Rocket League boasts a wide variety of player types. Some have become so ingrained one might even think to make a Definitive Rocket League Stereotypes List.
After the success of my previous Rocket League Quick Chat Guide, I wanted to revisit a topic about things that make your blood boil in the popular e-sports soccar video game!
What are Rocket League Stereotypes?
Rocket League Stereotypes are characterizations of the toxic players you will often encounter as both teammate and opponent. I grouped them into a few categories saving the best (worst) for last! I am even debuting my original RLSR (Rocket League Stereotypes Rating) system.
Let’s jump right into the Definitive Rocket League Stereotypes List:
- The “My Team Sucks” Guy
- The Vocal Low Point Earner
- The Vocal Low Point Earner Identifier
- Annoying Engine or Boost Guy
- Trade Merchant
- Replay Watcher
- Team Switcher
- Early Quitter
- Mr(s). Excuses
- Steady Goalkeeper
- Boost Feeder
- AFK Kick-Off Guy
- Space Invader
- The Coach
- Demolition Man
- Mr(s). “1v1 me”
- Ball Chaser
- Frontrunner
Keyboard Warriors
The “My Team Sucks” Guy
We’ve all played with and against players like this. At the slightest sign of adversity, they will turn on their teams. Comments like “tm8 sux” or spamming sarcastic quick chat are commonplace communicative practices. If only they realized that most people, not just in Rocket League, do not respond well to negative feedback. You are better off holding your tongue and focusing to make a comeback. But, the “my team sucks” guy is perfectly happy blaming everything on everyone but himself.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 5/10
The Vocal Low Point Earner
This is another I’m sure we are all guilty of. Your team either just made a comeback or is running away with the game thanks to the efforts of all but this one teammate. Scores of 651, 477, and 68. Of course, the guy with 68 begins to start chirping about how bad you are as he rides the coattails of his participating teammates. Sadly, there’s not much you can do or say. The reality is, you are losing to his or her team. Any retort will only make them louder and more obnoxious. The best thing you can do is hope for a rematch.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 2/10
The Vocal Low Point Earner Identifier
Well, there is one thing that is done a lot in response to the Vocal Low Point Earner. Usually, someone will point out the number of points this loud player has. If you can do this in a way that shows you are not bothered by their trash-talking you may win a small battle. I’ve seen scenarios where everyone laughs at the low player. This is a risky move though – you need to make sure your point total is respectable. In other words, don’t be your team’s low player calling out the winning team’s low player.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 1/10
The Annoyers
Annoying Engine or Boost Guy
I haven’t quite solved this Rocket League puzzle. Part of me thinks that people pick this boost to annoy others. In that case, job well done. But another part of me thinks the player actually enjoys the sound as they drive and boost around the pitch. I’m not quite sure which reality would be more annoying, so I continue to float back and forth.
I feel like the “ho ho ho” boost came out in Rocket League’s Season One (not the most recent Season One) or Two. Let’s bury it there. The chainsaw and helicopter engine noises can be put to rest as well.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 5/10 to 8/10
Trade Merchant
Personally, I’ve disabled my chat over a month ago. If I were to recommend anything to improve your Rocket League game, this is it. It’s game-changing.
I say because I’m not sure how widespread those looking for trades are anymore. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with someone asking if the other players are interested in a trade. Ask it at the beginning or end of the game. It’s when trades are being negotiated at the expense of the gameplay that I begin to get annoyed. And I don’t want to hear “oh, it’s only quick play”. For one, I’ve seen it in the competitive game modes as well. Additionally, I’m not the type of person who enjoys losing for avoidable reasons. Stopping your car to solicit players for your bogus trade while you watch the ball roll past you in the net is what I would deem avoidable.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 3/10
Replay Watcher
We’ve already talked about how Frontrunners will annoyingly do this.
PSA: Your goal was not that good. Just skip the dang replay!
The Replay Watcher needs to be distinguished because there are some players who will watch every replay they or their team scores, every time, regardless of the score. Even rarer, there are players who watch every goal scored by either team. I hope these psychopaths are eating spaghetti or sushi in between goals.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 8/10
Team Switcher
There are two forms of Team Switcher: the former-teammate or the former-opponent.
The former-teammate variety happens usually when the opponents lose one or two teammates. Turning a 3 on 1 to a “2 on 2” makes sense, right? Wrong! There is no penalty for forfeiting or leaving a match once your teammates have already done so. I do not want to play some weird version of 2s to kill time because the opponent is too honorable to leave when outnumbered and down 6 goals. What’s worse, you can lose a teammate to the other team if they get tilted so much to begin acting toxic. For various reasons, they will begin trying to bump you or flat out score on their own net. The best part, they won’t forfeit. This accomplishes nothing
The former-opponent is essentially just being on the other side of the coin. Regardless, it’s a waste of time for everyone. Rocket League has many options to leave or quit a match. Use them.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 6.5/10
Early Quitter
But don’t quit too early! My record for fastest teammate forfeit was 9 seconds after 1 goal. It’s clear that this person was tilted and must be in the midst of a tough losing streak. Maybe, they were doing me favor. However, I’ve had more common occurrences where my team wants to quit when down by 1 or 2 with over a minute left. Why?! Am I the only person who has made comebacks in Rocket League? I’ve had 3 and 4 goal deficits erased in under 60 seconds. Multiple times. The amount of game-tying or game-winning zero-second goals my squad has is quite respectable. Frankly, they are the best play in all of Rocket League!
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 5/10 to 7.5/10
Rocket League Rotators
Mr(s). Excuses
One of the most effective excuses in any competitive scenario is “I wasn’t even trying”. It’s tried and true. And while most people are talking out their butts when they say this, there’s that one person who actually is a beast. With your luck, you will cross that guy and awaken them. You can take solace in the fact that you were able to get that out of them, but the pain that it took prior to this effort change is enough to rank on this list of stereotypes.
