Rainbow 6
The regions will have six representatives for the Six Major Atlanta, and we will get to know the campaign of the teams and the expectations for each in the main tournament of the stage.
LATAM Region
Alpha Atheris
The organization and players are entering their first international tournament, but they come with forced changes in the starting lineup. Due to passport issues, player José "Notumbo" Diaz will not compete in the Six Major Atlanta. In his place, the organization will rely on Six Invitational champion João "Kamikaze" Gomes. One of the Brazilian legends returns to participate in a major international tournament as a substitute for the team.
The team consists of three players on the rise in the LATAM region (outside of Brazil) in recent tournaments, along with an experienced captain who has mostly competed in local tournaments. The addition of Kamikaze will enhance the team's overall structure and bring undeniable in-game quality.
Despite this, the team is expected to face challenges in qualifying for the second phase of the Six Major, even with their quality. The group draw can be tricky for the organization, as the Six Karma, the LATAM League champions, ended up in a group with Ninjas in Pyjamas and Spacestation in Copenhagen. Qualification will be difficult, but it all depends on the draw.
Knights
A predominantly Argentinean team will compete in a Six Major for the first time in history. These heartwarming stories highlight careers that used to compete against Brazilian teams that were on another level and now have the opportunity to compete in major tournaments.
In addition to the Argentinians, the team includes the Paraguayan player Richard "Blk" Rodriguez, who had strong performances in the Six Invitational 2022 LATAM Qualifier, drawing attention to the competitive scene. However, the player did not achieve the expected success afterward. Now, he can compete in his first major Rainbow Six tournament.
The team will face many challenges in the initial phase of the Six Major Atlanta, and the expectation is that Knights will be eliminated in the tournament's first phase.
Oceania Region
Team Bliss
Qualifying twice in a row for the Six Major, Team Bliss has been dominating the Oceania region. However, this stage's qualification came with a bit more excitement. In the previous season, the team secured their spot with a round to spare, finishing the competition eight points ahead of the second-placed team (Wildcard). In this second edition, however, they needed to win against Rapid Response Regiment in the final round to qualify with just a one-point difference in the total.
Team Bliss in the Six Major Copenhagen (Image Credits: Ubisoft)But at the Six Major Copenhagen, the team's performance was completely different in dominance compared to their regional play. They suffered a 7-1 defeat to W7M, but that doesn't say much, as W7M was one of the top teams in the tournament and went on to become champions. However, the team faced a setback, losing 2 maps to 1 to the Japanese team Varrel. This became a problem as their only map win was a victory in the last round of overtime, and the opponent represented a smaller region in the competitive scene, albeit still superior to Oceania in terms of tradition. It's a battle that the Oceania region needs to face and win if they aspire to become one of the top regions in the world.
The expectation is that the team will again be eliminated in the first phase of the competition. Qualifying for the second phase would be a historic achievement for the Oceania region.
MENA Region
Geekay
Another new region and team on the global Rainbow Six: Siege scene. Geekay enters the competition with changes in their lineup, including the addition of an international player, the Polish player Adam "nudl" Hryceniak, who comes directly from KOI but has also had stints with Heroic, where he even competed in the Six Invitational 2023, and Skull Cracker, where he participated in the Mexican championship.
The team has been a contender for the Team Falcons in regional tournaments for a while, and this season, they took the lead and dominated the region. Besides securing their spot through the MENA League, Geekay won the Saudi eLeagues Stage 2 against the Falcons in the grand final.
The expectation is that the team will perform well in the Six Major Atlanta, but it will depend on the group draw, as top teams will be competing in the initial phase of the tournament. Nevertheless, Geekay will be a strong contender for a spot in the second phase.
ASIA Region
Fury
The team is entering their second consecutive Six Major, and once again, they secured their qualification by finishing first in the Asia Last Chance Qualifier. However, this time around, the team had a better overall performance, given that they lost only one match in the SEA League, which was against Bleed, and thus, this time, they earned a direct spot in the LCQ Closed.
"i9" celebration in the Six Major Copenhagen (Image Credits: Ubisoft)Their improved performance has caught the attention of many, especially for a team that aspires to achieve significant international results. However, like in Copenhagen, the group draw is crucial to their planning. The team was placed in a relatively balanced group, even in the last Major. Their focus must be unwavering because, with one slip, they lost to SANDBOX, and in the lower bracket, they faced MNM, which eventually finished in the Top 8. So, apart from needing a favorable draw, the team must maximize their opportunities.
The expectation is that the team will find themselves in a situation where they need a favorable path to dream of qualification. However, seizing that opportunity is still challenging, given the level of competition in the initial phase, with a probable elimination in the first round.
Bleed
The organization is appearing at a Six Major, but the team boasts three players with previous experience in major tournaments. Patrick "Mentalistc" Fan competed at the Six Invitational 2020 for Fnatic, finishing in 5th-6th place. The talented Wu "Reeps96" Weichen is a younger player but helped Dire Wolves qualify for the Six Jönköping Major in 2022, even though they were eliminated in the group stage. Lastly, Aldi "Hoven" Firmansyah, a younger player, aided Gaimin in participating in the Six Berlin Major in 2022.
Reeps96 and Hoven were standout players on their respective teams, and together, they made a significant impact. Despite their elimination in the LCQ of the Six Major Copenhagen, which had no lower bracket, this time, the team lost to Fury once again but managed to secure qualification, thanks to a historic performance by Reeps96 against Elevate in the grand final of the Lower.
The team has individually skilled players, but success in global tournaments hinges on their collective performance. Bleed must excel to dream of progressing to the second phase. It's a possibility, but the team is expected to battle for the spot or even secure it against a high-profile team that doesn't perform well in the competition. However, this won't be an easy feat.
