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R6 Major NA: SSG and TSM to Grand Finals

Just like during the August Major, TSM have made their way to the Grand Finals, but a new favorite... Fabio | 15. November 2020

Just like during the August Major, TSM have made their way to the Grand Finals, but a new favorite has emerged from the Upper Bracket. Spacestation Gaming, who have actually struggled to compete with the top brass in recents months, have fought through to the Grand Finals in two solid matches. 

Back in August, DarkZero had commenced their campaign by defeating SSG in the Opening Match. Since then, Kyle “Mint” Lander and company have actually lost out against Spacestation, just like during US Division Stage 2. SSG have finally taken revenge and given DarkZero a sound beating in this Major installation.

SSG WIN THEIR OPENER

Prior to the event, it was unclear whether Paul “Hyper” Kontopanagiotis would actually be able to compete. An undisclosed health issue had apparently kept him away from practice for some time. Fortunately, he announced his participation alongside the team just in time for the Major. But still, after his temporary absence, it stood to question whether he’d be able to deliver his usual performance.

Actually, he was the only one on the DarkZero camp who brought fire to the Opening Match. He helped DZ to a close 8-6 win on Coastline, in which Matthew “Hotancold” Stevens contributed as well. However, this changed on Kafe. There, the DarkZero boys failed to get into the game and lost five rounds on attack. Alec “Fultz” Fultz even secured an ace in the last round to lock in the 7-1 victory.

So the match had to be carried over to a third map. DarkZero acquired a fantastic 5-1 lead, as Hyper constantly pulled off double or triple kills. They quickly got up to match point, but SSG started a monumental comeback, which led them all the way to an 8-6 upset. Hyper had a great game, but Fultz was the undoubted star of the match. His 43 kills helped him to a 1.59 rating, making him the best player on the server by far.

TSM BARELY HANG ON

During the August Major, TSM already had to play Oxygen Esports and back then, they had won a rather one-sided match. This time around, OXG got things going with a 4-2 half on Oregon, but TSM returned the favor on their defense. In overtime, they locked in an 8-7 overtime win. This was obviously a huge blow to Davide “FoxA” Bucci and his men, but on Theme Park they finally got to play their map pick. However, they had to suffer a 2-4 half there, only really getting into the groove in the second half. They dragged the game to overtime again, but broke under the pressure. TSM managed to steal an 8-6 victory for the match win.

This seems to be the story of Oxygen Esports. They obviously manage to contend with the likes of SSG, TSM and DarkZero. But they always seem to fail and lose their cool in these last crucial moments. They have to work on this one specific issue, because otherwise they have all the characteristics of a top team.

OXYGEN EXIT EARLY

But they didn’t get a chance to evolve in this tournament. OXG and DarkZero had to fight for survival already and after a 7-2 win for DarkZero, it looked as though their opponents would be finished off soon. Oxygen tied maps with a 7-4 scoreline on Consulate, bringing the game to the deciding map, Clubhouse.

There, DarkZero mounted a tight 7-5 win. Even though OXG failed to get to overtime, they pulled off another near-victory again and are surely frustrated now. A few rounds would have made all the difference and might have helped them survive – or even reach the Upper Bracket Finals after their first game already. However, DarkZero got another shot at a Grand Finals appearance.

SSG AND TSM CONTINUE ON TO GRAND FINALS

Javier “Thinkingnade” DeAndre Escamilla and Nathanial “Rampy” Duvall pulled off 22 kills each and eliminated TSM in a rather quick Best-of-Three. Following 7-4 and 7-2 wins over TSM, SSG stood in the Grand Finals. So TSM had to take a detour and take on DarkZero Esports.

They were successful, although it wasn’t an easy win by any stretch. On a 7-5 scoreline, they managed to take Consulate, but had to initiate a comeback on Villa with a 1-5 deficit. They actually managed to surpass DarkZero and eventually got their match victory.

So DarkZero won’t get a chance to defend their August Major title. But TSM will also have a hard time, considering that SSG already hold a map advantage for this Best-of-Five. The team managed to enter the Grand Finals undefeated, giving them a default 1-0 score. They’ll only have to win two more maps in order to secure the November Major trophy.