If Rocket League were to have a hall of fame in the future, Pierre "Turbopolsa" Silfver would be a first ballot inductee. Turbopolsa could retire today and we would wax poetic on his marvelous career that includes three world titles and MVP honors. Yet, the European machine has decided to take his talents to the North American team he helped defeat in epic fashion all those years ago in London, England after Justin "jstn" Morales iconic goal to send the game to overtime.
READ MORE: Fireburner: Passing the torch to the next generation
Why this is the right move
NRG's impending roster move had the entire RLCS community waiting with bated breath as to who the team would pick up. NRG fans were confident that whoever the third was that the team would be a contender, but surely other NA teams smelled some blood in the water. Unfortunately for the likes of G2 Esports and Cloud9, the former back to back-to-back World champion is in North America to conquer a new challenge.
Despite us going into the eighth season of the RLCS, this is only the second cross regional transfer, and hopefully this pans out better than the first (Drippay to EG). Turbo was a free agent who recently flexed his muscles with the Randy Gibbons' River Rats placing top 5th-8th at Valencia and proving he could compete with players not from the EU.
Turbo is a high-powered player on both sides of the pitch and the change of scenery should be a boon for everyone on NRG. NRG wanted a star to replace Fireburner, and they were able to secure one in time for their next event Beyond the Summit.
READ MORE: Gibbs: I expect NRG to be a contender
Expectations for NRG
NRG will need a little bit of time to to adjust to Turbo, but the most pressing need is finding a suitable living/working situation. NRG do not have a team house or apartment setup to my knowledge for their Rocket League team and will need to find Turbo a comfortable place to be his best here in the states. UPDATE! After publishing this article it was realized that NRG are creating a living situation for Turbopolsa and GarrettG in Atlanta, Georgia.
The expectations for NRG are going to be skyhigh considering the team was already a top five team without him that contended for titles. The addition of Turbo should convince skeptics that NRG is ready to overcome their LAN issues and proceed to get their first LAN title since they won X-Games. I would recommend tempering expectations a bit because there will still be a transitional period that can be pretty stressful even on a World-class player (moving across continents!). Despite all that, Turbopolsa and company should be ready to storm the North American RLCS like never before.
READ MORE: Beyond the Summit: Everything you need to know!
Fallout in EU
Europe is losing one of their brightest stars, and several teams (TSM, The Bricks, and Dignitas) are left looking to pick up the pieces. Turbopolsa would have been a great fit for either TSM or The Bricks, but his leaving the region he's competed in his whole career is extremely telling. While he was already a free agent, he is one less top flight F/A for teams to pick up leaving RLRS players with an additional opportunity.
Will TSM, The Bricks, and other organization be forced to look for roster replacements, improvements in the lower level (RLRS) or will we see some true rostermania in Europe? Hopefully, the off season continues to produce because the storylines will not write themselves!
Will Turbo continue his excellence in North America? Comment below!