AUTHOR: CHRIS "BEARLIGHT" LEE / @BEARLIGHTCASTS
Four divisions were created for the 28 teams that competed in the Rocket League portion of this Summer's Carry 2 College hosted by Stay Plugged In. The top division (Division I), consisting of 8 teams, saw 95% of it's players at the highest rank in Rocket League, Supersonic Legend. Through with the rest of the divisions, we saw the ranks vary, with a Grand Champ 3 average in Division II, Grand Champ 1 for Division III, and a Champ 2 average for Division IV. A few college directors told us on-air during the event that rank and skill isn't everything when looking to build a roster in the collegiate space. Every esports recruit was on the radar this past weekend, and in this breakdown we see which of the players stood out in both the Group Stage and the Final Bracket in a division that fit their level of play the best.
SATURDAY - GROUP STAGE
Let's start with some notes about the Group Stage for each of the four divisions. Each division was split into two groups of four, where only three of the four advance to the Final Bracket. Let's briefly go group-by-group and name the winners of each one.
DIVISION I - GROUP A
Gastric Krillers were kings of the group, putting up a [3-0] record in matches played and a +10 game differential in one of the two toughest groups in the competition. Team "445" did well too, finishing at [2-1] only dropping to Gastric Krillers. They were also the only team to take a game from the Krillers, forcing a Game 6 and falling just two games short of the potential upset.
DIVISION I - GROUP B
Team "In Ya Net" staying true to their name, as they put up 15+ more goals than the next closest team to them in the group. A perfect [3-0] and a +7 game differential for In Ya Net, followed closely by Prophets who went [2-1] and a differential of +5.
DIVISION II - GROUP A
Team "Ka-chow" were apparently named after the sound effects made by the ball from their cars on their shots. They were vicious on the offensive side of the ball. They go [3-0] in groups with a +7 game differential (a lot like In Ya Net). The differential would've been higher had "The Boys" [2-1] not taken them to Game 7. Though The Boys would lose that series, they would get their revenge in the Final Bracket. More on that to come.
DIVISION II - GROUP B
"Team Silence" and Summer Series competitors "Funky Bois" were both dominant in the two games outside of their matchup. It was a toss up as to who would win their matchup against one another, so it was pretty anticlimactic that they played each other first. Team Silenced won the series (4-2) and earned an Upper Finals appearance on Sunday.
DIVISION III - GROUP A
The highest spread of any group in game differential in the Group Stage. Skill Issue wins every game played, going +12. The true battle was for second place, where Magic and Astronauts played the closest match of the group. It was (4-1) in favor of Magic.
DIVISION III - GROUP B
This group, on the contrary, was the closest of the Group Stage. Three teams (POW!, University of College, and Ratbawls) finished with a [2-1] record on the day. Due to their match going to Game 7 thereby bringing down both game differentials, University of College and Ratbawls would finish 2nd and 3rd respectively behind POW! who would win the group with a +6.
DIVISION IV
Clean sweep for "Team Guap" in Division IV, going a perfect (12-0) in games and [3-0] in matches in the group. "Team Señor" would also go perfect in the group in games not involving the top squad. They would finish second in the group with a +4 game differential.
SUNDAY - FINAL BRACKETS & MVPS
DIVISION I BRACKET
Gastric Krillers played the same way in the bracket as they did in the Group Stage. A clean sweep over Group B champions "In Ya Net", followed by a brief wait for the Lower Finals to conclude. In Ya Net found a sweep of their own against Group A runner-ups "445", and had a shot at the rematch for the Grand Finals. That thought was quickly put to rest by Gastric Krillers as they sweep again and take the Division I Championship.
DIVISION I MVP
MILE
Location: LOUISIANA
Team: GASTRIC KRILLERS
Rank: SUPERSONIC LEGEND
DIVISION II BRACKET
Team Silenced and Ka-Chow played in the Upper Finals after winning their groups. Team Silenced represented Group B well in a match they won by a two game differential. Ka-Chow would be sent to the Lower Finals to play "The Boys". Remember back in groups when Ka-Chow edged out The Boys? The tables turned on the biggest stage and The Boys would advance to the Grand Finals after a (3-2) win. A second shot for Group A to prove their winning capabilities, but Team Silenced would keep The Boy's scoring pretty quiet in the (3-0) sweep. The Silenced are your Division II champions!
DIVISION II MVP
XXPURGERLXX
Location: FLORIDA
Team: TEAM SILENCED
Rank: GRAND CHAMP 3
DIVISION III BRACKET
DEZ! of "Skill Issue" said during his Senior Spotlight segment on the main stream that he was confident that his team would take the Division III title. The feeling was on par with the results, as Skill Issue took care of POW! by sweep in the Upper Final, and then solidified their Carry 2 College Championship with a (3-1) series win over Magic. DEZ! was great in the series as expected, but a lot of the spotlight needs to be turned to teammates FLOW and CHUE as they combine on 20+ goals in the final series. Incredible teamwork from their squad in the Grand Finals.
DIVISION III MVP
CHUE
Location: RHODE ISLAND
Team: SKILL ISSUE
Rank: GRAND CHAMP 2
DIVISION IV BRACKET
You can cut, copy, and paste the Division IV Group Stage over to the bracket side of things to see just how Sunday played out. Team Guap with a dominant performance, followed by runner-ups in Team Señor. KRUEGAR and NAZ can be credited with a lot of the playmaking throughout both days, but the goal scoring machine and clear leader of Team Guap was their senior, DRKIDNEYSTON. Congratulations on the Division IV Championship!
DIVISION IV MVP
DRKIDNEYSTON
Location: VIRGINIA
Team: Team Guap
Rank: GRAND CHAMP 2
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
AKAICEBORG
Location: TEXAS
Team: FUNKY BOIS
Rank: GRAND CHAMP 1
DAUNT
Location: NEW YORK
Team: GASTRIC KRILLERS
Rank: SUPERSONIC LEGEND (TOP 100)