Top-four Pro League teams TBD and Wildcard Gaming have started off Six Masters 2020 on top with wins in the first week of play, while LFO surprised everyone, clutching out a draw against Elevate.
There were a few surprises in the first week of Six Masters. While teams like TBD got off to electric starts, a couple of unexpected names have reared their heads for a possible top-four finish, and right off the bat, none of them are more electric than LFO.
The Open Qualifier team, who haven’t played Challenger League let alone Pro League, drew their series with top-seeded Elevate — and even walked away with the round differential after their 7-2 demolition on Club House.
The David and Goliath set of the week wasn’t what everyone expected. While most had discounted LFO purely on credentials, the team had faith in themselves and just playing their own style of Siege.
“We weren’t expected to do bad nor good — we just wanted to play our game,” said Enigma, the team’s coach. “If we set ourselves the expectations that we are going to lose then mentally already the game is over before it has started.”
Now THAT is how you win a map @MimzR6! 😍🔥 #SM20
— Rainbow 6 ANZ (@Rainbow6ANZ) April 28, 2020
📺 https://t.co/3S42zV8TZQ pic.twitter.com/LA2g3nLW3y
Play their game they did. While LFO fell short of their expectations on Consulate, they still flaunted a hyper-aggressive style of Siege that showed they were here to prove their mettle. They executed attacks a lot earlier than most teams, and looked to apply the pressure, even if it was against Elevate, who came off a Pro League run for the ages.
“The first map unfortunately was a failure on our part as not being able to adapt into their gameplay which put us at a disadvantage,” added Enigma. “We bounced back to put on a brilliant performance in the second map, we found what we needed to do.
“I’m sure it did take a lot of people back, and I’m sure some of the people who know us expected something a little different.”
“It was good to show the true potential of the team taking a map from the number one seed as well as keeping our heads and maintaining a strong attitude that we can win,” added Mimz, LFO’s star performer on Tuesday night.
He topped the scoreboard for LFO on both maps, including a nine-kill performance on their defensive half of Consulate. While their attack half was less successful, he still managed to help the underdogs claw a round back with some good Gridlock play.
He’s gone and done it, it’s @ThatAngMoh with the ACE! 😱🔥 #SM20
— Rainbow 6 ANZ (@Rainbow6ANZ) April 28, 2020
📺 https://t.co/3S42zV8TZQ pic.twitter.com/NIsLSpJVGP
He really kicked up the heat on Club House though. As LFO broke out to a 5-1 lead after their defense, Mimz and the rest of the squad didn’t let off the pressure. They threw some curveballs — including a last round Nokk for Soggz — to try and disrupt Elevate’s set strats. While the Nokk didn’t have much of an impact, Mimz’ Hibana did, capping off the series with a clutch ace.
“The team was extremely excited by not only the play, but also about the fact that we had secured our first win within the tournament.”
Mimz
“I think my cheeks started to get sore from smiling after seeing my name being spammed in the chat so much,” he told Snowball Esports. “The team was extremely excited by not only the play, but also about the fact that we had secured our first win within the tournament.”
The road for LFO doesn’t get any easier. With TBD and Wildcard in the next two weeks, they will be tested once again. However, they’re here to prove that their Elevate draw was not just a flash in the pan.
“We will ensure that taking a map off the top team isn’t going to be a fluke, and you can expect us to absolutely push for a win,” stated Enigma.
In this week’s other results, Wildcard and TBD took down SiNister and Kanga respectively to cement their spot at the top of the table, while Pittsburgh Knights and Ferox traded three points each in their closely-fought series.
Week 2 of Six Masters 2020 will kick off on May 5 at 7pm AEST with LFO taking on TBD.
Stay tuned to snowballesports.com for all your Six Masters coverage, including previews, recaps, analysis, and interviews.
