Week 1 of Oceanic Nationals has already served up some spicy Rainbow Six action. However, the hits aren’t going to stop coming in Week 2, with plenty of potential for upsets and playoffs berths to be set.
Look, I’m going to be blunt. My title defense for Oceanic Nationals isn’t looking too hot right now. But there’s one thing that’s definitely looking hot, and that’s the Rainbow Six on offer.
The first week of action was packed with upsets. Ferox took down Okami, proving one greek boy was smarter than six seasoned analysts (and me). Noble took down defending champions Wildcard. Devmarta took down his attempts to try and go for the wooden spoon by topping the week’s tipping along with Zenox.
Week 2 is proving to be no slouch in the action department either. A top of the table clash between the Knights and Noble awaits us on Friday night, while a bit closer to now, Okami and Elevate’s playoffs hopes could be on the line first up on Wednesday.
To help you get ready for this week, I’ve enlisted the help of the Snowball Esports Oceanic Nationals expert panel for their tips and analysis.
- Brandon “Raven” Langiano: Oceanic Nationals caster
- Michael “Guzz” Gurrie: Oceanic Nationals caster
- Jake “Zenox” Brander: Oceanic Nationals caster
- Rob “Manic” Munday: Oceanic Nationals caster
- James “Devmarta” Stewart: European & APAC North caster
- Alex “Skye” McCallum: Caster and observer
- Andrew “Ducky” Amos: Snowball Esports journalist
Our individual tips will go out on Twitter ahead of the games on Wednesday and Friday, and you can also catch them on broadcast before each game. Without further ado though, let’s dive into Week 2 of Oceanic Nationals.
Okami vs. Elevate
Wednesday at 7pm AEST
Prediction: Okami win
The only person worse than me at predictions is potentially CaliberJacob (which, if you are reading, collab when?). After all, he said Okami were primed to be the best team in ANZ after Ethan’s departure from Wildcard — and in one simple statement, destined the Six Masters runners-up to yet another season without a title.
That weird prophecy came true against Ferox. The hot favorites were seemingly outwitted and outclassed by the unknown quantity, and were frankly caught with their pants down. Not to point fingers, but if ItBeStyle doesn’t go positive at the very least, it’ll always be an uphill battle for Okami. Doubly so if your other entry, Speca, finishes with a negative KD.
However, Elevate haven’t lived up to their lofty pre-season expectations either. While the ingenuity against Rhythm with the Montagne strats on Coastline was interesting, the fact that map came down to Round 15 didn’t spell good news for Elevate fans. It was only off the back of GodLegion that Elevate managed to scrape out a win.
This game will prove to be decisive for a number of reasons. It’ll be a test to see whether Elevate has actually improved. It’ll see if Okami are truly champion potential, and last week was just a speed hump. A loss here for either team will be devastating, but that’s the nature of Siege.
Pittsburgh Knights vs. Noble
Friday at 8pm AEST
Prediction: Noble win
Look, if there were any doubts about Sageon filling Stryder’s shoes for the Knights after Week 1, they have been dismissed entirely. The rookie currently sits second in the Siege.GG Player Ratings for Oceanic Nationals at a 1.34 rating, including a near 2.0 KD and 4-0 on entry.
However, this top of the table clash will require him to continue to step up. After all, they played Elevate and LFO last week — the stakes against Noble are much, much higher.
This is a Noble that has just come off the back of taking down Wildcard — handing them their second map loss across Six Masters and Oceanic Nationals. If you take into account the August Major, it’s only their third map loss in top-level competition since March 26. Not to talk down the rest of Noble, but 20 kills on one player (Fish0guy) will definitely do that.
That incredible victory was more than enough for the tipsters to resoundingly choose Noble as the team to beat in this matchup. However, we’ve seen this before. The Knights took down Noble (then SiNister) in the Six Masters playoffs 2-1. It could happen again. It could easily happen again.
Rhythm vs. Ferox
Friday at 9pm AEST
Prediction: Ferox win
Usually a matchup between Rhythm and anyone wouldn’t spark a lot of interest. After all, the team formerly known as Kanga got belted around the place in Six Masters, and many expected that trend to continue in Oceanic Nationals.
However, after a decently strong first week, they cannot be discounted just yet. They might not have won a game, but they did come awfully close to beating out Elevate on Friday. Ballz’s heavy roaming presence on defense really kept Elevate on their toes, while Novaix stunned them on attack.
- Read more: Oceanic Nationals 2020 Recap – Week 1
This could be one of Rhythm’s best chances to secure an Oceanic Nationals win, and perhaps make a dream run to the playoffs. However, Ferox are no pushovers. They stunned us all when they dismantled Okami on Villa off the back of a huge 14-kill performance from Shady.
Our experts have penned Ferox in for a win against Rhythm. However, if you’re a Rhythm fan, this is definitely a game you would want to tune into — as it could be the only chance they have to take a game this season.
The rest…
Wildcard vs Rhythm (Wednesday 8pm, Wildcard win): Last season’s defending champions might have suffered an early loss, but don’t quickly forget they are still arguably the best. Frankly, this should be a drubbing.
Noble vs LFO (Wednesday 9pm, Noble win): LFO’s weak start hasn’t primed them to face off against Noble. Once the Wildcard giant-killers themselves, they aren’t likely to escape the wrath of Noble alive.
Pittsburgh Knights vs Ferox (Wednesday 10pm, PK win): The Knights have found themselves atop the Oceanic Nationals table, and against Ferox, they should be able to extend their lead against the pack — and perhaps lock in a top four finish just three games in.
Okami vs LFO (Friday 7pm, LFO win): Okami’s rough time against Ferox has definitely tanked their reputation. While LFO sits dead last currently, their peak can — and potentially will — surprise Okami if they haven’t learned from their mistakes.
Wildcard vs Elevate (Friday 10pm, Wildcard win): Much like their Rhythm matchup, Elevate should be a straightforward task for Wildcard. If they don’t go through this week 2-0, they’ll have plenty to re-evaluate heading into the last two game weeks.
Oceanic Nationals returns for Week 2 on September 23 with Okami taking on Elevate first at 7pm AEST. You can catch the action live on the Rainbow Six Twitch channel.
Be sure to follow Snowball Esports on Twitter for everything Oceanic Nationals throughout the season, including tips, analysis, and interviews.
