Six Invitational : The players to follow according to the casters

Throughout the Year 2 of Rainbow Six, some players shined in the Pro League or the Six Invitational Qualifiers. They confirmed, game after game, their status of key players of their teams with a specific goal : be ready for the competition in Montreal. On the front row seat to comment and analyze their ascent, the casters are the best placed to give us their insights of the players to watch out for the second edition of the Six Invitational. Let’s take a look on the players of their region that impressed them the most this year.

Michael Stockley (EU): "My MVP for the season 6 finals, Kanto is a force to be reckoned with. One of the most dedicated players you’ll ever meet, this man is often the top fragger for his team. The sort of player who you expect to stray into double digit kills often. Shoring up the stopping power of Kanto is his team captain, Willkey. He’s a player who, in the past, was considered an underwhelming figure head for his team. This last season however, he definitely showed up. Leading his team to his team’s very first win in S6, having been to every single Pro League Finals. Expectations for Willkey will be high moving into the six invitational.”

Parker Mackay (NA): "Ecl9pse is Consistently one of the best performers on his team and has been one of NA's strongest players since joining Pro League. Rogue's fortunes depend on Ecl9pse showing up the same way that his opponents hope that he doesn't. My second pick will be Laxing who has traditionally been a known quantity capable of elevating his team's play but this season he was able to find his groove after swapping to different operators. That flexibility is vital to his team's success. On the Evil Geniuses side, the amount of rounds that BC's strong play single-handedly won for Evil Geniuses last season were too numerous to count. EG does not make it to the season finals in Brazil without the consistency and support from BC. Period. Finally Bosco, the newest addition to eRa Eternity but indisputably their most memorable one during the Invitational Qualifiers. As much praise as Bosco gets on attack it's his defensive play that has looked so remarkable and sound. I have no doubt that Bosco will want to leave the Invitational as world champion for the second year in a row."

Andre Meligeni (LATAM): With years of esports experience, Zig (Team Liquid) is a player who makes tough decisions in-game with courage and determination. His specialty is to rush in front of 2 or 3 opponents. You really have to know what you are doing when you rush like that, and have the courage to do it, knowing exactly what the consequence could be. His unpredictability makes him a great threat. GohaN (FaZe Clan) is a dedicated player and great source of inspiration for his teammates. He trains hard, is constantly evolving as a player, and it’s paying off. He always tries to bring something new to the table. He has got great aim, rushes a lot with Ash, and never fears what he could confront inside a bombsite. On defense, he likes to pre-fire whenever he feels comfortable and knows the opponents position. He greatly trusts his lurkers and tries to give them the best support he can.

As runner-up of the Pro League season 3, Julio from Black Dragons was considered as one of the best player in 2017. Calm and wise, he feels comfortable in any position. In the past, he was more a support player, while now he plays a more balanced role. On attack, he likes to be one of the first people leading the charge. On defense, he likes to play on the bombsite with his trusted C4 throwing arm. He has a strategic mind, and always drones out areas to never get surprised. My last pick is Yoona is the most versatile player from Yeah! Gaming. I believe his best plays come when he plays really aggressive on defense. He likes to play operators like ELA to lurk around the map and jump outside windows, catching some players off guard. Think fast when you see Yoona in front of you, because he will come at you with everything he has.

Alex Blaikie (APAC): “The newest addition to the Mindfreak lineup, RizRaz has brought a wealth of experience and strategies from Corvidae. He's cool under pressure as demonstrated in the APAC Invitational, where he pulled off some massive games and even top fragged against Mantis.FPS to help Mindfreak pull off the win. When I think of a solid player in APAC, I think of Acez. Not only did this man move from console to PC to pursue his competitive Rainbow 6 career, but he’s proven to be one of the most reliable and dominant operators on the Mindfreak lineup since. He’s even got his own merch range, how can you compete with that ? On the Japanese side, ss captain of eINS, no-one’s got more to prove than ShiN coming into the Six Invitational. After a disappointing result at the Pro League Season 3 Finals, he’ll be looking to bring back his team’s form that we saw win them the APAC Pro League last year – there’s nothing as dangerous as an underrated team with the drive to win.”

Thanks to Michael Stockley (@KiXSTArTV),Parker Mackay (@heyinterrobang), Andre Meligeni (@andremeligenitv) and Alex Blaikie (@GoGoGadgetCasts), who took their time to answer to our question about the competition. You can follow them on Twitter for additional insights about the Six Invitational and the upcoming competitions. For the latest updates, please visit the Rainbow Six Esports Twitter page or Subreddit.