Elliot McSheen

<div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Having burst onto the scene in 2017 with </span><a href="Having burst onto the scene in 2017 with Out of Style, Justin &quot;jstn.&quot; Morales quickly rose to prominence as North America’s next big superstar. NRG Esports acquired his services in early 2018 which propelled them to their first RLCS World Championship grand final in that very same season and now the rest is history. In 2021, The General NRG once again showed their class achieving hegemony in North America by winning all three S-Tier events that took place in the region. At the heart of this success was jstn who provided consistent top tier performances all year long to place at #2 on our top 20 players of 2021 list. " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Out of Style</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, Justin "</span><a href="https://octane.gg/players/3dcf-jstn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">jstn.</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Morales quickly rose to prominence as North America’s next big superstar. </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/23a0-nrg-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">NRG Esports</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> acquired his services in early 2018 which propelled them to their first RLCS World Championship grand final in that very same season and now the rest is history. In 2021, The General NRG once again showed their class achieving hegemony in North America by winning all three S-Tier events that took place in the region. At the heart of this success was jstn, who provided consistent top tier performances all year long to place at #2 on our top 20 players of 2021 list. </span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">At the end of 2020, NRG Esports were in a dry spell when it came to winning titles. Although they managed to reach multiple finals in the RLCS X Fall and Winter Splits, the team had only achieved one regional win and were struggling to contend with the ever growing pool of challengers. 2020 had been a signature year for jstn. He placed right at the top of </span><a href="https://youtu.be/EFIEgcNyXq4?t=671" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;">SunlessKhan’s top 20 players of the year list for 2020</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> and managed to achieve an average 1.23 rating at A/S-tier events from the year. While NRG were adapting to a new North American landscape, jstn had reached his peak as a player. Therefore, 2021 was a year NRG fans could be excited about; Garrett "</span><a href="https://octane.gg/players/3d6f-garrettg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">GarrettG</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Gordon, Mariano "</span><a href="https://octane.gg/players/3d95-squishy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Squishy</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">" Arruda and jstn simply needed to find that title-winning rhythm that had eluded them in recent times, and find it they did. </span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Early 2021 started with a runners-up finish at the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/7a3d-rlcs-x-winter-north-america-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">3rd Winter Regional</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> but was soon followed by a key win at the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/b859-rlcs-x-winter-north-america-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Winter Major</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> where NRG were able to overcome fierce rivals </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/2386-rogue" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Rogue</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> 4-2. Little did we know but this was first of three successive S-tier event wins for the squad who could not be challenged when push came to shove at the highest of pressure. In the Spring Split, NRG showed some weakness with their first and final top 8 exit of the year in the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/a83e-rlcs-x-spring-north-america-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">first Spring regional</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> but managed to recover their form with 3rd-4th and 2nd place finishes in the other two regionals. At the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/5851-rlcs-x-spring-north-america-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Spring Major</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, NRG once again came out on top with wins against </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/23b2-team-envy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Team Envy</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, Rogue, and </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">G2 Esports</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> in the playoffs, teams who had all threatened to knock NRG off their perch in earlier events.</span></div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=SuspiciousWanderingTrufflePogChamp-aEA9yPGCsiR-YYyX&amp;parent=octane.gg&amp;autoplay=false" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">As a result, coming into the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/e851-rlcs-x-championship-north-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">RLCS X North American Championships</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, NRG Esports were the favourites but a number of teams were ready to take them on. In a best-of-seven sets series, NRG were able to narrowly defeat G2 Esports 4-3, 2-4, 4-2 before going on to face </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/2389-spacestation-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Spacestation Gaming</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> in the grand finals. Here the team really found their groove and were able to win 4-1, 4-2 bringing home the RLCS X title. This achievement cannot be understated. NRG had won three major titles in a row in 2021 and despite missteps during the regionals, they were the dominant team in North America. In these three events jstn did not drop below a 1.06 rating and was the consistent statistical carry for NRG. He even managed to show up when it truly mattered, providing NRG with a 1.18 and 1.08 rating in the final two series of RLCS X.</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Heading into RLCS 2021-22, NRG were once again amongst the favourites unsurprisingly, however, offseason results including a 3rd place at the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/71c4-weplay-rocket-league-invitational-north-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">WePlay Esports Invitational</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> suggested that once again NRG would need to adapt to a strengthening NA landscape. NRG opened their account with a 2nd place finish in the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/642a-rlcs-2021-22-fall-north-america-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">first Fall regional</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> and then went onto win in the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/642b-rlcs-2021-22-fall-north-america-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">second Fall regional</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">, their first regional win of the year. It was in these tournaments where jstn reached his peak form of the year with 1.23 and 1.16 ratings in each event respectively. Although the team could only muster a 3rd-4th place finish in the </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/642c-rlcs-2021-22-fall-north-america-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">final regional</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> of the Fall Split, NRG went into the international </span><a href="https://octane.gg/events/6426-rlcs-2021-22-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Fall Major</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> as one of the key contenders. NRG opened the tournament with an expected win against </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/71af-era-eternity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">eRa Eternity</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> but were subsequently bested by two European rivals </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/dc74-team-bds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Team BDS</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> and </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Endpoint</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> putting the team one game away from elimination in the swiss stage. NRG were able to overcome their demons and pushed onto sweep both </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/fc9c-team-vitality" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Team Vitality</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> and </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/391a-ground-zero-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ground Zero Gaming</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> to make the playoffs. It seemed that with these wins NRG had finally got into their stride and they were able to make the grand finals at the expense of </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/c155-faze-clan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">FaZe Clan</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> and </span><a href="https://octane.gg/teams/ad54-sandrock-gaming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Sandrock Gaming</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">. Awaiting them were their transatlantic rivals and the kings of Europe, Team BDS. NRG had finally met their match with Team BDS defeating the NA giants 4-1, 4-3. Yet, there was no doubt that NRG had finished the year on a bittersweet high. Jstn’s own performance in the Fall Major came with praise from the community as he managed a 1.19 rating across the event, the highest of any North American player.</span></div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=AuspiciousObeseSpindleGivePLZ-gohpXvL8fh51SY1l&amp;parent=octane.gg&amp;autoplay=false" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">2021 was a defining year for jstn. He proved that even now, as a four-year veteran of the professional scene, he has not lost any of that mechanical spark that launched him to the very top of the ladder. In many ways he is now more consistent than ever, smarter in his decision-making and ultimately more effective as a player. On NRG, jstn plays as a 3rd man, sitting back the furthest on the squad allowing his two teammates to create space for his own dangerous&nbsp;plays. Rarely does he use boost needlessly and always makes himself a nuisance at the back preventing quick counter attacks from opposition players. His touches are always valuable and he bides his time until an opportunity presents itself, an opportunity he often takes with lethal effect. Jstn’s mechanical ability allows him to improvise even in the most difficult moments, bailing his team out of situations that were all but lost. No matter how many times jstn may say he’s in a slump, there is a certain consistency to his game that many cannot compare to. The mechanical peaks of jstn’s counterparts provide the baseline for what jstn can do, that is what sets him apart from others. It's all these factors that make him one of the greatest mechanical talents of all time in Rocket League.</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">The COVID era was only one chapter in what is set to be a lengthy career for jstn. There is no doubt that jstn has exceeded all expectations since he burst onto the scene in 2017. He has established himself as an elite player, someone with the expertise to win titles and has already built the legacy that we often associate with retired hall of famers. 2021 was another great year for jstn and a year he truly cemented his status as one of the best to ever do it. He is Rocket League royalty.</span></div>

NRG Esports' technical genius claims second place following yet another extremely dominant year.

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