The Rainbow 6 Siege Paris Major 2018 has already kicked off, with groups of death going at it.
On Wednesday (August 15h) the groups concluded and now the playoffs approach. Craig Robinson looks back on the groups and previews the rest of the RB6 Major.
Group A
Home crowd heroes Vitality (and there are a few others in here) edged out a 2-0 win in the groups.
NA’s Obey Alliance came in second place, after having a great series against APAC’S Nora Rengo.
Surprisingly, last season’s victor, Team Liquid, were handed a shocking 0-2 exit from the tournament.
Group B
To no surprise, G2 Esports (formally Penta, who won the RB6 Pro League last year) topped the groups and are once again favourites heading into the finals on Sunday. They had a strong series against NiP and only lost one map to Mock It Esports.
Coming in second was Brazil’s only entry into the playoffs: Ninja in Pyjamas. Previously Black Dragons, this team is one of Brazil’s consistent performers in the playoff run and should be an exciting watch.
An honourable mention must be given to Fnatic, who come from the APAC region. All APAC teams performed well given their region, and pushed well into the third day of groups, contending for playoff spots.
Group C
NA’s Evil Geniuses came to the tournament acting like NA’s most successful team. They topped their groups against EU’s Millenium on the second day, despite them having the hometown advantage. To note: EG had the highest round difference compared to all other teams in the group stages. It was a successful win against Millennium, the winners of Dreamhack Austin.
Coming in second was Millenium. They swapped Joghurtzz for Falko coming into the tournament, which would put a question mark above how the team would perform at the Major. Turns out it wouldn’t shake their playoff entry, as they beat Elemental Mystic, and nearly took one map off EG.
Immortals came in last place in Group C. They had a good run against Mystic Elements but were unable to secure anything against Millenium.
Group D
In first place was NA’s Rogue. Rogue has been performing in NA and abroad. In their first game, Rogue faced off against Team Secret (formerly IDK, including UK players), who edged out their last series in Dreamhack Valencia. and then proceeded to enter the playoffs after beating Faze Clan 2-1
Team Secret came in at second place. After a shaky 2-0 loss against Rogue, Team Secret bounced back against Orgless for a 2-0 win, which followed on against Faze Clan for a dominant performance to end the group stage.
The 1st challenge is complete – make it out of groups and onto the mainstage.
Now, just as before, we take it one match at a time. @Team_Vitality next on Friday. ???#SixMajorParis, #SecretR6, #SecretFighting— meepeY ? #SixMajorParis (@Secret_meepeY) August 15, 2018
What to expect from the playoffs
With the above conclusion to the Paris major 2018 group stage, this is how the playoff bracket looks at:
Congratulations to our 8 teams that have qualified to the Playoff stage of the #SixMajorParis!
Schedule for Friday (August 17th):
-> @G2esports vs @Millenium
-> @GoingRogueGG vs @ObeyAlliance
-> @Team_Vitality vs @teamsecret
-> @EvilGeniuses vs @NiPGaming pic.twitter.com/k6XXqwfHqA— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) August 15, 2018
These upcoming playoffs have some very exciting stories to watch out for:
G2 and Millenium have been the teams jousting for top 2 in Europe for a few seasons now. With the playoffs building up, this first series will see hometown team Millenium go up against Siege’s most decorated team to date. This match will be a killer and not one to miss.
Likewise, Rogue and Obey represent the top half of the NA region. With Rogue beating EU powerhouses Team Secret and Obey sending former champions Liquid home, this battle will surely have a lot riding on it for the NA region.
Team Vitality and Team Secret will once again go head-to-head in the third series. In their past two encounters, Team Vitality have been defeated by Team Secret in EU’s major qualifying match, and again in the Dreamhack Valencia final.
Vitality have the momentum of a 2-0 finish in the groups and the French crowd behind them. However, Secret was on fire Wednesday and may not be affected by the crowd due to the UK and French mix team. This match should be an exciting series regardless.
Finally, EG takes on NiP. With EG being the most dominant team in the group stages and NA’s number one, NiP will have a strong challenge ahead of them. Although, NiP is now the only Brazillian team left in the tournament, and have a history of great runs in playoff environments. This series will mean the world for both teams.
Tune into the official Rainbow 6 stream to watch the playoffs begin this Friday. You can also earn charm rewards for watching the stream.
ENUK’S Craig Robinson will also be attending the Paris major, so check back on our site and Twitter for news, interviews and event coverage across the weekend.
