c9d-pzy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pzy</a> (20, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c055-wienerwurstl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wienerwürstl</a>, 0)</li><li>🇮🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/1fba-emilvald" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EmilVald</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/bd76-wylde" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WYLDE</a>, 2)</li><li>🇫🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/21a2-yujin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">yujin</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/a49f-nordschleife" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nordschleife</a>, 1)</li><li>🇳🇱 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/f44e-txmper" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TxMpeR</a> (19, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7793-belligol" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Belligol</a>, 5)</li><li>🇩🇰 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/cfb5-nico" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nico</a> (15, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e830-stellar-young-guns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stellar Young Guns</a>, 0) ⬆️</li><li>🇮🇹 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/de66-gramma" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gramma</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c826-low-block" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Low Block</a>, 1) ⬆️</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>North America:</strong></div><ul><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9f14-wahvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wahvey</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23c8-tsm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TSM</a>, 3)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6853-repeat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">repeat</a> (20, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0b68-boulevard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boulevard</a>, 1)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/8b4f-scrzbbles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scrzbbles</a> (14, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ef2e-the-snowmen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Snowmen</a>, 2)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/257d-kofyr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kofyr</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/fb18-cheers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cheers</a>, 1)</li><li>🇲🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/b3b5-nass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nass</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b41a-m80" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">M80</a>, 3)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/1190-frosty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">frosty</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ef2e-the-snowmen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Snowmen</a>, 2)</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/413a-creamz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creamz</a> (20, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23c8-tsm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TSM</a>, 5)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9e90-hazo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hazo</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b6aa-gbuffo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gbuffo</a>, 1)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9934-cam" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cam</a> (20, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/fb18-cheers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cheers</a>, 1)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/e6f5-daunt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daunt</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c79a-netherlamericanada" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Netherlamericanada</a>, 1)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/42d3-reveal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ef2e-the-snowmen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Snowmen</a>, 2)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/2bbe-gman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gman</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b6aa-gbuffo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gbuffo</a>, 1)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/dc94-fiv3up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fiv3Up</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5926-moist-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moist Esports</a>, 3)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/2d52-s5-cosmic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">S5-Cosmic</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/2b71-zero2one" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zero2One</a>, 0)</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/f165-skippy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">skippy</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/55b7-young-whippersnappers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Young Whippersnappers</a>, 2) ⬆️</li><li>🇺🇸 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/e0dd-realize" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Realize</a> (19, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/55b7-young-whippersnappers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Young Whippersnappers</a>, 2) ⬆️</li><li>🇨🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/f164-pndh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PNDH</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/55b7-young-whippersnappers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Young Whippersnappers</a>, 2) ⬆️</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>South America:</strong></div><ul><li>🇧🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/1744-swiftt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">swiftt</a> (15, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/47bd-ninjas-in-pyjamas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ninjas in Pyjamas</a>, 3)</li><li>🇧🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/01ca-diaz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">diaz</a> (15, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3e29-complexity-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Complexity Gaming</a>, 3)</li><li>🇦🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/55ac-misery" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">misery</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e167-died-for-our-sins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Died for Our Sins</a>, 5)</li><li>🇨🇱 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a821-bnj" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bnj</a> (16, F/A, 4)</li><li>🇦🇷 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/cddf-mazikeen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mazikeen</a> (17, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e167-died-for-our-sins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Died for Our Sins</a>, 5)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Middle East &amp; North Africa:</strong></div><ul><li>🇸🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/cc92-shadi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shadi</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7194-404error" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">404error</a>, 5)</li><li>🇸🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4e12-nush" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nush</a> (14, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5bcd-team-roc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team ROC</a>, 1)</li><li>🇸🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/8b50-drknown" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DrKnown</a> (14, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5bcd-team-roc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team ROC</a>, 1)</li><li>🇸🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/88af-ops" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ops</a> (14, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5bcd-team-roc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team ROC</a>, 1) ⬆️</li><li>🇰🇼 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/2883-m7md" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">M7md</a> (14, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c051-sleeping" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sleeping</a>, 2) ⬆️</li><li>🇸🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6173-dark" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dark(?)</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/1a87-espada" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Espada</a>, 1) ⬆️</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Oceania:</strong></div><ul><li>🇦🇺 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/8c10-prompt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prompt</a> (15, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/391a-ground-zero-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ground Zero Gaming</a>, 3)</li><li>🇦🇺 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/cdd5-matthew" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">matthew</a> (18, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/2b04-phizzy-drinks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phizzy Drinks</a>, 2)</li><li>🇦🇺 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/007a-cx9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cx9</a> (19, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f535-fiz6-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FIZ6 Gaming</a>, 5) ⬆️</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Asia-Pacific:</strong></div><ul><li>🇯🇵 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a18e-kroado" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kroado</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/36b7-le-fishe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">le fishe</a>, 3)</li><li>🇯🇵 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/31b8-jb0x" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jB0X</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/a00c-detonator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DeToNator</a>, 4)</li><li>🇯🇵 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/cd6a-nai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nai</a> (15, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/1b88-dreams-to-legends" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dreams To Legends</a>, 3)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Sub-Saharan Africa:</strong></div><ul><li>🇷🇪 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/f508-teschow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Teschow.</a> (13, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6036-bird" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bird</a>, 0) ⬆️</li><li>🇿🇦 <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/7f4d-zany" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zany</a> (16, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b2a8-white-rabbit-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">White Rabbit Gaming</a>, 0) ⬆️</li></ul><div><br></div><div><img src="https://octane-content.s3.amazonaws.com/Next_Up_Iteration_2_Top_50_cedb0f2389.png"></div><div><em>Graphic by Will Connell</em></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://octane-content.s3.amazonaws.com/Next_Up_Iteration_2_Top_10_0d90b165e4.png"></div><div><em>Graphic by Will Connell</em></div><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Editor</strong>: Jens Koornstra</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Will Connell</div>

The second iteration of Next Up is here, featuring 11 new names!