More popular are those that complain about lag or controller issues. Both are so easily cast as excuses that are impossible to verify. Because we all have had lag make us miss a ball and also ignored all controller power warnings before scrambling to switch to a backup.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 4/10
Steady Goalkeeper
While this may be a legitimate strategy through mid-gold, the steady goalkeeper can really grind some gears. Depending on your skill level, it may be hard enough getting the ball in the net with everyone participating. Imagine you just made a great centering pass only to look back and see a teammate camped in the net. Worse, it could be your only teammate! Take it from me, abandon this strategy, and learn how to properly rotate. Even if this is working at your rank now, you’ll notice pros never do this.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 5.5/10
Boost Feeder
The little brother to the Ball Chaser (mentioned later) is the Boost Feeder. This player can’t do anything without at least 90-boost in reserve. One of their signature moves is while rotating back to the net they will take the mid-boost and corner-boost, then whiff on a defensive tackle, leaving poor you to make do with your 7-boost. The Boost Feeder will often have “Need Boost!” as their number one quick chat. These are players that make me wish Rocket League’s UI displayed teammates boost so you could confirm that they were at 72-boost when claiming they needed more.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 8/10
AFK Kick-Off Guy
We’ve all been there, as a participant and a victim. 3…2…1… no movement. Whether you are answering a text, grabbing a handful of snacks, or responding to your hysterical mother who you’ve been telling “one more minute” for the last 15 minutes, this type of folly typically leads to a direct or eventual goal.
The single goal isn’t the worst part. It’s when this error causes your team to unravel into a toxic mess. I’ve seen teams up 3+ goals crumble after a mishap on a kick-off.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 7/10
Space Invader
Cousin to the Ball Chaser, this player suffers from crowding your space. Typically they cause unwanted collisions in your own net or disrupt any attempt at a ground play. The Space Invader differs from the Ball Chaser in intent. They typically are not actively trying to take the ball from you, they just don’t understand spacing and the advantages of not playing up your teammate’s butt. Unfortunately, the damage is all the same.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 6/10
Supersonic Toxic Legends
The Coach
The Coach comes in many flavors. In all of them, one thing remains consistent – sarcasm. The Coach will ping you with a “Great pass!” when you in fact did not make a good pass. You may not even have passed it at all. Similarly, they will use “Nice shot!” or “What a save!” when you don’t make a pro play. The thing this type of player fails to realize is, most players don’t respond well to flaming from their own teammates. One key thing to remember in ranked play is that you are playing against people who are ranked close to you. You can have your thoughts about Rocket League’s ranked system but short of smurfs on new accounts, you are with someone who over the course of their career is close to your rank. If you are actually trying to win, try saying “No problem” or better yet, nothing, when a mistake is made and just focus on the next kick-off.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 9/10
Demolition Man
Full disclaimer: At times, I am a demolition man. And when pushed, I will turn into the terminator.
The Demolition Man can be your worst nightmare in Rocket League. No one likes to be bumped or demolished. The latter causes you to be completely taken out of the play. It’s a helpless feeling. There’s a school of thought that only bad players bump. In fact, victims of the bumping will often let you know exactly how they feel about this topic. They should have discussions with some of the most popular streamers/pros who utilize this tactic.
But the mental warfare conducted in well-placed and well-timed demolitions can cause the best of Rocket League players to crumble. You will get paranoid and begin jumping or swerving to avoid collisions only for the ball to be rolled into the back of your net anyway. Additionally, with each successful play, it encourages the demon to continue their onslaught. Don’t dare say anything in chat about it!
Again, it’s better to be the one demolishing than to be on the receiving end when it comes to these plays.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 8.5+/10
Mr(s). “1v1 me”
The “1v1 me” player is a complete Rocket League meme. A step beyond Mr(s). Excuses, this person will respond to any negativity directed at them with a “1v1 me”. It’s like clockwork. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I’m willing to bet 99.995% of these messages are never followed up with an actual 1v1 match. Rocket League should look into adding a feature to break the 6 players into a private arena where the two players play a sudden match to resolve their feud. Until then, keep selling the wolf tickets.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 8.5/10
The Ball Chaser
If there was a Mount Rushmore of Rocket League players who will make you mad, the Ball Chaser has a rightful spot. There’s nothing worse than lining up a shot only to have your own teammate appear out of nowhere to smash the ball out of your possession. Well, I lied. What’s worse is the teammate slams into the back of you, then the ball gets knocked out of your possession. Usually, this type of nonsense results in a counter goal.
Folks, please learn to rotate properly in 2’s and 3’s. Oftentimes it’s better to retreat to get mid- or back-boost and let your teammate do teammate things.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 10/10
Frontrunner
Another keystone toxic Rocket League player type. The Frontrunner is a chameleon as they can morph into virtually any other stereotype in this listing. At times they will remain quiet the entire time they are losing until they make a go-ahead goal with 33 seconds left. Then, here comes the chat spam as they force you to watch a replay for the first time all game. (Again, if you turn off chat, you will be shielded from the words.) Don’t let them grab a lead earlier in the game. Then you’ll have that much more time to see them gloat and bask in their replays.
That’s not the worst of it. Some players and teams will wait until the clock hits 0 before they let you know how they feel. Truly cowardice stuff but there’s nothing you can do besides praying for another encounter.
Rocket League Stereotypes Rating: 9.5/10
Tilted yet?
Despite the endless material to complain about the game, Rocket League remains one of my most played games now and ever. However, as with anything you love, there are times your patience can run out!
So, did I miss any types of players that annoy you? Would you rank any of these differently? Which is your least favorite to encounter? Have any especially toxic stories? Let me know in the comments below!
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