With the first stage of the competitive Rainbow Six circuit in the books, there has been a shakeup in the world's top teams. Three new sides have risen into the world's ten-best, though the top retains a degree of familiarity.
Without international events, it is difficult to determine which region's best can outpace their rivals overseas, though the upcoming Six August Major will give additional clarity on the stratification of each of the main regions.
10. Team oNe Esports (NEW)
Roster:
reduct Faallz LuKid FelipoX Rappz
Team oNe has shot into the top-ten after a stunning performance in the BR6, narrowly edging out Team Liquid for first place at the end of the stage. Their new addition of Rappz has truly turned the team's fortunes around; the team was one of the worst in Latin America in Season 11, finishing in last place. Following the young star's addition, the team has taken Brazil by storm.
Placements (last six months):
ESL Pro League 11 LATAM - Second Split (6th) BR6 2020 Stage 1 (1st)
9. Oxygen Esports (NEW)
Oxygen Esports were previously signed with Team Reciprocity.
Roster:
Slashug LaXInG VertcL FoxA b1ologic
With Oxygen's impressive performance in the first stage of the US Division, North America's "Big Three" have become the "Big Four". For a long time, the team had shown potential but was not able to stand up to the likes of SSG, TSM, and Darkzero. Despite sometimes being criticized for poor individual play, b1ologic has seemed to be the answer for the team's struggles as an in-game leader.
Finally, this season, they scored a signature win over reigning World Champions and number one ranked Spacestation Gaming in the first phase of group play. Following it up with a win over TSM, Oxygen proved they can compete with the best in North America. The team will thus look to continue that momentum, as all of these four teams are headed to the North American mini-major coming up in a few weeks.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (9th-12th) ESL Pro League 11 EU - Second Split (5th) US Division 2020 Stage 1 (3rd)
8. G2 Esports (-1)
Roster:
Pengu Kantoraketti UUNO Virtue CTZN
G2's superteam project seems to be slowly getting into gear. After considerable hype, the team came out and somewhat disappointed in their debut split to close Season 11 of Pro League, only earning fifth-most points despite finishing the season in second place.
Stage 1 of the European League was a different story, with the team finishing in third place just behind Rogue and BDS. With a berth secured at the major, the team's championship pedigree may be able to boost them past their European rivals once they enter into best-of-three, elimination-style games.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (7th-8th) ESL Pro League 11 EU - Second Split (5th) European League 2020 Stage 1 (3rd)
7. Rogue (NEW)
Roster:
Aceez Korey ripz karzheka LeonGids
After a significant roster overhaul, Rogue have proven themselves once again as one of the top online teams in the world. LeonGids and karzheka have both been solid performers in Rogue's run to first place in online European play -- a position they have now held in consecutive seasons.
The team's problem has never been online success, however. With the onset of COVID-19, there has not yet been a LAN event to test this new roster's mettle against their competition offline, where they have long struggled. As such, it may yet be a while longer before Rogue can prove themselves.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (13th-16th) ESL Pro League 11 EU - Second Split (2nd-3rd) European League 2020 Stage 1 (1st)
6. BDS Esport (+3)
Roster:
Shaiiko Renshiro RaFaLe Elemzje BriD
BDS' resurgence has been equally as impressive as their collapse in the season prior. After the Six Invitational, the team seemed to be flying high as the highest-placing team in Europe. Returning to the second split of Season 11, the team was in a funk they were not able to shake, and so decided to drop ingame leader rxwd after the season's end.
After this, they managed to secure longtime Vitality veteran BriD, completely turning the team's fortunes around. BriD has been instrumental, topping many stats charts not only for BDS but for Europe as a region, and leading the French side to victory after victory.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (4th) ESL Pro League 11 EU - Second Split (8th) European League 2020 Stage 1 (2nd)
5. DarkZero Esports (-2)
Roster:
Mint Hotancold Hyper Skys Ecl9pse
DarkZero, while still one of the strongest teams in North America (and the world), has shown signs of weakness recently. In the first stage of the US Division, they dropped a surprise map to the Soniqs in their season debut, but recovered the following week with a statement win over TSM to top their group in phase one.
