In 2020, the entire Major system had been transferred into the online world. So the Six Mexico Major will be the first offline event since SI2021, which itself had been postponed for months on end. 15 teams will apparently make their way safe and sound to the tournament and will play for the second LAN trophy of the year. Who’s got the upper hand?
The Knights could unfortunately not make their way from Australia. The other teams will face harsh quarantine requirements upon their return, but at least they can actually come over. From four GSL groups, two teams each will make their way to the playoffs. From there on, a Single Elimination bracket will decide on the Grand Finals participants. Europe and North America are bringing some fresh faces to Mexico. Can they close the gap to their Brazilian colleagues again?
We can't wait to start the #SixMajor in Mexico City!
Find out more on groups, schedule, twitch drops and other exciting news!See you starting August 16.
— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) July 30, 2021
THE EUL TEAMS
BDS Esport and Team Empire haven’t made changes – why would they? Empire came out of the European League Stage 2 on top, which was quite a surprise given their weak early outings. BDS, on the contrary, have lost some of their strength, only finishing in fourth place.
The biggest surprise of the league was G2 Esports. After an underwhelming Six Invitational run, the organization deemed it necessary to make some deep roster cuts. The last remaining pieces of the SI2019 winning lineup have been removed to make way for some new talent, Lucas “Hungry” Reich and Jonas “Jonka” Kaczmarzyk. The Germans helped their team to a solid second place. Now, they have to show that they can retain their level on an international stage and on LAN.
THE NAL TEAMS
At SI, North America was the second best region after Brazil. Oxygen Esports and TSM both made the Top 6. Now, Oxygen won’t be making their way to Mexico and SSG seem to have gotten their strength back. Following the departure of Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski, their Stage 1 performance suffered massively. But Matthew “Hotancold” Stevens has led them back to the top. A decisive first place in NAL Stage 2 has announced them as a top contender for the August Major. Mexico will show whether the revitalized team can compete with Brazil.
Not a lot has changed with TSM and DarkZero. Sure, the roster changes have brought in new players, but the two teams have remained on roughly the same performance level. So it stands to question whether they’ll be able to contend with Brazil. But one team can try their hands at this challenge for the first time ever: Soniqs!
So far, Susquehanna Soniqs have only played on North American soil. The fact that NAL is taking place offline will give them a boost. Surely they’re mentally better prepared for LAN competition than most EUL teams. Nonetheless, they lack experience. The Brazilian teams are explosive in nature and should they start to build up momentum, it’s nearly impossible to stop them again. So do the Soniqs really have the nerves and the training to go up against that?
IS BRAZIL STILL AHEAD?
The most recent international comparison has resulted in a clear picture: Brazil is by far the strongest region. Its teams filled the entire Top 3, and only one of them failed to make the Top 6. So they have a strong foundation going into the Rainbow Six Mexico Major. But since there hasn’t been any event after SI where we could see them compete internationally, it’s difficult to name any clear favorites. So what would be the win conditions for Brazil?
For one, Liquid and NiP have to put up similar performances again. Team oNe were the only real disappointment of the region, despite fielding one of the most internationally recognizable players in the form of Karl “Alem4o” Zarth. FURIA are new to the international market. So far, they hadn’t made their way outside their region, but now, they’ve gone past MIBR and FaZe Clan.
So the Brazilians “only” have to deliver more of the same in order to have a clear path to the top in Mexico. But what do the EU and NA teams have to do in order to reclaim the throne?
BDS have to perform like they did in 2020. Back then, even though there weren’t any international events, they felt almost impossible to defeat. Stéphane “Shaiiko” Lebleu put up star performances. Unfortunately, he failed to do that at the Six Invitational, which is why we saw BDS exit early on in the Lower Bracket.
Be remembered.
Starting Monday.#SixMajor pic.twitter.com/vUnvStFn5R— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) August 13, 2021
THE WIN CONDITIONS FOR EU AND NA
So Shaiiko really has to perform. Without him, BDS won’t get far, but even with him showing his best self, they’ll have a hard time. At the Six Invitational, Empire were already more successful than the Frenchmen. Their first place in EUL Stage 2 might push them a little further this time. Natus Vincere and G2 Esports are the biggest x-factors hailing from Europe. While NaVi were strong in EUL, this doesn’t really mean that they’ll be successful in Mexico. For G2 Esports, Hungry and Jonka weren’t any high-performing additions to the roster. G2 received their biggest push from Ben “CTZN” McMillan, who is as crucial to their success as Shaiiko is for BDS.
Hotancold has to perform if Spacestation Gaming want to place high. Alongside Richie “Rexen” Coronado, he made first place in the player rankings. But unlike Hotancold, Rexen doesn’t have any notable offline experience to build off of. So there’s going to be a different kind of pressure on the young American player.
The shining stars of Europe and North America will be at the forefront of the fight. Maybe the Brazilians feel pressure from the high expectations that everyone now has for them. But from what we’ve seen, this doesn’t seem to phase them at all. After all, it’s the other teams and regions that have to prove themselves again. For Europe and North America, another Brazilian Top 3 is out of the question!
So we’re eager to see everything unfold in Mexico. The action will kick off in just a few days and soon we’ll see some of the contestants enter the playoffs. Will Europe and North America take revenge? Or will NiP and Liquid make their way back to the top for a second time?