For many, getting to Grand Champion rank in Rocket League is the ultimate objective.
This is only possible through the grind of practising as you make your way through hundreds of hours of play.
Of course, if you are enjoying that then it adds a whole new depth to the game. There is a target and you’ll want to do everything possible to get to that point.
But what if you keep making obvious mistakes?
I have been coaching for over a year now and many of the Champion-rated players I encounter do struggle with the same issues.
Not only that but I’m also a player and play with C3 friends quite a lot. It’s worth noting that each player still has a lot of specific patterns that need to be looked at on a case by case scenario.
Less than half of Rocket League Champion 3 ranks are able to get into Grand Champ, according to the Rocket League Season 12 rank distribution.
With that said, let’s look into how more Champs can get into Grand Champ rank following these seven simple tips:
1. They Double Commit
Double committing is like a double edge sword.
We all have that time when we scored an important goal by double committing and winning the match. But that doesn’t mean that it should be encouraged because it worked those few times over such a broad timeframe.
In this case, you might have won that game and feel great about yourself. but if double committing (even just once or twice during a game) results in losing 5% more games than you would have done otherwise then you can see the issue.
Look at this gif for example:
This gif is taken from my teammates’ point of view. I go for a double touch (and I miss, shame on me) but what is this guy doing? While I missed — and should have scored — what he did should never be an idea in someone’s head because it leads to getting scored on
2. They Spam ‘Great Pass’
So we can all agree that spamming anything is simply being toxic.
Other than the toxicity, the principle of what your teammate is saying might be worth looking into more. We know that, at the highest levels of Rocket League, passing is sometimes the only way to score. So looking at if you could have passed at that moment is worth doing.
However, keep in mind that it’s not always a good idea to pass, especially in 2v2. Grand Champions also tend to not pass to lower ranks because they mess it up more often than not.
Example: You’re C3. Your teammate is barely C2 — clearly a lower rank. Would you pass to him and actually trust him to score?
If the answer is yes, you might need to stop being so trusting. If the answer is no then don’t worry: Grand champs feel the same was about C3 as you do about C2.
It’s a trust issue and most GCs think they can score on their own anyway.
Also, look at your positioning: if you are exactly 90 degrees to my right, most players probably can’t even see you because they’re trying to dribble.
3. They Justify Their Mistakes
A game of Rocket League usually lasts for 5 minutes. In those 5 minutes, if you make any clear mistake (such as whiffing, rotating poorly, double committing etc.), then it’s likely you do those mistakes in other games.
For example, if you do go for a double commit and at the end of the match say ‘Just because I made one mistake doesn’t mean I am bad’ isn’t necessarily a strong case.
It’s definitely good that you’re starting to admit you’ve made a mistake, but is that not the definition of what makes a player good?
In most cases, when you make an obvious mistake, it’s because you’re a bad player as the mistake you made in the match has probably been something you struggle with before the match even started. The best thing to do is to get some help and tackle that issue.
4. They Prejump
I have no idea why anyone thinks it’s a good idea to prejump a random teammate when they are on the ball.
We all love to get those sick clips, but if you really want to get these nice clips, then jump into casual where you’re not damaging your own rank and those around you.
Prejumping is not a smart thing to do. It rarely ever works because freestyling with people actually takes chemistry and most of the time your teammate has no intention of passing.
Very few Champs will be good enough to be able to know when to go for a freestyle and are likely just going to concede. So just stay on the ground.
5. They Use Points to Prove Skill
How many times have you heard players justify their poor performances on the basis of points?
It’s fair to say that there is some correlation between the points you get and the impact you made within the game. For example, if you have 600 points and your teammate only has 50, then fair enough. But it’s definitely not a rule.
Here is a perfect example of what Rocket League would define as an assist (worth 50 points) even though it’s entirely unintentional.
6. They Have an Ego
The amount of people I see in C2/C3 who think they’re absolute gods at the game is astounding.
I certainly don’t speak for the entire C2/C3 player base because I’ve met a lot of you and some of you are genuinely nice people who know their flaws and are trying to improve on them.
To the people who constantly think, “It’s not my fault. It’s my teammate/car/PC/controller/cable/dog/cat/nan/alignment of the moon in relativity to the middle of Wyoming!” your good old friend Moose is here to tell you in the words of the mighty Jessie “you’re not good”.
You’ve made it to your current rank. Well done! But you still have a long way to go.
Keep actually pushing yourself to be the best you can be instead of practicing your verbal abuse.
7. They Queue with Lower MMRs to Get an Advantage
I know some people just like to play with their friends.
This is fine. Carry on!
This isn’t directed at you. This is directed to the people who purposely play with lower-ranked MMRs for the sole intention of gaining MMR.
I have news for you. It doesn’t work anymore.
If you’re C3 and you’re queuing with a Diamond 3, you’re not going to face C1s. You’re going to face C2/C3s.
If that person is a genuine Diamond 3, they won’t be able to keep up. Oh, and did I mention you’ll lose more MMR?
In Short: Keep It Simple and Don’t Be Toxic
These tips are mostly tongue-in-cheek. But it really does boil down to the fundamentals of being able to be self-aware.
There are three main points to be taken away from this:
1) Sometimes it’s better to just not rise to the toxicity and just let your actions speak for yourself .
2) Stop having an ego. Even if you get to GC, if you’re low GC, that doesn’t mean you get the right to be toxic.
3) If you want to actually rank up, stop making bad decisions. Focus on your positioning and being able to deal with what happens next when your teammate has the ball
If you’re wanting to rank up quickly, then just remember that so is everyone else around you. No matter how cliche it sounds, working as a team is going to be the best way to get there.
Even when you’re in the right, there is almost always something that you could have done to improve the situation, whether it was in chat, on the field or after the match had ended.
As always I will suggest that getting an external point of view such as (obligatory self-plug) my coaching can help with this.
If you have questions on specific situations feel free to book and we’ll go through.
