The Limitless Rocket League crew overcomes adversity in their second tournament under the Limitless banner as they beat Gentleman in the Grand Finals of Melonpatch League Season 2. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Limitless stayed flawless, winning every series on their journey to the top prize.
Saturday – Melonpatch League Playoffs
Limitless Vs. Escape Velocity in Winners Quarter Finals
Saturday started as Limitless took on Escape Velocity. Skills would go on to earn a hat trick in game one as the onslaught of the Limitless attack was too much for Escape Velocity to handle. The go ahead goal of the game came after several shots from Beeyu led to a thrifty pass from Nitrous to Skillz. This play left the Escape Velocity defenders scrambling to secure their goal from constant bombardment of balls, giving Limitless a 2-1 lead. The pressure of that goal then forced an error out of Escape Velocity as one defender failed to get back on a save, netting Skillz their third goal of the game and the hat trick as Limitless wins 3-1.
Game two was less of a flashy affair, but still impressive nonetheless as the patented Limitless defense clamped down on Escape Velocity for a second game in a row. When it came to the scoreboard, a second chance ball from Skillz gave the goal scoring savant their fourth of the series while a Beeyu setup from the corner left an opening in the middle for Nitrous to slam it home. Nitrous would go on to tally three saves in the game, giving Limitless a convincing 2-1 victory.
Game three was a slugfest that Limitless was unfortunately on the losing end of. A few balls slipped through midfield behind Limitless defenders, giving Escape Velocity the perfect chance to capitalize as they would go on to make a statement win with a final of 3-7. Escape Velocity would rectify their slow start of scoring one goal on 17 shots through the first two games by scoring seven goals on nine shots in game three alone.
Limitless would wrestle back control of the series early in game four. Skillz soared the ball with a clean clear that set up an unassisted goal. A Skillz setup to a mid-air Beeyu would then give Limitless a 2-0 lead. Escape Velocity would sneak the ball past the Limitless defense to make it a one goal game before double committing on a clear, leaving a wide open second chance goal to a streaking Skillz, giving them their seventh goal on the day. The Skillz show didn’t stop as a loop-de-loop save out of the Limitless net shut down Escape Velocity and secured game four with a final of 3-1.
Game five is where the narrative of Limtiless’s dominance on Saturday came clearly into view as they continued to control the boosts throughout the series. The game stood at a stalemate going into the last 30 seconds before breaking out into a frantic pace. The boost control throughout the series gave Limitless the edge during the final stretch of this game as a last-second shot with zeros on the clock fell several centimeters short of shutting out the series. Luckily, Beeyu set up an airball out of the Escape Velocity corner 52 seconds into overtime for the score, giving Beeyu a final scoreline of one goal, four shots, and four saves.
Overall, a strong showing on Saturday gave Limitless boundless confidence going into Sunday, a confidence that would shine through as they would face their toughest test in their first Sunday series.
Sunday – Melonpatch League Playoffs
Limitless Vs. Gentlemen in Winners Semi-Finals
A slow start on Sunday shined through in game one against Gentleman. Both teams squandered some pristine opportunities down the stretch as the pace picked up late into the game. A few misplaced balls would come to haunt both teams as game one led into a 0-0 overtime. With Skillz barely missing the mark on a dunk and all of Limitless committed to the offensive possession, Gentleman had plenty of room to run the ball down the field for the score, taking game one in the process.
Game two saw Gentleman strike first as a bounce off the crossbar gave Gentleman a second chance goal and an early lead. Gentleman would go on to score one more time before Nitrous would sneak a ball behind the Gentleman defense for an effortless score, putting Limitless back into the game. A 50/50 ball over the middle would lead to a Gentleman score with 22 seconds left, securing them game two with a final of 1-3.
A few bad bounces left Limitless on the outskirts of the series in game three, but some stellar plays showcased things to come from the Limitless squad. After going down 0-2, Nitrous would run the ball down the field on a fast break before bullying a Gentleman defender out of goal with a bump, clearing the lane for a Limitless score. Nitrous would also net the second goal for the squad as a Skillz setup allowed for the score while Gentleman scrambled to setup their defense, putting the game within reach at 2-3. Unfortunately a bad bounce on a shot led to a dreaded double post, ultimately stealing the game tying goal from limitless and allowing Gentleman to run the ball down the field for the 2-4 victory.
They say legend are formed in the flame of adversity (and if they don’t say that they will now); with Limitless on the precipice of being sent down to the losers bracket, the team dug deep to make Melonleague history as they rallied back in the series, all starting in game four. A quick strike nine seconds into the game sent Limitless down early, but that would be a mere roadbump as the team found their form and wrestled back control from Gentleman. With two perfect setups from the middle, keeping plays alive with second chance balls, and a Beeyu hat trick, Limitless looked convincing in game four as they went on to win 6-1.
Game five was a closer affair as a Nitrous ball from midfield soared its way into the goal for a 1-0 lead before a failed clear gave Skillz the space to set up a ball out of the corner for a Beeyu score from the middle. Gentleman would strike back with one goal, but lockdown defense and pristine gamesense kept the victory firmly in the grasp of Limitless as they would go on to win game five 2-1.
The train kept on rolling in game six as a Skillz clear, a Nitrous pass, and a Skillz slam would give the team a lead early with Limitless never looking back. The terrific teamplay kept coming for goal two with Beeyu running the ball out over the middle, giving Nitrous the opportunity to run with the ball for a fantastic flick that found its way to the back of the net. The Beeyu Nitrous killer combo kept coming with Beeyu carrying the ball deep into the Gentleman zone, allowing Nitrous to clean up with a second chance goal, giving Limitless a 3-0 lead and making it winner takes all in game seven.
