DIG, KCorp and Pioneers favored in wildcard openers – RLCS Worlds 2022

The Wildcard Round of the RLCS World Championship kicks off tomorrow in a brand new format, with the 9th to 16th ranked teams getting the chance to pick their opponent for the first round out of the 17th to 24th ranked teams.

As you’d expect, each team seems to have picked what they think is the easiest opponent for them, and scale up nicely with our RLCS Worlds Power Rankings. I am not expecting any earth-shaking matches. That said, if this ends up being anything like the Spring Split, the upsets we could see could spell the downfall of some of the bigger teams.

Here are our games to keep an eye on:

Dignitas vs Gaimin Gladiators

If there’s any team that could do with the morale boost of a good start, it’s Dignitas. They haven’t hit a major podium in months, and the less said about their Spring Regional runs, the better. They need any kind of convincing performance here to restore some belief, and while Gaimin Gladiators shouldn’t pose much of an issue in theory, that sword cuts both ways. A win against the APAC side wouldn’t be massively celebrated, but on the other hand a loss could very well ruin any hopes before they even start.

Karmine Corp vs 01 Esports

This would be our pick for the match with the most potential for a close run. The skill and achievements of Karmine Corp lately don’t need much introduction, with that 4th place finish in the Spring Split still the crowning gem of the team’s progress so far. 01 Esports, however, are a little bit more of an unknown quantity. The Saudi Team put up some impressive results at Gamers8, earning a 5th place finish by taking out Dignitas in the lower bracket.

KC didn’t take part in that tournament, so we never got the chance at a real match up. If 01 stick to form though, this could be a tight competition.

Pioneers vs Veloce Esports

Although both of these teams hail from the ‘minor regions’ of Rocket League, recent history has taught us well to not ignore it. Pioneers in particular had a, frankly, pioneering run at the Spring Split, giving SpaceStation Gaming a close run before sweeping the wounded Team BDS straight out of the lower bracket. Veloce, on the other hand, come out of the MENA region closely behind everyone’s new favourites, Team Falcons. They even convincingly put the region’s golden boys into the lower bracket with a 4-1 win in the last regional event.
Neither of these teams feel like they’ve hit their heights yet, so we’re looking forward to seeing what this match up brings us.

Remaining Matches

• Version1 vs Orlando Pirates Exdee
• Renegades vs Bravado Gaming
• Spacestation Gaming Vs The Club
• Team Secret vs SMPR Esports
• Tokyo Verdy Esports* vs OpTic Gaming

*At the time of writing, Tokyo Verdy are no longer listed on the event page, being replaced by Senbei Strikers. The reason is not currently known.