G2 Esports survived a challenge from Team Queso to win the Grand Final of the Rocket League Championship Series 2021-22 Winter Split Major on Sunday.
Team Queso won five straight matches through the lower bracket to reach the final, but as lower bracket champions, they needed to beat upper-bracket champ G2 twice in best-of-sevens to claim the final.
Queso won the first set 4-3 but fell 4-2 in the second set, as G2 won the $90,000 first prize and 701 RLCS Circuit ranking points. Queso pocketed $60,000 and 600 points.
Queso, which played four matches Sunday, began set one of the finals by winning three of the first four maps. It started with a 1-0 win on Mannfield (Night), but G2 responded with a 3-2 win on Forbidden Temple.
Queso bounced back with consecutive 2-1 wins on DFH Stadium in overtime and on Utopia Coliseum (Dusk)
After a timeout, G2 posted consecutive wins, 2-1 on Wasteland (Night) and 5-2 in overtime on Neo Tokyo, to even the set at 3. Following another timeout, Queso closed out the set with a 2-1 win on Champions Field.
In the second set, Queso again opened with a win on Mannfield (Night), this time 2-1, and G2 responded with back-to-back wins on Forbidden Temple in overtime 2-1 and DFH Stadium 3-1. Queso then squared the set at 2 with a 1-0 win on Utopia Coliseum (Dusk).
That set the stage for G2’s clinching two-map run, 2-1 on Wasteland (Night) and 4-1 on Neo Tokyo.
Queso had advanced to the final by beating Spacestation Gaming 4-3 in the lower bracket final. Queso trailed the set 3-2 before recording consecutive wins on Neo Tokyo (5-2) and Champions Field (2-1).
Spacestation ended up in the lower bracket final after losing to G2 4-1 in the upper bracket final. In that match, G2 won the first three maps before Spacestation got on the board with a 3-1 win on Utopia Coliseum (Dusk). But G2 advanced with a 2-1 victory on Wasteland (Night).
Queso’s day began as they rolled past FaZe Clan 4-1 to get to the lower-bracket final. Queso won back-to-back maps to begin things, saw FaZe win the third map, but ran off two more victories to cap the match.
Rocket League Championship Series Winter Split Major prize pool
1st place: G2 Esports, $90,000, 701 RLCS points
2nd place: Team Queso, $60,000, 600 points
3rd place: Spacestation Gaming, $30,000, 520 points
4th place: FaZe Clan, $24,000, 520 points
5th-6th place: Version1, FURIA Esports, $18,000, 380 points
7th-8th place: Team BDS, Evil Geniuses, $12,000, 320 points
9th-12th place: Endpoint CeX, Pioneers, The General NRG, Dignitas, $6,000, 220 points
13th-15th place: DeToNator, Renegades, Team Secret, $3,000, 120 points
DQ: Sandrock Gaming, $3,000, 120 points
–Field Level Media
