Banner image: Ubisoft / João F. @itsmeERROR
The conclusion of the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta means that top-flight teams won't be competing until the beginning of the Six Invitational 2024, which will begin on Feb. 13. So, an obvious question arises: what's there to watch now until then?
While nothing compares to the Six Invitational, the off-season tournaments can't be ignored. Here are a bunch of Rainbow Six Siege competitions you should follow during November, December, and January!
R6 South Breach
With a prize pool of €40,000, the R6 South Breach is Europe's main off-season tournament. While we still don't know who will participate in the final phase, here's how to qualify for the European competition:
- R6 South Breach National Qualifier (Nov. 22 to Nov. 23): Only former teams from the Spain Nationals, 6 French League, or the PG Nationals are allowed to compete. The best two teams qualify for the R6 South Breach.
- R6 South Breach Regional Qualifiers 1 and 2 (Nov. 29 to Dec. 3): Only teams with a minimum of three members from Spain, Portugal, Italy, or France can compete. The best team from each bracket qualifies for the R6 South Breach.
- R6 South Breach Open Qualifiers 1 and 2 (Dec. 6 to Dec. 10): Teams from all around Europe can join. The best team from each bracket qualifies for the R6 South Breach.
- R6 South Breach Europe League Qualifier (Dec. 16 to Dec. 17): Only teams from the Europe League are allowed to compete here. The best two rosters qualify for the R6 South Breach.
In total, the R6 South Breach Final Phase will include eight teams and it will be held from Jan. 5 to Jan. 21. It's still unclear if the competition will have a LAN stage.
2023 Clash
The 2023 Clash is a European competition organized by League of Challengers and it includes multiple former European top-flight players.
The competition will include eight teams, which have been placed in a single-elimination bracket. Each match will follow a BO1 format and the tournament will run from Nov. 18 to Dec. 20.
League of Challengers' team list includes:
- Dunlimited
- Team Valor
- Calories
- Ice Force eSports
- Illés Akademia Spirit
- Sked Esport
- LeMickey Inc
- KT
Recently, Team Valor and the Challenger League 2022 champions, Dunlimited, participated in the Europe League 2023 Stage 2 Last Chance Qualifiers.
Calories' last match was in the Europe League 2023 Stage 2 Open Qualifiers with a roster that included players like the former WYLDE member Yannic "Caneo" Martin and the former Heroic player Nathan "Grizzly" Harding.
Another exciting team is Sked Esport, which includes the former Heroic and Natus Vincere player Pedro "Thuunder" Muniz.
Coming from the Swiss Stage, KT includes the former REVEN ECLUB player Runner, who competed at the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen, and Tolga "Turqo" Yilmaz, whose best days came in the GSA League 2021 under GoSkilla.
ELEMENT TWO
ELEMENT TWO is the continuation of ELEMENT ONE. It was announced on Oct. 2.
While Europe's main off-season competition allows top-flight teams to compete, ELEMENT TWO doesn't. This means that only players who aren't contracted by T1 organizations can compete in the American tournament.
ELEMENT TWO's first qualifiers will be held from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, and from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27. This time, the qualification format chosen has been the classic double-elimination bracket, although the Swiss Stage will return at a later phase.
The prize pool distribution will be the same as the one seen in ELEMENT ONE. It's worth remembering that, despite being a competition with no contracted T1 teams, the last edition of the tournament was packed with former top-flight players.
Moreover, some of the talent seen in ELEMENT ONE was signed by current top-flight teams, including Jason "Ryce" Ngo (DarkZero Esports), Jaidan "Packer" Franz (Wildcard Gaming), and more. So, if you're looking to join the upper leagues anytime soon, this may be your best shot!
Rush Series
Brazil's biggest off-season tournament is the Rush Series, a competition with a prize pool of US$40,000. Both T1 and T2 teams will be allowed to compete in this regional tournament.
During December, teams will be able to compete in the qualifiers. These are the dates for each one of them:
- Open Qualifier 1: Dec. 5 to Dec. 6
- Open Qualifier 2: Dec. 9 to Dec. 10
- Open Qualifier 3: Dec. 12 to Dec. 13
- Open Qualifier 4: Dec. 16 to Dec. 17
In January, the best teams from the qualifier will move to a Swiss Stage, which will be held from Jan. 18 to Jan. 21. Finally, the last phase will be held from Jan. 25 to Jan. 28, with the grand final being on LAN.
Circuito Femenino Finals
The Circuito Femenino is making a brief return with its 2023 Finals. The bracket includes the best four teams of the season, with Black Dragons and w7m esports being the favorites to take the title.
Black Dragons (350) topped the standings after the conclusion of the final stage of the Circuito Femenino, only 25 points above w7m esports (325). Meanwhile, E1 Sports and Solid MEC (175 each) were the best-of-the-rest.
With Black Dragons and w7m esports on different sides of the bracket, everyone expects both teams to clash in the Circuito Femenino grand final. Throughout the current season, the two teams have met eight times, with the Dragons getting five and the Bulls getting four wins.
It's worth remembering that both Black Dragons and w7m esports met in the Circuito Femenino 2022 grand finals as the black roster won flawlessly. Meanwhile, the Bulls redeemed themselves with a 3-0 win in the Brava Cup in August.