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Next Up: Iteration 2

<div>After falling victim to the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/jorby-spaceman-among-rlcs-talent-cuts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">talent cuts</a> prior to RLCS 2024, Joey "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/0470-jorby" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jorby</a>" Ahrens has made his highly-requested return to the talent lineup of Rocket League's premier circuit. The 31-year-old is joined by Tyler "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41c1-tbates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tbates</a>" Bates and Elyse "<a href="https://twitter.com/herculysee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Herculyse</a>" Herrera, who have both become permanent additions after <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/copenhagen-major-talent-lineup-announced" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">appearing</a> at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e7ac-rlcs-2024-split-1-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Copenhagen Major</a>, with the latter having also stepped in for Jennifer "<a href="https://twitter.com/LemonKiwi_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LemonKiwi</a>" Pichette during North America's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d63b-rlcs-2024-split-1-north-america-open-qualifier-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #1</a> at the start of the season. The trio joins the other twelve members, all of whom have retained from Split 1.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;🚨 The RLCS Split 2 Talent Lineup is here!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Give it up for &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JorbyPls?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@JorbyPls&lt;/a&gt; who will join us this weekend! &lt;a href="https://t.co/uEGeUoKa8c"&gt;pic.twitter.com/uEGeUoKa8c&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RLEsports/status/1783199778160988189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 24, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>Jorby was originally added to the RLCS crew for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/30a1-rlcs-season-6-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Season 6 World Championship</a> after developing his ability over the course of three Rival Series seasons. After his debut, the CRL commentator gradually became a mainstay and one of the most beloved play-by-play casters in the scene. He also gained recognition in the wider esports scene and was nominated for Play by Play Caster of the Year for the Esports Awards in 2022, but was beaten to the honor by VALORANT commentator Lauren "<a href="https://twitter.com/pansy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pansy</a>" Scott.</div><div><br></div><div>Jorby is set to make his return in this weekend's North American <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JorbyPls/status/1783227302115152178" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shared his excitement</a> on Twitter: "I've been humbled and blessed and overwhelmed by the support from the community over the last few months. Much love to all of you. Thankful I get an opportunity to do this with so many talented people."</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Tbates and Herculyse have officially become permanent additions to the talent. Prior to 2024, Tbates had spent two seasons as a desk analyst but was let go earlier this year along with Jorby, although he has continued to host the First Touch podcast. Herculyse already <a href="https://twitter.com/herculysee/status/1774032212997882071" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shared</a> her impending inclusion during the Major, saying she "will be back for the rest of the 2024 season." The American was also recently announced as <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/239d-cloud9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cloud9</a>'s newest content creator as part of the organization's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/cloud9-cook-up-rocket-league-return-with-omelette-signing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">long-awaited return</a> to Rocket League Esports and will continue to host the Cloud9 team broadcast going forward.</div><div><br></div><div>The full talent lineup for the primary broadcast of Split 2 is as follows:</div><ul><li>🇨🇦 Brody "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/00a8-liefx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Liefx</a>" Moore</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Emile "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4cc7-cole" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cole</a>" Cole</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 John "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/fc95-johnnyboi_i" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JohnnyBoi_i</a>" MacDonald</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Alex "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/c4be-stumpy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stumpy</a>" Knight</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Callum "<a href="https://twitter.com/CallumTheShogun" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shogun</a>" Keir</li><li>🇦🇺 Cameron "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e59-cjcj" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CJCJ</a>" Johns</li><li>🇺🇸 Caleb "<a href="https://twitter.com/WavePunk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WavePunk</a>" Simmons</li><li>🇺🇸 Randy "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3da8-gibbs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gibbs</a>" Gibbons</li><li>🇺🇸 James "<a href="https://twitter.com/GoJamesbotGo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jamesbot</a>" Villar</li><li>🇺🇸 Sean "<a href="https://twitter.com/StaxRL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stax</a>" Stackhouse</li><li>🇺🇸 Demar "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a0f1-dazerin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dazerin</a>" Williams</li><li>🇨🇦 Jennifer "<a href="https://twitter.com/LemonKiwi_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LemonKiwi</a>" Pichette</li><li>🇺🇸 Tyler "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41c1-tbates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tbates</a>" Bates</li><li>🇺🇸 Elyse "<a href="https://twitter.com/herculysee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Herculyse</a>" Herrera</li><li>🇺🇸 Joey "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/0470-jorby" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jorby</a>" Ahrens</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

The 31-year-old was one of the high-profile victims of the talent cuts prior to RLCS 2024.

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Jorby returns to RLCS talent lineup, Tbates and Herculyse become permanent additions

<div>Less than two days before <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b83e-clovarity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clovarity</a> was set to make its first main event appearance in North American RLCS, the organization has parted ways with its roster. Benjamin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/e8ef-knightyuh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KnightYuh</a>" Eleby, Kellyn "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a57c-exorari" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Exorari</a>" Plantz, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41ba-jd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JD</a> produced a shock run in last weekend's qualifier to secure a spot in the Swiss stage of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> after coming into the event as the 46th seed. The trio officially joined Clovarity on April 17th, but the partnership has come to an end after just one week. Shift was unable to confirm the events leading to the divorce.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Left .&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Clovarity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@clovarity&lt;/a&gt; We&amp;#39;re thankful for them representing us and supporting us but we couldn&amp;#39;t come to a full agreement on our contracts. We&amp;#39;ll be lf org under the name &amp;quot;Cold&amp;quot;. Dm ooigle on discord or dm &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Ooigle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@Ooigle&lt;/a&gt; on twitter if interested.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; KnightYuh :) (@KnightYuh_rl) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/KnightYuh_rl/status/1783354847586079128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 25, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>Details on the split are scarce, with KnightYuh simply stating the two parties "couldn't come to a full agreement on our contracts". Less than half an hour after KnightYuh's post, Clovarity CEO Teagan Felker <a href="https://twitter.com/TisMeCastle/status/1783359055928369322" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a>: "Can’t catch a break out here", not long after owner Logan Gadaire <a href="https://twitter.com/lgadaira/status/1783349628408094855" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a>: "Nothing I do seems to be right and I just want to give up. Everything stripped away, all I can say is I tried my best."</div><div><br></div><div>Clovarity came into controversy in February when the organization attached a <a href="https://twitter.com/Clovarity/status/1759041389415825913" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transparent statement</a> criticizing its Rocket League players along with releasing Jacob "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4137-jpow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JPow</a>" Powell, Jackson "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/981b-ayjacks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ayjacks</a>" Carter, and Jonathyn "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/54d0-jthyn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jthyn</a>" Stallings prior to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d63d-rlcs-2024-split-1-north-america-open-qualifier-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #3</a>, claiming they had "invested over $24,000 USD into Rocket League Esports and spending all that overhead to not qualify for the main event is extremely unsustainable."</div><div><br></div><div>After facing community backlash, Clovarity responded the next day with another <a href="https://twitter.com/Clovarity/status/1759324575895294167" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a>, acknowledging that their "goal [...] to be completely open [...] came at the expense of our former players." The club promised that, in the future, "...any public statement that includes a staff member, player, coach or any other figure, we as a team will work with them on creating a transparency statement."</div><div><br></div><div>A week later, Felker and Gadaire <a href="https://twitter.com/Clovarity/status/1761883323725455508" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced</a> their intent to temporarily scale down operations, explaining that "This will allow us to properly address our weak spots and grow as owners and a team." They closed their statement by saying "When the time is right, we will continue our journey within the Esports scene learning from every single mistake that we've made."</div><div><br></div><div>At the beginning of April, Clovarity rebooted most of their operations, including the running of weekly Rocket League events for the North American scene. On April 17th, the organization finalized the signing of its fourth Rocket League iteration, which went on to perform a Cinderella run.</div><div><br></div><div>The former Clovarity roster will compete under the name <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7aae-cold" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cold</a> for the foreseeable future and will still partake in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a>, which kicks off this Friday. Cold have been seeded to face off against <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e7ac-rlcs-2024-split-1-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Copenhagen Major</a> runners-up <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">G2 Stride</a> in their opening match in round 1.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7aae-cold" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cold</a> roster currently consists of:</div><ul><li>🇺🇸 Benjamin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/e8ef-knightyuh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KnightYuh</a>" Eleby</li><li>🇺🇸 Kellyn "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a57c-exorari" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Exorari</a>" Plantz</li><li>🇺🇸 Justin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41ba-jd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JD</a>"</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Will Connell</div>

KnightYuh announced the split on Twitter less than two days before the roster's RLCS debut.

