Things took a bit of a tumble in Week 12 of the North American Rainbow Six Pro League, and as we inch closer to the end of the regular season, everything counts. Last week on our power rankings, we put EG above all others, and this week they showed us why.
Team Reciprocity got the bye in Week 12 (with the removal of Orgless) which means our three-game day was short but brought the heat. Both the fight for the throne and the battle of the basement would provide R6 fans plenty to talk about around the water cooler come Tuesday morning.
1st - With their Week 12 win over the first-placed DarkZero Esports, the extremely talented Evil Geniuses hopped over Dark into the first overall on the standings. They remain at the top of our power rankings because how could we move them down after such a solid show of power. The new league-leaders in EG have all but packed their bags for Milan come playoff time. A Canadian-led EG squad looks unstoppable heading into the postseason.
2nd - Through the last five weeks of play, the once league-leading DarkZero Esports has gained 7 points out of a possible 15. With two losses and a tie, no one can say that DarkZero is ending their season strong. They have one remaining game to play in Season IX, and it’s in the final week against the scary looking Rise Nation. There’s a good chance that these 23 points are all DarkZero will
3rd - In Week 12, the Spacestation Gaming squad still had hopes to get into the playoffs. Sure, it was a long-shot, but with the way SSG has been playing, it wasn’t super far-fetched. With the single point earned in their tie with Rogue, their playoff hopes were still alive. That was until Evil Geniuses won their head-to-head with the top-ranked team. “We’re still going to try and end the season hot,” said SSG Coach Justin “Lycan” Woods in his post-game interview. SSG looks really strong right now, and we think they might be a very heavy contender come Season X.
4th - Two weeks ago, Rise Nation beat Reciprocity with a very aggressive offense. The following week, they tied the best team in the league in Evil Geniuses. Then came Week 12 where the Nation rose-up and handled Excelerate with relative ease at the Villa. If we were to pick a team for most-likely to do big things in the coming season, it would be Rise Nation.
5th - It’s almost unfair to smite Reciprocity from their spot on a week that they don’t get to play in, but Spacestation Gaming and Rise Nation just looked so darn good on play day 12. The boys from Reciprocity will have to play those very same Spacestation folks in the final week of the season. Prior to that, however, they will have to make their way through the now league-leading Evil Geniuses. It’s not looking good for the remainder of the REC season.
6th - They may sit 5 points above Rise Nation right now, but they sure aren’t playing like it. Rogue couldn’t manage to sneak out a win against Spacestation Gaming this week, which only earned them a single point in the tie. They are officially eliminated from the playoff picture for the first time in a long Rogue history of LAN performances. Hopefully, this roster can band together and grow into their team composition a bit better for next season. With a bye-week in 14 and a match against Rise in Week 13, none of the games ahead of Rogue really matter all that much.
7th - Another week brought another opportunity for Excelerate Gaming to bring some more respect to their name. Unfortunately, after a few end-game struggles, they would fall 5-7 to Rise Nation -- a team that looks so strong heading into the final stretch -- and walk away from Week 12 with no points to show for their efforts. Currently, they are full-steam ahead to a relegation spot, and will most likely have to fight for their R6 Pro League lives after Season IX concludes.
Match of the Day - Evil Geniuses vs DarkZero Esports
The Rainbow Six Pro League will return this week with LATAM playing on Wednesday, April 10th, and Europe playing their Week 12 on Friday, April 12th.
