iBUYPOWER Cosmic is back in action. One of the oldest standing teams in Rocket League, on August 6 they made it into the winner's bracket finals of the $55,000 Rocket League Championship Series Live Finals in Los Angeles, defeating Flipsid3 Tactics and The Flying Dutchmen on the way. On August 7, they will face Northern Gaming (formerly We Dem Girlz) to determine who will advance directly into the grand finals.
The outlook for iBUYPOWER wasn't necessarily this rosy before the tournament. Others had started to write them off due to the loss of Cody "Gambit" Dover, one of their star players, but the team was still supremely confident. According to their captain Cameron "Kronovi" Bills, "People are going to look at us and say we're missing once we once had, [but] we're the dark horse; if anyone doesn't take us seriously, they're going to get rolled."
Kronovi's prediction seems to be coming true, but how did the team make it this far in the first place?
iBUYPOWER Cosmic, formerly Cosmic Aftershock, has consistently been one of the best teams in the world since the game's release last year in July. The original roster featured Kronovi, Randy "Gibbs" Gibbons, and Kais "Sadjunior" Zehri; Sadjunior and Kronovi were regarded as the two best players in the world during the beta build of the game. In the early days, Cosmic Aftershock were not just a team, they were the team, the best team in the world by a large margin. In their first 49 best of X sets they went 49-0, showing themselves to be by far the greatest of them all.
The armor cracks
In the 50th best of X series, the nearly unthinkable happened. In the shot heard 'round the world, Kyle "Kyle Masc" Mascitelli scored for Kings of Urban with 0 seconds remaining in the MLG North American Finals. iBUYPOWER Cosmic was 49-1 and had fallen out of the finals of the MLG NA tournament. Coming into the MLG international tournament iBUYPOWER Cosmic looked for redemption, but again they fell to the Kings of Urban, this time in the quarterfinals.
Moving into the Rocket League Central Pro League, iBP advanced confidently, coming second in North America behind Kings of Urban. In the playoffs they eked past the EU third seed KA-pow in a nail-biting 4-3 series. The unfortunately found themselves proven mortal as they went down 4-3 to eventual winner Crown and Jewels.
Finishing top four in the world in a very tight series would be enough for most, but iBUYPOWER wanted to be the best. Kronovi was looking to rebuild the roster, and with Gibbs looking to step down due to a child on the way and Sadjunior interested in moving on, it seemed like a good time.
iBUYPOWER reborn
How do you form a squad to be the best in the world? You start by finding world-class talent. Cody "Gambit" Dover and Brandon "Lachinio" Lachin were two of the most individually skilled players in the world, and they joined Kronovi in his quest to push iBUYPOWER into the most elite of elite tiers.
In their very first tournament, they beat We Dem Girlz (now Northern Gaming) twice 4-3 as well as Kings of Urban. Said Kronovi: "Any tournament win is a proud moment for us, but beating We Dem Girlz twice in two very close sets showed the world that we are a real team, not just a cheesy super team."
They continued in stellar form for RLCS Qualifier 1, despite playing in what Kronovi described as "the most stressful tournament in the history of Rocket League." With a strong first position finish in league play and an equally confident win in the playoffs, they finished as the winners of qualifier 1. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the second qualifier group play where iBP came in fifth, Gambit left due to the stress and anxiety caused him by the pro Rocket League scene; his undeniable talent left a vast hole in the roster.
With their fifth place finish, iBUYPOWER had qualified for the International Live Finals. In the run-up to the inaugural event, Ted "0ver zer0" Keil joined the starting roster. He had huge shoes to fill, although he had already been working with the team as a sub while Lachinio was in school.
The change hasn't been without its challenges. "We meshed really well with Gambit and Kronovi, but meshing with Kronovi and Lachinio has been tougher due to all my time in the game with Kronovi. [I'm] working with Lachinio to get together and better every day," 0ver zer0 said.
As the International Finals loomed in Los Angeles, Kronovi and iBP were confident, declaring that this new roster was still something to fear. "This is definitely a rebirth of iBP," Kronovi said. "This is a brand new beast. Teams will have to respect us, and any team who looks down on us as fallen members of a former glory will realize we are still great."
Although there have been some hiccups along the way, iBUYPOWER have proven time and time again that they can stand toe-to-toe with Rocket League's best. On August 7, they will have the opportunity to prove their case beyond all doubt as the International Live Finals draws to its conclusion. iBUYPOWER Cosmic clearly had the confidence of the world's best team coming into the International finals; the question now is whether they have the ability and synergy to take home the trophy. Kronovi thinks so, Lachinio thinks so, and 0ver zer0 thinks so. With a home crowd at the Finals and more drive than any other team in the world, who knows what iBP can pull off in LA?