With the RLCS Grand Finals now only five days away, teams are fully preparing for the chance at Rocket League glory to end the year. With the lion's share of the prize pool and the World Champion title on the line, the best teams in the world will duke it out. Whether it's the favorites FlipSid3 or the surging two seeds, the biggest tournament of the year will see a high-flying end to a year of Rocket League esports. Here's a look at Europe's number two seed, Northern Gaming.
Northern Gaming have a stereotype built around them: They like tossing the ball off the backboard until they get easy shots.
Although the stats are lacking, it's still accepted as a major key to their playstyle. Their shooting percentage reflects this high-pressure style, scoring almost 33 percent of all shots taken (the next closest is 29 percent). They also score an astounding 2.48 goals per game, putting them comfortably at the top in Europe.
Northern are no slouches defensively either, conceding the fewest goals in Europe. If you never let the other team have the ball, how can they score? Allowing only 6.11 shots against per game puts them almost two shots per game better than any other team in Europe. Northern might not do well when forced into their own goal, with the second lowest save percentage in Europe, but they will have to transfer that offensive pressure to the big stage. When they come up against teams that can break their high pressure, they are very vulnerable, especially to the likes of FlipSid3 Tactics.
One possible worry for Northern will be coming up against teams from North America such as NRG and Genesis, teams that tend to shoot from range. Done well and that means they can catch out the high pressure from Northern. If FlipSid3 Tactics run into Northern, expect one of the best games of the tournament, both stylistically and skill-wise. Whether this is a winner's final or a grand final, or both, Northern vs FlipSid3 is the premier matchup of RLCS Grand Finals
Northern's final hurdle separating them from Rocket League Championship Series glory will be their big game performances. Northern stomp games they win -- by big, embarrassing margins -- and they keep the games they lose very close. The problem is they lose games to the big teams and that's worrying in a tournament with only the best involved. If Northern can get over that hurdle and win the big games by one goal instead of losing by one, they'll quickly become one of the favorites to win RLCS. Whether or not they can overcome their big game demons, Northern's high-pressure style will be one of the most exciting to watch at the Grand Finals.