Jens Koornstra

<div>Now that he’s an integral part of one of the most respected teams in all of Rocket League Esports, it is easy to forget that for most of 2022, Enzo "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/96a5-seikoo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seikoo</a>" Grondein played in his rookie season. The Frenchman kickstarted his RLCS career with the 2021-22 season, and he quickly went on to become one of the best performers of the year. An incredible Spring Split and the World Championship MVP title earns him the seventh spot in our rankings.</div><div><br></div><div>For Seikoo, the ball started rolling when he joined <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23d9-endpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Endpoint CeX</a> in July of 2021. Before that, he had made a name for himself in weekly and monthly tournaments, often teaming with other upcoming French players like Axel "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/9570-vatira" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vatira.</a>" Touret. Aside from that, though, he lacked any significant experience. Endpoint gave Seikoo that experience, as he qualified with Lucas "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f97-relatingwave" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Relatingwave</a>" Rose and Otto "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3dc6-metsanauris" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Metsanauris</a>" Kaipiainen for the RLCS 2021-22 Fall Split.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://octane-content.s3.amazonaws.com/Seikoo_RLCS_2021_22_Winter_Major_Psyonix_5925e8e0b2.jpg"></div><div>Seikoo at the RLCS 2021-22 Winter Major - <em>Image courtesy of Psyonix</em></div><div><br></div><div>Endpoint didn’t have to wait around for the French rookie to show his worth. In the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b37-rlcs-2021-22-fall-europe-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Regional </a>of the season, the team went 3-1 in Swiss and beat everyone in the playoffs to win the event. Although the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6428-rlcs-2021-22-fall-europe-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">second Regional</a> disappointed, the Endpoint-Seikoo honeymoon wasn’t over just yet. In the European Grand Prix, the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6429-rlcs-2021-22-fall-europe-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">third Fall Regional</a>, they once again finished in first after only dropping one series on the way. Seikoo even made it into the top eight at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6426-rlcs-2021-22-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fall Major</a>, his first RLCS LAN in his first RLCS season.</div><div><br></div><div>With the 2021-22 Winter Split underway, the honeymoon phase seemed over, but it didn’t stop Endpoint from topping their group in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fa8-rlcs-2021-22-winter-europe-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Regional 1</a>, beating the likes of <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dcbd-karmine-corp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Karmine Corp</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/fc9c-team-vitality" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Vitality</a>. Although Endpoint beat Vitality again in the playoffs (4-0), they fell to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/dc74-team-bds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team BDS</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23e9-dignitas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dignitas</a>. In the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd3-rlcs-2021-22-winter-europe-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">second Regional Event</a>, Endpoint finished outside of the top eight, but it wasn’t because of Seikoo. He bested his teammates in almost every statistical category, and had the highest goal participation at the event (78.1%). It was <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7fd4-rlcs-2021-22-winter-europe-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Regional 3</a> where Endpoint found their footing again, as they once again topped their group and this time reached the grand finals without much difficulty. His goal participation of 77.3% shows: whether he gets the goal or the assist, Seikoo was always there for his team.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=RoughBlightedTofuDoritosChip-cvrB1yyD_Ff44xP4&amp;parent=www.shiftrle.gg&amp;autoplay=false" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6427-rlcs-2021-22-winter-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Major</a> of 2022 was held in Los Angeles, and Seikoo made sure he was there. This time, however, Endpoint wasn’t able to squeeze out a top-eight result. For an immediate qualification, they had to beat <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c81f-furia-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FURIA Esports</a> in a tiebreaker, after just losing 1-3 to them the previous day. Unfortunately, they lost 1-3 again, and promptly got swept by <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/c155-faze-clan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FaZe Clan</a> an hour or two later.</div><div><br></div><div>That was their exit from the tournament, but once again, Seikoo’s individual performance wasn’t the issue. A nice goal participation of 69.4% and fifth-most goals per game in the tournament (0.85) sent a clear message to the EU scene: Seikoo is a great contributor to game wins. It’s a message that didn’t go unnoticed.</div><div><br></div><div>Team BDS, who had just had quite a similar Winter Split to Endpoint in terms of results, was looking to make a change ahead of the Spring Split, and they benched the Spaniard Marc "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3f7f-marc_by_8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MaRc_By_8.</a>" Domingo Ruiz to create a fully French roster with Seikoo. And oh boy, did that work out well for the team. Seikoo, eager to prove himself on Team BDS, adapted incredibly well to his new teammates Evan "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/40d2-m0nkey-m00n" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">M0nkey M00n</a>" Rogez and Alex "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/3fb9-extra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Extra</a>" Paoli.</div><div><br></div><div>The first Regional with Team BDS, the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b3c-rlcs-2021-22-spring-europe-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dacia Spring Cup</a>, was the start of a truly special Split for Seikoo. They won every single series that tournament, and although it came down to a Game 7 overtime goal in the upper bracket final against <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5926-moist-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moist Esports</a>, BDS smashed Moist 4-0 in the grand finals. Seikoo’s form was phenomenal, as he put up a rating of 1.359, far ahead of the rest.