RLCS Season 6 is getting closer. This weekend marks the kickoff for the first Open Qualifier tournament. Literally thousands of teams have signed up to compete and earn their spot in the RLRS, the second division of the most important league, the RLCS. There are only 4 slots available in both regions, North America and Europe.

Rocketeers took a closer look at all the applications (and of course CloudFuel’s post of notable teams) and we want to talk about 4 teams whose match scores we will track during this upcoming first qualifier.

tHE bRicKs

Back in May, Shakahron left the Method roster. In our interview with him shortly after the split he already mentioned that he’d team up under a new name, The Bricks. The team looked strong from the very beginning: They beat a couple of established teams in smaller tournaments and were definitely a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming RLRS.

However, the original Bricks line-up consisted of Shakahron, Fruity and Speed. A few days ago, Fruity got hired by PSG following Bluey’s move to a substitute position. Speed moved on to replace Andom on Triple Trouble, securing himself a spot on an already RLRS-qualified team. That leaves only Shakahron who brought in Didris and Pugsay.

It’s going to be interesting to see if the new Bricks can live up to the hype which the team first created with their original line-up. Shakahron apparently was devastated when he first got the message that Speed would leave the team to play for Triple Trouble. This weekend will show whether or not he and his new teammates were able to pick up the pieces to create an even stronger team.

left with nothing — Shak (@Shakahron) August 3, 2018

So, now its finally clear where things are, the team going into the playins is going to be myself @DidrisRL and @Pugsay. We’ll be doing everything we can to give ourselves the best chance possible. — Shak (@Shakahron) August 3, 2018

Method

While Shakahron has had a tough couple of weeks, his former teammates are hoping to redeem themselves: Method finished last season’s RLRS on 7th place with a 2-5 record, consequently losing their spot in the league. Now, Borito B, Rix Ronday and newcomer Andy “Kassio” Landais try to fight their way back into the RLRS.

Method struggled a lot during the last season and even Borito B admitted in an interview with Rocketeers how tough the RLRS had been for him and his teammates. Can they reclaim their status as an RLRS-worthy team? A lot of it will come down to one question: Does Kassio fit into the roster and complement his teammates’ playstyles? Our friends over at Octane.gg call him a “rising star”. Let’s see if Kassio can live up to that.

Hopefully you folks enjoy this one, @Kassio_RL is apart of a new generation of players making their breakthrough. Its unfortunate we won’t see him at the @UniversalOpen LAN finals, but I hope we’ll see him in the Rival Series! Thanks to everyone who helped me out. https://t.co/Gz3SKjBCnB — Sly (@SlybaeRL) August 10, 2018

Splyce

The RLCS S5 story of Splyce is a complicated one. At the start of last season, this amazing team was exactly where it’s right now: Signed up for the open qualifier and full of hope that they’d be able to qualify for the RLRS. They had it all: a fan favorite as team captain, fantastic results and a steadily growing fanbase. When RLRS started, everybody was rooting for this team. RLRS host Gillyweed admitted that it’s impossible not to root for this team.

But then Splyce went through a tough couple of weeks: They couldn’t live up to the hype. At times it looked like they had lost their easiness, sometimes it just looked like bad luck. But the results simply weren’t there. And it cost them dearly: they finished on 6th place and lost that RLRS spot they all had been fighting for so hard.

Splyce obviously want to reclaim their spot, and proof that they deserve their seat in the RLRS. The roster still consists of DudeWithTheNose, JWismont and Karma. But Splyce also added CLG’s former star player Dappur to the team. It’s not really clear which one of those four players will be the substitute. All we know is: that team looks strong, and if Karma and her boys are as hungry as they used to be, then they might have a shot.

The D00ds

The story of The D00ds has some obvious parallels to Splyce’s story. Apart from Splyce, The D00ds were one of the most hyped teams in the first half of 2018. After their successful Dreamhack Leipzig qualification they managed to fight their way into the RLRS. The laid-back vibe this team radiated, the cool name and the crazy plays made sure that The D00ds were fan favorites from the very beginning.

But RLRS was different from any other tournament this young team had played before. They performed decently well most of the time, but missed out on their re-qualification for RLRS S6 when they finished on 5th place (one above Splyce). In the aftermath of RLRS, The D00ds disbanded. We did an interview with Joro a couple of weeks later, asking him about a possible comeback to which he replied: “It’s a possibility, but it’s unlikely. I know I wouldn’t mind it, but it seems like some things are already developing and if they stay, then there’s no chance for The D00ds reunion to happen.”

Happy to announce that im teaming with @Ralph_080 and @RollDizz1 with @ostynRL as sub under the team name @thed00ds for this season of RLRS. DM me for scrims. — slater (@retalsRL) July 29, 2018

Now, The D00ds are back – but without Joro, and without AxB. Ralph brought RollDizz and Retals, two NA bubble players, on board and together they make another run at the RLRS. This weekend will show if they can create a kind of hype that is in any way comparable to last time.

Which teams will you watch closely during the open qualifiers? Head over to our Rocket League Discord server and discuss it with our community.