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Clovarity part ways with roster after being unable to "come to a full agreement"

<div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Former </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6ac9-resolve/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">GRIDSERVE Resolve</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> starlet Noah "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/fa0e-noahsaki/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">noahsaki</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Gillespie has joined </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7a63-team3/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Team3</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> duo Marc "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f7f-marc_by_8/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">MaRc_By_8.</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Domingo Ruiz and Leonardo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fa3-catalysm/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Catalysm</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Christ Ramos for Split 2. The Englishman was released by Resolve following a poor start to RLCS 2024. </span></div><div><br></div><div><code>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;🚨NEW ROSTER FOR NEXT SPLIT 🚨&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;-🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/noahsaki_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@noahsaki_&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;- 🇩🇪 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/CatalysmRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@CatalysmRL&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;- 🇪🇸 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MaRc_By_8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@MaRc_By_8&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;- (C) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/EthznRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@EthznRL&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;- (S) 🇪🇸 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/DmentZa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@DmentZa&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Still looking ORG for next split, dont hesitate to contact with us.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Contact: Marcdomingoruiz10@gmail.com&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; MaRc_By_8. (@MaRc_By_8) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MaRc_By_8/status/1783193997755789807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 24, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </code></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Team3 formed as a roster early in the offseason bringing together former </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc74-team-bds/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Team BDS</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> stalwart MaRc_By_8 with experienced German duo Catalysm and Riccardo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fa4-rizex45/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rizex45</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Mazzotta. The team was seen as a safe bet for a top-ten ranking in Europe during Split 1. While the squad struggled to challenge the best, Team3 showed their experience throughout the Split. The team earned a playoff appearance during Open Qualifier 1 and secured good wins against </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d942-magnifico/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Magnifico</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc33-oxygen-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Oxygen Esports</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, and </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Endpoint</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">However, Team3 lost Rizex45 during the transfer window, after the 21-year-old chose to join fellow free agents Mike "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/407d-mikeboy/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Mikeboy</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Verkuijlen and Óscar "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/dc6f-tehqoz/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">TehQoz</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Arco on </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f1bf-suhhh/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">suhhh</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. In search of a new addition to the roster, Team3 eventually set their sights on noahsaki following his removal from Resolve’s starting lineup. Despite some poor results in Split 1, noahsaki has now gathered a lot of experience in the RLCS, having made his debut in 2022. The former </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d64f-heroic/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Heroic</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> youngster averaged a 0.813 rating across 128 RLCS appearances during his time with Resolve. Team3 are currently ranked ninth in Europe with 15 RLCS points, only one point behind noahsaki’s former organization Resolve, who inherited </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f7f7-redemption/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Redemption</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">’s points </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/gridserve-resolve-confirm-the-additions-of-ivn-and-kash" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">after signing free agents</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Kurtis "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4024-kash/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kash</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Cannon and Ivan "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e10-ivn/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">ivn.</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Sabri.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As part of this move, the Team3 duo have parted ways with RLCS veteran Sandro "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dae-freakii/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">FreaKii.</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Holzwarth, who coached the roster during Split 1. As a replacement, they have brought on board British coach Ethan "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/67aa-ethzn/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ethzn</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Laughland, who worked with noahsaki in the past under Resolve during the 2022-23 Fall and Winter Splits. Former Regional Event winner Raúl "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e28-dmentza/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">DmentZa</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Palazuelos Villarraga also joins the roster as a substitute. The team will be looking for an organization heading into Split 2. </span></div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7a63-team3/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Team3</a> roster for Split 2 consists of:</div><div><br></div><ul><li>🇩🇪 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Leonardo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fa3-catalysm/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Catalysm</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Christ Ramos</span></li><li>🇪🇸 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Marc "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f7f-marc_by_8/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">MaRc_By_8.</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Domingo Ruiz</span></li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Noah "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/fa0e-noahsaki/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">noahsaki</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Gillespie</span></li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ethan "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/67aa-ethzn/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ethzn</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Laughland</span> (coach)</li><li>🇪🇸 <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Raúl "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e28-dmentza/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">DmentZa</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Palazuelos Villarraga</span> (substitute)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Elliot McSheen</div><div><strong>Thumbnail:</strong> Psyonix</div>

The Englishman joins the experienced duo after being released by Resolve this month. 

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MaRc_By_8 and Catalysm recruit noahsaki for Split 2

