Elevate have qualified for the BLAST R6 Major Montreal after defeating Bleed Esports in the Asia League 2024 Stage 2 grand final. It will be Elevate's first international performance since the team's two-day performance at the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen.
Bleed Esports struck the first blow as the Esports World Cup quarterfinalists got a 7-5 victory on Nighthaven Labs in what was the first map of the series. Elevate's answer was immediate as the team pushed the series to the third map after a 7-4 win on Bank, where Alex "Shed" Moore led the squad with a K-D of 16-6 (+10) and an entry balance of 4-1 (+3).
Eventually, Bleed Esports built a two-round lead before swapping sides thanks to Elevate throwing away the team's final attack after running out of time in a 3v1 situation. However, despite being put between a rock and a hard place, Elevate found their momentum back and four successful back-to-back defenses saw them secure two match points. Although Bleed Esports forced the overtime, Elevate showed great mental strength once again as they closed out the series with an 8-6 victory.
Elevate is making a return to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege international scene as they will start their BLAST R6 Major Montreal run from the Swiss Stage. Ironically, Bleed's result in Manchester earlier this year has sent Elevate straight to the second phase of the tournament — for more information, check out section 2.3.1 of BLAST's Rulebook for the current season.
Bleed Esports' tragic end to the Asia League 2024 means the roster's chances of qualifying for the Six Invitational 2025 through the Global Standings have been reduced as their current tally of 300 SI Points may not be enough.
Meanwhile, Elevate's win has seen the squad skyrocketing to thirteenth place with 245 SI Points. While one victory would see the squad adding ten more points to their current tally, a second win would give them 40 extra points.
To surpass Bleed Esports in the Global Standings, Elevate would need a top-eight finish in Montreal. However, the last time an Asian roster finished among the best eight teams at a Major was at the Six Berlin Major in August 2022 when, curiously enough, Elevate's Thai roster lost in the quarterfinals against w7m esports. Could Elevate repeat history?