We’re at the halfway point of the PCS6: Americas Grand Final with 15 of 30 matches out of the way. We’ve seen a few surprises – 22 Esports began the tournament with three incredible finishes, for example – and some things everyone expected as North America tops out the leaderboard with Soniqs holding a chunk of a lead over everyone else.
The first batch of games is incredibly important, but things are far from over. Some teams could fall as they struggle to keep their kill momentum up through the second weekend of play while other squads could heat up. Anything goes in another handful of rounds on Erangel and Miramar.
So much happened over the first three days of play that we wanted to bring you the biggest takeaways from the PCS6 Grand Final so far.
For Soniqs, a turkey dinner tastes that much better
Soniqs fans were hoping that their team was just starting off slow with some absolutely putrid performances through the first four rounds on Day 1. Minimal kills and placements outside the Top 10 made the team look like they should have gone home after the Last Chance Qualifier.
At the end of Day 1, something clicked. Three straight matches on Miramar (last match of Day 1 and first two of Day 2) turned into three straight wins for Tristan “Shrimzy” Nowicki and company. Each win came with a hefty amount of kills and a whole lot of points, shooting Soniqs to the top of the leaderboard on Day 2.
No one really knows where the bowling term for three strikes in a row – a turkey – came from but after a few gutterballs on Day 1, Soniqs have been sending that ball straight down the lane with a vengeance. They didn’t cool down on Day 3 after racking up five more top 5 finishes. It’ll take some serious adjustments by other teams in order to close the near 30 point gap that Soniqs have created.
Latin American teams surged, but North American squads still on top
Soniqs, Yaho, eUnited, Bing Bang Boom and the Gascans sit on top of the PCS6 Grand Final leaderboard after three days of action. 22 Esports, who began the tournament with a hot streak, fell off on Day 3. A Creche, who dominated the Latin America Regional Playoff, has also shown some promise by earning two chicken dinners. Both teams currently sit within the top 10 spots on the Grand Final leaderboard.
Latin American squads will need to make some serious adjustments in the upcoming week if they hope to change their PCS6 Grand Final fate. Right now 22 Esports and A Creche look to have the best chances in knocking off some North American teams.
Every North American team on the high end of our power rankings, outside Shoot to Kill, has performed (nearly) to their expectations. Some, like Big Bang Boom, began the tournament hot while others, like Yaho started heating up in the back half of the first weekend.
Most headwinds currently point to Soniqs – or another North American team – taking home the first place trophy.
22 Esports momentum wasn’t sustainable, but there’s hope
22 Esports had some potential headed into the final day of the first week of the PCS6 Grand Final, but some worrying signs were there at the beginning. This squad finished third, first, and second in the first three rounds of the day, but only scored 11 kills during those rounds.
Sure enough, 22 Esports has fallen off a bit heading into the second weekend, but they’ve given themselves enough leeway to still have a chance for an impressive finish. They’ll need to learn to go for blood while they go for chicken in the next 15 matches.
WHERE TO WATCH / FOLLOW
PCS6 Americas Grand Final will be broadcast live on:
Be sure to follow PUBG Esports on social media to stay up to date on all the action