Banner image: Ubisoft / @capturedbycyga
After the conclusion of the second day of action, the Six Invitational 2023 group stage is already taking shape.
Read more: Key Stats from Day 1 of the Six Invitational 2023
Shaiiko goes psycho
Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu currently tops the individual stats of the Six Invitational 2023 after his performances against CYCLOPS athlete gaming and Oxygen Esports.
The Frenchman was named the MVP of Day 2 after his performance against the North American lineup led by Ethan "Nuers" James.
As of now, only Marc "Jume" Steinmann has a better entry fragging balance, with Nuers in second and Shaiiko in third.
It's also worth paying attention to MNM Gaming's SiegeGG Ratings. After having defeated Wolves Esports and Dire Wolves by 2-0 scores, the team has three of the top five performers in the competition so far -- Fatih "Solotov" Türker (second, 1.44), Josh "Yuzus" Pritchard (fourth, 1.34), and Nathan "Nathan" Sharp (fifth, 1.30). Today, the marshmallows will try to keep their winning streak going against the Jönköping Major grand-finalists Team Liquid.
Dylan "Bosco" Bosco debuted in his seventh Six Invitational with yet another great Thermite and Smoke show, as the American led Spacestation Gaming in their 2-0 victory against Elevate. He was closely followed by his teammate Matthew "Hotancold" Stevens, who got a perfect entry fragging balance.
No APAC players among the top 25
Despite CYCLOPS athlete gaming's Day 1 upset against Team BDS, APAC has been all over the place at the Six Invitational 2023.
Elevate and Dire Wolves are yet to win a map, leaving the Japanese side as the only Asian roster in a comfortable place to qualify for the playoffs.
As of now, the 27th-best player in the competition Atibordee "Sapper" Noichan is Asia's best-rated representative. Out of 15 players, only four have Ratings of 1.00 or above.
Brazilian hat trick
All Brazilian rosters competing on Day 2 were victorious against their opponents, with every team facing a different region.
First, w7m esports defeated G2 Esports by a 2-1 margin after victories on Kafe and Theme Park. The Brazilians had to make a comeback after losing 5-7 on their pick, Bank. Gabriel "volpz" Fernandes was the team's best player, with Gustavo "HerdsZ" Herdina also being key in the most crucial moments -- especially on Theme Park, where he got a K-D of 16-10 (+6).
Coincidentally, the best player on the European side was the Brazilian Karl "Alem4o" Zarth, who got a SiegeGG Rating of 1.17.
Later on, FaZe Clan defeated DarkZero Esports 2-0 as the Brazilians were led by Jaime "Cyber" Ramos' SiegeGG Rating of 1.55, the highest by any player in a single match at the Six Invitational 2023.
Finally, LOS oNe defeated the Japanese team of CYCLOPS athlete gaming 2-1 after wins on Theme Park and Border.
Despite the Brazilians' performances, though, North America is still the best region in the competition, followed by Brazil, Europe, and APAC.
Solis is the most banned operator
Heading to the third day of competition, the Colombian operator has now overtaken Azami and Valkyrie and has become the most banned operator in the Six Invitational 2023 with a 43% ban rate.
While some teams have adapted to Solis and prioritized target bans, as LOS oNe did against CAG (Montagne and Valkyrie in every map of the series), others like Soniqs don't want to deal with the Colombian operator and have banned her in every map played so far.
So far, Troy "Canadian" Jarowlaski and Jaime "Cyber" Ramos are the only Solis mains in the Six Invitational 2023.