Rocket League is one of the fastest esports in the world. And while many think this only applies to the gameplay we see on our screens each weekend, it equally applies to the career trajectories of those involved. Chris “Dappur” Mendoza can tell you all about that: his journey had him lauded as one of the game’s brightest stars, to suffering a seemingly unstoppable tumble that saw him eliminated from the competitive scene entirely.

It’s been three years since Dappur’s Selfless Gaming almost defeated the World Champions Flipsid3 Tactics. Only a gut-wrenching Kuxir97 buzzer-beater - who’d go on to score the winner two minutes into overtime - dropping Selfless to the lower bracket. Yet even in defeat, this was seen as an announcement of their step up to the elite competition. Instead, this would be their peak.

The next day, Selfless were eliminated by Denial Esports. Dappur was not just completely invisible on the pitch, he wasn’t even on it instead of attending his graduation. This had been agreed upon with his team, but without their talisman, Selfless lacked the bite they’d enjoyed against F3. Denial dominated them in a 3-1 victory, leaving Selfless with a last-place finish in what would be their only World Championship appearance.

If anything, this defeat only made Dappur’s stock that much higher, proving exactly why Selfless needed him. He’d made himself one of the world’s most talked-about players with dazzling performances in the 1v1 scene, where he was considered by many to be North America’s best solo player and had the performances to prove it.

Despite his individual brilliance, every season since has seen Dappur spiral downwards. Season 4 was meant to be Selfless’ challenge for regional glory, although they flopped to a 1-6 league play record, narrowly avoiding relegation. The next season would see CLG (who’d signed the former Selfless Gaming players) barely improve to a 2-5 record, this time being dropped to Rocket League second tier.

CLG broke up soon after, as many relegated teams do, with its players determined to climb back to the top. Rocket League, young as it is, has already seen many star players drop off the pace, and any one of them can tell you just how difficult it is to catch back up. Once relegated from the RLCS, many simply give up their dream of playing the game professionally, especially with Rocket League’s previous, much more brutal, promotion system. But there is another response. To push harder than ever before. And while admirable, it can often be an equally ineffective route back to the top.