It was a bit of an issue when it was announced that the upcoming 2021 R6 Invitational might not feature all of the teams that actually qualified for it. Specifically, the Brazilian teams looked like they would be excluded from participating. Not for nefarious reasons – the French government, aka the host country of the event, had banned all flights from Brazil due to rightful Covid-19 concerns. The solution has been found and the French government formally confirmed that all 6 Brazilian teams that qualified for the event will be able to attend!
How does this change the R6 Invitational landscape, and have the favorites shifted once again?
© Ubisoft
Two Brazilian teams can finally breathe a sigh of relief after organizers confirmed they can attend the Six Invitational. Both Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas are considered by esports bookmakers and analysis alike as the closest thing to a contender to Team BDS on the scene.
Copa Elite Six was a good showcase of how both teams are excelling at the current meta game. While NiP lost their semifinal match to MIBR, they still showed their prowess in the group stage. Liquid on the other hand won through and through and claimed the trophy as the best South American team after Stage 1.
With the news that all Brazilan teams can safely arrive in Paris, the power rankings are once again whacked out of balance. Team BDS is still considered the main favorite after topping the global rankings, but they are now joined by NiP in contention for 2nd place. Even after losing the Elite Six Cup, NiP is still considered the 2nd best team at Six Invitational at most esports bookmakers.
All 20 teams qualified, and 19 will be able to attend. Wildcard Gaming announced that due to various factors affecting their roster, they would not be able to attend. As a courtesy, the team will receive 1% of the allocated prize pool, which equals what the team would have received had they come in last or second to last. The other 19 teams will be taking part.
As a reminder that’s teams: Team BDS, Cloud 9, Team Liquid, DarkZero esports, Team One Esports, TSM, Giants Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Spacestation Gaming, Mkers, Team Empire, Faze Clan, G2 Esports, Cyclops Athlete Gaming, Furia, Virtus.Pro, Oxygen Esports, MIBR, and Parabellum.
The Group Stage will be held in the hotel the players’ will be staying in. Following that, the Playoffs will take place in the historical Palais Brongniart in the centre of the city. Even without a live audience, it makes a lovely backdrop for the event.
Speaking of, the event will take place between May 11th, and May 23rd. May 11th until 16th are all reserved for the Group Stage, which will be broadcast from the hotel. The rest of the time is for the playoffs. It’s all quite a complicated affair in the middle of COVID-19 – in addition to the imposed safety measures, all participating teams are also urged to follow a week of self-isolation prior to travel – and participating teams and players may only attend if they have not traveled to the US, Canada or Brazil in the 14 days prior to their own journey to France.
Our Six Invitational wiki page contains all the information you will need to follow this event. Furthermore, we will make daily predictions in our News Section once the event gets going.
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