I believe anyone—yes, anyone—can get Grand Champ 2 in Ranked 2v2. The problem is that 99% of you are playing the game mode completely wrong. It’s not necessarily your fault; it’s just that most players don’t know what the high ranks understand about how 2v2 is meant to be played.
If you want to become unstoppable in your Ranked 2v2 games, I’m sharing the strategy I used to get Grand Champ 3 in solo queue. Yes, solo queueing! Jokes aside, there are seven key concepts you need to understand to make this happen. I promise, if you can follow these steps, you will become a force in 2v2 without needing 4,000 hours or Zen-level mechanics.
Let’s dive into my seven-step, easy GC3 guide without being “mechy.”
Who Am I to Teach You This?
You might be wondering, “Luke, who are you, and why are you so confident this works?” Well, I’ve been coaching Rocket League for over four years and run the largest Rocket League coaching company, GrandChampBootcamp.com. I’ve reached GC multiple times, often without relying on high-level mechanics. Instead, I focus on smart play, spacing, and understanding the game.
For access to my free courses, join our Discord community with over 40,000 members. It’s completely free to join, and you can leave whenever you want!
The Key to Winning: Maximize Your Impact
The most crucial aspect of winning in 2v2 is maximizing your impact. Many players make the mistake of treating every touch on the ball as a scoring opportunity. High-ranked players know that not every touch is a chance to score. Instead, you need to play with purpose and understand your role within the game.
Role 1: First Man – Apply Pressure
The first man’s job is to apply pressure and move the play forward without committing too hard. Your goal is to bait the opponent into making mistakes while maintaining possession.
Role 2: Second Man – Support the Play
The second man’s job is to cover the worst possible outcome. You should always be ready to clean up any mistakes or capitalize on your teammate’s successful plays.
Common Mistake: Trying to Win Every Attack
One of the biggest mistakes lower-ranked players make is trying to force every attack to be a winner. As you get into higher ranks, defenses become double-layered. This means that 90% of the time, you’ll face two defenders.
Your goal when you get the ball isn’t necessarily to score but to outplay the first defender while maintaining possession. Avoid flicking or booming the ball away immediately. Instead, take the ball to open space and make the defense commit. This creates a 2v1 situation, which is much easier to exploit.
First Man Offense: When You Have No Space
When you’re the first man on offense and you have no space, a common mistake is trying to force the play. Instead, play it slow. You can even intentionally lose the 50/50, allowing your teammate to take over in a 1v1 situation while the opponent is still recovering. This is a much more effective strategy than trying to rush the play.
Handling Dead Plays: Run Throughs
Sometimes, you’ll find yourself in a situation where the play is dead—perhaps the ball is stuck in the opponent’s corner, and there’s no clear shot. In these moments, instead of forcing a play, fake a challenge and rotate. You can perform a run-through, where you rotate across the field, looking for demos along the way. This not only eliminates potential threats but also sets you up for a smoother rotation back into defense.
Second Man Offense: Don’t Overcommit
When playing as the second man, never overcommit for a center. The most common way you’ll get scored on is by overextending when the ball is centered and the opponents are ready to defend. If the ball gets behind you, consider it a goal.
Instead, buy time for your team. Let the ball come back to the middle, take it to the half boost, or wait for a 50/50. Whatever you do, don’t commit unless you have a clear shot on goal.
First Man Defense: Force Without Committing
As the first man on defense, your goal is to win the ball for your teammate without overcommitting. This can involve driving toward the ball and leaving it, hitting the ball and rotating, or even demoing an opponent. If you can stop front-flipping into 50/50s and leaving your teammate in a 2v1, you’ll find it much easier to climb the ranks.
Handling 1v2 Situations: Buy Time
If you find yourself alone as the last man back, you need to buy time. Use fake challenges and shadow defense to delay the play. A great strategy is to put the ball in your corner, where it’s harder for opponents to score. This gives your teammate time to recover and help out.
The Most Important Rule: Don’t Creep to Front Post
The final rule—and probably the most important—is to never creep up to the front post when defending. Your teammate’s job is to challenge the opponent, and your job is to cover the back post. If you push too far forward, you’ll leave yourself vulnerable to shots off the backboard or across the net.
By staying back post, you give yourself the best chance to stop nearly every attack. Trust me, this one tip alone can carry you through Grand Champ 2 without even having to rely on mechanics.
Wrapping It Up
If you follow these principles, you will climb through the ranks in 2v2, guaranteed. And if you’re struggling with mechanics, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. I recently dropped a video on the simplest way to get mechanical in 2024.