The Favorites of R6 NAL Stage 3

For the last time in 2021, these North American teams will face each other. Not a lot has changed after the August Major, but the few changes have really packed a punch!

The organizations have mostly stayed the same. DarkZero, Oxygen, Spacestation, TSM, and Soniqs are all taking part again. But suddenly, there’s Astralis right in the middle! The Danish multi-gaming organization has simply bought up the Disrupt Gaming brand and incorporated their Siege team. So the organization doesn’t exist anymore, but its players really put up a convincing fight in Stage 2. With only three points between them and the Top 3, they only narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Major.

DARKZERO PULL CANADIAN BACK FROM RETIREMENT

Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski has found his way back to Siege. He and a host of professional players had gone into early retirement this year, but the legendary Six Invitational winner is picking up his mouse and keyboard again. But this time around, he won’t be joining Spacestation Gaming on the server, but DarkZero Esports. Meanwhile, the team has put Brandon “BC” Carr back into his coaching role to make place for someone who is arguably one of the best in-game leaders of all time. But it remains to be seen whether their results will really improve immediately. After all, Canadian hasn’t played professionally since the Six Invitational in May.

His old organization has also executed a roster change. Alec “Fultz” Fultz has taken over the leadership role, as Javier “ThinkingNade” Escamilla has chosen to retire. As their new fifth man, they’ve brought another veteran back from retirement: Alexander “Skys” Magot may just be 24 years old, but he’s been a part of Siege since the very early days. Most recently, he was featured on the August Major in an analyst capacity. But apparently, he couldn’t resist the offer to join the currently best North American team.

Nathan “nvK” Valenti has also returned from retirement. He’s entering the server for XSET and will try to help the team achieve better results. Judging from past standings, they’re dangerously close to relegation. So if their last place from Stage 2 were to happen again, they’d fall back all the way to Challenger League.

WHO ARE THE STAGE 3 FAVORITES?

Not a lot has changed. Susquehanna Soniqs, Oxygen, and TSM have kept all their players on board. Spacestation and DarkZero are the only favorites from the last stage to have made impactful changes. But even these roster moves won’t turn the league on its head. It stands to question whether SSG will make first place again with a new in-game leader. However, they’ll likely still remain within the Top 4. Soniqs are obviously much more comfortable on North American soil. Even though their performance at the August Major was underwhelming, at home they’ve proven to be one of the best teams.

DarkZero first have to familiarize themselves with Canadian. Somewhere in the middle there’s Oxygen, a team that missed out on the Top 4 last time. But in the last R6 NAL stage of 2021, more teams than ever are gunning for the top spots. The Major slots will be hotly contested, and the results for Stage 3 will be of utmost importance for both the top and bottom performers. Their placements will have long-lasting consequences for the future of their rosters.