Looking Back At The Best Siege Moments Of 2020

Let’s be real here, 2020 was a major disappointment. For most of the year, we didn’t get to see our favourite players’ and teams’ faces. The launch of the new regional leagues had to be held entirely online, and we had to wait until November to see some select teams back in an offline environment. But still, this year has brought about its own unique and memorable moments. The teams and players really tried to make the best out of this situation, and they certainly did deliver on that front.

BDS REVERSE SWEEP G2 ESPORTS FOR THE AUGUST MAJOR TROPHY

Ask anybody at which point they thought that BDS Esport could become the greatest team in the world - we guarantee you that it will be this exact Grand Finals. Throughout EUL Stage 1, G2 had somewhat struggled, falling behind the likes of Rogue and BDS. But at the August Major, they powered through their opposition to get into the Grand Finals with a map advantage. Most crucially, they beat BDS on two straight maps in the Opening Match already. However, the Frenchmen fought all the way through the Lower Bracket and landed in the Finals alongside them.

There, BDS lost a 7-8 first map on Villa. After this heart-breaking defeat, the analysts pretty much counted them out. But actually, everything had gone according to plan. Stephané “Shaiiko” Lebleu and his colleagues knew that there was no way to win on Villa. They had actually expected much less out of Villa, which gave them a fresh fighting spirit for the remainder of the match. In the end, they delivered three straight map wins to hoist the trophy of the August Major.

THE MAGICAL UNDERDOG STORY OF DARKZERO ESPORTS

Imagine having to play your Opening Match against the best team in the world. This is precisely the situation that DarkZero Esports were in at the August Major. At the start of the year, Spacestation Gaming had won the Six Invitational, and ever since then, they had basically swept their North American opposition. After a first-place finish in the US Division Stage 1, they were the uncontested favourites for the upcoming Major. DZ, however, had to secure their spot via the NAL Qualifier.

Going up against SSG in the Opening Match, they showed their true colours. In a gruelling Best-of-Three, they took down the former best team and made it to the Upper Bracket Final. Facing TSM, nobody thought the back-to-back upset would be possible. But just two maps later, DarkZero stood victorious. TSM later made it to the Grand Finals themselves, but with a map down and an even stronger DZ at the helm, they quickly surrendered on an 0-2 scoreline. This tournament went down in Siege history as one of the greatest underdog runs, and it further solidified Paul "Hyper" Kontopanagiotis as one of the best players in the world.

SSG’S PERFECT REVERSE-SWEEP

The biggest highlight of the year takes us way back to February, when the best teams in the world took to the stage in Montreal. The Six Invitational 2020 delivered beautiful Siege action right to the very end, when Spacestation Gaming and the Ninjas in Pyjamas arrived for the Best-of-Five Grand Finals. SSG got into the match with a map advantage, but they were quickly brought to the brink of defeat. The Ninjas took Villa and Border on 7-3 and 7-2 scorelines, respectively. Spacestation looked down and out already and after they lost the first four rounds of Clubhouse, even the most passionate fans must surely have lost hope.

But somehow, SSG managed to bounce back. All the players chimed in and Alec “Fultz” Fultz closed the map out with a 3K. So the overall score was tied at 2-2, as the two sides headed onto the very last map. There, Spacestation were in the driving seat once again. Dragging NiP through a 4-2 half, the Brazilians soon found themselves facing match point. In the very last round, Fultz and Dylan “Bosco” Bosco joined forces to eliminate the Ninjas, until only Murilo “Muzi” Muzi was alive. Attempting to enter the site, he was quickly dispatched as the SSG players rose from their seats.

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In the end, the perseverance of the players and the North American crowd was rewarded. Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski and his men went up to the podium and lifted the SI 2020 trophy. This impressive moment for NA Siege also turned out to be the year’s biggest highlight, as SSG were the last team to lift a trophy in front of a crowd in 2020.

But they’ll be back next year. Maybe not as the prospective winners or even as title contenders, but the Six Invitational 2021 has already been announced. With several countries now beginning the arduous journey of vaccinating their population against Covid-19, there is a legitimate chance for this event to take place early next year. While SSG can theoretically defend their title, teams like DarkZero, TSM, BDS, and Empire will make this almost impossibly difficult to do.

Images via SiegeGG