Game seven would be the final boss for Limitless in the series with Gentleman getting an early lead off of a gracious goal from a second chance 50/50 following a spectacular Skillz save. Gentleman kept their pedal to the floor with a second goal coming from Limitless unable to set up a proper defense, putting them down 0-2 early. A Beeyu ball off the backboard set Skillz up for a slam, putting the team down one. Less than 15 seconds later, Beeyu set up a ball out of the corner before scoring an aerial goal to tie up the game at 2-2. Skillz would then guide a ball deep from the Limitless zone, slicing and dicing their way to the Gentleman corner before delicately floating a ball over the middle to a trailing Beeyu to take the lead. Beeyu takes their turn as the selfless teammate by flying the ball over the Gentleman defense on the next kickoff, leaving it in front of the net for Nitrous to tee off on, giving the gang a 2-4 lead. Gentleman kept the game interesting, scoring late with 20 seconds left before sending the ball deep into the Limitless zone in the ensuing kickoff, getting a golden setup, but Skillz stepped up with a humongous clear from within the Limitless goal for the reverse sweep, punching Limitless’s ticket to the grand finals. This would be the third reverse sweep in MPL history and the first ever reverse sweep in MPL playoff history.
Grand Finals
Limitless Vs. Gentleman
Gentleman would beat Allmid four games to one in the losers semifinals, setting up a redemption rematch against Limitless. Game two was all Gentleman as the hour break for Limitless set the team up for a slow start. Two failed clears and a miss on kickoff would give Gentleman all the momentum they would need to tie the series up 1-1 (Limitless automatically won game one since they never lost a series, giving them a 1-0 series lead before the first official game). Overall, Limitless started rusty, but fortunately all their mistakes were simple and correctable..
Game three started out a little rough for Limitless as Gentleman would take a 0-2 lead following a failed clear and second chance goal. Beeyu would be the first to step up, keeping a ball alive over the middle and setting up Skillz to soar a field goal straight into the net from midfield. Beeyu kept on making stupendous plays, forcing a double commit in front of the Gentleman goal after a double flip reset, leaving Nitrous wide open to guide it in and tie the game. Skillz would then go for a slam on the Gentleman goal before getting stuffed in front of the net; Luckily, Nitrous crashed hard and sent the second chance ball straight to the back of the goal for the Limitless lead. Gentleman would tie the game up with 20 seconds left following a Nitrous save, but the second chance ball had too much juice on it for Limitless to get the follow-up save. Gentleman would get the ball back into the Limitless end of the field, but Nitrous flew the ball deep into the Gentleman zone, setting up Beeyu for the score with only two seconds left in the game. Limitless gave Gentleman a free touch on the opening kickoff, but the shot sailed high giving Limitless the win and the 2-1 series lead following the 5-4 victory.
With the series lead, Limitless continued to assert dominance in game four. It all started with Nitrous carrying the ball out of the Limitless end, finishing the play with a beautiful flick over the last Gentleman defender. A Skillz soft touch would finish off the play and lead to a goal, giving the team an early 1-0 lead. Limitless would then see a 50/50 ball leak out of the middle and into the Gentleman zone, leaving Skillz free for an open net goal. Nitrous would then fly the ball out of the middle on the ensuing kickoff for a goal, giving Limitless three scores in 50 seconds. Another ball would leak from the middle behind the Gentleman defense for a Nitrous score, closing the book on game four with a 4-1 victory for Limitless.
Game five saw a slow in the scoring. The first goal game after Skillz played fast to keep a ball alive before catching Beeyu behind the Gentleman defense, setting up Beeyu for the one timer. Gentleman would tie with a shot off the kickoff. Later, Nitrous would get a shot on goal that would lead to a scrap over the ball in front of the Gentleman net; Beeyu trailed the play and rocketed the ball into the back of the net amidst the chaos. Limitless would win the game 2-1 and be one win away from taking home the championship.
The possible penultimate game six started a bit sour for Limitless as an accidental 50/50 ball leaked behind their defense for a free Gentleman goal. Nitrous would help even the odds, flying the ball off the Gentleman backboard for a soaring Skillz to send it to the back of the net. Gentleman would strike back, sending a second chance ball into the goal after the initial Limitless stuff. The tug of war for the lead continued after a failed Gentleman clear left Beeyu open for a guide in goal. Locked at 2-2, Skillz made a show stopping play, cutting a hard angle for a save before redirecting the airborne ball back into the Gentleman goal with an amazing aerial play. With a 3-2 lead, Nitrous would win a 50/50 ball over the middle, giving Beeyu the golden opportunity to sneak behind the defense for a two goal lead. The ball continued to rocket back and forth with both teams jockeying for control while the clock continued to slowly bleed away. Gentleman would strike late, making it a one goal game, but only leaving one second on the clock. Limitless locked down the goal and grounded the ball for the victory, rattling off four wins in a row in the grand finals and making them the Melonpatch League Season 2 champions.
Overall, an exciting weekend saw Limitless live up to their tremendous potential as they won every single series they played and overcame every hurdle in their path. Without a doubt, this is the kind of tune-up you love to see ahead of the ensuing RLCS season, giving the team a confidence boost and us supporters a show we’ll be thinking about for weeks to come. With a trophy in their hands and a tournament win under their belt, it’s hard to imagine there’s anything that can shake Limitless’s confidence and cool their hot streak.