The end of Week 3 marked the halfway point of the Turbo Tuesday Summer Series. We’ve seen such a variety of these Rocket League teams and their players earning awards in the Series, and with a large influx of new teams hitting the scene on a weekly basis, the vast pool of next-level esports recruits grows even larger. For the teams that started the Series and may have taken some time off, the points needed to receive an invite to the $1000 Summer Series Invitational becomes a bit tougher. Each week leading up to the Invitational becomes more and more important for teams on the bubble. This week we will start the analysis with a clash between two of these bubble teams in one of the closest battles we have seen in the Series so far. Then, a quick look at the teams up top and how a new team might shake things up moving forward.
BATTLE OF THE BUBBLE
Teams like RegimentGG (RGG), Stellar, and 1ThousandVoices (1TV) had still not yet reached the elusive [3-0] weekly record through two weeks, but their ability to consistently finish match nights in the [2-1] and [1-2] range have kept them in the Invitational conversation. This week, RegimentGG and Stellar found themselves in the same pool, while 1TV shared a pool with Segment 1 winners GnS. There are no easy matches in rounds 2 and 3 of a Summer Series Swiss bracket after a [1-0] start. 1TV started the night sky-high with a (3-0) win over Gnome Gamers. Reality set in as GnS generated as their next match. 1TV would fall (0-3) to one of the Series’ toughest opponents, and couldn’t recover, dropping the next match as well and ending the night at [1-2]. The turning point for RGG and Stellar would also occur in Round 2, when they lined up against one another in a tight series that would go the distance.
[5-2] REGIMENTGG VS [4-3] STELLAR
RegimentGG rode the energy of their Round 1 win against Among Us into a match that they knew was pivotal in the overall picture of the Summer Series. Coming in with just one extra win than Stellar meant that dropping the series would bring the two teams back even in points. Whether it is a race in points to make the Iniviational or to land a higher seed in the event will not be answered for a couple weeks, but either way a sizable advantage comes from edging out as many teams as one can manage along the way.
Regiment took the first two games of the series, but Stellar had a majority of the pressure through the later half of Game 2. As Game 3 kicked off, it was do-or-die in the series for Stellar. Dyzur and TKO held their ground on the defensive side, combining for 5 saves and allowing ‘azo!’ to lead the striking and earn the hat-track, keeping Stellar alive with a 4-3 win. Someone must have taught this team that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Dyzur and TKO combined for another 6 saves in Game 4, with ‘azo!’ launching 6 shots. The only difference was that TKO ended with the hat-trick this time around, and the score would favor Stellar 5 - 4. The scoring continued in Game 5, but this time Stellar didn’t need to rely on their defense to find success. ‘Azo!’ put up 4 goals on 4 shots, and dyzur added 2 more thanks to the 5 assists from TKO. Stellar walked away with a reverse sweep in one of the most impactful matches of the night. At the end of it all, both teams would walk away with a [2-1] record yet again.
THE PATH TO 3-0
Humphrey Gang
Humphrey Gang may be a new team to the Summer Series, but they are not new to the Stay Plugged In platform. Led by skilled captain Peep, the ‘Gang won it all in the platform’s Spring Carry 2 College Rocket League showcase. As a team entering the Turbo Tuesday Summer Series for the first time in Week 3, earning the points necessary to make the Invitational at the end of the season is a mountain to climb. There is no better way to reach the summit than by rocketing into the Series with a [3-0] record. 72bolti and Peep connected on a multitude of passing plays to carve through defenses and bring the C2C champions into their evolved Summer Series form. Due to their entry-level seeding, they would have to go up against Stellar, Among Us, and RegimentGG in their 3 matches. Even with the impressive resumé, the way they navigated through some of the best teams in the Series was masterful. Even the killer TKO and dyzur defensive duo had trouble keeping their net uncontested. Humphrey Gang averaged 4 goals in their wins and took out Stellar (3-1).
After the match against Among Us moved Humphrey Gang to a [2-0] record for the night, it was time to face RegimentGG for the match to decide who earns 101 points and the bragging rights for next week. Game 1 was a bit of a shootout, favoring Humphrey Gang with a 4 - 3 scoreline. This shouldn’t come as any surprise since we’ve learned the 72bolti and Peep offensive chemistry is an exact replica of Spookyy and Spyder of Regiment. The speed of play didn’t decline in Game 2, but the scoring certainly did. Humphrey Gang would win the defensive grind 1 - 0 to move to match point. In Game 3 Humphrey Gang would get an early lead and hold it through the match to finish out a shocking sweep against RGG. They proved that they can win any type of game, whether it be a shootout, a defensive grind, or a lead they’re required to hold. For that reason, they close out their incredible debut night with a [3-0] record.
GnS or Doodle Bangers?
With GnS lined up in the same pool as Doodle Bangers (DDB), the inevitable Round 3 match between the two would no doubt be the marquee match of the night. DDB paved the way with a (3-0) win over newcomers Valley View HS (who finished a solid [2-1] on the night) in Round 1, followed by a routine win in Round 2 to keep the pace. GnS guided themselves through a very similar route. A (3-0) win over first-time Series competitors “The Pad Players”, followed by the sweep over 1TV mentioned in a previous topic. Doodle Bangers awaited GnS in Round 3. The Doodle Banger vs GnS tiebreaker favored GnS (3-2) to end the night last week. That being said, esports tournaments tend to favor a team looking for revenge as long as the two teams are decently close in talent. The Segment 1 tiebreaker had proved this to be the case, and sure enough DDB pulled through for the win. The score report left the discord community stunned. Not only had DDB regained and conquered the only team to take them down, they did so in sweep fashion, with nearly a shutout in all three games. After phoenix of GnS was allowed one goal in Game 1, DDB’s defense was rock solid, winning their games 3 - 1, 4 - 0, and 1 - 0 to finally emerge as sole leaders at top of the standings with 303 points.
PLAYER AWARDS
TOP STRIKER
Name: PEEP
Team: HUMPHREY GANG
SPIN Rating: 7.770
Notes: Skies had a slightly higher goals-per-game average at 2.14 versus Peep at 2.00, but Peep played 3 more games than skies. Not to mention, Peep’s average shots count (5.30) was considerably higher as well. Peep was an absolute nuisance to great defenses who were required to scramble any time a look was allowed in the opponent's zone.
TOP PLAYMAKER
Name: SKIES
Team: DOODLE BANGERS
SPIN Rating: 6.157
Notes: Again, assists-per-game is a major focus in the decision here, but it isn’t the only thing that truly notates a player as the Top Playmaker. Skies finished third on the stat sheet in that marker, but largely stood out among the top 3 when it came to goals and shots. Playmakers find ways to be effective in multiple areas of the game in big moments, Skies was the first name on my list in that regard.
TOP SAVIOR
Name: TKO
Team: STELLAR
SPIN Rating: 6.057
Notes: Hard to find a week where TKO is not making moves. This time the defensive performance was one to remember. As part of the defense duo, dyzur deserves a lot of credit as well, but you can not argue with TKO’s impressive 2.57 saves-per-game mark this week. Maybe next week TKO can earn Top Playmaker and be the first to win all three awards for the Summer Series.
To keep up with the latest results, standings, stats, and more make sure to visit the main Summer Series page here.