The Best Siege Players of 2020

Rainbow Six: Siege competition has endured quite a rough year. The Six Invitational 2020 was the last big event, after which only online tournaments have followed. The teams all had to play in their respective regions. So ever since March, these regions have largely developed by themselves. While this does complicate the search for the best player of the year, there are many potential candidates.

In Europe, most recent tournaments were dominated by BDS Esport. Even though they only attained one Major victory, they were consistently fighting for the top spots. They started the year with a fourth-place finish at the Six Invitational. While this may initially not sound like much, they were the single most successful European team there and the only one in the Top 6. Their only real low point came when they made the last place of Pro League Season 11. But with the switch to the new regional league systems, they had some time to reflect on their problems and tried to improve.

They decided that a roster change was in store. Morgan “rxwd” Pacy made way for Loïc “BriD” Chongthep. Suddenly, the team was completely changed. From an eight place in Pro League, they went all the way to a second-place finish in EUL Stage 1. This was the beginning of a phenomenal few months for the French lineup, spearheaded by none other than Stéphane “Shaiiko” Lebleu.

SHAIIKO

This particular Frenchman has already had a lengthy history with Rainbow Six: Siege. He became famous early on, but players were quick to call him a cheater. Actually, he was banned for two years by ESL, but for using a macro during a professional match. The ban was lifted after 18 months, however, giving him a window to get back into the competitive scene. He didn’t waste that chance and soon landed a spot at BDS Esport in May of 2019. He quickly surpassed all the other players and rightfully secured SiegeGG’s MVP award for that year. In 2020, he has quieted down just a notch, but nonetheless he remains one of the very finest competitors this game has to offer.

Despite BDS not making it to the Grand Finals of the Six Invitational, he was still the event’s third-best player and higher in the ratings than all the finalists. When BDS later made last place in Pro League Season 11, he was still the third highest-rated player. This proved that, to get to the top, BDS only really needed a second player to somewhat match the prowess of Shaiiko.

And this is exactly what happened. In EUL Stage 1, it was BriD who carried BDS forward on a 1.23 rating. Shaiiko “only” secured a 1.06 rating, but still remained the Frenchmen’s second-best member. At the August Major, the boys got into the Grand Finals and won, this time thanks to the heroics of Olivier “Renshiro” Vandroux. So while his colleagues took turns delivering star performances, Shaiiko has always been there. He consistently puts up an above-average show. Coupled with his trophies and finishes, this makes him one of the best Siege players of 2020.

ACEEZ

The German first rose to fame as part of OrgLess. Under the French organization ‘Milennium’, he later played with soon-to-be stars like Renshiro and Valentin “risze” Liradelfo. After jumping rosters a few times, AceeZ arrived at Giants Gaming. There, he finally managed to break through. At the 6 French League Finals 2019, they defeated IziDream (who wound up becoming Tempra) and Team Vitality for the trophy. They added a second-place finish in Rainbow Six Pro League Season 10 on top, but Giants then flunked out in the Quarter Finals of the Pro League Finals already.

There, Rogue saw an opportunity to establish themselves in Europe. They secured the services of AceeZ and his friends. However, they kicked off their stint with the organization with two direct losses at the Six Invitational 2020. This was a heavy blow for the team that had just recently become majority-German after adding Jan “ripz” Hucke. But soon, they managed to exceed their expectations. After a first-place finish in Pro League Season 11, they even surpassed the likes of G2 Esports and Team Empire!

This was the moment at which AceeZ announced himself as a major force on the European market. Despite his team’s quick losses, he was part of the Top 5 players of SI 2020. He then followed this up with a 1.22 rating for the last ever Pro League season. In the first stage of European League, Rogue made second-place and AceeZ positioned himself closely behind the league’s best player, BriD. His average kills per round were the highest between all the European players.

Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to retain this level forever. In the August Major, he and his team made a surprise last-place exit. Afterwards, they didn’t win a single game in their EUL Stage 2 campaign. Most recently, Rogue have played the Six Invitational Qualifiers and have missed out on the qualification by a sizable margin. Nonetheless, AceeZ’s performances during the first half of the year are some of the finest Siege has ever seen.

THE BEST NORTH AMERICAN SIEGE PLAYERS

On the other side of the world, the Canadian and American teams have mostly had to keep to themselves after the Six Invitational. The NAL stages and the two Majors had to be played out within the continent. So it is plainly impossible to accurately compare players between regions. Still, there are a few select competitors who have at least secured a spot at the top by most standards.

While Paul “Hyper” Kontopanagiotis and Matthew “Achieved” Solomon topped the two US Division stages, two players have consistenly been up to par: Jason “Beaulo” Doty and Gabriel “LaXInG” Mirelez are some of the finest players the scene has ever since – despite their teams losing out on most trophies of the year. But while LAXInG underperformed in both Major tournaments, Beaulo attained a 1.20 rating in August. This put him above most DarkZero players, despite them winning a decisive 3-0 in the Grand Finals. Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski was undoubtedly one of 2020’s best support players world-wide, but his individual performance took a nosedive after the Six Invitational.

However, an honorable mention should go the way of Tim “Creators” Humpherys. The former Tempo Storm player managed to secure a bombastic 1.17 rating for NAL Stage 2. This is a great achievement in itself, but he did this on a team that bombed out in last place as well! The young American player has definitely proven his worth and is probably waiting for one of the bigger teams to sign him.

This year, there is no clear winner. After all, there is no way to really compare the different regions with one another. But soon, the Six Invitational 2021 will hopefully gather the world’s best teams and players under one roof. Even though the event will not feature a live audience, at the very least we will get to see the continents clash again. Which player will set himself on top there?