Banner image: Ubisoft / @ericananmalay
Today, the Six Invitational 2023 playoffs will kick off. These are the first set of matches of Monday and we will know the next sets of matches as the day goes on.
Heroic vs Oxygen Esports
Heroic and Oxygen Esports will meet in the first encounter of the day.
Oxygen Esports ended in third place of Group C after a razor-thin loss against LOS oNe, where the Americans lost both maps in maximum overtime.
With a SiegeGG Rating of 1.26, Ethan "Nuers" James currently stands in second place in terms of individual performers. He also has the third-highest number of kills at the Six Invitational 2023, with 122 total.
Curiously enough, Oxygen's only two BO3 series this year against European rosters have come against Team BDS. The first game saw the Americans defeat the Frenchmen 2-0 at the Charlotte Major, while the second series was played last week where the Europeans won 2-1.
Meanwhile, Heroic head to their next Six Invitational clash with a concerning record against NAL rosters.
So far, this season, they have played 10 maps against NA teams with a 2-1-2-5 record. Heroic's first map win came against TSM at the Jönköping Major, while the other two came against DarkZero Esports and M80.
Although Heroic's most recent results may provide their fans with a glimmer of hope, the truth is that the Europeans are yet to win a BO3 series against an NA team. Will third time be the charm for Heroic?
The winner of the match will play against MNM Gaming at 4PM (GMT-5) in the upper bracket quarter-finals.
G2 Esports vs Wolves Esports
Just 15 minutes after Heroic and Oxygen Esports kick off their series, G2 Esports and Wolves Esports' game will go underway.
This will be the first match of the playoffs between two teams from the same region. G2 Esports and Wolves Esports have met three times this season, with the French-majority roster winning twice.
So far, Jack "Doki" Robertson and Karl "Alem4o" Zarth have been the two best players on G2, having SiegeGG Ratings of 1.17 and 1.16. They started their campaign here by defeating KOI 2-1, as the Scottish player went berserk in the first map of the series.
Meanwhile, Wolves Esports weren shaky against their European group stage opponents MNM Gaming. After losing to the marshmallows in the EUL Finals, the pack couldn't get a revenge as they lost on the first day of action, 2-0.
Statistically, Wolves' players haven't been as strong as they have in the past. Dahmani "Mowwwgli" Yanis is currently the best player on the team, but only with a SiegeGG Rating of 1.04. Meanwhile, the highly-experienced Bastien "BiBooAF" Dulac has been nowhere close to his EUL numbers as he currently has a Rating of 0.93. Comparatively, he got ratings of 1.24, 1.21, and 1.17 in Stage 2, Stage 3, and at the Jönköping Major, respectively.
Regardless of the individual player performances during the Six Invitational 2023, they have finally shown they are capable of getting wins in BO3 series. Despite struggling, Wolves got their first international BO3 win against Dire Wolves. Later on, the pack defeated Team Liquid to qualify for the upper bracket of the playoffs.
The winner of the series will play against LOS oNe at 7PM (GMT-5).
Soniqs vs DarkZero Esports
Soniqs and DarkZero Esports will meet in the second regional encounter of the day. It will be the first time both sides clash at an international competition.
While all eyes will be on Ben "CTZN" McMillan, he has struggled previously against DarkZero. During his time as a G2 Esports player, the British won one and lost four of the matches played against the North Americans, averaging a SiegeGG Rating of 0.94.
On the other hand, Soniqs' record against DarkZero Esports is very strong. They have two victories and one loss against them this season, with that loss stretching back to Apr. 2022.
Moreover, it will be the first BO3 between both sides since the NAL 2021 Finals, where Soniqs defeated DarkZero 2-0. Much has changed though, as DarkZero have made two roster moves and Soniqs have made three since that match.
Regarding bans, we will most likely see Soniqs ban Kafe, Bank, and Theme Park, as they have banned these three maps in their last three clashes against DarkZero. Meanwhile, DarkZero will probably ban Skyscraper and Villa.
The winner of this match will face KOI on the same day in the upper bracket quarter-finals. The match against the Berlin Major champions will kick off at 7PM (GMT-5).
Team BDS vs w7m esports
Without a doubt, this will be the most awaited match of the day. The Frenchmen and the Brazilian met at the Jönköping Major, where the bulls emerged victorious on both occasions. However, the Europeans ended up being crowned champions.
Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu heads to the playoffs as the best player in the competition, with a SiegeGG Rating of 1.34. He and Théo "LikEfac" Mariano are the highest-fragging duo of the Six Invitational 2023, as they have a combined amount of 271 kills.
Their combined entry balance is also outstanding. With entry balances of 29-12 (+17) and 27-14 (+13), they are a danger for any team in the competition. Gabriel "HerdsZ" Herdina will certainly have his work cut out in stopping the French duo.
It will be the first time that w7m face an EUL roster in international playoffs, with the Brazilians having only played against them in group stages. Their most recent results against EUL teams, which were also in BO3 series, came at the Six Invitational 2023 against G2 Esports (2-1) and KOI (0-2).
The winner of this match will face M80 at 7PM (GMT-5) in the upper bracket quarter-final.