Following the unexpected elimination of North America from the bracket on day 1 thanks to shock wins from APAC teams, and the advancement of FaZe Clan to continue the home soil hype train -- the semi-finals had shaped up to tell quite the story. Rainbow Six fans from all over packed the Jeunesse Arena to cheer on for their favourite teams, whether they were Always Fnatic, part of the #G2ARMY, or those that chose to #FaZeUp. This your wrapup for all of the events that happened on the last day of the Season 8 Finals.
Semi-Final 1: FaZe Clan 2 - 0 NORA-Rengo
Maps: Bank (6-4), Border (6-1), Consulate (Not played)
FaZe: Astro, cameram4n, HSnamuringa, yoona, mav
NORA-Rengo: Wokka, Merieux, JJ, Papilia, ReyCyil
FaZe Clan happened to be the only LATAM representative to make it out of the quarter-finals after a stunning 2-1 victory over EU second seed Mock-it Esports. NORA-Rengo, on the other hand, had got the revenge that they had waited six months for with a 2-1 win over Rogue. The story continued for these two on the second day -- FaZe looking to repeat the grand victory that LATAM saw with Team Liquid last season, and continue on as the torchbearers of their region, and NORA-Rengo seeking to make history and become the first APAC team to make it to the Grand Final.
Map One: Bank
The match started off on a map that FaZe had played just yesterday; Bank. After their 6-3 victory over Mock-it, FaZe had an advantage with fresher map knowledge, however, it also meant that NORA-Rengo would have had a chance to study their strategies.
From the get-go, the LATAM favourites started pushing very aggressively on attack led by some incredible plays by Astro. It was on round three where a roamer-heavy basement hold gave NR their first win, and in the fifth round, a heroic plant denial from Wokka in a 1v3 scenario gave his side the 3-2 lead heading into the second half. The lead would quickly vanish, though, as FaZe secured match point after three straight wins on defence against NR, and a comeback from the Japanese on round nine wouldn’t keep FaZe down for long, with mav's C4 double-kill clutch securing a 6-4 win for the Brazilians.
Map Two: Border
Having only seen Border contested between Evil Geniuses and Fnatic on the first day, neither of these teams had seen action in the Middle Eastern locale in the quarter-finals. In this semi-final, though, vieweres were treated to an incredible 4k from Yoona on round one alone, carrying over the threat that FaZe posed on map one. FaZe would roll on with another four wins to take the entire first half flawlessly, demonstrating their incredible strength. Going on defense, NR would put one round on the board from their end, but it wouldn’t be enough as FaZe took the map with a blowout 6-1 victory to make a debut apperance in the grand final.
Semi-Final 2: G2 Esports 2 - 0 Fnatic
Maps: Bank (6-0), Coastline (6-0), Villa (Not played)
G2: Fabian, Pengu, Goga, jOONAS, Kantoraketti
Fnatic: Acez, Dizzle, Lusty, NeophyteR, RizRaz
Few would have expected Fnatic to make it past NA first seed Evil Geniuses, but they defied all the odds to do so despite having to play their coach, Dizzle, in place of their captain, Magnet. They showed up, played to have fun, and won a quarter-final match to go up against G2 Esports -- who were chasing a different dream. Despite a Grand Final appearance in Season 7, and 2018 Six Invitational and Six Major Paris victories, the last time the Europeans won the Pro League was in Season 5. After a mild struggle against Immortals, G2 thus sat pretty on course for a possible third Pro League title.
Map One: Bank
Coming off a 6-4 victory yesterday against Immortals on the very same map, G2 Esports had the clear advantage in recent practice. Fnatic’s bans of Pulse and Montagne would be targeted specifically at jOONAS and Pengu, but would ultimately matter little. Impeccable plays coming from G2 would see the Europeans shutting out Fnatic with a 6-0 map win.
Map Two: Coastline
Coastline’s map record for G2 stood out for this encounter, with a 7-0-0 win-draw-loss for the EU first seed, and could well be considered as their best map. While Fnatic tried to keep in step with their much more accomplished opponents, G2 consistently came out on top regardless of the circumstance. Fabian even teased a long-awaited Tachanka pick in round four to bait fans, but G2 was able to close out the map over the next two rounds to end on a 6-0, making it the first 12-0 sweep in Pro League Finals history.
Grand Final: G2 Esports 2 - 0 FaZe Clan
Maps: Bank (6-4), Coastline (6-2), Clubhouse
FaZe: Astro, cameram4n, HSnamuringa, yoona, mav
G2: Fabian, Pengu, Goga, jOONAS, Kantoraketti
As the teams walked out to the roars of the Brazilian crowd, all the months of hard work of these two teams came down to this one series. A win, and you're Pro League champions, a loss, and all you get it sympathy.
Map One: Bank
The series started off on Bank, a map that both FaZe and G2 had seen action on earlier in the day. G2 mixed up the gameplay with a first-round defence on CEO as they often have done, with Kantoraketti dropping a 3k before getting traded to win the first round for his team. Yoona, on FaZe's side, continued his heavily utilized Montagne plays partnered with mav on Finka to fire back immediately.
Following the role swap, basement became the staging area for G2’s first round on attack, and the Europeans tied things up 3-3 after a successful defuser plant and post-plant hold. Both teams kept abreast of each other, with neither able to establish a two-round lead but an aggressive plant push and 4k from Kantoraketti on round ten would shake the Brazilians off to secure the first map 6-4.
Map Two: Coastline
Coastline had also seen earlier action with G2 as they had sent Fnatic home 6-0 to complete the first-ever 12-0 in a Pro League Finals. However, it was of note that FaZe had banned Coastline consistently this whole season, whereas G2 had dominated every time they played. Round one would put G2 on defense once again. FaZe’s sloppy drone work and disjointed attack gave the first round to G2, but once again FaZe answered back to tie things up 1-1. The back-and-forth would look to repeat itself like on Bank as the score went to 2-2, but G2 Esports would soon demonstrate why they are the best Rainbow Six: Siege team ever.
Another impeccable hold on defense and some fantastic clutch play from Kantoraketti put the global powerhouses two rounds up, prompting FaZe to head back to the Kitchen/Delivery bomb site. Unfortunately, they would be unable to hold on, and the Europeans would savour the sweet taste of victory once again. It was clear they had been working and grinding hard since the Season 7 loss to Team Liquid, and thus claimed their third Pro League championship, and fifth-ever piece of silverware.
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This concludes the events of the Season 8 finals, we hope you enjoyed the highs and lows as much as we did, and congratulations to G2 Esports for an incredible victory in the end. Keep an eye out for the beginning of Pro League Season 9, expected to come to you sometime this December.