DarkZero Esports’ 3-2 victory over Astralis will go down in the Rainbow Six Siege history books as the first international trophy for the American brand after three and a half years in the circuit.
It will also be remembered as Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski’s third international piece of silverware and his eleventh appearance at international grand finals.
GOAT debate on fire
Answering the question of who is the GOAT in Siege could be compared to a football debate European fans are very familiar with – the who’s better between Iniesta and Modric discussion.
For some context, they are two of the best midfielders the sport has ever seen. Aged 34, Spanish legend Iniesta put to an end his top-flight football career in 2018 to move to Japan.
Meanwhile, Modric, aged 32, kept going and was awarded the most-valued individual distinction football has to award, the Ballon d’Or, which Iniesta has never won, while winning some of the most prestigious tournaments on the way. Nowadays, he is still a fundamental piece of his team and is about to play in the Champions League Final on Saturday.
When Iniesta decided to go to Japan, he was clear in the discussion. In fact, for neutral fans, there was no debate. Now, Modric has arguably taken the lead.
Back to Siege terms, both Niclas “Pengu” Mouritzen and Canadian have won a great number of silverware, have competed in the biggest stages while leading their teammates, and are seen as legends of the game. One put to an end his trajectory to enjoy the industry from another position, and the other is still competing – which means the latter has the chance to extend his legacy.
DarkZero Esports’ victory in Charlotte makes Canadian shadow a bit longer, to a point where the ‘Siege GOAT’ discussion has reached a new height.
Canadian's temper in the server is undoubtedly strong, which some people can dislike. We cannot ignore the fact he has been around since day one, adapted to the different game metas, prevailed over the new players, has won two Six Invitationals, and has always stayed at the top despite taking a competitive hiatus.
An immense 11 grand final appearances and more than a hundred international games? Canadian’s recent success is enough to revive the discussion.
No more empty cabinets joke
DarkZero Esports breathes Rainbow Six Siege. For years, the team’s only esport representation was Siege. Eventually, the brand would expand to Valorant and sign a content team, including Pengu – who’s also been working as a talent.
Despite the team’s contributions to Siege, the esports results were far from ideal.
In fact, prior to last weekend’s victory, DZ’s closest thing to international glory was the Pro League Season 10 finals played in Tokoname, which kind of reminds us of the Charlotte Major. Brazilian teams had visa issues while the APAC representatives in the venue were not the favorites to represent the region back then.
It was Natus Vincere’s time to shine though, as the Europeans defeated DarkZero Esports by 2-0 – which is also the last competition won by a European roster as of yet.
Charlotte was not controversy-free, with the tournament’s venue sometimes moving to social media. With three Brazilian teams competing from Mexico and Elevate being disqualified, some people have downplayed the award. However, DarkZero Esports has defeated all number one seeds in the tournament, which speaks wonders of the team.
DarkZero Esports also shown a rock-solid mentality, three out of four overtimes played throughout the group stage, and coming back in every playoff match after always losing the very first map. It might not be the cleanest title run, but the team has shown true potential.
North America tied up with Brazil in the last two years' worth of competitions
DarkZero Esports’ victory in Charlotte means the North American region has produced three different international champions, as Spacestation Gaming won the SI 2020, and TSM won the SI 2022. The remaining three champions are all Brazilian, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team oNe, and FaZe Clan.
This comes after European supremacy including PENTA, ENCE, G2 Esports, Team Empire, and Natus Vincere, which reached the maximum height when all the semi-final representatives in Raleigh were from the old continent.
Europe’s golden age was followed by Brazil’s dynasty. TSM and DZ’s victories mean an NA team has won two consecutive international PC competitions for the first time since Continuum won the PL Y1S3 Finals and the Six Invitational 2017.