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=HomelyMoistMartenSoonerLater-IX7DZOJHDPdWfzUj&amp;parent=www.shiftrle.gg&amp;autoplay=false" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>The <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/643b-rlcs-2021-22-spring-europe-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tour de Rocket League</a>, Regional 2 of the Spring Split, was more of the same excellence from Team BDS and Seikoo. Both M0nkey M00n and Seikoo ranked in the top three players at the event, as BDS powered through every team on their way to the grand finals, where they swept <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/64ca-team-liquid" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Liquid</a>. Their utter dominance didn’t stay for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b3d-rlcs-2021-22-spring-europe-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">third Regional Event</a>, where they were beaten by Seikoo’s former team Endpoint with Archie "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/415f-archie" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Archie</a>" Pickthall on the roster. BDS still managed to fight to the grand finals, getting revenge on Endpoint on the way. M0nkey M00n and Seikoo once again got ranked in the top three at the event with almost identical ratings — 1.259 and 1.258 respectively. Moist Esports had the better of them in the grand finals, but people still believed Team BDS could show up in full force at the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/7b36-rlcs-2021-22-spring-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spring Major</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Seikoo hadn’t had the best results at previous Majors with Endpoint CeX, but expectations were even higher with M0nkey M00n and Extra alongside him. It didn’t fit with the harsh reality of the Spring Major. Team BDS missed out on playing in front of the London crowd, as the team didn’t even win a single game against both <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/6767-team-secret" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Secret</a> and the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/58d0-pioneers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pioneers</a>. Team BDS wasn’t the only team suffering from upsets at the Spring Major (FaZe Clan lost to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/3919-team-falcons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Falcons</a> and FURIA before reaching the main stage) but it was certainly one of the biggest. Seikoo did his best, putting up the most shots per game (3.83), but the team wasn’t feeling it. Frustration with themselves and their teammates seemed to build up on Team BDS.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://octane-content.s3.amazonaws.com/Seikoo_RLCS_2021_22_Spring_Major_Psyonix_9fb0db0d0e.jpg"></div><div>Seikoo at the RLCS 2021-22 Spring Major - <em>Image courtesy of Psyonix</em></div><div><br></div><div>Their next appearance was in Texas for the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/6425-rlcs-2021-22-world-championship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Championship</a>. As an organization, BDS had dominated throughout the online era, with no international LANs in RLCS X. Finally, at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, they got to show the world what they could do on the biggest stage of the year. After a devastating Spring Major, it was hard to say how BDS would come into the event.</div><div><br></div><div>As the second seed from Europe, they could skip past the Wildcard and got placed straight into the group stage. This lack of warm-up didn’t seem to bother BDS, however. They cruised through the group stage, beating <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23fb-renegades" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Renegades</a> and <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/5d03-version1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Version1</a>. Their closest series at the World Championship would come in the quarterfinals, where they won over Karmine Corp by just a single goal in Game 7. BDS wasn’t done, though.</div><div><br></div><div>&lt;iframe src="https://clips.twitch.tv/embed?clip=InventiveShakingCurryRalpherZ-RbRX3sV-uKww9jhT&amp;parent=www.shiftrle.gg&amp;autoplay=false" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div><div><br></div><div>On the final day, they faced FURIA, who had just won against Moist Esports in an exhilarating series. FURIA took the first two games against BDS, and things started to look dire. Coach Théo "<a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/players/e071-mew" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mew</a>" Ponzoni requested a time-out after that, and BDS got their head back in the game. 6-0, 2-1 — BDS were back. A time-out from FURIA couldn’t turn the tide, and another 2-1 and 5-1 won Team BDS the series. They made it: the grand finals of the World Championship.</div><div><br></div><div>The American crowd was excited: the scariest European team over the past two years against their <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/23a5-g2-esports" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">G2 Esports</a>. The Fall Major champions versus the Winter Major champions. There are lots of things to say about that grand final. One thing: it was close. Every game except the last was won with no more than a one goal difference. Team BDS took the first two, and snatched the third away in overtime. G2 feigned a comeback with a win in Game 4, but that was it — a 3-0 score in Game 5 signed the deal, and Team BDS were World Champions. Although it might not have been the most inspired Rocket League in that series, they had made their dreams come true. For his efforts at the tournament, Seikoo was awarded the World Championship MVP medal. What a hell of a season for the rookie.</div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://octane-content.s3.amazonaws.com/Seikoo_RLCS_2021_22_World_Championship_Psyonix_229ca17601.jpg"></div><div>Seikoo at the RLCS 2021-22 World Championship - <em>Image courtesy of Psyonix</em></div><div><br></div><div>In the 2022-23 season, BDS made a less-than-thrilling start. They started off alright, going 3-0 in the Swiss Stage of the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/c031-rlcs-2022-23-fall-europe-regional-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first Fall Regional</a>. However, a Game 7 overtime loss to <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/teams/ed00-quadrant" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quadrant</a> saw them go out in the quarterfinals. That story repeated itself in <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/c032-rlcs-2022-23-fall-europe-regional-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Regional 2</a>, where BDS fell to Karmine Corp after a Swiss sweep. A 2-3 Swiss Stage in the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/c033-rlcs-2022-23-fall-europe-regional-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">third Regional</a> of the Fall Split really got people worried about the future of BDS, though. The team missed out on the <a href="https://www.shiftrle.gg/events/467c-rlcs-2022-23-fall-major" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fall Major</a> in Rotterdam, and will look to regain in the Winter Split.</div><div><br></div><div>From RLCS rookie to World Champion is an incredible achievement, and something nobody has done before him (except, of course, in Season 1). Even though M0nkey M00n might be a bigger name on his team, Seikoo led his team in goals per game (0.86) throughout the year. He shoots a lot, and he scores a lot. That is Seikoo in a nutshell.</div>

The World Championship MVP earns seventh place on our list after a year that produced little LAN success outside of Team BDS' Worlds triumph.

Recent Articles

Top 20 Players of 2022: Seikoo (#7)

Recent Results

Upcoming Matches