TSM beat Team Empire to win Six Invitational 2022

“One more round” screamed TSM players after levelling the scores on Villa at the Six Invitational Grand Finals on Sunday.

They had pushed Empire to infinite overtime on the fourth map and needed two more rounds to finally lift the Hammer. After TSM’s Matthew “Achieved” Solomon’s triple kills in round 15, they closed out the last round without losing a single player. The team looked in control throughout the Grand Finals and looked like they were going to close it out with a 3-0 win.

However, Team Empire made them work for the win after edging out on Oregon and pushing them to the limit on their favored Villa map pick.

WORLD CHAMPIONS OF THE #SixInvitational 2022
🏆🏆🏆 @TSM 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/UutpVLPyAC

— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) February 20, 2022

From Last Chance Qualifiers to Six Invitational Champions

TSM began their day knowing they had a mountain to climb and after 10 hours spent, they finally arrived at the peak.  From entering the Six Invitationals through the Qualifiers, to taking down some of Brazil’s best teams along the way, TSM were more than excited to be in the Grand Finals.

“The fact that we made it through open qualifiers, a lot of people didn’t even think we were going to be here,” Achieved said after the match.

The team took down Europe’s second-best team with a 3-1 victory in the Grand Finals. They also became the first team to win the Six Invitationals from the lower brackets.  Moreover, TSM finished the last two Invitationals in the top 4 and today it feels like that consistency finally pays off.

TSM’s win also returns the Hammer back to North America after the region’s last win from Spacestation Gaming in 2020.

LATAM Era Halted

The phrase ‘LATAM era” has been used to describe competitive siege in the past year, and rightly so. The Latin America region occupied all top three spots at the Six Invitational 2021. After this, they won both the Sweden and Mexico Majors. So, heading into the Six Invitational 2022 with 6 incredible teams, many had them as favorites to win.

“I think Brazilian and APAC regions are unpredictable,” MNM Gaming’s Leon “neLo” Pesić said. However, it seemed as the tournament progressed, the top NA and EU teams caught up and everyone became unpredictable.

Reactions to the new format

Six Invitational 2022 brought a change in format and point allocations for the group stages. Unlike before, teams were divided into four groups of five for best-of-three single round-robin matches. Moreover, teams were rewarded not just for winning a game, but also for winning maps. So, each map win counted as 1 point even though the team ended up not closing out the entire game.

For more context the point attribution system for the group stage was as follows:

• 3 points for a 2:0 win
• 2 points for a 2:1 win
• 1 point for a 1:2 loss
• 0 points for a 0:2 loss

While many were excited about the best-of-three, there were mixed opinions on the point allocation system.

“I really like this format, there might be an opportunity to move some of the tiebreaker scenarios,” Soniqs Joe “Jobro” Reyes said. “Not every Major should be like this because then it loses its allure but for Invitationals everything with the tiebreakers and group stages is excellent.”

However, Team oNe Esports Karl “Alemo” Zarth thought it favoured individual map wins more important than the whole best of threes.  After being eliminated in the group stage, Alemo hit out at the system on Twitter.

We won 4 maps and 2 matches
OXG won 4 maps and 1 match
NaVi won 4 maps and 1 match
Guess who’s eliminated 😊

— G2 Alem4o (@Alem4oR6) February 12, 2022

Commemorating KiXSTAR, Siege Hero

Before the Six Invitational Grand Final kicked off, fans got to relive the memories and impact of  Michael “KiXSTAr” Stockley’s in Six Siege esports. His parents also received an MVP commendation honoring his legacy. KiXSTAR was a caster that had been in Siege Community since its inception. From playing the game to casting it, he left a mark that can never be forgotten by the community.

“He was such a personality in Rainbow Six as a streamer, commentator, a positive light, Ghassan “Milosh” Finge said. “That’s something that will never leave my mind because KiXS was an incredible person and his legacy will leave on forever.” 

Several records made at the event

After a history making Six Invitational, Siege Year 7 will begin on Feb. 21 with the new competitive season starting from Mar. 9. However, the SI 2021 will remain an unforgettable event with many records created. After over five hours of play, the SI Grand Finals became the longest in the competition’s history. Moreover, Elevate’s Paramin “sprOnigiri” Suwanwattana tied the world record for the highest kill count with 27 kills.

Additionally, 20-year-old Fatih “Solotov” Türker became the first Turkish player to attend the event.

“I am proud that I am able to represent my country, Turkey,” Solotov Said.  “Although I am the first I hope I will not be the last Turkish player that will be competing at the highest level in Rainbow 6 Siege.”

Even though there was no live audience due to COVID 19, teams still enjoyed their time in Sweden. “At the end of the day it’s still the Six invitational, the biggest tournament,” Jobro said.

“It still has that same stakes without the loudness of the fans.”