Everyone knows the top players in the Rocket League scene. Names like BeastMode, MonkeyMoon, ApparentlyJack, and Zen are instantly recognizable to fans around the Rocket League community. But what about the players still trying to break through? Is it even possible for a new competitor to make a name for themselves?

We spoke with Cumberland University student and Top 32 RLCS player Benjamin “KnightYuh” Eleby to gain insight into the bubble and collegiate scenes. We discussed what the scene does well, where it falls short, and whether it truly provides a pathway for players looking to take the next step and break through into the professional landscape.

KnightYuh began playing competitive Rocket League in 2022 with a team called Lights Out before moving on to organizations such as Lotus8 and Clovarity. He later formed his own free-agent team, No Hesitation, alongside his Cumberland University teammate Daniel “Polar” Reese and Boise State player Emiliano “Durtho” Flores. The team has since established itself as a Top 32 RLCS contender, consistently winning weekly tournaments and securing top 4–8 finishes in higher-tier C-tier events when they come around. In addition to competing, KnightYuh also works as a content creator for 100x35.

The middle ground of Rocket League, often referred to as the Tier 2 or "bubble scene" in North America is currently in an interesting position. We see a big collection of weekly tournaments such as Frost, Genesis Double Commit, and the Nameless Esports Rocket Rush. However, because of the lack of bubble tournaments between the RLCS, the monthly cash cups, and these $100 weeklies, these tournaments attract a lot of talent. This talent ranges from players simply looking to have fun with friends to semi-professional players like KnightYuh. While the events offer good experience under pressure, the level of competition is often too challenging for teams outside the RLCS top 128 yet not demanding enough for players who have already broken into Rocket League’s upper echelon. As a result, there can be a pretty wide range of skill levels that participate. There are also monthly cash cups run by Rocket League that are held in every region. This creates a huge opportunity for bubble teams to compete against top-level opponents, as the sizable prize pool attracts even lower-tier professional teams.

The Rocket League community has also shown creativity in developing alternative forms of matchmaking. One of the most prominent examples is the 6mans ladder, a system designed for players seeking stronger competition at higher ranks. With ongoing botting and DDoS issues affecting ranked play at the high Grand Champ-SSL levels, 6mans has become a reliable and competitive alternative for players focused on improvement.

The 6mans ranking system can feel unconventional at first. It begins at the lowest rank, H, and progresses upward through E, D, C, B, B+, A, X, and S. According to KnightYuh, the amateur bubble scene is primarily composed of players ranked in the high B to low A range, which naturally leads to those competitors finding and teaming up with one another. Players interested in participating in 6mans can learn more by visiting the official website.

KnightYuh: “Teams that make it right before Day 3 are more in the amateur bubble. The actual bubble scene is probably teams ranked from around top 32 up to top 12 in RLCS. To really make it in the scene you have to be extremely consistent.”

Life in the Bubble

Life in the bubble has its ups and downs. Once you break into the bubble, it becomes much easier to secure matches (not scrims) against elite competition. With RLCS operating as an open qualifier, even world champions like NRG must fight through the 1,000+ teams that sign up for each event. This structure gives teams like No Hesitation multiple chances to pull off upsets against established names during the year. That said, consistency remains the biggest challenge. KnightYuh explains that while a bubble team might peak one day, maintaining that level of play over several days or weeks is incredibly difficult. Still, even a single upset or standout result in an RLCS event can go a long way, leading to higher level scrimmage opportunities, and top-tier teams begin to take you somewhat seriously.

KnightYuh: “The hardest part of being in the bubble scene is getting better scrims. If you don’t win a series against a top team, those higher-level teams won’t care at all, even if you came close to beating them. Team Silenced is a good example, they didn’t start getting high-level scrims until they reached a Top 8 finish. If you stick with your team and everyone is willing to put in the time to build consistency, it becomes much easier to break through and get those higher-level scrims compared to grinding on your own.”

Unfortunately, breaking into the bubble scene remains extremely difficult. As mentioned earlier, there are very few events for Tier 3 teams and little overall structure. Players need a high level of intrinsic motivation and strong chemistry to keep a roster together while working toward the same goal. Even then, pushing through weekly tournaments and RLCS events is no small task. Current bubble teams often act as gatekeepers, preventing newer squads from ever reaching the chance at top-level competition.

There have been some highlights for the bubble scene recently. We saw Team Silenced (Resonal, Lev, and Pigeon) break into the Top 8 for the first time during the first RLCS Open event, and 100x35 (Crispy, Simas, and Pzy) qualify for their first RLCS LAN. Moments like these motivate other teams trying to break through, showing that one strong performance can completely change a player’s reputation. There is another key thing that a lot of bubble players have in common, their participation in the college circuit.

KnightYuh: “Consistency and mentality are the biggest differentials from player-to-player. There are a lot of players who could’ve been pro, but they stopped grinding or couldn’t find teammates. It’s about making connections and getting your name out there so top-level players pay attention.”

Rise of the Collegiate Scene

The collegiate scene has grown rapidly since the introduction of Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) in 2017, now boasting over 200 schools that offer Rocket League scholarships. Many top collegiate players, such as KnightYuh, Polar, Crispy, and RelatingWave have gone on to find success at the professional level. Even legends like GarrettG have decided to pursue college to play Rocket League.

Compared to the bubble scene, CRL offers a significant advantage in structure and organization due to consistent practice and team chemistry. As a result, a collegiate team with weaker mechanics can often be more difficult to beat due to their coordinated play.

KnightYuh: “When you play against other collegiate teams, most of them rely on structure. It’s not about one guy peaking super hard, it’s about who plays better as a team, compared to when I play with Llama Champions, which is more for fun and going for clips. Collegiate play gives you more chances to compete against top teams even if you’re not quite at their level yet. It is kind of a shortcut to becoming a pro player, or at least you learn how to become one.”

The collegiate structure also helps players grow as people, not just as competitors. It forces students to manage their time better, balancing schoolwork with scrims for their collegiate teams and, in most cases, their RLCS teams as well.

Conclusion

Overall, the RLCS bubble scene is in a tough spot. Bringing Rocket League into high schools and colleges, even for players who aren’t at the highest level, gives more people a chance to compete and grow. It also helps build a bigger audience and a healthier bubble scene, where you don’t need big connections or SSL-level mechanics to find fun and challenging competition.

Thanks to KnightYuh for taking the time to talk with us about the in-between scene in Rocket League. You can follow him on Twitter here: https://x.com/KnightYuh_rl.