Rocket League Duel guide: When to challenge, 1v1 tips and tricks

Rocket League has something for everyone -- whether a space-like room in Dropshot, a pick-up game of 2v2 basketball or a straight-up hockey shootout, but when it comes to the essence of the game, they all pale in comparison to good ol’ car-soccer.

The original mode has three competitive formats and you don’t have to take a guess to know which one is the least played. 1v1 in Rocket League has fewer flashy plays, the stamina test and the punishable performances that remind the player base they aren’t as good as their 2’s and 3’s ranks.

Therefore, without further ado, here are some tips and tricks for all your 1v1’s in the Rocket League Duel competitive playlist and you shine all across the board.

1. “Fake!”

There’s nothing more essential to the Duel format than possession and what better way to get your opponent to gift the ball away than to fake the heck outta them. A simple pump of the nose of your car towards the ball right as they can’t see neither your hitbox nor nametag and they’ve successfully taken the bait.

(Picture: Psyonix)

For all they know, you are coming in hot and supersonic for a 50/50 only to find out the flipped into the ball, giving you a window to challenge, possession and, hopefully, an open net.

2. Change of pace

Whilst Duel is definitely slower in comparison to the other formats, this doesn’t inherently mean that you cannot switch it up for an offensive attack.

Your opponent is well-aware of how one tiny mistake might mean the game-winning goal so they will try to pin down your playstyle within the first minute or two/three scores of the game.

• Read more: 8 Quick Chats that should be added to Rocket League

This means that if you pull the trigger and decide to speed up/slow down and change your strategy as soon as the clock hits the halfway mark or every other minute, your opponent won’t have much option than to try to react instead of expect.

3. “Need boost!”

At the end of the day, Duel is a game of error where the margin is slim to none and every mistake is punished immediately -- the main source for mistakes? Lack of boost.

So, every time the opponent is rushing the sideline or coming down the wall, think in their shoes and if they would go out of their way for the boost pad, quickly grab it before then, you might set up a change of possession and poor defensive stand where you can take the lead and upper hand in this cruel, gruelling playlist.