Six Mexico Major 2021 Has Begun. What to Expect from NAVI and Team Empire?

On August 16th, the esports tournament for the shooter game Rainbow Six Siege, called Six Mexico Major 2021, began. It will be the first LAN party of this scale since the well-known pandemic started. The Major is the second event of this season, with the Six Invitational 2021 being the only one before it. The best of the best will compete for half a million dollars, including the Russian team Team Empire and Natus Vincere in their European lineup. So, what are the chances of both teams for victory? Let’s dive into it below.

The Russians from Team Empire are the strongest team in the European League 2021’s second part. Will they repeat their triumph from the 2019 Major?

Team Empire, captained by Arthur “ShepparD” Ipatov, is in excellent form. This was demonstrated in this year’s European League, where the team managed to outperform even G2 Esports, NAVI, and BDS Esport, who are considered the main favorites of the league. Despite initial setbacks in the championship, the team managed to get back on track and play at the required pace. However, while Empire became the best among teams of similar strength, Team Liquid, TSM FTX, and Invictus Gaming will pose different challenges in Mexico.

Team Liquid were the grand finalists in the last world championship in Paris. They defeated strong teams like FaZe Clan and MIBR. Notably, “Paluh” (Lucas Molina) was the standout player of the entire championship playoffs. The Brazilian player still has the nerves to handle Empire. If he gets to play as Sledge and Jager, Lucas’s signature operators, Team Empire will surely feel uncomfortable.

Despite all this, Danil Gabov and Danila Dontsov, known as “JoyStiCK” and “dan,” have all the resources to show Molina who’s boss. These guys won’t shy away from head-to-head PvP clashes, and they certainly won’t hesitate to make a cool exit from a window during a defense.

By the way, Dontsov has won the MVP award five times since the second half of the EUL 2021. Danila has a particularly aggressive playing style that keeps surprising fans and opponents alike. Regardless, our confidence that Team Empire can, if not win the tournament, then certainly showcase their skills as one of the strongest teams this season is unshaken.

Let’s discuss Empire’s chances against TSM FTX.

“Silver” medalists of the North American League this time could be an unexpected obstacle for Arthur and his team. It’s worth noting that they lost half of their eight league matches, but two of those losses were handed to TSM FTX by strong middle-tier teams, namely Mirage and Oxygen Esports. While TSM may have an uncertain attack, something that anyone, especially weaker teams, can take advantage of, their defense is solid.

As for Invictus Gaming, there should be no problems for ShepparD and his team. Only after moving from Giants Gaming to the Chinese organization, Invictus cannot boast of great experience: Six Invitational 2021 ended as a complete failure for them, with the team finishing 18th in the TOP.

About Natus Vincere’s Chances for Victory

The team led by Rickard Olofsson finds itself in the “group of death” alongside Spacestation Gaming, leaders of the North American League, and FURIA Esports, leaders of Copa Elite Six. To be honest, their chances against them are close to zero. Perhaps something will work out if “Doki” and “Saves” fully engage in the game and exceed expectations.

Knights are not participating in the Major, even though they ended up in Group B. The Knights are an Australian team, and quarantine in the country prevented them from making it to Mexico. But there’s no need to lose heart; the team made it to the top 16 and will receive a cash reward for that: five thousand dollars from the prize pool and 50 rating points.

The format, it’s worth noting, hasn’t changed much, as the tournament organizers decided to stick with it. After the group stage, two teams from each group advance further, and the third one goes home.

August 22nd is the last day of the Six Mexico Major 2021. The competition is taking place in Mexico City.