'Best Team EU' - How BDS Won The European R6 Major
BDS have beaten all teams at the European Rainbow Six: Siege Major and fought all the way through the Lower Bracket to win the trophy in a stunning comeback.
The Major journey couldn't have started any worse for BDS. In their Opening Match, they were hopelessly outmatched by G2 Esports. Their total points combined wouldn't have been enough to win a single map, and their stars, Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu and Loïc "BriD" Chongthep, had an abysmal day. With a combined 20 kills, they were ineffective against G2.
In our preview for the event, we highlighted the individual players on the BDS roster. In recent months, Shaiiko had struggled to retain his level. This had become most obvious in the Rainbow Six European League (EUL), where he wasn't even amongst the Top Ten players. In his place, BriD had taken up the fragging responsibilities, and even managed to top the standings of EUL with his personal prowess. We argued that, should Shaiiko find his old form again, BDS would be unstoppable. But as neither BriD nor Shaiiko managed to perform against G2, their outlook for the remainder of the tournament was grim.
BDS ON THE REBOUND
Even worse, Rogue had lost their opening match as well. Not only were BDS sent down to the Lower Bracket, but they also had to fight for survival against the favourites of the event. Fortunately for them, another player came in to pick up the slack. In their match against Rogue, Olivier "Renshiro" Vandroux emerged as the most impactful player. Leading his team into a fantastic defence half on Clubhouse, he helped BDS over the finishing line. While the first map might have been an incredibly narrow 7-5 affair, BDS got an easy win on Consulate, managing to eliminate the tournament favourites. Renshiro clocked in a 1.48 rating, with 26 kills and an astonishing 1.18 kills per round.
Meanwhile, G2 continued their victory run through the Upper Bracket as they eliminated Virtus.pro. BDS had to go up against the CIS team next. Back on Consulate, BDS posted a great defence half once again. Leading 4-2, they only needed three more rounds on attack to win the map. On Oregon, they led VP by five points at half-time, and despite a small comeback, the Virtus.pro players quickly had to concede the second map as well.
While this was a great result in itself, the player statistics were even more promising. Once again, Renshiro led the pack. But this time, BriD and Shaiiko were close behind. The two had finally managed to wake up - just in time for the Grand Finals. From their blowout loss to G2, all the way to their dominant displays over Rogue and VP, BDS had undoubtedly stepped up their game. But would it be enough?
THE GRAND FINALS
In the Grand Finals, G2 were patiently waiting for their big moment. They had everything going for them, a perfect track record in the Major, and a map advantage for their last match. Having fought their way through the Upper Bracket, they already led BDS 1-0 by default. All signs pointed to this being yet another decisive victory for the international superteam.
On the first map, BDS got off to a strong start. Leading 4-2 after a defence half, they were quickly met with G2’s own defence - which proved to be just a tiny bit stronger. Both teams bitterly traded rounds until they found themselves in overtime. With a successful Aviator/Game Room take, and a Trophy/Statue defence round, the G2 players snatched the victory from the hands of BDS.
It almost looked as though the Frenchmen were down and out. They were one map away from losing the Grand Finals, and with three more maps to go, G2 would have plenty of time to seal the deal. But that’s not what happened.
STRAP IN FOR THE REVERSE SWEEP
On Oregon, BDS got off to yet another 4-2 lead at half-time. This time around, however, G2 were unable to mount a comeback. They conceded the map on a 7-3 scoreline, leading onto Kafe. There, BDS were up 4-2 after the first half once again. But G2 were unwilling to concede this map as well. Slowly grinding their way back into the game, they soon managed to equalise the scoreline.
Finally, BDS kicked into a higher gear and collected the last rounds necessary to win the match 7-5. From an 0-2 deficit, BDS had fought back to an even 2-2, leading into the last map of the Major Grand Finals. Suddenly, G2 were the ones at a disadvantage. They must have felt themselves choking all the way through the match. Even worse, they were heading to Clubhouse, which is one of G2's weakest maps overall.
There, BDS finally managed to complete the perfect reverse sweep. With a 7-4 victory, they were the much deserved Major winners. As we had predicted, BriD and Shaiiko were the ones to carry BDS over the finishing line. The Frenchmen finally managed to top the scoreboard for their team, and alongside Renshiro, they secured one of the best upset victories of professional Rainbow Six: Siege.
After the match, Pengu wrote this in all-chat: “best team EU”. He might be onto something there. Of course, four online matches aren’t enough to call them the best European team just yet. Fortunately, the second stage of EUL will start sometime soon. There, we can see these teams going up against each other once again, but for now, BDS can rest happily with the crown.
Images via SiegeGG
