The Asia-Pacific (APAC) LAN Finals held in Sydney concluded yesterday, where we got to find out which two teams will be representing the region at the Global Finals in Atlantic City.
The first team to qualify was the ex-Mindfreak squad, recently picked up by Fnatic. In their path to the Grand Final, they pulled off an incredible 10-0 win against the Japanese second-seed Sengoku. Following that, they came up on top in a hard fought 2-1 victory against Team CryptiK from Southeast Asia (SEA) -- a matchup that could have gone either way. Their opponents, NORA-Rengo (NR), had to work harder to meet them in the Grand Final. Pushed hard by SEA second seed Scrypt, they eventually won the match after a lengthy three maps. Then, they were up against the Australians from ViewSonic.DarkSided. The match was anticipated to be close by many, but NR came out on top with a swift 5-3, 5-2 victory.
With both teams now qualified for the LAN finals in Atlantic City next month, the Grand Final was only for seeding. Things started off brightly for NORA-Rengo, as they won the first round of the series with relative ease. However, the Australians came back with a vengeance, winning 5 rounds in a row to finish with a brilliant 5-1 victory on Consulate. On Chalet, NORA-Rengo got going with a strong first round once again. However, Fnatic then strung 3 rounds together to surge ahead as they had on map 1. While their opponents pulled one round back, the Fnatic freight train had no intentions of stopping. They eventually emerged victorious on the second map by a score of 5 to 2, thus being crowned champions of APAC in Season 7.
With Fnatic only having had dropped a map against Team CryptiK, it was clear to see why they are undisputed champions of the APAC region. Their performances have been long since reflecting that, stretching back all the way to the Six Invitational Qualifiers. There, they had come up on top in the APAC LAN event while playing for Mindfreak. They had then continued to show their strength in Montreal, where they had made it to the Quarterfinals after beating Room Factory and Team Liquid. On the other hand, NORA-Rengo, while not as strong as Fnatic, are definitely not to be underestimated. They will be looking to make their mark in their first ever international LAN event.
Congratulations to both teams, and with that the APAC Pro League concludes for Season 7. There are still games left in NA, EU, and LATAM, so be sure to tune in for these -- and afterwards for the Global LAN Finals to be held from 19th - 20th May. For the latest updates, please visit the Rainbow Six Esports Twitter page or Ubisoft Forums.
