As the Pro League gets underway in the rest of the world, APAC will also be following suit soon with the start of its Pro League, as well as other competitions to come. Read on to find out what is in store for the region this week, from the 18th of June.
Australia-New Zealand (ANZ)
The biggest news in APAC since the Cloud9 signing, the ANZ Pro League will now be broadcast live on the main Rainbow6 Twitch and YouTube channels similar to the NA, EU, and LATAM Pro Leagues. Starting at 7 PM AEST (GMT+10) every Wednesday and Thursday, it also promises all-new post-match interviews for the region, as well as community voting.
As for the games themselves, it seems that Oddity Esports’ game against TBA (ex-Avant Gaming) on Thursday will be the one to watch, with the APAC casters’ opinions divided. Four of seven polled casters predict each team to win a map each in the double Best-of-One series (where both Bo1 round-robin matches are played back-to-back), but the other three expect Oddity to take home six points.
Elsewhere, Fnatic are expected to launch their Season 10 campaign without dropping a single point against Zealous, 0RGL3SS seek to bed in Daniel “NeophyteR” An into their setup in their first Pro League game against Power Plays, and Mindfreak takes on FURY.
In the Six Major Raleigh qualifiers, on the other hand, 0RGL3SS are set to take on TBA later tonight, and Mindfreak face Oddity Esports in a swap of their Pro League pairings the next day. With the double elimination bracket still active, play days on the 24th and 25th of June still await to decide which team will later proceed to the offline segment in Sydney.
Japan
While the Six Major Raleigh qualifiers are yet to begin for the Japanese sub-region, the Pro League will be getting underway at 7 PM JST (GMT+9) tomorrow, and will run concurrently to the other subregions’ on Wednesday and Thursday on the Rainbow6JP channel on Twitch.
Of the four games to be played this week, the best viewing is expected from Father’s Back taking on GUTSGaming. Father’s Back had a strong third-placed showing in Season 9 of the Pro League, almost making it to the APAC Finals, and have now been invited to DreamHack Valencia alongside the Korean Cloud9 roster. GUTSGaming, on the other hand, feature the well-known former NORA-Rengo players Takumi “JJ” Iwasaki and Yasuhi “CrazyPapiyoN” Nakajo and had a fantastic 9-0-1 (W-D-L) record in Season 9 of the Challenger League.
The other games this week are expected to be washouts, with NORA-Rengo, Cyclops Athlete Gaming, and FAV Gaming expected to secure the six points by most, if not all, casters polled, but with the strength of the Japanese teams, anything is possible.
Korea
Over in Korea, the Pro League is set to be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays instead, starting at 6 PM KST (GMT+9) on the Rainbow6KR Twitch channel. Given the fact that only four teams are in the Pro League, however, the region will only see one set of Bo1 games played each day, unlike two for the other three APAC regions.
This week, Team uR takes on TRIPPY, but all eyes will be on Cloud9 going up against SCARZ, the former Ageless roster recently picked up by the Japanese organisation. Placed first and second, respectively, in Season 9 of the Pro League, this match will be a good benchmark for the rest of the season for each team.
Finally, in the Korea Cup, TRIPPY, HyperSpace, SCARZ, and Cloud9 have all qualified for the US$4,300 monthly Finals to be played on the 29th of June.
Southeast Asia
To round off, Southeast Asia will also be getting its Pro League underway, played on Wednesday and Thursday from 7 PM SGT (GMT+8) onwards on the community-run R6_SEA Twitch channel.
Aerowolf at the Allied Esports Minor in Las Vegas
This week, Allied Esports Minor participants Aerowolf take on newly promoted NEX Esports -- another Thai team in the league -- while the best Thai team, number one SEA seed Xavier Esports, takes on another promoted side, Lèsè Esports. Closer matches are expected on the second day, however, with Season 9 third-place finishers Scrypt E-Sports going up against a Team Void boosted by their pickup of former Aerowolf player Warren “Reveck” Lim, and third promoted team Venberg Esports, also from Thailand, taking on the struggling MBT Impetus Gaming.
Over in the Raleigh Minor qualifiers, it is Aerowolf who next take on Lèsè Esports, while Scrypt faces NEX, Void faces MBT, and Xavier faces former Challenger League squad Ventex.
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For more coverage on APAC’s competitions including and beyond the Pro League, check back here at SiegeGG regularly as we bring you what’s in store for the week ahead.