Stage 2 of the US. Nationals wrapped up last weekend with the Conference Finals, and the third Stage of the US Nationals kicked off right after. With two more teams confirmed from Stage 2, hopeful teams will be looking to secure their spot in Stage 3 and avoid having to fight in the Wild Card qualifier.
Stage 2 Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference finals for Stage 2 was a Pro League affair, with Obey Alliance hoping to qualify against Cloud9, the surprise entry into the US Nationals earlier in Stage 2. With tough opposition on both sides, Obey Alliance started the series off strong after a back and forth first map of Consulate, managing to find some important rounds and secure a 6-3 win on Cloud9’s map choice.
With Obey Alliance securing Cloud9’s map and headed onto their choice of Oregon, Obey looked poised to keep the momentum going and close out the series. Cloud9 however were able to bounce back, starting off Oregon with an early lead on the defence and carrying that lead forward onto attack, closing out Oregon 6-2 and bringing the series to a third and final map.
With both teams having taken the oppositions map pick so far in the series, expectations for the final map of Clubhouse were high. After a strong showing on Oregon, Cloud9 were able to carry the momentum forward, showing a dominant performance against a struggling Obey Alliance. While Obey were able to avoid a clean sweep, Cloud9 pushed forward to a 6-1 victory, winning the series and securing a spot at the US Nationals finals.
Stage 2 Western Conference
While the Eastern Conference finals had two evenly matched Pro League teams face off, over in the Western Conference finals Pro League team Rogue faced Nomads, currently part of the Challenger League. With strong opposition, Nomads were looking to prove that they can match up against Pro League talent. However, headed into Consulate as the first map, Rogue didn’t hold back. A dominating first half with Rogue winning all 5 rounds on defence left Nomads in a struggling position at the side change and allowed Rogue to finish the map with a clean sweep, ending Consulate 6-0 to Rogue.
After a worrying start to the series for Nomads, they looked to bounce back as the teams headed onto Coastline, taking the first round of the map and their first win of the series. Rogue was not looking to give any momentum to Nomads, however, and despite a strong effort in the following rounds, Rogue closed out the rest of the map with a 6-1 victory. With a clean and convincing 2-0 series win, they move on and secure a place at the US Nationals finals.
Stage 3 Qualifiers
With Stage 2 finished, the third and final Stage of the US Nationals kicked off last Saturday. While teams will still have one final opportunity to make it to the US Nationals Finals through the Wild Card qualifier, many are looking to avoid the risk and secure a spot in Stage 3. In the Eastern qualifiers, Obey Alliance made a return once more after falling short in both of the previous stages. After a win against Nomads, who had also just come off the back of a disappointing defeat in the Stage 2 finals, Obey move into the first Stage 3 qualifier finals. On the other side of the bracket, Strength took down Apache eSports to secure their place and face Obey Alliance in the qualifier finals.
In the Western qualifier, mousesports would make yet another appearance after struggling to find the performance needed in the first two qualifiers. Looking to prove they can make it to the Finals, mouz defeated SiNisterGG and Rewind with dominant score-lines of 6-0 and 6-1 as they head to the qualifier finals to face Flawless GG, coming from the lower side of the bracket.
With Stage 2 now complete, Rogue and Cloud9 move on to their place in the US Nationals Finals, leaving only two more spots available in each region. With Stage 3 underway, many teams will be looking to avoid having to fight in Wild Card qualifier, with some big names still left unqualified. Obey Alliance and mousesports have yet to prove they are deserving of a spot as the opportunities run out, and with plenty of amateur teams ready to challenge them, they will have to fight to avoid the last chance Wild Card qualifier. The US Nationals returns with the Stage 3 qualifier finals October 5, live on the official Rainbow Six Twitch channel.