<div>Former <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas</a> coach John "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4100-virge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virge</a>" Willis has announced he has called an end to his RLCS career. The 27-year-old shared his decision in a lengthy Twitter post, stating it "was not an easy decision for me to make" and citing he wishes to spend more time with his family. After starting the RLCS 2024 season without a team, the American "held out hope I'd fall into place during the usual rostermania mayhem between Splits", but this did not turn out to be the case. Virge dedicates the final section of his statement to revealing the effect working in esports has on one's mental health. He closes by indicating what his future plans are within Rocket League on top of continuing his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Virge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>: "I have begun working full time on a new project still within Rocket League and am super excited to share more details soon."</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Retiring from the RLCS.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I want to start by thanking everyone who has supported me in my career in any capacity. I would never have been able to live this dream of mine and accomplish any of what I did in the RLCS if it were not for the fans, friends, and family I’ve made along…&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Virge (@Virge) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Virge/status/1783173205252812914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 24, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>Virge looks back on his career with fondness: "What started as a passion and a love of mine for what was at the time just a small video game, grew into something much larger than I ever could have imagined [...] I was able to accomplish many accolades in my career that I could never have thought possible for someone like me. I’ve been blessed with a career and experiences that many can only dream of having the opportunity to pursue."</div><div><br></div><div>In his retirement post, the one-time RLCS World Championship participant also challenges pessimistic views on Rocket League's health as an esport: "Rocket League is a beautiful game and I still believe it can become the largest esport in the world some day. It has always been the game that I see bridging the gap between traditional sports fans and the world of esports. Even though there has been a lot of talk of the game potentially dying recently, I think Rocket League still has the same potential and I will be an RLCS fan for the rest of my life."</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/310c-rlcs-season-9-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS Season 9</a> European champion stresses combining a career in the RLCS and building a family with his wife is not feasible: "Unfortunately a career competing in the RLCS is too consuming, competitive, and volatile for me to make the progress I want towards those goals. I have gone through many changes in organizations and teams and the longer I have competed in this game the more unpredictable and less secure my position seems to become. And that’s simply the nature of competition. There are no guarantees with pursuing this career path, which is something I now need to provide stability for a family."</div><div><br></div><div>Despite being proud of his career, Virge recognizes he did not reach his ultimate goal: "I think I speak for every player and coach in the RLCS when I say the ultimate goal is to win the World Championship. Having not accomplished that goal in my career after working so hard for so long trying to try and do it, part of me feels that I’m leaving this chapter of my life unfinished [...] But I’m glad I tried and I am still proud of all the accomplishments I achieved in my pursuit of that."</div><div><br></div><div>In his paragraph discussing the impact on mental health a job in esports can have, Virge notes: "The negative comments hurt and have a real impact on the mental health of these people who are mostly teenagers or very young adults. Speaking from experience it is very difficult to cope with some of the things people say online, and I am much older than most of my colleagues." </div><div><br></div><div>He proceeds by calling on fans to bring about a positive change in this aspect: "We have a unique opportunity as fans in esports to uplift or tear down someone’s self esteem with what we say because of how connected we are to the competitors through social media. We should use that opportunity to always be uplifting. There are negative comments about me I have read online that I can’t help but have insecurities about. And on the other side, there are even more positive comments that I have immense gratitude for because they have lifted me out of lows on many occasions [...] Let’s work together to encourage positivity and respect for the people who sacrifice their anonymity for the benefit of our entertainment. At the end of the day we all share the same love for the game."</div><div><br></div><div>Virge started his coaching career in 2017 with <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/2407-allegiance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Allegiance</a>, finishing in seventh place in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/305f-rlcs-season-4-north-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS Season 4</a> and relegating to the Rival Series after coming up short in the Promotion Playoffs against Justin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dcf-justin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">justin.</a>" Morales' <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/24a1-out-of-style" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Out of Style</a> side. After winning promotion the following season, Virge and Allegiance returned to the top flight for <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/3092-rlcs-season-6-north-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS Season 6</a>, but hit an even bigger bump than the first go around: one win from seven matches saw the squad enter the Promotion Playoffs low on morale, which was reflected in back-to-back defeats. After suffering this second relegation, the team opted to disband.</div><div><br></div><div>Virge's next chapter was his first high-profile challenge as he was handed the reigns to head <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas</a>' rebuilding efforts ahead of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/30ef-rlcs-season-8-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS Season 8</a>. The American led Jos "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d9c-violentpanda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ViolentPanda</a>" van Meurs and company to an impressive semifinal appearance at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/30f9-rlcs-season-8-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Season 8 World Championship</a>, having traveled to Madrid as Europe's fourth seed. Dignitas went one better the following season, defeating Team Vitality to claim the regional crown in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/310c-rlcs-season-9-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Season 9</a>, though they would be denied a chance to test their mettle in an offline setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</div><div><br></div><div>The American would stay with Dignitas until the end of RLCS X but not before claiming another tournament win in the form of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/8a2b-rocket-league-summit-2-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rocket League Summit 2 Europe</a> in December 2020. Together with ViolentPanda, he formed <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/96d0-the-flying-dutchmen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Flying Dutchmen</a> alongside Ole "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4224-oaly" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">oaly.</a>" van Meurs and Thomas "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/407f-tho" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ThO.</a>" Binkhorst. The Dutch lineup was picked up by <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d64f-heroic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Heroic</a> ahead of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6429-rlcs-2021-22-fall-europe-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS 2021-22 Fall Regional 3</a>, but only made one main event appearance for the Norwegian organization.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/41b4-evil-geniuses" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Evil Geniuses</a> picked up the experienced coach prior to RLCS 2022-23, with Virge remaining with the team throughout the entire campaign despite being released by the organization and signing with <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/169e-psg-tundra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PSG TUNDRA</a> for the Spring Split. Although coming agonizingly close to a second RLCS LAN appearance on several occasions, the German-speaking roster was unable to reach the promised land.</div><div><br></div><div>Virge made the swap to collegiate Rocket League in November 2023 as he was appointed head coach of the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b15f-university-of-north-texas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of North Texas</a>' Rocket League program, but struggled to make headway in CRL events.</div><div><br></div><div>Virge is considered among the pioneers that paved the way for today's coaches to utilize their expertise, having started his career before coaches were allowed on stage with their players at LANs.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: DreamHack, Stephanie Lindgren</div>

The former Dignitas coach will continue his other activities in the scene.

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Virge retires from RLCS coaching

