R6 Major Europe Preview

The European division of the Rainbow Six August Major will go live tomorrow. The Germans of Rogue will be fighting for the trophy alongside G2 Esports, Virtus.pro and BDS Esport. The teams are incredibly close and there is no clear favourite for the Major event.

While Rogue were able to finish the regular season of the European league (EUL) on first place, BDS achieved a close second place. Tying the points, Rogue set themselves on top as they had the better score in a head-to-head comparison. G2 Esports made a comfortable third place, whereas Virtus.pro came in fourth with a few points behind.

WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE NA MAJOR?

The NA Major bracket has taught us that results from the regular season can be quite misleading. In NAL, Spacestation Gaming made first place and DarkZero had to fight through an additional bracket in order to qualify for the Major. Based on those results, one would have expected SSG to win with ease. But instead, DarkZero surpassed them and every other team in attendance, acquiring the Major trophy in a decisive Grand Finals.

DarkZero had used their time prior to the event to prepare and practice. During the regular season, they had just not had enough time to really dig deep into this aspect of their game.

VIRTUS.PRO SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED

VP only narrowly made it to the EU Major. They have lost every duel with the other attending teams. But they same held true for DarkZero… and look how well they did! With enough preparation, they should be able to at least make some of the teams sweat. Nonetheless, the players of Rogue, G2 and BDS are on another level.

ARE ROGUE REALLY THE FAVORITES?

With their first place finish in EUL (and the last ever Pro League season as well), Rogue were obviously able to impress – individually and as a team. But their roster change prior to the season, in which two players had to make way for international talent, has caused deep changes to the team’s culture. However, should the players perform as well as during EUL and should they manage to work together, their chances for a Major trophy are incredibly high. But the same holds true for BDS.

WITH SHAIIKO, BDS ARE UNSTOPPABLE

The Frenchman was the MVP of the last Pro League season by quite a stretch. But in EUL, he wasn’t able to impress with his performance whatsoever. In his place, Loïc “BriD” Chongthep has taken the lead for BDS. As the player with the highest rating in EUL he is a centerpiece to BDS’ success.

Obviously it’s great that BDS manage to perform well without Stéphane “Shaiiko” Lebleu posting insane numbers. But what would happen if the player were to find his old form at this Major? With BriD and Shaiiko on the forefront, BDS would definitely be able to contend with the favorites and maybe secure the Major trophy as well.

G2 ESPORTS – THE DARK HORSE

What can the boys around Niclas “Pengu” Mouritzen achieve at this Major? Historically speaking, everything is on the table! In spite of impactful roster changes, the team is still considered a Top 5 squad. The individual performances of the players are sometimes enough to decide entire rounds on their own. Pengu alone holds the title as the best clutcher of EUL, with 6 1vX engagements won. Their new additions have worked themselves into the roster well. So far, they are still missing those strong performances against BDS or Rogue – but with those players, almost everything is possible.

The event will kick off tomorrow at 13:00 CEST with Rogue and Virtus.pro. Later on, BDS and G2 will clash, and the Losers’ Match will take place on the same day as well. Who can set themselves on top of this stacked Major?