Missed the action from the main stage of the Six Invitational 2020, or just want a quick recap of it all? Fret not, check out a complete list of the score lines here and read on for a brief summary of all the action seen on the final three days of the Six Invitational below as four teams fought to win it all.
Day 6
BDS Esport 2 - 0 Fnatic
Kafe Dostoyevsky (7-0), Consulate (7-5) and Clubhouse (Not Played)
Europe and Asia-Pacific's last hopes met to begin the first day of stage matches in a tale of two very different halves. BDS began the game destroying Fnatic throughout the first map and into the second as Fnatic looked afraid to take gunfights while BDS were running around gunning while seemingly unstoppable. Across the first map of Kafe Fnatic got fewer kills as a team than Shaiiko did alone (10 compared to 12) despite it being Fnatic's map pick which included a Shaiiko ace in round three.
In total BDS racked up 11 rounds running before Fnatic got even close to taking a round thanks to a successful 1v2 clutch by Virtue to get on the board followed quickly by a remarkably sneaky defuse on round six by MentalistC to win the round in a 1v2 situation. At this point Fnatic sped up and started getting into the groove of the game winning three more rounds in quick succession to draw up Consulate from what seemed like a completely hopeless situation. Unfortunately, the huge initial deficit was too much to overcome and BDS pulled it back together for two rounds before eventually taking the map in a 1v1 between Elemzje and Lusty on round 12.
This meant that Fnatic was knocked out after knocking out both FaZe and Empire and defeating G2 Esports while BDS progresses into the top four to become the first French team on PC to get this far in a Major and the third French team to do so in tier one tournaments after Yunktis in Season 2 and Millenium in Season 7.
DarkZero Esports 0 - 2 Ninjas in Pyjamas
Border (3-7), Coastline (4-7) and Consulate (Not Played)
The second game of the day saw the Latin America region's last hope of NiP face the top-seeded group a team of DarkZero -- one of three remaining North American teams.
The game started off close with four rounds being split between the teams on DZ's map pick of Border. Despite Skys putting up a particularly strong performance including a 3k across these rounds, it was NiP that earnt the first real lead as they lost just three players across two rounds to end the half 4-2. As sides switched momentum stayed steady with muzi securing a 3k to win round seven, kamikaze winning a 1v1 on time over Skys to win round eight and pino securing a 4k in a flawless round 10. In total, DZ managed to win one round on their attack thanks to another quad-kill by Ecl9pse on Sledge before the map ended 7-3 to the Ninjas.
NiP after kamikaze's 1v1 victory.
DZ's pick of Coastline was up next which went south for them almost straight away. Despite a flawless round two and an almost flawless round six, DarkZero secured just six kills across their four other rounds on their defensive half as pino had woke up to secure ten kills in just five rounds. With the score at 4-2 on the half, the teams began to trade rounds back and forth which meant due to the two round difference, NiP rowed out the game to its conclusion to take it 7-5 and win the series 2-0.
Day 7
Ninjas in Pyjamas 2 - 1 BDS Esport
Bank (8-7), Border (4-7), Clubhouse (7-4)
Having been likened by TSM coach Bagel to a freight train running over teams in the lower bracket, the last hope for Latin America then took on the last hope for Europe in the third round of the lower bracket. However, the "freight train" encountered a fair few delays in arriving at its destination, all thanks to the French BDS squad outperforming all expectations.
Starting off on defense on Bank, NiP definitely had the upper hand and made sure to leverage it, only losing two rounds in the first half to go into the second with a 4-2 lead. NiP then seemed to turn on the style, swiftly hitting match point after winning its first two attacking rounds, but BDS was far from out of the fight. Round after round was pulled back by the French squad until it had forced overtime and then taken the lead, 7-6. Despite cutting frustrated figures, NiP's players rose above the troubles to wrangle the final two rounds, aided by an Elemzje misplay, and thus take the map 8-6.
The BDS players, though, had bared their fangs and bit deep into NiP on the second map, Border. After losing the first round, the Brazilians seemed to tease a close map by pulling the second back, but it was the BDS show from then on. A searing four rounds meant the first half would go 5-1 towards BDS, and while NiP pulled two back after the swap, two more for BDS meant that things would proceed to a third map.
Clubhouse, picked by neither side, was initially a very balanced affair. NiP drew first blood, but BDS wrested the lead away before both began trading rounds to eventually finish the first half 3-3. However, with Clubhouse being majorly defender-sided, BDS having only been able to win three rounds foreshadowed disaster for the future. Sure enough, while BDS won the first attacking round, NiP took three in a row to close things out and set up a date with one of the two North American teams in the Lower Bracket Final.
Spacestation Gaming 2 - 1 Team SoloMid
Bank (4-7), Coastline (7-1), Kafe Dostoyevsky (8-6)
Over in the Upper Bracket Final, things were going to be a repeat of the Group B game a few days earlier. The two titans of North America would take each other on, with TSM's coach Bagel having vowed to not lose to SSG ever again. For North American fans, loyalties were divided, but they were guaranteed that a team from their region would be in the grand final of a Major once more.
Once again, TSM kicked things off by taking the first map by a relatively comfortable margin. Playing on Bank this time around after having lost it 3-7 as the second map in the group stage game, the first half saw both teams trading rounds and finished 3-3. TSM kicked on in its attacking half, though, taking the lead for the first time after the role swap, and while SSG would win one defense, TSM would take three rounds in a row to secure the map.
SSG in discussion after the first map.
