A Rocket League Guide to Flicks with Joreuz
Flicks are one of the most satisfying and most useful mechanics in the game. In this guide, we go over some types of flicks and how to use them with the help of Dignitas professional player Joreuz.
There are few things that are prettier than a perfectly-executed flick in Rocket League. However, flicks are a lot more than just a visually appealing mechanic. Dignitas professional Rocket League player Joris “Joreuz” Robben would agree.
Learning how to flick is important because, with a flick, you can generate a lot of power without having to completely commit yourself to an offensive play. It’s really good to create pressure.
The biggest takeaway here is that flicks can generate a ton of power, even if you have no boost and are right on the ball. You can take your time with it and, if done correctly, you can absolutely embarrass your opponents. Whether it be to score, to beat your man, or to pass, adding a few flicks to your arsenal will make you an extremely dangerous player.
Types of Flicks
In this guide, we are going to cover four different types of flicks and how they can be used.
45 Degree Flick
A 45 degree flick is a flick where you have the ball on top of your car, you jump, and then just rotate your car 45 degrees and flick into the ball. It’s really helpful to generate a top corner shot. With the 45 degrees, you can angle your car towards the top corner and bang it in there.
Because you’re only rotating your car 45 degrees, this isn’t the most complex of maneuvers. However, as Joreuz said, it’s an excellent one for getting the ball into the net. Upper corner shots are notoriously difficult to save, and because this flick can be executed super quickly, you’re going to give the defender an absolute headache. Even if your shot doesn’t go in, it’s likely going to be headed for the backboard, which can be extremely dangerous for the defense. If they don’t have someone there, you’re going to set yourself up for a pretty high percentage change immediately after.
Musty Flick
So, there’s two types of Musty flicks. You’ve got one Musty flick where you just backflip into it. When you drive with the ball on top of your car, you just jump once and pull your stick back. After your car is vertical, you can flick while holding the stick down still. It can throw people off guard because they just see someone behind the ball, it looks like you’re faking but you get a second touch and it just flies towards the net. Then, you’ve got the regular Musty flick. You jump once, tilt your car forward until the vertical point, and then flip backwards. It’s easy to use, but a little more difficult to put direction on your shot.
This is a fairly easy flick to learn. The biggest thing to remember is to not flip too soon – otherwise you’re going to send your car the wrong way. As Joreuz said, the point in which your car is vertical is when you want to flick. To be on the safe side, you can even tilt it a bit beyond the point in which you’re vertical. When done properly, you should get a lot of height on the ball, and it can be very tough for the defender to read. The set-up is a bit longer than the 45 degree flick, but it’s incredibly tough to read, especially in lower ranks.
180 Degree Backflip Flick
The 180 degree backflip flick is a flick where you jump once, rotate your car 180 degrees, and then backflip into the ball. This can really generate a lot of power. When you backflip into the ball, you’ve got the top of your car smashing into the ball. The top of your car is pretty dense, so it gives the ball a lot of power and throws people off-guard. You can also easily fake your opponent as well by just not flicking it because they’re expecting a banger. They might even prejump and give you a free goal.
When it comes to the sheer generation of power, this flick is a go-to. Because of this, even if you don’t score, you’re going to give your opponents a very tough ball to reach on the backboard. It’s also not an overly complicated flick either, as all you really have to do is rotate in one direction and then perform a backflip. This is one that I highly suggest adding to your toolbelt, as I don’t see a lot of people utilizing it, it’s fairly simple, and can get a lot of power on the ball – even if you don’t have any boost.
Breezi Flick
For a Breezi flick, you need to have either air roll right or air roll left in your controls. You jump up once and use air roll right or left while dragging your stick the opposite way. This makes your car flatten out and turn towards the right or left. Once your nose gets under the ball, you flip backwards. This scoops the ball into the opponent’s net.
This one can be a little bit difficult to master, but it’s one of the toughest things to read in the game. Again, especially when you’re in a rank such as Diamond or Champ. Joreuz mentioned that this is a great way to “scoop” the ball, and I think that sums it up quite perfectly. You may not always get the same power as you would from a 180 degree backflip flick, but you’re going to be able to get really good placement. This one does have a slightly longer set up, making it especially effective in 1v1 and 2v2.
Delays and Defense
Adding delays into your flicks is going to take you a long way. Being unpredictable and difficult for your opponents to read is one of the most effective ways to become a threatening attacker in this game.
I think it’s really important to keep your opponent guessing. If you only instantly flick, people will just expect that and they’ll either wait or challenge instantly. If you add a little bit of delay, people might think you’re going to fake or they won’t know what you’re going to do. Keeping people guessing is really good in Rocket League.
As you climb the ranks, your opponents are going to continue to get smarter. That’s why you can’t keep doing the same thing over and over. It may work the first time, but they’re going to make adjustments – so don’t give them something they can adjust to. Add those delays, and sometimes don’t even flick it at all – just fake it. Having the mechanics is great, but winning the mental side in this way is going to get you moving up the ladder very quickly.
In addition to being an obviously useful offensive mechanics, flicks can also be utilized on the defensive side of things.
It’s really good to use flicks in defense because you can recover really fast from flicks. There are different scenarios. In 1s, you use flicks to get the ball in a safe position. In 2s and 3s, you can flick your first opponent, and because of the fast recovery time, you can instantly get another play on the ball. Beating two or more people relieves a ton of pressure from your net.
One of the most important things Joreuz mentions here is the recovery time. By performing a flick, you’re not going to throw yourself completely out of the play – even if you mess up. It’s also just a really good way to relieve pressure. Beating that first car outright is so crucial. If you do that in 1v1, you’re going to have a great chance on the net. In 2v2, you’re going to only have one more guy to beat.
In 3v3, relieving that instant pressure will give your teammates a chance to grab boost, and because of the quick recovery time, you’ll be able to try to put a move on the next defender. It can be very tempting to boom the ball down the field, and while there are situations where this works, it’s really good to take the space the defenders give you and set up something better if you can.
Practicing Flicks
So, all of this information is all well and good, but what’s the best way to practice?
The first thing you should do is get the ball on top of your car in free play and master the basics. Get some flicks up and work on controlling it. Once you get the hang of it, hop into a 1s game and see if you can make the flicks do something useful. That way you can practice with a defender on it. You can control where your flick goes and how much power it has based on different situations.
I really like Joreuz’s tip of practicing flicks in the 1v1 playlist. This is where you’ll have the most time to set one up. Over time, you’re going to get faster and faster with it, so they’ll just become even more viable in the other playlists.
Conclusion
Flicks are one of the most useful ground mechanics in Rocket League, and we hope this guide will give you plenty of pointers on how to use them effectively! If you want to check out some of Joreuz’s gameplay, head over to his Twitch and YouTube. You can also keep up with him personally on Twitter. Best of luck on your climb through the ranks!