<div><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6ac9-resolve/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">GRIDSERVE Resolve</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> has confirmed the additions of the </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f7f7-redemption/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Redemption</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> duo Kurtis "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4024-kash/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Kash</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Cannon and Ivan "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e10-ivn/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">ivn.</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Sabri ahead of Split 2. The pair will link up with German star David "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e0c-rezears/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Rezears</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Wünsch, the sole survivor from the Resolve roster that competed in Split 1.</span></div><div><br></div><div><span class="ql-cursor">﻿</span>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Time for some Redemption ✊&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Please welcome &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/iKashh1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@iKashh1&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ivn_rl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ivn_rl&lt;/a&gt; to the GRIDSERVE Resolve roster!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Catch them in RLCS action this weekend ⚔️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/LYYxHAaJbM"&gt;pic.twitter.com/LYYxHAaJbM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Resolve (@RSVGG) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RSVGG/status/1783179097570476246?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 24, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt; </div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Resolve made their entry into Rocket League Esports in 2021, initially in partnership with Formula 1 team </span><a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamsRacing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Williams Racing</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">. The organization has fielded rosters in the European RLCS ever since, proudly supporting names such as Andrea "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41d5-radosin/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Radosin</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Radovanović, Thiméo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/401e-saizen/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">saizen</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Corcuff, and Jack "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e78-flame/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">FlamE</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Pearton in the past. Resolve came into RLCS 2024 having rebuilt around their prospect Noah "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/fa0e-noahsaki/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">noahsaki</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Gillespie, adding Rezears and the experienced Luis "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4155-luiisp/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">LuiisP</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Puente Peña to support the Englishman. Despite being seen as a team that could easily challenge for a top-ten placement in Europe, the roster made just one main event across the entire split and even suffered an unlikely upset to </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b9bb-novo-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">NOVO Esports</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> in </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d637-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-3/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Open Qualifier 3</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">The organization quickly decided to make changes, removing noahsaki and LuiisP from the starting lineup in early March. Resolve has since released noahsaki who looks set to link up with Marc "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f7f-marc_by_8/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">MaRc_By_8.</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Domingo Ruiz and Leonardo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fa3-catalysm/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Catalysm</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Christ Ramos on </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7a63-team3/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Team3</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> for Split 2. Following these changes, Resolve targeted the additions of Kash and ivn, who had plied their trade on the free agent team Redemption during Split 1, alongside Maëllo "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f83-aztral/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">AztraL</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Ernst. The trio had earned 16 points with two playoff appearances, ending Split 1 ranked seventh in Europe. With the additions of Kash and ivn, Resolve will now inherit Redemption’s ranking and will only be four points behind their closest rivals, </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc33-oxygen-esports/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Oxygen Esports</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">. This puts the organization in an ideal position to contend for qualification to the </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e7ad-rlcs-2024-split-2-major/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">London Major</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> in June. Fans will get a chance to see the new Resolve roster during </span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d638-rlcs-2024-split-2-europe-open-qualifier-4/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Open Qualifier 4</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, with its early stages set to begin this Friday in Europe.</span></div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6ac9-resolve/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">GRIDSERVE Resolve</a> roster for Split 2 consists of:</div><div><br></div><ul><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kurtis "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4024-kash/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kash</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Cannon</span></li><li>🇦🇹 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ivan "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e10-ivn/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">ivn.</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Sabri</span></li><li>🇩🇪 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">David "</span><a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e0c-rezears/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rezears</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">" Wünsch</span></li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Euan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3ec5-tadpole/matches?mode=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tadpole</a>" Ingram (coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Elliot McSheen</div><div><strong>Thumbnail:</strong> Psyonix</div>

The former Redemption duo will link up with German star Rezears for Split 2.

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GRIDSERVE Resolve confirm the additions of ivn and Kash

<div>After spending the opening Split of RLCS 2024 without a coach, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23c8-tsm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TSM</a> have announced the signing of Aron "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4b04-eclipse" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eclipse</a>" Jones, who most recently coached <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f1bf-suhhh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suhhh</a>. The Welshman, who connects with compatriot Gwil "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/413a-creamz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creamz</a>" Muir, brings a wealth of experience to the side that took North America by storm during the offseason. Eclipse is best known for his two-and-a-half-year stint at <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Endpoint</a>, coaching them to four consecutive RLCS LAN appearances during the 2021-22 season.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;TSM ROCKET LEAGUE ROSTER UPDATE&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We are proud to announce the addition of our new RL coach, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/LoREclipse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@LoREclipse&lt;/a&gt;! He&amp;#39;s been hard at work with the boys during Quals 4, and we can&amp;#39;t wait to show you how much we&amp;#39;ve improved with him in Swiss Stage.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Welcome to the black-and-white, Eclipse! &lt;a href="https://t.co/geTjziZL1u"&gt;pic.twitter.com/geTjziZL1u&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; TSM Report (@tsmreport) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/tsmreport/status/1782832386582921230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 23, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>Stephen "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4271-hocke" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hockE</a>" Hoelbinger <a href="https://twitter.com/hockE_RL/status/1782834122651553832" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revealed</a> on Twitter that Eclipse has been working with TSM "for the past few weeks", saying he "has been a crucial part to our success." The squad built on a strong Split 1 by coasting through the double elimination portion of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> on Sunday, sweeping <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/46b3-yapville" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YapVille</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/239d-cloud9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cloud9</a> to seal their spot in the Swiss stage. Next Up prospect Dylan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9f14-wahvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wahvey</a>" Thanus <a href="https://twitter.com/WahveyRL/status/1782834052476572123" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">added</a>: "Very excited to have&nbsp;Eclipse with us. We've already been putting in tons of work and we're feeling better than ever before. Extremely confident and excited for this weekend and the future."</div><div><br></div><div>The 24-year-old himself was quick to <a href="https://twitter.com/LoREclipse/status/1782832964805484814" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outline</a> the team's lofty ambitions: "I've been excited to announce this since I signed, and I can't wait to put in the work to help get the boys to Major and Worlds", before expressing his gratitude to his previous team: "I also just want to thank the boys on suhhh for letting me coach them last Split, and I want to wish them all the best heading into this next Split."</div><div><br></div><div>Eclipse kicked off his coaching career in August 2019, joining <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0b33-discombobulators" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Discombobulators</a> and helping them win promotion to the RLCS with a second-place finish in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/30f1-rlrs-season-8-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLRS Season 8</a>. The roster, which consisted of Nelson "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/a3f7-virtuoso" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">virtuoso</a>" Lasko, Lucas "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f97-relatingwave" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Relatingwave</a>" Rose, and Nacho "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e2b-nachitow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nachitow</a>" Gimenez, racked up two series wins in their debut RLCS season, including a sweep against a TSM that housed Otto "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dc6-metsanauris" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Metsanauris</a>" Kaipainen, seeing them secure an eight-place finish after being acquired by Endpoint prior to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/310c-rlcs-season-9-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Season 9</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Over the course of the next 30 months, Eclipse witnessed several roster changes and struck gold with the addition of Enzo "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/96a5-seikoo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seikoo</a>" Grondein ahead of RLCS 2021-22. The young Frenchman shocked friend and foe by winning his <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b37-rlcs-2021-22-fall-europe-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debut Regional</a> alongside Relatingwave and veteran Metsanauris, going on to secure Europe's nr. 1 seed for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6426-rlcs-2021-22-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fall Major</a>. Endpoint succeeded in qualifying for all four LANs that season, but never matched their top-eight showing in Stockholm.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign, Eclipse departed Endpoint and drifted around different regions, plying his trade for MENA's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7f7e-ankaa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANKAA</a> and North America's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e934-flight" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flight</a> without achieving any notable successes. The two-time Regional champion captained <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f1bf-suhhh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suhhh</a> for the RLCS 2024 season, leading them on an impressive playoffs run in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd1-rlcs-2024-split-1-europe-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #2</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>TSM <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/tsm-sign-hey-bro-trio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">returned to Rocket League</a> after a four-year absence by signing hockE, Wahvey, and Creamz ahead of the first RLCS event of 2024. After a stable pair of outings to start off their second foray in the scene, TSM dazzled with a semifinal appearance during <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d63d-rlcs-2024-split-1-north-america-open-qualifier-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #3</a>, where <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">G2 Stride</a> cut their run short. Nevertheless, their exploits have put TSM in a promising position to fight for a <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/8b0a-rlcs-2024-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Championship</a> ticket with just a nine-point deficit to fourth-placed <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0a57-og-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OG Esports</a> to overcome.</div><div><br></div><div>Eclipse will make his official debut for TSM in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a>'s Swiss stage on Friday. Round 1 is set to commence at 13:00 EDT/19:00 CEST.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23c8-tsm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TSM</a> roster currently consists of:</div><ul><li>🇺🇸 Stephen "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4271-hocke" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hockE</a>" Hoelbinger</li><li>🇺🇸 Dylan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9f14-wahvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wahvey</a>" Thanus</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Gwil "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/413a-creamz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creamz</a>" Muir</li><li>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Aron "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4b04-eclipse" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eclipse</a>" Jones (Coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

After spending Split 1 without a coach, TSM have signed the experienced Welshman to fill the vacancy.

