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Writer's pictureSage Langdon

Into the RS Vault: Expansion Era

Updated: Jan 10, 2022

Matches are ordered by season in descending order from RSX. Click images to be taken to the corresponding VODs on Twitch.

The #2 and #3 seeds in the Foundation Tier went head-to-head in a rare BO7 playoff match featuring exclusively teams in Gold/Platinum ranks. The result was a thrilling series from start to finish, with the underdog Faerie Fire Lumas eventually prevailing 4-2.

Top seeded Norberts Boys had received a bye to the Development playoff semifinals by virtue of finishing in the top 2, and their reward was a date with #5 seeded Fighting Mongooses, who had pulled off a 3-1 upset of RC Milan in the Preliminary Round. The B07 semi was expected to be a confident romp for the future tier champions, but the Fighting Mongooses battled to two game wins and came dangerously close to forcing Game 7 before bowing out of the playoffs.

A highly anticipated meeting between Azure's unbeaten #1 seeded Super Slurpers, and S8 tier champions/#4 seeds via Cobalt, SkoRead. The fixture lived up to its billing, as SkoRead rallied from 1-0 down in the series to win in four games, eliminating the hot favourites for the playoff title, and cementing their own legacy in Challenger lore.

The very first match completed in S10 Elite Ruby league play was a meeting between a pair of iconic RS rosters with a number of previous H2H matchups. The series itself didn't disappoint, with the Poops clinging on to win Game 5 after Old Men Yelling rallied from 2-0 down in the series in spectacular fashion.

The S9 Challenger Playoff Final was contested between two surprise finalists, both former Development Tier champions - #2 seeds ThePillBoys, who had made a late charge into the playoff places, and #4 seeded, newly promoted What The Team, who dumped top seeded Barnyard Boys out in an entertaining semifinal. The BO7 showpiece delivered on drama, and concluded with Perspective avenging PB's S8 final loss with a late Game 6 winner to seal the title.

Two of the league's most recognizable lower tier teams, having first met in Season 4 league play, went head to head in the playoffs for the first and only time. Pro AM rallied from 2-1 down in the series, winning a lengthy Game 4 OT to stay alive, and advanced in five games to the semifinals against Team Yeasty.

Ferrari's First's bid to defend their Elite Tier title was in jeopardy for large portions of league play, as they ultimately snuck into the playoffs as the #4 seeds in Elite Scarlet - setting up a sensational first round matchup with Breakfast Brigade, the dominant unbeaten #1 seeds from Elite Ruby. The series itself was one to remember, culminating in Ferrari's First producing a clinical 4-0 victory in Game 5 to advance to the semifinals.

After both teams participated in a tense league play title race (for more, check out the Rocket Recap), the #1 and #3 seeds met after lengthy delays to determine the champions of Season 8. The ensuing match would become the most iconic in Rocket Sundays history, and an unmissable addition to this list. Nullaii's winning goal 30 seconds into Game 7 OT capped off his hattrick, and secured a first title for the Car Ball Touchers.

A midseason Elite Scarlet fixture that wasn't set to be a memorable match on paper - Duality were 3-0 and chasing the title, whilst newly promoted Bawbags were 1-3 and struggling to remain in playoff contention. On the pitch, however, previous form went out of the window as the two sides traded blows in a series that went all the way to Game 5 OT, before Stypher capped his finest RS game with the winning goal for Duality.

The opening match of Season 8, and the first official match for Gros Trucs, a roster consisting of Jayknight and OldTimeGentleman, two of the league's most well liked players since Season 3. A 3-1 win for Gros Trucs initially seemed an unremarkable result - but as What The Team stormed through the remainder of the season without defeat to become Development champions, the Week 1 blip stuck out as the sole blemish on their record.

In the S7 Grand Final to determine the season's overall champion, Baileys Bar fell victim to perhaps the biggest upset in league history. BB entered the match defending their Season 6 title and were top seeds once again after winning Master league play - their opponents were #6 seeded Beansports, who shocked expected finalists Clown Fiesta in the semis. Beansports won their maiden RS title via an astonishing 4-0 sweep of the BO7 series that defied even the wildest predictions.

En route to winning the S7 Elite Tier title, Ruby #1 seeds The Poops were tested by the most improbable opponents at the quarterfinal stages, #4 Scarlet seeds Ascension Cupid. In a series with significant momentum changes and routs in both directions, ASCU took a 2-1 series lead before eventually succumbing in Game 5 OT.

Taking place on the same evening as the above POOP vs ASCU match, the pressure ramped up on Calculated, as Scarlet's #1 seeds, to remain in the playoffs and match their Ruby counterparts. Drama intervened, as Ruby #4 seeds Weird Flicks But Okay produced a dramatic reverse sweep spearheaded by Chucho to advance to the semifinals, and cap off a 4/4 sweep for Ruby teams in the Quarterfinals, a RS first.

The first Foundation playoff final in Rocket Sundays history turned out to be an excellent match. Both teams were participating in their first (and ultimately only) RS season, with BGC the unbeaten #1 seeds, and Crack Bois the resurgent #3 seeds. BGC were expected to win the series comfortably, but were ultimately pushed to Game 6 in an entertaining affair.

Perhaps Canard Baguette's most famous victory, this match marked the highly anticipated faceoff between league regular Jayknight, and his rookie brother Monsieur Bob. The series went the distance, with Canard ultimately prevailing in Game 5 after a spirited Orionis performance, with much-needed points in the playoff race going to both teams.

Occurring in the second half of the season, Ping found themselves involved in an entertaining scrap for top spot with the Kestrels, and were expected to take all four points here to remain in the top two. Wyffindor had underperformed since being relegated from Challenger, sitting just outside the playoff places. The match began with a pair of dominant Ping wins, before Wyffindor rallied to erase a three goal deficit in the final minute of Game 3, kept a clean sheet in Game 4, then suffered heartbreak in Game 5.

Widely regarded as the series that put Beansports on the map, this S7 Master fixture is the only known series in RS history to have all five games go to overtime. Rallying from 2-1 down in the series, Hodge ultimately sealed a 4-3 victory in Game 5 to help Beansports qualify for the Grand Finals they would go on to win.

The first Elite playoff final ever played potentially remains the most dramatic, as it capped off Noot Noot's fairytale rise. After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Challenger Tier in Season 4, Noot Noot were promoted the following season, and then scraped into the Elite Playoffs in S6 as Ruby's #4 seeds. The final was against Twin Esports, Ruby's top seeds, and a team with the H2H advantage. Noot Noot flipped the script to win the series through Gforcedev's goal in Game 6 overtime.

Before tier-wide playoffs existed, the Season 6 Development Tier Invitational was a one-of-a-kind tournament. Featuring all of the top 8 teams from league play, the group stage+knockout competition was completed in a single evening, and is broadly recognized as the de facto playoffs for Season 6, as well as serving as inspiration for Snap Tournaments as a concept. ThePillBoys emerged victorious after winning the BO3 final 2-1, a match that would kickstart their rapid rise to Challenger glory.

A league play fixture from S6 Challenger Azure's penultimate week which AZA won in four games to clinch a playoff place, but is better known for Team Sky's rally from two goals down in the final minute to win Game 3 5-4, earning a point from the series that clinched the Challenger Azure title over Hose Before Bros.

The first match to be played in the Master Tier was also a thriller that went as far as five games with a reverse sweep. Quiver introduced himself to the league with a Squishy save that had the casters in raptures, and HiLo Worthy once again dazzled on the league's biggest available stage alongside his new teammate Jimski.

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