Wildcard are one of the weakest Rainbow Six Siege teams in the North America League. They have already lost three games in regulation at this stage; however, they beat Oxygen Esports last Thursday, which was a good sign.

DarkZero Esports performed poorly in their 2-7 defeat to Soniqs to open the stage, but they have since beaten Spacestation Gaming and LOS. It’s not a terrible start for Roberto “Panbazou” Feliciano and company, but we will have to see more from DarkZero to make any firm conclusions.

The departure of Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski has put DarkZero Esports in a questionable spot. Still, while they should do worse without the 28-year-old veteran, DarkZero are unlikely to struggle against one of the bottom teams in the region.

Oxygen Esports are 0-0-1-2 with a -7 round differential. They have so far lost to Spacestation Gaming, LOS, and Wildcard, although they should have won the most recent of those series. This core has been together for over six months, so there is no excuse for Oxygen’s struggles.

M80 are not one of the leading contenders to win the league, but they have done well beating Cloud9 Beastcoast and Wildcard Gaming and forcing Soniqs to overtime. That is a promising run, but like with most other mid-table teams, M80 still need to show more against the top sides.

While M80 are rightly favourites with top Rainbow Six Siege betting sites, their odds look far too short. With a 3.5-round advantage at $1.64, Oxygen are the clear choice.

Luminosity Gaming are 2-0-0-2 with six points; however, they still have a lot more to prove, having only beaten M80 and LOS. On the other hand, Luminosity posted good results in Stage 1, and they did not do too poorly during the Esports World Cup 2024.

With the signing of Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski, Soniqs became the leading contenders to win the league, and they have started strongly. So far, Soniqs have beaten Wildcard, DarkZero Esports, and M80, although they lost their most recent outing against Spacestation Gaming in overtime.

Even though Soniqs have failed to produce a perfect record, it is hard to doubt them against any team outside of the top three.

Esports betting tips

Both Team Vitality and Team Secret fell to Gen.G in back-to-back matches at the Esports World Cup; however, Vitality was knocked out in the playoffs and Secret didn’t make it out of the group stage. With Vitality attempting to defend their RLCS World Championship crown, expect this to be a statement game early on in the event.

Gen.G will clash with PWR in the opening round of the Swiss Stage, and they will be confident in winning this clash as they have only dropped one map (3-0 & 3-1) across the two meetings with PWR this season. It is hard to see PWR taking a map off Gen.G, and a 3-0 win looks like a great value play.

Following top eight finishes at the RLCS Major 1, RLCS Major 2 and the Esports World Cup, FURIA comes into the World Championship with solid form and is expected to make the playoffs in Fort Worth. OG has only won two matches in S-Tier competition this season; therefore, FURIA is the superior team, and they will be winning this clash comfortably.

Team BDS enters the RLCS World Championship as the outright favourite with esports betting sites following their win at the Esports World Cup. BDS will open their campaign against Oxygen Esports, a team they have defeated in their last six meetings. It is expected that BDS will extend their winning streak over Oxygen in this opening round fixture.

Karmine Corp will compete in their first S-Tier event since finishing in third-fourth place at RLCS Major 1 in March, while Spacestation Gaming will be seeking to improve on their fifth-eighth-place finishes at RLCS Major 2 and the Esports World Cup. Both squads have the ability to go deep at the World Championship, and this clash is one of the highly anticipated fixtures of the opening round.

Esports betting tips

Team BDS, G2 Stride and Team Vitality entered the second Major of the 2024 RLCS season as the favourites with esports betting sites and they didn’t let their followers down, as they all claimed dominant round one victories.

All but one of the favourites won their round one clashes, with only Oxygen Esports losing to PWR in a 3-1 (2-1, 3-1, 2-0, 5-4) upset in the first match of the tournament.

Heading into the second round of series, G2 Stride drew the easiest match-up in the winners’ bracket, as they took on PWR and thrashed the Oceania squad 3-0 (6-0, 5-1, 3-2), maintaining their perfect record after a 3-0 (1-0, 3-2, 3-1) win in round one.

COMMANDING VICTORY! @G2RocketLeague sweep Team PWR to go 2-0! #RLCS pic.twitter.com/mqUpYE38EI

— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) June 20, 2024

Team Vitality clashed with Gen.G and were forced to play all five maps before claiming a gritty 3-2 (5-0, 2-1, 1-3, 1-3, 1-0) win to remain undefeated on the opening day.

Joining G2 and Vitality in the round three winners’ bracket will be Team Falcons and FURIA, who bested Team BDS and Gentle Mates in their respective clashes in round two.

The winners of each of the two round three winners’ bracket series will qualify for the playoffs, earning themselves the rest of the day off to prepare for Saturday’s quarterfinals.

On the other end of the spectrum, Twisted Minds, Chieds Esports Club, Gaimin Gladiators and Team Mobula will play for their tournament lives on day two, following back-to-back losses on the opening day, with a third loss resulting in elimination from the London Major.

