Deevo set to feature in first RLCS qualifier since 2023

David "Deevo" Morrow has signed up to play in the European RLCS Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) alongside his former FC Barcelona teammate Aldin "Ronaky" Hodzic and bubble player Cameron "StaaR" Hill. The 25-year-old was an early RLCS fan favourite, whose lasting legacy in Rocket League Esports includes a World Championship title and four RLCS LAN appearances with Mockit Esports, Northern Gaming, Team Envy, and FC Barcelona. This will be the first time the former World Champion has participated in a qualifier since his silent retirement from the game following the RLCS 2022-23 season.

Ronaky, a former RLCS stalwart in his own right, last made an appearance in the RLCS for Team Liquid during season X. He has attempted a number of comebacks in recent seasons but never really featured towards the latter stages of any qualifiers. The Danish legend appeared at the RLCS Season 7 World Championship for Triple Trouble and was a regular in the RLCS towards the end of the League Play era and even competed with Deevo on FC Barcelona. The roster is rounded out with English player StaaR, who has been on the periphery of the European bubble for a number of years. This season, StaaR competed in Sub-Saharan Africa, earning a top-eight finish in Open #4. While the trio has a lot of name value, they will be hard pressed to contend with the best.

Pound for pound, Deevo was one of the most mechanical players of his era, driving the skill ceiling upwards at a professional level across many RLCS seasons. The Englishman made his first appearance in the RLCS as far back as season 1 and built a career that stretched over seven years. His first major success was a second-place finish at the RLCS Season 2 World Championship with Mock-It eSports, before claiming the RLCS Season 3 World Championship title six months later, alongside famous supersub Pierre "Turbopolsa" Silfver and Dutch veteran Remco "remkoe" den Boer.

From that point onwards, Deevo found it difficult to truly contend for titles, but managed to fashion his own paths to success. Following his removal from Team Envy after RLCS Season 5, Deevo took the brave decision to form an entirely new team called Savage! with long-time friend Daniel "bluey." Bluett and Yanis "Alpha54" Champenois, who was a relative newcomer to the scene. As the team was not formed from two members of the same RLCS roster, it had to begin its journey in the Rival Series, an unprecedented situation for a former LAN Champion. The team instantly became a cult crowd-pleaser, playing an exciting brand of Rocket League and showing off Alpha54, who would eventually become a World Champion himself, to the world. Deevo would take this lineup to multiple Dreamhack Majors and the RLCS Season 7 World Championship, where they finished in the top-eight under the FC Barcelona banner.

Deevo remained a consistent RLCS regular throughout the remaining seasons of the League Play era, linking up with Ronaky during this time. The Englishman pulled through RLCS Season X, outlasting other legacy players who declined rapidly or even retired during that busy online period. His last notable tournament success came at Gamers8 2022 with Guild Esports, where the team managed a shock second-place finish having come all the way from the European Qualifiers. It was the biggest single event prizepool of Deevo’s career, earning him $100,000 and represented the last hurrah for an aging professional who had been competing at the top level for six years.

At the end of RLCS 2022-23, amid the backdrop of a long offseason and a growing lack of faith for the future of Rocket League Esports in the community, Deevo silently slipped away from the esport, departing his last lineup, Team Endpoint. Without a public announcement of his retirement, he joined a plethora of notable players like Caden "Sypical" Pellegrin and Nick "mist" Costello who have privately moved on from the Rocket League space. One of the most famous mechanical players ever to compete in the RLCS, Deevo has many fans and even inspired a namesake in North America. Nolan "dvo" Tighe, who was originally named after Deevo, will be competing under Next2Nu Esports in the NA LCQ.

On July 03, fans can watch Deevo feature in an RLCS qualifier for the first time in 1139 days where he will play alongside Ronaky and StaaR.