While a new face to esports in general, much less to Rainbow Six, Ovation eSports has certainly had a trial by fire in its bid to grow as an organisation.
Launched just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, Ovation has grown despite the difficulties and currently has teams in four games. Rainbow Six, too, is new to the organisation, with the LookingForOrg roster signed only in April this year.
But the going has been tough.
In its national league, the GSA League 2021, Ovation is dead last in the standings with just two wins from eight games. As such, the only other team aside from Sissi State Punks to sport a full German roster, sits inside of the relegation zone.
GC Esport and PENTA are the two main rivals for Ovation in its bid to avoid having to play in the GSA League 2021 Relegations, but Ovation trails sixth-placed PENTA by three points.
Thankfully for Ovation, its run-in to the end of the 2021 regular season is slightly easier than that of both PENTA and GC Esport. Not only that, Ovation is set to face GC Esport on Day 11 and then PENTA on the final day of play and could well decide its own fate.
Furthermore, its players clearly have the quality to avoid relegation.
In the GSA League 2021, StrkR is tied for second in terms of Entry K-D, while slshr has the third-highest number of defuser plants. Should they keep up their form, should the other players also join them, and should the team be able to translate its scrim performances into official games, Ovation will be quite safe.
But those are big ifs and both GC Esport and PENTA could also just as easily turn on the style.
To understand the Ovation eSports GSA 2021 campaign and its push for the Challenger League, SiegeGG spoke to team manager Sascha "Kiba" Rohde and In-Game Leader (IGL) Jonas "slshr" Schulze.
Hello! For those unfamiliar, tell us about Ovation and its history in competitive Siege!
The GSA season has been tough for your team and you find yourself in last place, although just four points from Team Secret. How is the team atmosphere like and what has not been working out?
Failure is the greatest teacher they say, but how do you pick yourself back up from losses such as that 1-7 against Rogue? What goes on from the moment that the game ends and until the next game begins?
Your team had been in a favourable 5-3 against Team Secret, but could not hold on. When losing in such scenarios, viewers and casters often cite "experience" as the reason why teams like Secret mount a comeback, especially against teams like yours. Do you agree, or do you disagree that experience was the key factor?
How do you rate your chances in the Challenger League qualifiers, where you are joint-10th right now? Is qualification something feasible this season or do you think you will only mount a real run for the EUL in 2022?
The GSA season is an incredibly long one, which tests each team’s consistency and endurance. How is your team tackling it?
StrkR is currently joint-second best in terms of Entry K-D, while slshr has the third-highest defuser plants. Does your team have any special methods they use to either ensure they are able to perform like this, or do you plan strategies around the levels of their performances?
Your team has, so far, avoided Coastline, Consulate, and Kafe in the GSA League. Is there any particular reason why, or have things just not worked out that way?
Is there anything you or your players would like to say to your fans?
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Catch Ovation eSports next during the ninth play day of the 2021 GSA League, when they take on GoSkilla on the 2nd of July at 7 PM CEST (UTC+2).