R6 NAL: DarkZero Enter the Top 4

The DZ squad is a living meme. Apart from their single loss against TSM, they have secured a whopping five victories. In theory, this would put them in second place, were it not for all the overtimes.

DarkZero had to play out more than the regular 12 rounds on all five occasions. It’s great to see them keep their calm in situations like these. Still, it has cost them five points in the standings. This difference means that they’re barely holding onto their Top 4 spot. Their Major hopes are thus built on a shaky foundation.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TO OXYGEN?

The Stage 1 winners have dropped all the way to seventh place. While they’re theoretically still in reach of a Major spot, they would have to mount upsets over TSM and DarkZero. It’s much more likely that we’re not going to see Davide “FoxA” Bucci and his men in Mexico. In their place, Susquehanna Soniqs have more or less retained their level from Stage 1. Their 13 points are giving them some sense of security. We’re probably going to see them remain within the Top 4.

So who has got the biggest chances of making the Major? Spacestation Gaming have already qualified a week ago. Nobody can pull them out of the Top 4 anymore. Team SoloMid, however, aren’t that safe and sound. Unlike SSG, who are only going up against weaker opposition, TSM have to contend with Soniqs and Oxygen. Those are by no means easy encounters and in a worst-case scenario, they’re going home with zero new points. Should this actually happen, Disrupt and Mirage get the chance to upset.

Right now, these two are on the verge of breaking into the Top 4. DG in particular have been brilliant these past few match days. So if there’s a team capable of keeping some of the old guard out of Major contention, it would be them!

The upcoming two match days will decide on the final ranking of NAL Stage 2. With the notable exceptions of SSG and beastcoast, who are in first and last place, respectively, the placements are still up in the air. So at the end of the month, the standings could change drastically – although this seems more than unlikely.