The two top teams in the North American division of the Rainbow Six Pro League finished off the first half of the season in an intense showdown for the top of the board.
DarkZero had a strong season nine, so seeing the squad make it to the top of the standings in season 10 isn’t a shock at all. The same can be said for Team Reciprocity, having been consistently strong since season nine and carrying that strength into season 10.
After an insane waste of time due to Rec not bringing breaching charges, Brandon “BC” Carr just picked off three Rec attackers as they dropped hatch in a last-ditch effort to enter the site. It was essentially a free round for DarkZero.
Paul “Hyper” Kontopanagiotis achieved God-tier status in a man disadvantage with the defuser being planted by Rec. Hyper downed an attacker under Cash site, tossed a C4 up to the defuser carrier above him, and then finished off the downed Rec attacker and another approaching attacker while ringing the C4 to blow. It was absolutely one of the most impressive clutches this season.
Rec looked so strong in round four and the Hyper clutch had to have caused some tilt. DZ was allowed to push into the half 4-2, which is a pretty normal scoreline. It may not be the easiest scoreline to recover from, but it’s a hell of a lot better than a 4-1 at the half.
The match didn’t get much better for Rec on defense. The squad lost out on both Basement defenses, which never bodes well in any scenario. DZ hit 6-2 and guaranteed themselves a point to push their lead in the division further. If a team can’t hold down a Basement defense, it normally doesn’t end well and Rec was experiencing that first hand.
Alexander “Skys” Magor came up huge with a punishing 4K hold on a second floor hold to keep Rec in the match for at least one more round. Skys effort wasn’t enough, though, and DZ took down Rec at 7-3.
DZ was in strong form overall. The teamwork was splendid in this matchup and it certainly didn’t look like Rec was eye-to-eye with DZ. Rec could still hold onto second in the standings, but that would be dependent on whether other teams lose out on their matchups later tonight. If Luminosity and Evil Geniuses both secure wins, then it’s going to be crowded in the second-place slot with a three-way tie.
The North American division of Rainbow Six Pro League returns in September. Fans can catch the official broadcast of the Six Major Raleigh here.
