GSA Finals Review

G2 have done it again. Unable to get the victory at the Major, they have now at least won the GSA Finals and have added another title to their sizable collection. As the team currently resides in Berlin, they were eligible to participate in this DACH (i.e. Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region event. They were joined by Rogue, Team Secret, and DIVIZON.

TEAM SECRET CAN PERFORM WITH A COACH

With Rogue and G2, two teams were in attendance that have historically always beaten Secret. Additionally, they now had to field a stand-in. As Niklas “KS” Massierer and Daniel “Exp0” Massierer had been booted from the roster, they were replaced by Ville “SHA77E” Palola. Their coach, Lasse “Lazzo” Klie had to step in as well to bring the roster total up to five. Under those conditions, Secret have actually performed decently well!

They couldn’t impress in their match versus Rogue, but against DIVIZON they showed some great individual moments. Only Lazzo was unable to post the big numbers, but that’s totally understandable given his usual role within the team. In their duel with DIVIZON, the Secret players got away unscathed. But their next opponent was G2 Esports.

Kevin “Prano” Pranowitz and his mates shocked the viewers with a 7-4 upset on Villa. This map in particularly has been a safe bet for G2 for quite a long time. Out of all the maps, they have picked Villa the most and have actually won 92% of their engagements there, prior to this event. Unfortunately, Secret were unable to perform on Consulate and Oregon, but there was still one highlight: Lazzo clutched a 1v2 against G2 by simply sticking to the defuse.

ROGUE ACHIEVE THE UPSET VICTORY

After their disappointing finish during the Rainbow Six August Major, the expectations for Rogue were set considerably low. Following their first place finish in the regular EUL season, they had actually been the top favorites for the Major, but at the event they then exited in last place.  Their victory over Secret at GSA was expected, considering that their opponents had to field a new player and a stand-in coach. But Rogue actually had similar issues. Maurice “AceeZ” Erkelenz was unable for the weekend. So they had to secure the services of a substitute player, Hxsti. 

In the Upper Bracket Finals versus G2 Esports, the analysts had already predicted Rogue to lose. Surprisingly, the team got two overtime map victories on Oregon and Theme Park, securing themselves a slot in the Grand Finals.

FOOL ME ONCE…

After G2 had already lost to Rogue in the Upper Bracket Finals, all signs pointed to the Germans of Rogue finally taking home a trophy. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. G2 managed to get a 5-1 lead in the first half of Oregon. On the defense, Rogue mounted a near-perfect comeback, but failed just one round shy of overtime.

G2 Esports had definitely learned from the mistakes that had cost them the map last time. On Consulate, they felt quite comfortable and secured a 7-3 to make a strong statement and bring the Grand Finals to an end. G2 have thus won the trophy of the GSA Finals and have finally gotten a title after many months of abstinence.

The event sets a good precedent for German Rainbow Six: Siege. More and more players are growing into international top talents. The performance of Team Secret signals that, with a solid fifth player and enough time, they might finally elevate their gameplay to the next level. G2, Secret, and Rogue will take part in EUL Stage 2 next week. There, the teams hope to make Top 4 and secure a slot at the next Rainbow Six Major event.