Metagaming, shortened as "the meta," is defined as "any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game." More simply put, it is some new mechanic or strategy that works and results in wins in competitive play.

But what will be the next meta be? What will we see players begin to do that surpasses the current meta? In order to predict what the next Rocket League meta will be, we have to look back at what the previous metas were.

Many of these notes are inspired by "The Evolution of Offense and Defense in Rocket League" by ObsidianOwl.

Seasons 1-2

Seasons 1-2 can be considered the "baby years" of Rocket League. Many of the best players were considered the best because of their individual play. Some of these players had come from Psyonix's "Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars," a very unpolished version of what we know Rocket League to be today. But it was their skill in individual playmaking that allowed them to become the best. Players such as Cameron "Kronovi" Bills and his iBUYPOWER Cosmic championship team in Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season 1 and Francesco "Kuxir97" Cinquemani from RLCS Season 2's championship roster of Flipsid3 Tactics were considered the best, simply because they were able to make individual plays.

Popular Competitive Cars: Octane, Batmobile, Dominus, Breakout, and to be honest, any sort of car. The car meta hasn't really been established yet.

Here is a clip from RLCS Season 1 by iBP Cosmic's 0verZer0:

Seasons 3-4

Seasons 3-4 saw a larger emphasis on passing and team plays, whether that be off the backboard, off the wall, or through infield passes. Players in Season 3 began to try to aim for the backboard when they did not have a clear shot on goal. This would force a defender out of net, and a teammate could easily follow up the pass off the backboard with a hard shot on goal. This would however prove ineffective in Season 4, as teams began to always have a player ready to defend the backboard pass. So what's a version of passing that cannot be defended on the backboard? Infield passing. Players would air roll to control where they hit the ball; they began to look for their teammates if they did not have a clear shot on goal. Cloud9's roster of SquishyMuffinz, Gimmick, and Torment and Method's (now Complexity's) roster of Metsanauris, Mognus, and Al0t are especially known for team passing plays in the competitive scene.

Popular Competitive Cars: Octane, Batmobile, Dominus. Most players moved to the octane, with a select few that main the Batmobile and Dominus.

Here is a clip of Cloud9 in RLCS Season 4 and their insane passing:

Season 5

RLCS Season 5 has just happened in London! Congratulations to Turbopolsa, Kaydop, and ViolentPanda #DigRL for winning RLCS Season 5! The Season 5 meta entails a lot more experimentation in terms of what the meta is. Team passing plays and redirects are still some of the most effective ways of outplaying a defense and scoring, but many new mechanics are being used in the meta. Players from the community are constantly figuring out weird but effective mechanics that help them score. These mechanics include the flip reset, the wave dash flick, the musty flick, etc. Players like NRG's JSTN and Cloud9's SquishyMuffinz have helped these mechanics grow in the spotlight. In addition, after examining the games in RLCS S5, I've found that the defenses of professional teams have seriously improved. A constant barrage of shots on goal and mixing up how you shoot is the best way to beat these defenses. Also, team chemistry is very important, needless to say. This entails knowing where your teammates are and trusting where your teammates to pull off a pass or save a shot.

Popular Competitive Cars: Octane and Batmobile, with very few players that divert from this meta.

Here is a clip of a flip reset from C9 Squishy:

So what's next?

Well, what is next? Predicting the next meta is an extremely hard task, not only for Rocket League, but for any game. Like any other game, the Rocket League community and competitive scene is constantly evolving. Players will constantly discover new mechanics that will help them win games. But what will most likely be the new meta? Note that this is merely a prediction, whether it comes true or not I have no power over.

I predict that team plays and passing will always be in the meta for seasons to come. It is such a challenging task as a defender to be able to read where every single opponent is and whether a pass is being made or a redirect is coming. I don't see passing plays ever not being part of the meta. If there is a player in the future that excels in cutting off passing plays, I think that that player could be considered one of a kind, because I don't think there will be any player in Rocket League history that would be able to stop team plays so easily.

I predict that players will continue to find new, unusual mechanics that would allow them to score. Players will most likely begin to master mechanics like the flip reset, and thus, those mechanics would become very useful in competitive play.

Lastly, I predict that the ceiling will be used much more than it is in competitive play now. Players have mastered the mechanics on the floor and the walls, so what's the last option? The ceiling. Currently, ceiling shots are not done often by pros because they are considered too risky. They slow down the pace of the game and most pros are able to defend those shots. But maybe there is some other way to make the ceiling useful other than shooting? What if the ceiling becomes useful in counterattacking from defense to offense? Maybe players will begin to clear balls towards a teammate on the ceiling. It seems so unfamiliar but it is possible.

Maybe this prediction will come true. Maybe it won't. That is up for the community to find out. Maybe you could get a head start and create the next meta yourself.

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