Taking a deeper dive into the success story of Espo’s latest team partnership. By Raoul Owens.
Espo has recently welcomed the next team into partnership; Team BDS. With us all anxious and excited to see what the team can achieve in the future, let’s take a little look into the somewhat brief history of this dominant Rocket League force. Team BDS is a name that almost all Rocket League esports fans have become accustomed to in recent times. The Swiss-based roster of BDS has been a dominant force within the European RLCS scene this season and have proved that they are here to stay at the top of Rocket League esports. So, where did Team BDS come from and how did they rise to the top? Well, let’s jump into the time capsule and rewind back to where it all began just a few months ago.
On the 2nd of February 2020, Team BDS officially formed and announced their first-ever Rocket League roster. The original lineup was comprised of ClayX (Alejandro Carbonero), MaRc_By_8 (Marc Domingo), M0nkey M00n (Evan Rogez) and Kael (Javier Ojeda). Since the establishment of their first roster, only one change has been made to the team back in June 2020 with the arrival of Extra (Alex Paoli) from AS Monaco esports. This single change proved to be the final ingredient to create a winning formula for BDS, and has produced nothing short of a Rocket League esports giant.
The first signs of success for BDS came when they clinched The Eurocup 10k tournament which was held in June 2020 during the off-season for competitive play. Extra (Alex Paoli) was brought into the roster as a temporary stand-in to fill the gap for ClayX (Alejandro Carbonero), who left the team to join Tryouts Pim Pam in May 2020. Team BDS began to turn heads when they took a clean sweep of victories in The Eurocup 10k — Qualifier 2, moving them into the main event along with Monkeys. BDS maintained their momentum through the entire main event, beating a variety of strong and established rosters along the way. Team after team fell at the feet of the giants; FC Barcelona, Dignitas, and finally Mousesports in the Grand Final to crown BDS as champions.
The attention and eyes of the Rocket League esports fans and personnel were now on the boys at BDS; They had swept away some serious competition on the back of winning their first tournament. However, a question was on the lips of those that looked to the future of the team: “Could BDS prove themselves to be a strong contender in Europe for the future of the RLCS?”. The short answer to this question was yes, which at the time was an unknown proposition. After the success of The Eurocup 10k, Extra (Alex Paoli) was officially signed and registered into the roster as a full-time player. The next challenge for the team was another off-season tournament, Rocket Baguette: Summer Grand Prix. BDS were able to finish in a respectable 4th position overall, which silenced any claims that their previous victory was a one-hit-wonder. The placing held the team in a strong position going into the brand-new format of RLCS for their tenth season, Season X.
Going into Season X, the overall opinion of analysts and fans alike was that the team to beat in Europe was Renault Vitality, and for good reason. The French-based team have displayed an extreme level of skill, composure, and surgical precision that seemed to be unmatched by any other team in the region, accompanied by the results to back it up. Not only that, but they fielded a roster that had a seemingly perfect combination of experience, high-level mechanics and synergy. Renault Vitality was coined by the analysts on the desk as “the final boss,” but Team BDS had other plans in mind going into the new season.
The first major challenge for Season X came in the form of Fall: EU Regional Event 1 which saw Team BDS continue their dominant form. They steamrolled their way through to the Grand Final against Top Blokes and beat their closest rivals, Renault Vitality, on the way. The Grand Final was the first true test for the Swiss-based team as they had to overcome the challenge of performing under more pressure than ever before, but they did not disappoint. This victory signified a major statement within the European region for RLCS and magnetized even more attention to this seemingly new Rocket League roster, especially after beating down “the final boss”. The momentum from this result did not waver, however, and Team BDS went on to win Fall: EU Regional Event 2 collectively. This team was now the only roster in competitive Rocket League history to win back-to-back Regional events under the new format and asserted their dominance not only in Europe but on a global scale. The third and final Regional Event for the Fall did not quite share the success story of the first two events. They managed to finish 3rd/4th overall in the standings after losing to Renault Vitality in the semi-final, who went on to win the Grand Final against Endpoint.
The most recent and prevalent test came at the Fall: EU Major, which also marked the end of the Fall split for Season X. Now considered the new “final boss” by the panel and analysts, BDS had one last hurdle to overcome before they could solidify their place at the top of the European standings for the Fall Split. The roster of Extra (Alex Paoli), MaRc_By_8 (Marc Domingo), and M0nkey M00n (Evan Rogez) powered their way through the group stages by remaining undefeated. This almost unstoppable force continued in the Playoffs stage which saw BDS qualify for the Grand Final to face-off against their closest rivals, Renault Vitality. The French powerhouse was the favoured team to win during the event when it came down to the vote of both the fans and panel. Team BDS were determined to overcome this final challenge that seemed almost like a destiny to fulfil. Vitality was bested in a truly gruelling series that left fans on the edge of their seats and saw BDS win the first-ever Fall: EU Major tournament. This result crowned them as the number one team not only in Europe, but also in the world based on overall points for the split and beating their closest rival by over 300 points.
Team BDS have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with by overcoming many challenges and obstacles on their rapid rise to the top. They have surpassed all expectations to become what is considered the strongest Rocket League roster in the world right now. We at Espo are happy to have such a talented roster of players to call our partners, and believe the future for this team looks bright due to the many successes they have had so far. Will Team BDS be able to continue their dominance going into the Winter Split starting soon? This question can only be truly answered when the RLCS action kicks off again in November.
Read more
Team BDS — Team Partner Announcement
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