The normally hectic CSGO calendar is having a little break this weekend, but never fear, ECS finals are coming next week. However, we know some of you need a fix of FPS on a more regular basis than once a fortnight (nice to see that word spelled correctly), and we’ve got just the thing for you. All the way from Rio, Brazil, comes the Rainbow Six Siege Season 8 Finals, featuring many of the things you love about CSGO, and more.
It'll all be streamed on Twitch, and more information can be found here regarding schedules, talent and attendees. So, without further ado, let’s get into why this is the perfect game for CSGO fans needing a fix, right down to similarities between the games, the scenes, and even the way the pre-tournament favourites are ruining the fun…
So you thought Astralis were good?
Gla1ve, dev1ce, Magisk and the rest are obviously the best team in CSGO, to the point they have been accused of ruining events, of course with tongue in cheek, by being too far ahead of the rest. Other players have equally pointed out how cool it is to see the Danes advance the meta for the pack by teaching them how maps can be played and, generally, it is agreed that Astralis are a benefit to CSGO overall with their team brilliance.
In R6S, though, the best team is something else altogether. Until recently, they played under the Penta Esports banner but, after a big-money move by G2 Esports, the five-man unit is under a new name and are defending champions after lifting the trophy in Paris, as you can see above. Swedish leader Fabian ‘Fabian’ Hällsten, Spain’s Daniel ‘Goga’ Mazorra Romero, Joonas ‘jNSzki’ Savolainen and Juhani ‘Kantoraketti’ Toivonen, both from Finland, and Denmark’s Niclas ‘Pengu’ Mouritzen make up the roster, like an all-star team that decided to play together full time because it’s just so fun.
If you watch the material produced around them, it seems amazing that this international lineup is so successful in a game that relies on sound and communication so much, but their record speaks for itself. A single loss in the qualifying phase for Rio came at the hands of Penta and a game at the end of that split vs Supremacy was so stupid we wrote an entire article about it, and how it showed G2’s supreme dominance of the R6S space.
So if what you want is excellence, G2 provide it to a level even Astralis can’t match, while having the sort of team composition FaZe cannot make work. Some might say that makes the tournament boring as they are heavy favourites, but like Astralis, they equally act as the gatekeeper, and the day they lose a big game will be incredible for all of R6S.
Team-based, bombs, round timers, sound cues…
There are a lot of gameplay similarities between CSGO and Rainbow Six, that you might not have realised if you don’t play much. For a start, both games are 5v5 with a bomb/area capture goal, and sound cues are vital to understanding the progress of the round. Gun skill is vital of course, but trading kills is as much a key to winning in Rainbow Six as it is CS, if not more so, which is another feature they share.
The differences are where R6S can provide something new to fans who maybe want a bit of variety, but find the kids-show colours and aesthetic of the Overwatch League a bit overwhelming visually. Class-based play is also part of R6S, with operators providing different abilities to the team, and bans a part of the map- and operator-selection process, so the game is close enough to understand, while being different enough to be fresh.
Even round timers are a thing, although Rainbow Six plays out slightly differently, with a drone/information gathering phase prior to the action itself, where defenders get a chance to customise the area they will hold, or attempt to. As you can see, there is enough shared between the two to make the games easy to watch from either direction, while the differences should make R6S feel fresh for any CSGO fans coming in this weekend.
This is a major event
Last, but by no means least, is the fact that you have a chance to start at the very top, which is virtually impossible unless your dad gives you a chain of hotels and a few million quid to get yourself going, in which case good luck to you and your orange face. Production will be at peak levels, all of the world’s best teams are in attendance, and the crowds in Rio should be fantastic too as the stars come out in full force.
Brazil can be a risky place to travel, but with a bit of luck and good planning no player should fall foul of the problems that can occur in such a place, and it’s always nice to see the best of a scene. All in all, then, if you’re at a loose end this weekend, and missing your AWPs, AKs and Deagles, the Rainbow Six Rio Season 8 Finals might just be the one for you, and the start of a beautiful love affair.
Image: G2
