Banner Image: Ubisoft / Joao F. @itsmeERROR
Roster changes before competing at the Six Invitational are always controversial. One of the most popular moves before last year's edition was the addition of Ben "CTZN" McMillan to Soniqs. A year later, the Americans did it again.
Following the conclusion of the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta, the North American squad decided to part ways with Shaun "Gunnar" Pottorff. Instead, the organization decided to acquire Jaylen "Ambi" Turk, whose signing was announced when the player was still underage.
His first professional performance came four days after turning eighteen. Against SCARZ, the young player was the team's best-rated member with a SiegeGG rating of 1.13 and an entry balance of 6-3 (+3).
Statistically, his performance against LOS wasn't a good one. With eight open deaths and only four entry kills, the American ended the match with a SiegeGG rating of 0.66 and a KD of 14-23 (-9). Fortunately for the roster, CTZN went berserk against the Brazilians, as the Brit made the final difference in the team's 2-0 victory over the orange squad.
"I think the most important part is being comfortable and playing my own game, and I'll be good," Ambi explained in a written SiegeGG interview after the conclusion of their match against LOS.
"I've learned that APAC and BR play completely different. I just need to learn how each team plays and I'll be okay," he added.
The Americans picked Skyscraper against LOS, a map they had only played three times throughout the season. Out of those, the team's only victory there was a 7-3 score against M80 in Mar. 2023.
"We have just been feeling confident on that map, and that's why we chose to pick it," Ambi admitted. "We also didn't think LOS had a good Skyscraper," the American added.
Following Soniqs' victories against SCARZ and LOS, the Americans added a third 2-0 win as they defeated Team Falcons. These results make Soniqs the clear favorite to take Group D's first seed.
Against the Saudi Arabian-majority roster, Ambi scored a SiegeGG rating of 1.03 after going 6-2 (+4) on entries. Overall, Ambi's role in the team has been quite aggressive. However, CTZN's performances inevitably stole the show as the Brit is the current best-rated player with a SiegeGG rating of 1.41.
"Us beating LOS was big for us to be 1st in the group," Ambi concluded.
Soniqs will have the chance to lock the first spot in Group D with a win against FURY later today, as the roster will play against the Thai squad at 12:30 AM CET.