The Six Masters playoffs race has been dealt a little curveball after the Knights took down Elevate last week. Is there still hope for the top-seeded team? Let’s break down Week 6’s action to find out.
Elevate’s run into playoffs has been made infinitely harder by their loss to the Knights. They now sit with a 5–5 record, with one of LFO or Ferox poised to overtake them when they play their catchup series next week. They also have Wildcard and Okami on the docket, which is not the nicest run you want to be having at the pointy end of a season.
On the flipside, the Knights should be excited. They have the same matchups, but with a 6–4 record, sit with a better chance of scrounging something together against the top teams in Six Masters right now.
Elevate and the Knights aren’t the only teams still contesting playoffs spots though. SiNister had their ship rocked by Kanga, but are still in the race. Okami and LFO are still in the black with their win-loss records, and Ferox is still a chance to make a resurgence in the last two weeks.
To break down this week’s action, I’ve once again enlisted the help of the Snowball Esports Six Masters expert panel. You can find them all below:
- James “Devmarta” Stewart: Caster
- Michael “Guzz” Gurrie: Caster
- Brandon “Raven” Langiano: Caster
- Alex “Skye” McCallum: Observer
- Jess “Jess” Bolden: Analyst
While this piece will be an overview of our general predictions for the week, we will also have our own tips running alongside these. Be sure to check out Snowball’s Twitter tomorrow for the full rundown.
LFO vs. SiNister
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
LFO and SiNister both sit on the cusp of playoffs after Week 5. While SiNister has the two-game advantage thanks to playing on Tuesday, their season still rests on a good result against either LFO or Ferox.
The same goes for LFO. They’ve run up four draws in the first four weeks, and as I was going to highlight in last week’s predictions before the gameday swap, yet another draw could spell disaster for them.
While they’ve still got Kanga left to play, the once-punching bags of Six Masters have proven they can still take it to the playoffs teams by almost taking a map of SiNister last week. LFO isn’t going to secure a spot in playoffs by drawing all seven series.
Ultimately, both LFO and SiNister have proven they are playoffs worthy. However, the same flies for seven of the eight teams in Six Masters. While the experts have tipped a draw, even if SiNister takes a map they’ll be sitting pretty. LFO needs the win, but it’s unlikely.
Pittsburgh Knights vs. Okami
Prediction: 1–1 Draw
The Pittsburgh Knights made a statement in Week 5 by taking down Elevate 2–0 and cementing a clear path to the Six Masters playoffs. Okami would have had some time during their week off though to really knuckle down into their opposition’s play style.
Jsh’s debut for the Knights instilled a new hope for them. While Arlo was by no means a pushover, the Knights now have their long-term plan for this roster in motion, and winning in your first series in the top flight is always going to build confidence. One would hope the honeymoon period doesn’t run out too soon.
However, there’s one point of contention. Dino said the Knights surprised Elevate with a hyper-aggressive style of Siege, but they have to be worried about Okami doing the same to them. JackDaddy, ItBe, and Cutie have all popped off at some point during Six Masters. Mangoz and JKR are nothing to be scoffed at either.
Ultimately, a 1–1 draw is what the experts have predicted. In some weird way, this is a blessing in disguise for both teams. You’d probably lock both in for playoffs once they crest seven wins a piece, and just drawing out their next few series will allow them to do just that.
Elevate vs. Wildcard
Prediction: 1–1 Draw
This matchup has been hyped up for weeks as the most exciting series of Six Masters. The top-seed Pro League Season 11 runner-ups, versus the hotshots that went to the Six Invitational. Before last week, you would assume that the winner of this would take first place.
However, a curveball has been thrown into the mix. Elevate’s weaknesses were exploited by the Knights, just days out from arguably their most important match of the regular season. They looked in all sorts as their underdog opposition stunned them with some aggressive gameplay.
If there’s anything we know about Wildcard too, they know how to play aggressively. Pat, Gio, and Ethan can rack up the kills — don’t forget about the latter’s 39-kill series against Ferox. Elevate can’t be caught flat-footed again.
Wildcard beat Elevate back in Pro League Season 10 7–2 7–3 to get their season back on track. This time around, our experts have tipped a more conservative draw. We’ve all seen the highs of Elevate in the first four weeks, now they’ve got to show their ability to rebound in their toughest challenge yet. Succeed, and playoffs is still in reach. Fail, and their hopes are dashed.
Kanga vs. Ferox
Prediction: Split between Ferox 2–0 and 1–1 Draw
For the first time in Six Masters 2020, our experts have tipped Kanga to take a map — kind of. After a rough start, it seemed like Kanga were going to draw up the 0-14 season, but the faith in this roster is slowly building.
While the loss of Wayneman was less than ideal, Novaix showed up in his Six Masters debut against SiNister to prove that it’s not all bad. He was stuck on more supportive duties, but he managed to frag out, and almost pulled a win out of the hat on Kafe.
Ferox have been up and down throughout Six Masters too. They were just one round away from beating Wildcard, and ran the distance with Okami, and then they’ve had some absolute stinkers against Elevate and the Knights.
This gives the revitalized Kanga the best chance to at least finish Six Masters with some dignity. If they can catch Ferox on a low patch, a win is not out of the realms of possibility. If Ferox are running high, it’s going to be a rough road. Our experts are shooting straight down the middle, if tending a little bit towards Ferox.
Personally, I’m hoping that Kanga can pull up a performance like they showed on Kafe against SiNister. No one likes to see a donut next to their name on Liquipedia at season’s end.
Six Masters Week 6 kicks off on June 2 at 7pm AEST when LFO take on SiNister. You can catch the action live on the official Rainbow 6 Twitch channel.
Be sure to follow Snowball Esports on Twitter for all your Six Masters content throughout the season, including tips, analysis, and interviews.