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TSM add Eclipse as coach

<div>Following a disastrous exit in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd2-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-4/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas </a>are expected to remove Jordan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/74c5-evoh/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Evoh</a>" Manley from the starting lineup. Substitute Jirair "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3edb-gyro/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gyro.</a>" Papazian, who competed with the organization in Split 1 is set to be promoted ahead of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d63e-rlcs-2024-split-2-north-america-open-qualifier-5/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #5</a>. The organization announced the addition of Spanish import Gaspar "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6db4-stizzy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stizzy</a>" Rosalen Andres to complete their roster just four days ago.</div><div><br></div><div>To rebuild around their young prospect Evoh heading into RLCS 2024, Dignitas brought on board experienced duo Tshaka "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3eda-arsenal/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arsenal</a>" Lateef Taylor Jr and Gyro, who played on <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/2634-the-peeps/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Peeps </a>together as far back as 2018. The roster struggled for consistency throughout Split 1, making only one playoff appearance, a top-four placement in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d63b-rlcs-2024-split-1-north-america-open-qualifier-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #1</a>. The organization missed out on a spot at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/e7ac-rlcs-2024-split-1-major/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Copenhagen Major</a>, ending the Split joint fifth in the RLCS rankings, nine points behind their closest opposition <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0a57-og-esports/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OG Esports</a>. Change was on the cards when the organization <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/sources-dignitas-considering-changes-for-split-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">assessed a number of candidates to replace Gyro in March</a>. Dignitas eventually settled on a move for <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/d942-magnifico/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Magnifico </a>star Stizzy, who had helped his teammates Sergio "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f70-ltk_atomik/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LTK_AtomiK</a>" Pérez Cortés and Damian "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3e1e-tox/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tox</a>" Schäfer reach the playoffs on all three occasions in Europe during Split 1. <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/dignitas-secure-stizzys-signature" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas announced the addition </a>on April 19th, with former professional Treyven "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d84-lethamyr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lethamyr</a>" Robitaille <a href="https://twitter.com/Lethamyr_RL/status/1781402407676629076" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revealing on Twitter </a>that he had been housing the Spaniard in his basement.</div><div><br></div><div>The Open Qualifiers have proved deadly for a number of professional teams over the course of RLCS 2024, Open Qualifier #4 was no exception. Dignitas suffered a major upset at the hands of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0e98-triple-threat/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Triple Threat</a>, a roster consisting of veteran Tristian "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f42-tcorrell/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tcorrell.</a>" Correll, Tavares "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4b70-tvaristo/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tvaristo</a>" Mitchell, and Canadian prospect Cohen “<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/d5f6-tawk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tawk</a>” Hawco. Knocked to the lower bracket, Dignitas went on to face <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a0-nrg/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NRG </a>in the qualifying match for the main event and were reverse swept by the Garrett "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d6f-garrettg/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GarrettG</a>" Gordon led roster. As a result, the team is expected to make a change for the remainder of Split 2 by bringing substitute Gyro back from the bench. Gyro has over five years of experience in the RLCS and could bring much needed stability to a lineup looking to get the most out of their European import. Evoh, who had impressed fans during Split 1, looks set to lose his place on the starting roster.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas </a>roster for Open Qualifier #5 is expected to consist of:</div><ul><li>🇺🇸 Tshaka "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3eda-arsenal/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arsenal</a>" Lateef Taylor Jr</li><li>🇺🇸 Jirair "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3edb-gyro/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gyro.</a>" Papazian</li><li>🇪🇸 Gaspar "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/6db4-stizzy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stizzy</a>" Rosalen Andres</li><li>🇺🇸 Jordan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/74c5-evoh/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Evoh</a>" Manley (substitute)</li><li>🇳🇱 Jos "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3d9c-violentpanda/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ViolentPanda</a>" van Meurs (coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Elliot McSheen</div><div><strong>Editor:</strong> Jens Koornstra</div><div><strong>Thumbnail:</strong> Will Connell</div>

The organisation would bring Gyro back from the bench.

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Sources: Dignitas expected to remove Evoh from starting lineup

Professional play from 2015 is almost unrecognizable - kickoffs are evidence of that.

