Is Vatira leaving Team Queso?

Rocket League's transfer season looks like it will shake up the EU landscape.

Shift RLE tweeted this update about Vatira from Team Queso (runner-up at the Winter Major) considering a move to Team BDS (winners of the Fall Major)

Then Rise tweeted this about 12 hours later, and Joyo chimed in.

What does all this mean? And why did Vatira tweet this 3 hours later??

Thunder time....does this mean Cloud9 could be returning to Rocket League?

Cloud9 shut down their Rocket League in 2020, but the organization didn't rule out the possibility of a return.

Before Vatira's "thunder" tweet, Rise posted this when he played 2s with Archie.

What makes this tweet interesting is Archie has been heavily linked to Team Queso as Vatira's replacement, but there's no credible source to confirm Archie's interest. It could be true; it could not.

And you know Joyo is going to come in and poke some fun.

Overall, it looks like Joyo and Rise are sticking with Team Cheese, but that leaves us with a few questions about Vatira.

Is he leaving because of money? 💰

There's no doubt Team BDS or one of the other EU teams could outspend Queso. By how much? No one seems to know.

Is he leaving because of coaching? 🤔

For reasons unknown, Team Queso let go of coach Nick after running through the losers bracket and finishing as runner-up to G2 at the Winter Major.

One of the following scenarios could be at play here:

• Did Queso drop Nick because the gamers didn't like working with him?
• Did Nick demand more money, and Queso said no?
• Did Vatira not want to stay with Queso if Nick wasn't there?

The rumor mill tends to side with Vatira wanting more money. But we do have to wonder how the coaching situation at Team Queso is influencing Vatira's mindset.

Should he stay or should he go?

For a 16 year old on the upswing of his career, it makes a lot more sense to stick with Queso at least through the World Championships.

First, Queso proved they can win big at a Major, and proof is greater than potential in Rocket League.

Second, the fanbase surrounding a Rocket League squad called "Team Queso" is growing like wildfire as it simultaneously elevates his stock. The fans love this team, and they want to see Queso do well at the Spring Major and maybe create some havoc at the World Championships.

If Vatira leaves, he loses all of the equity he's built up and becomes a villain abandoning his team. But if he stays and performs well with Team Queso, he's a beloved sensation this season and a potential superstar next season.

Third, Vatira is only 16. There's a lot of Rocket League left for him to play, and having a popular, Cinderella run to the World Championship lay the foundation for his career sets him up for long-term success both as a player but also as a content creator, coach, or caster.

What do you think?

Is Vatira staying with Team Queso? Should he?

I'll be going through your comments in the #rocket-league channel in the Rushdown Discord server.

Bonus

Here's Vatira capitalizing on G2's costly error in Game 7 of the Grand Finals to reset the bracket at the 2022 Winter Major.