However, in phase two, they would drop out in last place in the upper group with back-to-back 0-2 losses. Forced to enter the Major qualifier, they again narrowly survived a scare from the Soniqs, with the game pushed to overtime on the final map. DarkZero thus need to steady themselves and once again prove they can contend with SSG, TSM, and a rapidly rising Oxygen Esports.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (5th-6th) ESL Pro League 11 NA - Second Split (2nd) US Division 2020 Stage 1 (4th) NAL Major Qualifier 2020 Stage 1 (1st)
4. Team Liquid (+1)
Roster:
NESKWGA psk1 xS3xyCake Paluh muringa
Team Liquid have reaffirmed their elite status after a crushing group-stage exit at the Invitational. Since their disappointing finish, the duo of Paluh and Nesk have boasted impossible levels of fragging and individual performance, unparalleled in an already frag-heavy Brazilian region.
Liquid had edged out NiP for a first-place finish to conclude Pro League that would've earned them a spot at their first Pro League Finals since the team's victory all the way back in Season 7, but the Season 11 event was canceled due to the coronavirus. The team then followed it up with an impressive performance in the new BR6, falling short of first place only on a tie-breaker to the rising Team oNe.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (9th-12th) ESL Pro League 11 LATAM - Second Split (1st) BR6 2020 Stage 1 (2nd)
3. TSM (+1)
Roster:
Achieved Beaulo Merc geoo Chala
A player change can sometimes alter a team in unknowable ways, so TSM returning Pojoman to the coaching role while bringing in Chala was certainly a risk -- but one that seems to have paid off. The team remains strong and despite a close loss to Darkzero the team recovered and finished out the stage to claim second place in North America.
All is not without problems, however. Merc and geoo have faced criticism for perceived underperformances during the stage, but it is unclear whether this is the result of player regression or simply role changes or other team issues. Despite this, individual performances matter little if the team can continue to win.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (3rd) ESL Pro League 11 NA - Second Split (3rd) US Division 2020 Stage 1 (2nd)
2. Ninjas in Pyjamas (-)
Roster:
Psycho Kamikaze JULIO pino Muzi
The Ninjas are holding their spot at number two in the world given their finish in the Six Invitational from six months prior. While not dominant throughout their return to regional play, they have been consistently just behind their longtime rivals in Team Liquid, and more recently the Cinderella story of Team oNe.
The team has shown some cracks in these contests, with the consistent inability to close out opponents' map picks costing it points in the BR6's best-of-two format. The upcoming Brazilian mini-major will thus prove if NiP are still true top-dogs in Brazil, or if one of the other squads can contest their claim.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (2nd) ESL Pro League 11 LATAM - Second Split (2nd) BR6 2020 Stage 1 (3rd)
1. Spacestation Gaming (-)
Roster:
ThinkingNade Rampy Bosco Fultz Canadian
There is not much to say about Spacestation's continued position atop the ranking. They are reigning world champions, and have not showed any signs of slowing down since lifting the hammer in February. In Stage 1 of the US Division, they suffered an uncharacteristic upset at the hands of Oxygen Esports, which raised questions about the top spot being up for grabs. After this loss, the team showed grit by steadying themselves and winning out the remainder of their games.
The only question surrounding SSG is what the results of the Season 11 Pro League Finals and the summer Major might have been, had those events been held, with the team undoubtedly entering both events as a favorite. SSG's greatness in this period can thus never be truly measured due to lack of international competition to test themselves against.
Placements (last six months):
Six Invitational 2020 (1st) ESL Pro League 11 NA - Second Split (1st) US Division 2020 Stage 1 (1st)
To read more about how the ranking is calculated, check out our blog post explaining the system.
To see the full list, check out the ranking page for the most recent update!