Rainbow Six August Major - Europe Preview
Following the conclusion of the North American Rainbow Six August Major, the European portion is set to kick off in a few days. Four teams will be competing for the trophy.
ROGUE ARE THE FAVOURITES
But what does that really mean? They finished the first stage of EUL in first-place, but BDS were right behind them. In terms of skill and performance, the two teams are incredibly close. Before the start of EUL, Rogue swapped two of their German players out for top international talent. While this has definitely given them a boost in the fragging department, the change from German to English shot-calling will undoubtedly have adverse effects on the communication.
Having snatched the highest seed at the event, Rogue are bound to face Virtus.pro in their opening match. VP managed to make a last-minute push into the Top Four, and are arguably not on the same level as the rest of the playing field. This should allow Rogue to warm up, before facing G2 and BDS. But we said the same about DarkZero Esports in the North American bracket, and we all know how that story went.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE UNDERDOGS
Virtus.pro are certainly not the favourites at this event. They have lost their regular matches against BDS, Rogue, and G2 Esports, but they weren't exactly beaten from the server either. They have shown to be competitive, and will likely have put lots of preparation into their opening match against Rogue.
Additionally, the North American Major has shown that we should never underestimate the underdogs in a tournament. DarkZero were given no chance against Spacestation Gaming, the current Six Invitational title holders. Despite all criticism, they wound up making it to the Grand Finals and won the entire thing. If Rogue don't prepare properly and underestimate Virtus.pro, the same could happen to them.
SHAIIKO = MAJOR WIN
If Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu plays as he did in the last Pro League season, BDS will win the Major - it's as simple as that. The player has been a centrepiece for the French roster, but unfortunately, he has been noticeably absent from the top of the scoreboard in EUL. Still, BDS managed to climb to second-place in the standings.
In his place, Loïc "BriD" Chongthep, has taken up the fragging responsibilities, a player who has dominated the European League and contributed massively towards his team's success. Imagine if Shaiiko would suddenly perform as well as he did half a year ago. With these two players, Rogue, G2, and Virtus.pro would not stand a chance against the Frenchmen.
WHO ARE THE BEST PERFORMING PLAYERS?
The European Rainbow Six League is the only recent event for these players. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has cancelled all events for the foreseeable future, so we can only base our judgement on how the players performed during this online competition.
On first place in the rankings is BriD, who has clocked in an impressive 1.23 rating for EUL. He managed to survive almost half of the rounds that he played, and achieved a KOST of 77%. On top of that, he was also his team's most frequent planter. He didn't just get lots of kills - he also put the defuser down more often than all of his colleagues combined.
Close by is Maurice "AceeZ" Erkelenz from Rogue on a 1.19 rating. This player excels in the fragging department at 0.93 kills per round - a ridiculously high figure. He mostly tries to secure entries for his team, which is why he has 13 opening kills to his name. Because of this very aggressive role, has also doesn't survive in two-thirds of the rounds.
Ben "CTZN" McMillan, with his 11.7 rating, is the next strongest player in attendance at the Major. On joining G2, he has become the team's most proficient fragger. With 82 kills to his name in EUL, he leads the team alongside Juhani "Kantoraketti" Toivonen. Unfortunately for Virtus.pro, they don't really feature star players of the same calibre. While Pavel "p4sh4" Kosenko certainly knows how to get a lot of kills, he also has an abysmally low survival rate and doesn't really contribute in any other field. He hardly clutches, plants, or disables, and his KD ratio for entries is at 1.15 - far below his competitors at the Major.
But as we have seen in the North American rendition of the Rainbow Six August Major, these numbers don’t tell the full story. League matches are not the same as a Major environment, and the teams have had lots of time to prepare. Virtus.pro are still the dark horse of the event, but they should never be counted out. The same holds true for G2, who have shown time and time again to be incredibly resilient. Their newest roster additions have been integrated well, arguably better than those of Rogue.
All the teams in attendance deserve their Major spot, and are looking to get to the trophy ahead of the rest. The event kicks off on Friday, August 21, with the opening matches between Rogue and Virtus.pro, and G2 Esports against BDS Esports.
Images via Ubisoft
