The North America-based team has had an exceptional 2022 so far. They won the NAL Stage 1 and 2, and were finalists in the Charlotte Major, losing the grand final 3-2 to DarkZero Esports.
However, after six games in Group D, they mustered only one overtime victory. Among the 16 teams that participated in group stage action, Astralis had the worst record (0-1-1-4) with only three points.
Meanwhile, eight teams have advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The remaining eight have been eliminated from the competition.
Elevate were the first team to qualify for the playoffs. They had a blazing start in Group D, winning their first three games comfortably while the fourth was in overtime. However, they lost both matches on the final playday to lose their top spot in the group.
FURIA Esports closed the group stage with a bang, decimating Elevate and Astralis on playday 3. They finished top of the group with 13 points.
In Group A, XSET had a dominant showing, recording only one loss throughout the group stage action. With 15 points, they sealed their spot in the playoffs and will be accompanied by Rogue who finished with 11 points.
G2 Esports and FaZe Clan are the teams that advanced from Group B. SANDBOX Gaming and surprise entrants Soniqs crashed out of the group.
W7m esports recorded the best record in the Berlin Major group stage, with only one overtime loss at the hands of Wolves Esports. They finished with 16 points and will be representing Group C alongside Wolves.
Action will resume on August 19 for the quarterfinals matchups. w7m will commence proceedings against Elevate, while XSET will square off against Wolves shortly after.
The remaining quarterfinals matchups will see G2 and Rogue slug it out. The last fixture will see two Brazilian heavyweights FaZe and FURIA go against each other.
The remaining teams will be fighting for the top prize of $200,000 and 375 Six Invitational points. FaZe looks the favorite to win following Astralis’ departure.
Although they failed to qualify for the Charlotte Major, they won the 2021 Sweden Major. They also finished third in the 2022 Invitational and came into the Berlin Major as the stage 2 Copa Elite Six champions.
With the event following a single-elimination format, whoever loses their quarterfinals match will be out of the competition.
All but one APAC team crashed out during the group stage, with the NA teams suffering the same fate. The playoffs are dominated by European and Brazilian teams, who each have three representatives in the tournament.
]]>The Danish esports organization have had a brilliant 2022 and were one map victory from winning the Rainbow 6 Charlotte Major in May.
The 3-2 loss to North American League counterparts DarkZero prevented Astralis from winning their first international event. But with DarkZero failing to qualify for the Berlin Major, they have one less thing to worry about.
With a first-place finish in the NAL Stage 2, Astralis will be looking to go all the way. With esports betting sites they are the early favorites to win the Rainbow 6 tournament with moneyline odds of $7.00
Although Astralis joined R6 in September 2021, they did not enjoy any success in the NAL until they signed Roman “Forrest” Breaux and Callout as a coach. Both acquisitions changed the team’s fortunes and the coach believes it is just the tip of the iceberg.
“A team can��t really say they are the favourites. But, you know, I think that if we play the game and uphold our standards the way that we wanna do it, then I think we have a good shot at winning this,” Mik said.
The 22-year-old said that his team embraces mistakes and with hope to learn something new at every opportunity.
“I think it really comes down to like, the standard that we set in practice�� Our goal in practice a lot of times, you know, to learn something new every round. We kinda embrace making mistakes,” Mik said.
Despite being the Berlin Major favourites, it is worth noting that the competition will remain stiff, as several teams have emerged. Soniqs was disruptive in the NAL Stage 2, finishing second after nine play days.
Another tough challenge Astralis might face would be against the Brazilian teams. All four teams will be present at the offline event this time with no reports of visa issues.
Among the Brazil representatives are Ninjas in Pyjamas, who won the 2021 Six Invitational and the 2021 Sweden Major champions FaZe Clan, will also be present in Berlin.
The Berlin Major is scheduled to be held at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany. Group stage action will commence on August 15, and the grand final will be played on August 21.
On opening day, Astralis will square off against Elevate in Group D, who was forced to drop from the Charlotte Major after failing to secure a visa to the US or Mexico to play from the Ubisoft Broadcast Studio.
]]>The tournament will commence on August 15 and will run through to August 21. All games will be played at the Theater am Potsdamer Platz, a venue whose capacity of 1,760 has already been sold out.
Originally, the event was scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates but was since reversed by Ubisoft. The decision came after fans expressed their displeasure with some of the host country’s laws.
The European League was the last to conclude its Stage 2 proceedings. After an eventful playday nine, the four teams that will be participating have been revealed.
Wolves Esports were the first team to qualify for the Major following a dominating campaign. They finished the stage with 21 points after recording seven victories and two losses.
Despite securing their berth to the Major early on, they ended Stage 2 with a commanding 7-1 victory over Outsiders. Rouge, MNM Gaming, and G2 Esports are the remaining teams that will be representing the EUL.
G2 sealed their spot on the final day after a 7-2 win over the then third-placed team Heroic. Although G2 and Heroic finished the stage with the same points (15) G2 had a better Round Difference.
Astralis, Soniqs, Oxygen Esports, and XSET are the teams that will be representing the North American League. The NAL had one of the closest stages, with the top four decided on the final playday and separated by a point.
With a 7-2 win over Spacestation Gaming to end NAL Stage 2, Astralis skyrocketed to the top of the standings despite holding fourth place before playday nine.
The reigning R6 Major champions DarkZero, despite registering the most regular wins, failed to qualify for the Berlin Major. Their 7-3 win against Mirage was not enough to secure a spot even as they finished with the same points as XSET.
The Brazilian teams dominated the Copa Elite Six. As expected, all Brazilian teams in the South American League secured spots in the Berlin Major. FaZe Clan won the tournament while w7m esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and FURIA Esports finished as first, second, and third runner-ups, respectively.
With Ubisoft scrapping the Asia-Pacific playoffs, the top two teams in the APAC North and South will get direct seeding to the Majors. In APAC South, Elevate and Gaimin Gladiators finished at the top of the standings with 16 and 15 points, respectively. DAMWON Gaming and SANDBOX Gaming will be representing APAC North.
With the reigning Major champs not participating in the upcoming event, Astralis are $7.00 favorites at GG Bet to win the tournament. In the Six Charlotte Major, they were the finalists, losing the grand final 3-2 to DZ. Wolves Esports are the second favorites at $7.50 in the outright betting.
Action will commence on Monday, August 15, with group stage action across all four groups. The top two teams in each group will continue their journey in the playoffs as they fight for a larger piece of the US$500,000 prize pool and points for the 2023 Six Invitational.
Group A: DAMWON Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Rogue, and XSET
Group B: FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, SANDBOX Gaming, and Soniqs
Group C: Gaimin Gladiators, Oxygen Esports, w7m esports, and Wolves Esports
Group D: Astralis, Elevate, FURIA Esports, and MNM Gaming
Group Stage: Monday, August 15 – Wednesday, August 17
Quarter Finals: Friday, August 19
Semi Finals: Saturday, August 20
Grand Final: Sunday, August 21