With the offseason well in motion, some of North America’s biggest stars are set to make their own big move during the
Rocket League transfer period. First reported by
MajorRLCS, Shopify Rebellion are expected to sign Massimo
"Atomic" Franceschi and Daniel
"Daniel" Piecenski ahead of the
RLCS Club Championship. Sources told
Sheep Esports that the current NRG duo, who have been with the organization for two years, are set to link up with star man Jason
"Firstkiller" Corral in a blockbuster move that could propel the organization to the top of North America. The duo leave behind long-time teammate Landon
"BeastMode" Konerman and head coach Matthew "
Satthew" Ackermann who are assessing their own options this offseason. The move will bring an end to a dynastic trio that won the RLCS 2025 World Championship and competed together across three seasons.
Logan "Lj" Wilt, who has spent two years competing with Firstkiller on The Ultimates and now Shopify Rebellion, is expected to enter free agency heading into the offseason. Jos "ViolentPanda" van Meurs, who joined the organization for RLCS 2026, will stay on as coach having built a tight relationship with Firstkiller.
End of an era
Widely considered one of North America’s greatest ever teams, the NRG roster featuring BeastMode, Atomic, and Daniel looks set to come to an end following RLCS 2026. The team was formed initially by G2 Esports, who were able to
sign both BeastMode and Daniel after reaching an agreement to acquire the North American organization, Version1. The duo linked up with G2’s franchise star Atomic, forming what was recognized as a North American superteam for RLCS 2024, bringing together three of the top five players in the region. The trio dominated domestically, going on to win the 2024 London Major before earning a second-place finish at the World Championship, losing to Team BDS in the grand final.
For RLCS 2025, the trio was
acquired by NRG, another organization with a storied history in the esport. The roster continued their success, winning four Regional Open titles, finishing top-four at both the Birmingham and Raleigh Majors, before two years of strong results culminated in a historic RLCS World Championship victory in Lyon. NRG became the first North American lineup to win the title in the Open Era and were the first full domestic lineup in the region to win since Cloud9 succeeded in RLCS Season 6. The organization celebrated its second World Championship trophy after two years of missing the competition entirely and watching many of their legacy players, like Garrett
"GarrettG" Gordon and Justin
"jstn." Morales, depart. Across these two years as a team, Atomic, BeastMode and Daniel never dropped below a top-four at a single RLCS event, domestic or LAN.
An experience shared by all teams in the Open Era, the World Championship has proven a difficult title to defend. NRG’s form began to drop over the course of RLCS 2026. A 9th-12th in the first Regional Open of the season followed by a victory in Open 2 characterised an inconsistent season for the team. Their best LAN result came early on in the season at the Boston Major, where they earned a top-four placement. Results dropped off internationally before the team was able to muster up a 5th-6th finish at the 2026 World Championship, losing to eventual winners Team Falcons in their final match together.
A real chance for titles
Despite being one of the most prestigious players in North America, Firstkiller has never won an RLCS LAN title. The 21-year-old, who began his career in RLCS Season 9, has long been a contender but has struggled to get over the finish line. Alongside Lj and Kofyr, he earned two Regional Open wins, a top four at the Boston Major and peaked with a second-place finish at the Kick-off Weekend, the opening LAN event of the season. While the team was comfortably ranked second in North America, even coming close to challenging NRG for the first seed, they struggled in the tough international matches and ended the season with a top-eight exit at the 2026 World Championship.
Firstkiller is now expected to link up with perennial winners Atomic and Daniel. The NRG pairing entered free agency this offseason and decided to explore their options. The move opens up a real chance for Firstkiller to finally add important trophies to a strong resume. For most of his career, he has largely been rivals with Atomic, but as young players the duo often competed together on their come up before being eligible for the RLCS. Recently, the duo were
expected to represent the United States in the Esports Nations Cup alongside Daniel until the
competition was postponed to 2027.