The RLCS London Major will resume at 2pm BST on Friday.

Friday’s round three matches

• Gen.G ($1.68) vs Oxygen Esports ($2.06) @ 2pm BST
• PWR ($4.44) vs Spacestation Gaming ($1.17) @ 2pm BST
• Team BDS ($1.19) vs OG ($4.17) @ 3pm BST
• Gentle Mates ($1.22) vs Team Secret ($3.84) @ 3pm BST
• Chiefs Esports Club ($1.49) vs Gaimin Gladiators ($2.45) @ 4pm BST
• Twisted Minds ($1.19) vs Team Mobula ($4.17) @ 4pm BST
• G2 Stride ($1.46) vs Team Falcons ($2.53) @ 5pm BST
• Team Vitality ($1.42) vs FURIA ($2.66) @ 5pm BST

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Despite coming in first for Oceania’s season, Pioneers did not qualify for the RLCS Spring Major and didn’t look too sharp at the RLCS Winter Major, where they won just one game across the three series. Those results and the fact that the Pioneers don’t have a coach explain why they aren’t expected to make it far in Germany.

Twisted Minds, the third seed in MENA, have been very consistent throughout the season and looked extremely good in the final split, with two silver medals from the Spring Cup and Spring Invitational. With those results, Twisted Minds proved they could hang around the best team from their region; however, it remains to be seen how they’ll do on the international stage, as they’ve yet to attend a Major this season.

Even though Pioneers have proven to be the top dogs in their region, the absence of a coach will be a problem on the big stage. Take the favourites at the moneyline.

PWR, Oceania’s second seed, are one of the most unpredictable teams in the RLCS 2022-23 World Championship. They started the season by winning the final two regional events of the opening split, then finished all three Winter Split events in fifth-eighth, and bounced back with a first, third, and second in the three RLCS Spring Split regional events.

In July, at the RLCS 2022-23 Spring Split Major, PWR won just one game against Ground Zero (3-1). However, they looked very good in their narrow defeat against Rule One (2-3).

Oxygen Esports had an excellent start to the season, but after a horrible run at the Fall Split Major, the European mix lost Finlay “rise.” Ferguson and replaced him with Dylan “eekso” Pickering. The new roster hasn’t looked that good, finishing Winter Split Major in 9th-12th place, and last split the team’s best run was a fifth-sixth finish in the Spring Cup.

Oxygen Esports have brand value, but results over the last two months suggest they can lose to anyone. PWR with a 2.5-map advantage is a solid bet at $2.00, but we’re getting far more value backing them on the moneyline at the top Rocket League betting sites.

Despite showing promise at the start of the season, G1 haven’t managed to find much success across the nine regional events, with just three top-four finishes in winter and fall. In the final split of the season, G1 finished the first two regionals in 9th-12th and ended the Spring Invitational in seventh-eighth.

There were also rumours that G1 wanted to make roster changes ahead of the RLCS 2022-23 World Championship, which can’t help the team’s morale.

KRU Esports have won three regionals this season, including the Spring Open and Spring Invitational. They finished top eight at the Winter Split Major but struggled to deliver in the Spring Split Major, crashing out in 13th-16th place.

Even though KRU’s placement at the last Major wasn’t convincing, they have the tools to make it far, and if they do, it’ll likely be thanks to Arthur “drufinho” Langsch Miguel. Considering what KRU and G1 have shown lately, we would argue that the RLCS betting odds on this match should be reversed.

Elevate are one of the weaker teams attending the RLCS 2022-23 World Championship, but they’ve had a good season. During the final split, they won two out of three events, losing only the APAC Spring Invitational (runner-up). Elevate also performed relatively well at the RLCS Spring Major, where they took a game from Team Vitality (1-3) and played a competitive match against Team Liquid (0-3).

Even so, Team Falcons are expected to crush Elevate on Thursday. Nicholas “Nick” Marrone’s men looked good in MENA regional events until the final split when they finished the Spring Open in fourth and Spring Invitational in third place, missing out on the RLCS Spring Split Major.

Poor results at the end of the split don’t make Team Falcons a weak side, but they probably shouldn’t be priced as $1.10 favourites to defeat Elevate. We like the underdogs to win at least one map.

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After a slow start on Thursday, Gen.G Mobil1 Racing supporters would have been worried after they lost 0-3 to Oxygen Esports in their second-round series on day one.

However, the Gen.G boys finished the Swiss stage with two dominant wins over Team Falcons (3-1) and FaZe Clan (3-0).

The number one North American team at the Major was tasked with a tricky quarter-final clash against Team Liquid.

After going down 3-1, it looked as though Gen.G were done and dusted; however, they rallied late to snatch a 4-3 win on the fifth map and they won another close game on the sixth map.

This set up a massive deciding on map on Champions Field, where both teams struggled to break through each other’s defence, until Gen.G scored a late series-deciding goal which capped off their incredible comeback.

FaZe Clan also won a seven-map thriller over Oxygen Esports, setting up a cracking semi-final series between the top two North American teams.

