After three years, the Six Invitational 2023 returns to its home in Montreal, Canada, for the last time. From next year, the hammer will travel across the world, with the next locations not yet announced.
For instance, the winner of this year’s edition will be remembered as the last team to win in the Place Bell, where the most successful team in Siege’s history, G2 Esports, were crowned champions of the world for the last time.
Starting the competition off right is a must, and that can be done by watching the three best games of Day 1.
Note: All the games start from 10AM (UTC -5)
10AM – KOI vs G2 Esports
The former Rogue lineup, now under KOI, will make its Rainbow Six Siege debut later today against one of the only two former world champions in the competition, G2 Esports.
KOI’s roster and G2 Esports have faced off four times this year, with G2’s only victory coming before William “Spoit” Löfstedt’s professional debut.
Undoubtedly, the most heated match between both sides this season was at the Six Berlin Major, where Rogue defeated G2 by 8-6, 8-7 scores. Eventually, Rogue won their first ever international trophy in a thrilling grand-final match against FaZe Clan.
Although the game in Berlin was played just five months ago, G2’s lineup will have two different names in Byron “Blurr” Murray and Benjamin “Benjamaster” Dereli. While the former joined right after the conclusion of the second stage, the latter signed for the team following Ben “CTZN” McMillan’s departure earlier this year.
Benja’s debut for G2 will also be exciting to follow, with the former Heroic player coming in with great form. With an entry record of 58-26 (+32) across all of the EUL stages, the Dane is expected to be a great addition to the team.
Outside of Rainbow Six Siege, KOI and G2 Esports have also already established a rivalry as Ibai “Ibai” Llanos, founder and owner of KOI, is also a former content creator for G2 Esports.
1PM – Team Liquid vs Soniqs
This is possibly the most awaited match of the group stage, as Ben “CTZN” McMillan is set to make his debut with Soniqs. Soniqs’ new roster may be North America’s best shot at winning the Six Invitational 2023 and has been assembled after three changes in the past six months.
Both squads have only met once in the past, with Team Liquid taking a 2-1 win at the DreamHack Montreal 2019. However, it’s useless to compare the current rosters to the lineups that competed in the competition, as only Luccas “Paluh” Molina and André “NESKWGA” Oliveira remain.
Back to the present, it’s very difficult to make a prediction for today’s match. While Liquid have made great improvements since Lorenzo “Lagonis” Volpi’s signed and took over the IGL role, Soniqs’ most-recent signings have transformed the lineup.
The Jönköping Major is the clearest example of how both rosters have improved, with Soniqs reaching the semi-finals and Team Liquid the grand-final. Although the match will take place on the first day of competition, it’s very likely that the result determines how Group B will look, with the winner having the lead in the race to top the group standings.
7PM – M80 vs FaZe Clan
After a brief trip to Brazil to prepare for the Six Invitational 2023, M80 are hopeful of defeating FaZe Clan.
Read more: Aye, aye, M80: New organization switch no distraction for former XSET squad ahead of Invitational
FaZe’s recent results at the Six Invitational make them one of the favorites to take the hammer home, as they finished in the top six in 2021 and in third place in 2022.
However, there’s a statistic that should fill M80’s offices with hope: despite FaZe’s great results in recent competitions, their last victory in a Six Invitational opening match dates back to 2019, when the organization defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas.
If that wasn’t enough, two of FaZe’s three losses came against North American teams, with DarkZero Esports and Spacestation Gaming beating them 2-1 in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
Read more: Meet the 11 players that are set to make their international debuts at the Six Invitational 2023
FaZe Clan’s first match at the Six Invitational 2023 will also be Victor “VITAKING” Augusto’s top-flight debut. After winning the Série B with Magic Squad, VITAKING is set to make his first international appearance today as he is expected to be the team’s new IGL.