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The evolution of kickoffs

<div>As the Oceanic region shuffles into place ahead of Split 2, Angus "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/146d-gus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gus</a>" Hall, Ethan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9a22-scrub" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scrub</a>" Klumpp, and Tai "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/22fe-shorez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shorez</a>" Kibble have formed <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6222-kibbgang" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kibbgang</a>. The trio is joined by former Pioneers and Moist Esports performance coach Isaac "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4629-prof" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prof</a>" G., who will fill the coaching position. All three players transition from three different teams: gus departed the now disbanded <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23ce-chiefs-esports-club" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chiefs Esports Club</a>, Scrub left <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/58d0-pioneers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pioneers</a>, and Shorez parted ways with <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3ce0-kakas-minions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kaka's Minions</a>. As a result, Kibbgang enters the second Split with zero points to their name.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;For those of you that don&amp;#39;t know I will be teaming with &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ShorezOCE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ShorezOCE&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ScrubbedA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ScrubbedA&lt;/a&gt; under &amp;quot;Kibbgang&amp;quot; with &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ProfSportPsych?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ProfSportPsych&lt;/a&gt; as coach&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Bit of a chaotic past month, but super glad I&amp;#39;ve managed to team with these lads and I am excited to show how good we are 😈&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Gus (@gus__oce) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/gus__oce/status/1782294465371414588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 22, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/chiefs-roster-disbands-gus-released-superlachie-returns-to-pioneers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dissolution of the Chiefs roster</a> means <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b8fd-gremlins" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gremlins</a> and Kaka's Minions move up from joint-fourth to joint-third. Both sides possess 24 points, 12 less than Pioneers, who currently hold Oceania's second <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/8b0a-rlcs-2024-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Championship</a> berth. With <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6be7-pwr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PWR</a> sitting pretty atop the leaderboard with 56 points, the race has realistically shrunk to just the second spot. Another pursuing participant is <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/391a-ground-zero-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ground Zero Gaming</a> (21 points), who <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/ground-zero-gaming-add-lunr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">replaced</a> Arjin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/db28-baz'" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Baz</a>" Celik with Youvi "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4504-lunr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lunr</a>" Singh heading into Split 2.</div><div><br></div><div>As mentioned, Pioneers' new squad enjoyed a more successful opening Split. The Kansas City-based organization rebuilt its roster around Scrub, recruiting Luke "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/412e-amphis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amphis</a>" Riddel and Ezequiel "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/42c9-fiberr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fibérr</a>" Aranda-Lovito to flank their top appearance maker. A pair of runner-up finishes to PWR sandwiched a top-eight placing in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd6-rlcs-2024-split-1-oceania-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #2</a>, which allowed Pioneers to punch their tickets to Denmark. At the first offline event of the campaign, Pioneers outdueled <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/76f4-elevate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elevate</a> to prevent a winless tournament, but defeats to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">G2 Stride</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6be7-pwr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PWR</a>, and a perfect sweep against <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3e29-complexity-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Complexity Gaming</a> eliminated the Australians in 12th-14th place. Subsequently, Scrub was <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/quiktrip-pioneers-gaming-wave-goodbye-to-scrub" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">removed from the roster</a> after a two-year stint at the organization.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Shorez returned to competition after not making any appearances in offseason events following the conclusion of RLCS 2022-23. The 18-year-old reunited with Finn "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3ff1-finn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">finn</a>" Mawer and Josh "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/f774-kaka" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kaka</a>" Watters to revive Kaka's Minions, which previously came close to qualifying for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b36-rlcs-2021-22-spring-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2021-22 Spring Major</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/467c-rlcs-2022-23-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2022-23 Fall Major</a> after inking a deal with Ground Zero Gaming. The reinvigorated squad came out swinging in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d643-rlcs-2024-split-1-oceania-open-qualifier-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #1</a>, storming through the Swiss with a 3-0 record thanks to sweeps over Chiefs and Pioneers. However, a semifinal loss to the latter cut their run short before Shorez could record his first grand final appearance since <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b3f-rlcs-2021-22-spring-oceania-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2021-22 Spring Regional 3</a>. A top-eight exit in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd6-rlcs-2024-split-1-oceania-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #2</a> preceded yet another flawless Swiss run in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd7-rlcs-2024-split-1-oceania-open-qualifier-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #3</a>, which came to naught once more with a second semifinal loss at the hands of Pioneers.</div><div><br></div><div>Oceania's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd8-rlcs-2024-split-2-oceania-open-qualifier-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #4</a> kicks off on April 27th.</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6222-kibbgang" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kibbgang</a> roster currently consists of:</div><ul><li>🇦🇺 Angus "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/146d-gus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gus</a>" Hall</li><li>🇦🇺 Ethan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9a22-scrub" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scrub</a>" Klumpp</li><li>🇦🇺 Tai "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/22fe-shorez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shorez</a>" Kibble</li><li>🇺🇸 Isaac "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/4629-prof" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prof</a>" G. (Coach)</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

The trio represent a new threat to Oceania's elite.

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Scrub, Shorez, and gus form Kibbgang

<div>Epic Games have released statements on RLCS payouts as well as server issues in Europe through the <a href="https://twitter.com/RLEsports/status/1782112724131971379" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rocket League Esports </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/RL_Status/status/1782112532070813923" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rocket League Status </a>Twitter accounts. These statements come less than a day after several high-profile members of the Rocket League Esports scene spoke out about the problems they face and the lack of communication they perceive.</div><div><br></div><div>Rocket League’s publisher and parent company of developer Psyonix Studios have been sparing with their words when it comes to publicly addressing complaints from the Rocket League Esports community. Not today, however, as they responded to the outcries of RLCS personalities, such as <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dcbd-karmine-corp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Karmine Corp</a>’s Axel "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9570-vatira/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vatira.</a>" Touret and Tristan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/441b-atow/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Atow.</a>" Soyez, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/fc9c-team-vitality/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Vitality</a>’s Alexis "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/41dd-zen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">zen</a>" Bernier, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/689c-gentle-mates/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gentle Mates</a>’ coach Benjamin "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fb7-eversax/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eversax</a>" Wagner. In <a href="https://twitter.com/Vatira5/status/1781813030365385024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">their tweets</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AtowRL/status/1781806132157116597" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">they asked </a>for “news about the game”, and specifically pointed out issues with receiving prize money from past RLCS events and DDOS attacks ruining the ranked experience for the players.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Hey everyone, we’ve been seeing some active discussion surrounding RLCS that we want to address:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;There have been some delays in RLCS tournament prize processing for Rocket League, but all potential prize winners have been contacted or are scheduled to be contacted. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Each…&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RLEsports/status/1782112724131971379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 21, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;We’ve heard your feedback on the recent server connectivity issues, and an investigation is ongoing. We’re not only looking at game server performance, but also at how Rocket League&amp;#39;s game traffic is being routed by ISPs, particularly in Europe.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We’ll provide an update once…&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Rocket League Status (@RL_Status) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RL_Status/status/1782112532070813923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 21, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>In the statements, Epic Games claim that “all potential prize winners have been contacted or are scheduled to be contacted”, and that “an investigation is ongoing” into game server performance as well as “how Rocket League's game traffic is being routed by ISPs, particularly in Europe.”</div><div><br></div><div>In his <a href="https://twitter.com/Eversax/status/1781844544486613057" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">open letter to Psyonix on Twitter</a>, Eversax wrote that “just knowing that you guys are [investigating the situation] would be a first step in the right direction”, and that step has now been taken. Still, not every reaction to Epic Games’ statements has been positive: CEO of player agency Prodigy <a href="https://twitter.com/Jerome_Coupez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jérôme Coupez </a>responded distrustful towards the news. He has recently been in contact with Rocket League players who are waiting for outstanding earnings to be paid, and <a href="https://twitter.com/Jerome_Coupez/status/1765311273187622913" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shared two weeks ago </a>that “Epic Games are now reviewing all RLCS competition payments since 2020.” Since then, <a href="https://twitter.com/Jerome_Coupez/status/1782126190280532453" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">he claims </a>that Epic Games have led them in circles by saying that certain cases will be resolved “in two days” or “at the start of next week,” allegedly without actually resolving the cases when those deadlines arrive.</div><div><br></div><div>The commotion caused by the Rocket League Esports celebrities seemed to have paid off, as they got the response they were looking for, concludes Eversax <a href="https://twitter.com/Eversax/status/1782120374257225816" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in a reply to Rocket League Status on Twitter</a>: “Thank you! Now we know what to do when something is wrong, you can count on us to do it every time.” More communication from the Twitter account is to be expected in the near future, as the statement on server connectivity issues closes with: “We’ll provide an update once there is more to share.”</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer:</strong> Jens Koornstra</div><div><strong>Thumbnail:</strong> Martin Faltus, Shift</div>

With two statements on Twitter, Epic Games have responded to criticism from high-profile RLCS players and coaches.