Unfortunately for the neutral fans, this series was not even close, as Gen.G ran out 4-1 winners to book their spot in the grand final.

Their grand final opponent, Moist Esports, steamrolled their way through the other side of the playoff bracket, defeating Karmine Corp (4-1) and Team Secret (4-2).

Led by the Fall Split Major MVP, Jack “ApparentlyJack” Benton, Gen.G lost the first map before going on to take the next two maps 1-0 and 2-1.

Moist Esports levelled the series with a 2-1 win on map four; however, that was that for Moist, as Gen.G went on to win maps five and six and take out the series 4-2.

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LaXIng became an OXG player in May 2020, when the organization acquired the Team Reciprocity roster. Prior to that, the Reciprocity squad had played together since January 2019.

If the move is completed, it will mark the end of a four-year partnership with Davide “FoxA” Bucci. The two have played together since 2018, when they were both at beastcoast.

LaXIng has been a bright spot for OXG this year, which is why news of his departure comes as a shock. In Stage 1 of the North America League, he was the second-best player on OXG, helping the team to a second-place finish.

OXG also impressed at the Charlotte Major, reaching the semifinals after a perfect run in the group stage. LaXIng also won an MVP award for his contributions in the 2-0 sweep against Team BDS during the quarterfinals.

Although LaXIng’s rating dropped in NAL Stage 2, he was still a top-three player for the team. He helped OXG to a third-place finish, tied on points with first-placed Astralis and second-placed Soniqs.

Late last year, LaXInG was a top-10 player in Rainbow Six. The veteran joined R6 at its inception and has won some major tournaments.

In 2017, he led Elevate to the Six Invitational championship. Before that came a Pro League Year 1 Season 1 Finals title with eXcellence Gaming.

LaXInG’s most recent top-tier trophy came during his time with Cloud9. He helped the team win the 2018 DreamHack Montreal on PC after sweeping Rogue 2-0 in the final.

OXG were the first team to qualify for the Berlin Major and will start their campaign in Group C. Their first game is against Wolves Esports, who are slight favourites at $1.78 with GG Bet. OXG are paying $1.97.

The other teams in Group C are Brazil’s w7m esports and the Asia-Pacific League South’s Gaimin Gladiators.

The second Major of the year will commence on Monday, August 15, and will run through to August 21. Whoever wins will walk away with $200,000 of the US$500,000 prize pool and maximum points for the 2023 Six Invitational.

Although OXG are perfectly placed to feature in the Invitational, LaXIng might not be there to experience it. TSM FTX, Parabellum Esports, beastcoast, and Spacestation Gaming are teams that have open spots in their roster and might pursue the veteran.

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Oxygen Esports is guaranteed at top four finish and they are officially the first and only team that has secured qualification to the Stage 2 Six Major.

The LAN event, which will be held from August 15 to August 21, will host 16 teams from the four individual leagues in Berlin, Germany.

Recall that Ubisoft made changes to the Asia-Pacific league format. The organizers revealed that instead of putting together a playoffs tournament, the top two teams in APAC North and South Divisions would secure direct qualification to the Six Majors.

Although OXG found out about their qualification late following a 5-7 loss to Spacestation Gaming, it did not stop their celebration. They took to Twitter to share their excitement.

“Late to the party, but we couldn’t stop twerking when we heard the news. WE’RE THE FIRST TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR BERLIN!!!”

Pain but we will regain

GG's @Spacestation pic.twitter.com/gMv6TqvZMl

— Oxygen Esports (@OXG_Esports) July 6, 2022

The result from their final game against XSET will not change anything in terms of participation in the Berlin Major. However, a win will guarantee them first place and $15,000 from the $50,000 prize pool.

Ethan “Nuers” James has been the stand-out player for OXG. Although the team has not dominated the league, getting results through close shaves and narrow victories, Nuers has won the most MVP awards (3).

The 19-year-old was the first player to hit the 100-kill mark in this stage of the Rainbow Six competition.

With only one playday left in the NAL (July 13), the remaining three teams that will be representing North America will be revealed. As things stand, Parabellum Esports, Soniqs, and Astralis hold the second to fourth-placed spots.

However, there could be a lot of movement on the final play days as the fifth to eighth-placed teams all have 12 points, one point below Soniqs and Astralis.

OXG joined Rainbow Six in May 2020 and have since established themselves as a top team. They have participated in every Six Major since joining the NAL except the Mexico Major in August 2021.

Unfortunately, they can only be praised for participation as they have failed to achieve any significant success in those events. Their best run was during the 2022 Charlotte Major, where they reached the semifinals of the playoffs but were swept by Astralis 2-0.

There is plenty of action left in other leagues before the Berlin Major participants are revealed. The EUL has five more playdays which will end on August 1.

The participants from APAC (North and South) will be announced on July 27 and 28, respectively. The Latin American representatives will be revealed on July 30.

Esports betting sites do not yet have outright odds available for the upcoming Rainbow Six Major.

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