R6 NAL Week Three: The SSG Resurgence

Though not moving up in the competition rankings, SSG achieved a major victory over the competition frontrunners Oxygen Esports this week, giving them a major morale boost, along with points to improve their chances of ousting Oxygen from the top spot.

A slightly quieter week with only one Playday, which is the fifth one of the competition, the results seem to indicate a reversal of fortunes for many of the teams in the tournament. This week’s set of games is placed exactly in the middle of the competition, and so for most of the teams, this and the next game or two will prove absolutely crucial going into the final stages of the tournament.

Going into the September 22nd playday, Oxygen Esports remained unbeaten and untouchable at the top of the leaderboard with 12 points, double that of the next two teams Susquehanna Soniqs and SSG, while beastcoast played with a lot of pressure after a crushing defeat to Oxygen the week before.

DarkZero Esports, who didn’t have any games in the first week also came into Wednesday on an unbeaten streak in the tournament, and Susquehanna Soniqs looked to prove they were still a top team after their shock defeat to XSET the previous week.

Winners & Losers

The biggest result from the 22nd is SSG’s victory over the tournament frontrunners Oxygen Esports. Though a tough-fought battle, SSG in the end won convincingly, gaining the full three points rather than two points for an overtime victory.

Though Oxygen Esports still sit fairly comfortably atop the current tournament leaderboard with a three-point lead above SSG and Susquehanna Soniqs, both are poised to challenge Oxygen for top spot. Three points is equal to just a single regulation win, meaning Oxygen can ill afford to lose another match, unless they want either SSG or Susquehanna Soniqs to equal them as the competition leaders.

After a nail-biting loss to DarkZero the previous week, TSM began to claw their way back into the competition with a respectable 7 – 5 win against Astralis, pushing them into the top four. Meanwhile, DarkZero’s loss to Susquehanna Soniqs abruptly ended their streak and storming entrance into the tournament, sending them plummeting back down the rankings into sixth place.

After an embarrassing defeat to XSET the previous week, Susquehanna Soniqs will certainly be happy to get back on track, their victory on Wednesday re-securing their place in the fight for top spot amongst Oxygen and SSG. It also bodes well for the rest of the tournament, showing that Susquehanna Soniqs can effectively regroup after a difficult-to-swallow loss and continue to play competitively.

Possibly a slight surprise victory after their rough time last week, beastcoast convincingly beat Mirage 7 – 2, pushing them up a place into fifth, whilst sending Mirage reeling down into eighth.

This is where those convincing wins begin to matter, as DarkZero’s two points instead of three due to beating TSM in overtime the previous week now places them a point below BeastCoast, a team they likely would expect to be ahead of.

What’s Next?

Oxygen’s pivotal defeat to SSG, the golden podium of first place is once again open to several teams, with only a single victory (three points) between Oxygen, SSG, and Susquehanna Soniqs. As we enter the later stage of the tournament, it becomes clear just how important every point and victory is, and a single bad game from any team could seriously ruin their competition ranking.

The next and sixth playday of the tournament will take place on Wednesday the 29th next week, with four games, the biggest game of the four undoubtedly being SSG vs TSM. Though not currently in contention for the top spot, TSM is only two points behind SSG and Susquehanna Soniqs.

A victory for TSM will place them into a solid second or third place (depending on Susquehanna Soniqs game that week), and greatly spice up the tournament. A win from TSM could create a distinct four-way battle for first place, as well as greatly set back SSGs climb to the top.

DarkZero is set to face team XSET. Though still at the bottom in ninth place, we’ve seen already this tournament that XSET is capable of pulling off surprise victories against higher-ranked opponents. Despite XSET’s bottom position, DarkZero will need to play their best to ensure XSET don’t set a precedent for defeating teams way above them in the rankings.

As Mirage and Astralis, currently eighth and seventh respectively, battle it out to escape the pits, Susquehanna Soniqs are set to face beastcoast. As is common at this stage of the tournament, a victory for both teams is crucial. The favorites going in, Susquehanna Soniqs need a victory to stay in the fight for first place, while any form of win, overtime or not, for BeastCoast could see them overtake TSM and reach the top four.

The only team not playing next week is Oxygen Esports, who will likely appreciate a rest week as they decide how to deal with their cruising win streak being halted by SSG just a few days ago. With only four playdays left in the stage three NAL tournament, everything is still to play for, and things have really heated up in every corner of the competition.

The fight for first is the most alive it’s been since the tournament began, whilst there remains a reasonably small points difference between all of the teams. Just one or two surprise victories and defeats could see a broken team rise from the ashes, or a frontrunner tumbling down into the lower leaderboard.

 

(Header image via Spacestation Gaming)