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Epic Games break silence on RLCS payments and server issues

<div>In the wake of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/twisted-minds-announce-senzo-departure" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his departure</a> from <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3b5d-twisted-minds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twisted Minds</a>, Ahmed "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f8d-senzo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senzo</a>" Ayed has announced his retirement from competitive Rocket League, bringing an end to a highly successful career. The 22-year-old competed at the very top of his region for six years and helped launch the Middle East into the public eye with a historic quarterfinal run at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6426-rlcs-2021-22-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS 2021-22 Fall Major</a> as a substitute for <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ad54-sandrock-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sandrock Gaming</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Time has finally came to close my professional chapter and move on with my life. I am extremely proud of where I am at, from a player that lives in a very small town with the worst possible internet connection to be one of the best in MENA, I came this close to retire multiple… &lt;a href="https://t.co/X3nhHEtTyd"&gt;https://t.co/X3nhHEtTyd&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Senzo (@rlsenzo) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/rlsenzo/status/1782082227272118301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 21, 2024&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>This is officially Senzo's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/articles/senzo-retires-from-competitive-rocket-league" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">second retirement</a>, having previously hung up his controller shortly before the 2021-22 season introduced Middle East &amp; North Africa to the RLCS circuit, then listing his poor internet as one of "many" reasons behind his decision. This time, he states he is "joining the military service", although he leaves the door open for a return to the game in the future. In any case, he confirms he would not be returning as a player.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement on Twitter, the three-time RLCS LAN participant says: "<em>Time has finally come to close my professional chapter and move on with my life. I am extremely proud of where I am at, from a player that lives in a very small town with the worst possible internet connection to be one of the best in MENA</em>", before going on to explain his inconsistent connection has plagued him throughout his career but did not keep him down: "<em>I came this close to retire multiple times cause of internet issues, but decided to keep believing that one day I would stop imagining me be someone plays internationally and surrounded by an amazing crowds and make that imagination a reality, for that I am grateful and proud of myself for not giving up when circumstances were against me.</em>"</div><div><br></div><div>He closes the English section of his post by expressing his gratitude to his supporters: "<em>I’ll be off for a while, but as of now, I’m officially retired. Thank you guys for supporting me throughout the years, until then.</em>"</div><div><br></div><div>After joining fellow regional icons Ahmad "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f88-ahmad" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ahmad</a>" Abdullah and Khalid "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f95-okhalid" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">oKhaliD</a>" Qasim on <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0e70-osh-tekk-warriors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Osh-Tekk Warriors</a> in September 2018, Senzo embarked on a journey to develop the Middle East into a powerhouse on the international stage. The trio signed with <a href="https://twitter.com/incivik" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">INCIVIK</a>'s <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ad54-sandrock-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sandrock Gaming</a>, competing in as many European events as they could while on sub-optimal ping. In early 2020, Incivik even sponsored an event featuring European RLCS &amp; RLRS teams for Sandrock to compete in: <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/3119-the-european-invitational" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The European Invitational</a>. The Saudi Arabian outfit finished in second place, defeating the likes of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/fc9c-team-vitality" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Renault Vitality</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d0-we-dem-girlz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We Dem Girlz</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/b262-team-singularity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Singularity</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas</a>, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/cadb-rcd-espanyol" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RCD Espanyol</a> along the way.</div><div><br></div><div>In July 2021, Senzo and the Sandrock Gaming lineup also represented <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7eb6-saudi-arabia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia</a> in the EMEA division of the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/72e8-intel-world-open-emea-regional-finals" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Intel World Open</a>, finishing with an 0-9 record in a stacked group with <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7eb8-france" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">France</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/7eb5-netherlands" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Netherlands</a>, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6a07-germany" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Germany</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Eventually, Psyonix came around and incorporated the region into the RLCS with the advent of the 2021-22 campaign, which kicked off shortly after Senzo's first retirement. He picked the controller back up to fill the substitute position at Sandrock Gaming, where he had been replaced by rising star Mohammed "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/03f0-trk511" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trk511</a>" Alotaibi. Due to school obligations, oKhaliD was unable to play the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6426-rlcs-2021-22-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Major</a> of the season, allowing Senzo to step in to the limelight. His experience aided Sandrock in a monumental 3-0 win over <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">G2 Esports</a> in the team's first ever RLCS LAN match, going on to progress from the Swiss stage as the third seed with wins over <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c81f-furia-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FURIA Esports</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/391a-ground-zero-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ground Zero Gaming</a> following a defeat to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/e57a-smpr-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SMPR Esports</a>. </div><div><br></div><div>Although Sandrock came up short in the quarterfinals against eventual runners-up <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a0-nrg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The General NRG</a>, history had been made: MENA was here to <em>play.</em></div><div><br></div><div>After spending another Split as Sandrock's reserve, Senzo assumed a starting position at <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3e25-veloce-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Veloce Esports</a>, with whom he qualified for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6425-rlcs-2021-22-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2021-22 World Championship</a> as MENA's third seed. In Fort Worth, Veloce managed a 20th-22nd place finish with a victory against Asia-Pacific's <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/a9e4-senbei-strikers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senbei Strikers</a>. Over the course of the following season, Senzo finished in the top four in eight out of nine Regionals while representing Veloce, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/f30f-vision-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vision Esports</a>, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3b5d-twisted-minds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twisted Minds</a>, again appearing at the end-of-season <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/467d-rlcs-2022-23-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Championship</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>This time, Senzo succeeded in escaping the chaos of the Wildcard before bowing out of the group stage after losses to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/4686-gen-g-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gen.G Mobil1 Racing</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/0f59-rule-one" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rule One</a>. During the subsequent offseason as well as the opening Split of RLCS 2024, Senzo preserved his consistency, placing top four or higher at <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/b8c2-saudi-eleagues-2023-season-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saudi eLeague 2023 Season 2</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/ae8b-regional-rumble-middle-east-and-north-africa-finals" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MENA Regional Rumble</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/9827-stc-champion-series" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">STC Champion Series</a>, <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd9-rlcs-2024-split-1-middle-east-and-north-africa-open-qualifier-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RLCS 2024 Open Qualifier #2</a>, and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/d647-rlcs-2024-split-1-middle-east-and-north-africa-open-qualifier-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Open Qualifier #3</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Throughout his six-year career, Senzo recorded 899 games, of which he won 60.40%, produced 687 goals and 539 assists, and averaged a 1.019 rating.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Writer</strong>: Finnerdt</div><div><strong>Thumbnail</strong>: Psyonix</div>

The 22-year-old calls an end to a successful career that took him to the very top of his region.