MattyIce once again soars into the Rivals top 10 with a small, yet strong cluster of events under his belt. MattyIce finished top 8 at both of his RCS appearances, DreamHack Atlanta 2019 and Genesis 7. His appearance at the Florida regional, GatorLAN 2020 resulted in a nearly perfect tournament, with two wins over Backpack and a win over Forrest while only dropping two games along the way.
MattyIce has recently announced his departure from Rivals as he focuses more on his personal life and career path. We wish him all the best in his ventures and will welcome him back with open arms if/when he ever returns!
Sparx21, the sole representative of The Aerial Arsenal, breaks into top 10 for the first time! It’s no secret how much of a threat Elliana is these days, mainly due to the ingenuity and mind-blowing gameplay presented by Sparx21 over the course of Season 4. His early season outlined a monster emerging from the offseason, taking down players such as gracefulknight, MSB, Lord Bagel, Blue, Penguin, and more. Post-Elevate, Sparx21 faltered ever so slightly while coping with character nerfs while still placing just outside of top 8 at Glitch 7 and Heat Wave 3.
His 17th place finish at Genesis 7 marked his worst placement of the year; however, he seems to have recently found his groove once again. Sparx21 shot his way to 5th place at Frostbite 2020 by beating CakeAssault in an astounding 3-0 set. If he can keep this momentum going into Season 5, Sparx21 is an early favorite for the highly competitive top 5!
A longtime competitor and community organizer, SBS adds another accolade to his long list of Rivals achievements with his first Top 10 ranking! Tending to his grassroots garden didn’t leave much time to play in RCS events, but that wasn’t a problem as the growing community-organized scene attracted just as much talent for him to beat up on. The best solo Clairen in the competitive scene, he placed top 8 at every event he attended with the exception of Smash’N’Splash 5. On the way he collected multiple wins from top 10 players and more with sets over DolphinBrick, ZeeBee, Sparx, TapScott, Lattim, Bullets, and other notables in Season 4.
With him recently joining the Rivals Dev team as our new Esports Manager, it looked like he might have been thinking of hanging up his sword and cloak until he took out Windows, Sparx, FullStream, and Starbos at Frostbite 2020 during our offseason. Whatever this year holds for him, we know Rivals Esports will continue to thrive with SBS around.
Starting out Season 4 ZeeBee began a journey into the frozen tundra, polishing up an Etalus for several matchups. During his 8 event long season, ZeeBee placed top 3 at both TAPS events, 3rd at Glitch 7, 7th at Heat Wave 3 and 5th at DreamHack Atlanta 2019 while capturing wins against SBS, CakeAssault, Forrest, Sparx21, and many more along the way.
Much like his Twitter, ZeeBee’s approach to the game can be confounding at times, with many players getting caught off guard by his strangely brilliant in-game options. While returning to the coveted top 10 for the second season in a row, his fun-loving attitude and infectious personality make any experience with him one to remember.
The head of Tristate, a real world traveler, King of Kragg. MSB returns to yet another top 10 reveal in the most satisfying of ways. As one of the only two players to be ranked in the top 10 in every season to date, MSB attended eight separate events in Season 4, only missing top 8 on two separate occasions.
Season 4 has been a series of milestones for MSB, besting FullStream for the first time, going undefeated against ZeeBee, and of course his first trip to the paramount mainstage at Genesis 7. Season 4 has been an incredible journey for MSB, and we can’t wait to see what his beautiful mind can lead him to in Season 5. Kragg CAN do it!
While Xaro has been a household name for a few years now, it wasn’t until Season 4 that he began traveling to events. Xaro placed 9th at Super Smash Con 2019, 3rd at The Big House 9, and a phenomenal 3rd at our Genesis 7 season finale. True to form, Xaro made sure to collect 1st place finishes at BOTH Online RCS events in 2019. While dropping sets to Adi and Forrest, Xaro was able to take down Windows and maintain a 2-3 record offline with CakeAssault, not an easy feat. Fast forward to our offseason and Xaro show no inclination to slow down, beating CakeAssault yet again and placing 3rd at the heavily stacked Frostbite 2020.
After two seasons at 5th place DolphinBrick finds himself a level higher. DolphinBrick placed 2nd at Overgrown, 4th at Smash’N’Splash 5, 2nd at EVO 2019, 3rd at CREST, and 5th at Heat Wave 3 while only losing sets to 4 players the entire season. He is astoundingly consistent and a master of Orcane with a heavy emphasis on neutral and mid-set adaptations.
DolphinBrick is always a treasure to see, which makes his missed appearance at Genesis 7 this year even more sad. Regardless, his time with Tuxedo Esports was well spent and we are excited to have him back out to events this summer!
Windows soars into Rank 3 in Season 4! As his photo shows, Windows is no stranger to success, placing within the top 5 at seven different events this year. To complement his rank this year, Windows placed 3rd at Smash N Splash 5, Heat Wave 3, and DreamHack Atlanta 2019 while boasting season long achievements including a 2-3 record against Penguin and a 1-0 record against Blue. Windows has been hot on the heels of CakeAssault and Penguin for years, and now it seems he is closer than ever to closing the gap!
A neck and neck race this season concluded with what appeared to hinge on the grand finals of Genesis 7. Penguin finished Season 4 with a stranglehold on the scene at large, only dropping sets to four different players, and only missing grand finals at a single event. Penguin Vs CakeAssault has all but become a staple of events, with Penguin coming out on top at Smash N Splash 5 and Glitch 7. While their final record is 3-6 in CakeAssault’s favor, it came down to Genesis 7 to definitively prove a champion. Penguin has moved up from 3rd in Season 3 and, if his dominant showing at Frostbite 2020 is any indication, Season 5 may just be his to take!
The only player to never miss a top 5 ranking, the Season 2 Genesis champion, and the Season 3 top dog. CakeAssault has finally combined a Genesis victory with the undeniable distinction of the best player in the world. His back-to-back number one rankings did not come easily by any means. While only missing top 2 at one event, CakeAssault has made several legendary losers runs following early upsets. The term “Losers’ Cake” has become common after such upsets, as he consistently dismantles all in his path.
In addition to his crown at Genesis 7, CakeAssault placed 1st at EVO 2019, The Big House 9, and DreamHack Atlanta 2019 while maintaining a positive head to head record against every opponent except for Blue. Keep a close eye on Season 5, as CakeAssault attempts to fend off the bloodthirsty hoard and become the first player to be ranked 1st in three separate seasons!
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