R6 NAL: Oxygen Overtake DarkZero!

The North American League has already got a new frontrunner. Over two consecutive match days, Oxygen Esports managed to place themselves on top of the standings. But DarkZero, who held the lead just a week ago, are closing in. So far, Susquehanna Soniqs are the surprise performers of the season.

On the fifth match day, Mirage scored a 7-4 victory over beastcoast. This helped the Canadian organization lift themselves up from the lower parts of the scoreboard. But even the currently weakest team of the league, XSET, shocked with a 7-5 upset over DarkZero Esports. Tim “Creators” Humpherys’ 15 kills were responsible for XSET passing DZ on such a narrow scoreline. In overtime, Oxygen managed to set themselves on top of Spacestation Gaming. Considering SSG’s recent roster change, this hardly comes as a surprise.

Surprising, however, was the performance of Susquehanna Soniqs. After failing to make a mark on the scene in 2020, they suddenly moved past Team SoloMid with an 8-7 upset win. This not only cost TSM their spot in the Top 3, but also allowed Soniqs to rise to first place.

SHORT-LIVED SUCCESS FOR SONIQS

This didn’t last for long, however. Since they didn’t get to play on the sixth match day, DarkZero and Oxygen had the opportunity to surpass them yet again. They immediately took that chance and DarkZero quickly snatched a 7-4 victory over Spacestation. Oxygen recorded a 7-5 scoreline against TSM, which meant that they narrowly got their three points for the standings. These are obviously some heavy blows for SSG and TSM, who have only got three more match days left to turn things around. While Jason “Beaulo” Doty and his men are just four points away from reaching the top of the standings, SSG are in second-to-last place.

But they’ve already faced all the favorites. Mirage, beastcoast, and XSET are the only ones left to deal with. So should they be able to play confidently in these encounters, they will definitely leave the bottom of the scoreboard behind eventually.

THE BEST PLAYERS OF NAL

Pablo “Gryxr” Rebeil really works wonders for his team. Without him, Susquehanna Soniqs would be next to nothing, as the North American leads the player standings by quite a margin. After the sixth match day, he has already amassed 67 kills and, on average, he records 1.08 kills per round. At least players like Evan “Kanzen” Bushore and Alexander “Yeti” Lawson are leaving a positive mark for Soniqs, but Aaron “Shuttle” Dugger has to carry his team all by his lonesome. Overall, this isn’t working out too well, as Disrupt are currently sitting in sixth place.

The biggest disappointment of the season so far seems to be Beaulo. Last year, the TSM player made headlines as the top performer for his team, but now he is far removed from the top on a 0.93 rating. His descent mirrors the struggles that TSM have been dealing with as well.

Only Oxygen and DarkZero have actually managed to retain top spots. The old favorites of NAL Season 1 are being cornered in from all sides by youngsters and aspiring teams looking to make a name for themselves. Susquehanna Soniqs have already managed to do that, but can they actually survive at the top all the way to the end of Stage 1?