SSG, though, was out for blood and singularly focused on lifting the caber. While TSM took the first round on Coastline, SSG gave no quarter and sycthed through TSM's opposition to take a ridiculous seven rounds on the trot to leave TSM stunned and push things to the third map once more.
Kafe, though, was the closest map between these two teams in recent times, but it certainly did not start as such. Despite being on attack, TSM cut through the SSG defense like butter, sweeping to an incredible 4-0 lead. SSG would pull two rounds back to prevent being embarrassed on defense, but like between NiP and BDS, it seemed the damage was done. However, it was then SSG's turn to embarrass TSM's defense by taking four attacking rounds in a row, but TSM managed to hang on and force overtime by winning the final two defensive rounds just like SSG had.
The eventual champions were undeterred, though, and collected themselves to take the next two overtime rounds, winning the map 8-6, and taking the series 2-1 to book a berth in the grand final of the Six Invitational.
Day 8
Ninjas in Pyjamas 2 - 0 Team SoloMid
Consulate (7-5), Clubhouse (7-3), Bank (Not Played)
Moving into the final day, tensions were high all around. Kicking off the day would be the incredible NiP vs TSM match, with the winner proceeding to face SSG in the grand final with a map disadvantage. North American fans very much wanted the TSM victory, thus ensuring an all-NA final, but despite not being on home ground, the Brazilians in the arena were no less vociferous.
Starting on defence on Consulate, NiP got things underway with two strong defenses to push TSM on the backfoot immediately, but Beaulo's determination got TSM underway with an excellently played four attacking wins to finish the half in the lead, 4-2. Undeterred, the Brazilians struck back. Swapping to attack, they, too, won four rounds in a row to get to match point, and while TSM prevented them from making it five on the trot, it was only for one round and NiP had taken taken the first map 7-5.
On Clubhouse, though, it was TSM that got things started with two round wins -- although it was on defense on a very defender-sided map. However, it would be NiP to take full control of the map and the series, as four back-to-back rounds went to the attackers. With the LATAM team now in command, playing on defense, it was almost certain that TSM was headed out of the tournament. Sure enough, despite TSM clawing back an attackign round right after the swap, NiP had little difficulty closing things out and took the final three rounds necessary to win 7-3.
The result meant that the NiP players had completed a magical lower bracket run, secured revenge over TSM for sending them there, and had done so without having a coach. TSM's players, on the other hand, had fallen to the very monster they had created and would fail to progress to the grand final for a third game against SSG in the tournament.
Spacestation Gaming 3 - 2 Ninjas in Pyjamas
Coastline (Default Win for SSG), Villa (3-7), Border (2-7), Clubhouse (7-5), Bank (7-3)
Finally in the grand final, it was time for what would certainly become the best match of the Six Invitational 2020, and one of the best matches of the entire fourth year.
SSG got things started on the first map played, Villa, by drawing first blood and so began a series of round trades that led to a 2-2 scoreline. NiP took the lead proper, though, after making it three rounds in a row and taking the first half 4-2. While SSG spoiled the Brazilian party by taking a round, three more rounds went to NiP and closed out the map 7-3, leveling the series on maps.
The space station kept venting air, it seemed, under the Brazilian barrage. After NiP had taken the first round on Border, SSG tied things up to tease a close map, but a whopping five rounds in a row went to NiP -- starting with a pino ace -- and it seemed that the North Americans were utterly lost. While SSG did get one round back, all NiP needed was one round to close out the map 7-2. Now, having come into the game with a map lead, SSG was well on the backfoot.
Going to Clubhouse, a longtime stronghold for SSG, NiP got off to a flyer. Four rounds went to the Brazilians on defense, but, as revealed by SSG later, the North Americans were never worried. After all, going 0-4 down on attack was not the worst thing in the world, and Clubhouse was easily their strongest map. Two attacking rounds were then rescued by them, but it still meant that NiP had the first half lead, 4-2. SSG then took the first round on defense, but NiP remained unbowed and answered with an attacking win, thus securing a fifth round.
Things then very nearly went to Invitational point for NiP, in what many believe would have certainly won the event for the Brazilians, but despite having had a poor game until that point, ThinkingNade pulled off an incredibly important 1v1 against Kamikaze and gave his team renewed confidence. All of a sudden, things began to look up for the North Americans. Sure enough, a further three rounds went their way, giving the map to SSG 7-5, and suddenly it was 2-2 and the game went onwards to the final map.
On Bank, it seemed that a flip had been switched for SSG. Despite having lost the map to TSM the previous day, the first three rounds went to SSG. NiP finally had a response in the fourth and sixth rounds, but SSG went into the second half with a comfortable 4-2 lead. Swapping roles, the two teams also traded rounds, but SSG's players were all singularly focused on the caber, and lift it they would, winning the final two rounds to bring home the first premier international title to North America in three years.
As such, Rampy was crowned the SiegeGG MVP for the entire event and thus cemented himself as one of the best players in the world. Meanwhile, it was an especially sweet victory for Canadian, after he had lost in the grand finals of the Six Invitational in 2018, the Six Major Paris, the Pro League Season 9 Finals, and the OGA PIT Minor. The victory also meant that Bosco had also won his second Invitational alongside Canadian after having won it in 2017 on the Xbox, when the latter had won it on the PC, thus making SSG roster one of the most successful in the scene.
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While the Six Invitational 2020 is now over, keep tuning in here at SiegeGG for continued coverage of competitive Rainbow Six, including more interviews from the event as well as the upcoming, inevitable roster changes.