Six Invitational 2021 enters the Bracket Stage, who will emerge the Champion?

The Six Invitational 2021 Group stage is over, and 16 teams have emerged to fill in the bracket. After a weekend of intense action the stakes are now raised higher, and with that comes added pressure and intensity. Who will emerge victorious when all is said and done? We rank all 16 teams to let you know who we think is walking away as the Six Invitational 2021 Champion.

After squeaking past CYCLOPS athlete gaming to make the lower bracket, we do not see Cloud9 moving forward any more in SI 2021. Inconsistent play in the group stage, coupled with a tough opening bracket match against MKers, will spell an early exit for Cloud9. 

The most shocking team in the tournament for all the wrong reasons, G2 Esports have struggled mightily throughout the group stage. There's a chance they can still pull it together and squeak out a single game win against Parabellum, but now that we have a best-of-three format, that still means G2 is out with only one match played in bracket stage. 

FURIA showed signs of life in the Six Invitational Group Stage, but going 0-3 on the final day means this team is on the downswing heading into the bracket. With DarkZero (the only team to beat Team Empire in SI 2021) standing against them in the bracket stage, we're thinking it's one-and-done for this plucky team.

Mkers performed as middle-of-the-road as possible in Group B. Sporting a 3-4 record with a minus-3 round differential doesn't give us much to rave about with this team. Luckily they get Cloud9, the worst team left in the tournament, first up in the lower bracket, which should be good medicine for that mediocrity. Soundly defeating C9 could start Mkers on a surprising run. 

A +15 round differential allowed Spacestation Gaming to advance to bracket stage over Giants Gaming, losing only five more maps than they won. Close matches and tough losses defined Spacestation in Group B, but now we're in the bracket. This could be a case of the record not representing the team, resulting in a deep lower bracket run for the defending SI champs. 

One of the hardest teams to call in the bracket Stage, Parabellum went from worst in the group to first before settling in lower bracket. G2 shouldn't give this Canadian team a lot of trouble, but that up-and-down play in Groups might come back to haunt them if they're not careful.

Ninjas in Pyjamas were in the driver's seat after Day 1 of Groups, being the only undefeated team remaining across both groups. They went a paltry 2-3 after that, nearly falling out of the upper bracket entirely. We do not foresee an upper bracket victory against Team BDS, meaning it'll take a lengthy run in the lower bracket for NiP to reach the Six Invitational Grand Finals for the second straight year. We don't see that happening. 

Oxygen Esports showed it could dominate during Group Play, posting two 7-0 sweeps and a 7-2 win. Unfortunately those wins were against the bottom of the Group, losing to TSM, NiP, and MIBR. Unfortunately Team Empire is coming in the first upper bracket match, so it'll take more feasting on the lower team in order to get through the lower bracket. Perhaps that adds up to a shock Grand Finals appearance, but we'll see.

DarkZero has two main benefits on their side going into the bracket. First, they're the only team to take down Team Empire, so another showdown with that juggernaut shouldn't faze them. Second, they played four overtime matches in Group Play, so they're used to going down to the wire. We're not saying DarkZero is winning SI 2021, but don't be shocked if they take down an upper bracket team or two once they fall into Lower.

Team oNe achieved 50/50 status more than Mkers earlier with its 4-5 record and round differential of zero. Every match is a new adventure for oNe, but they'd better bring their A-game to the first Six Invitational lower bracket matchup against Spacestation. If there's one team on upset alert on the lower side, it's this one. 

It took an overtime thriller against Team oNe to move FaZe into the upper bracket, but something tells us they're not going to like what they've earned up there. While the team has plenty of talent for a deep run, it's going to have to happen in lower bracket because TSM is just too strong. 

If it were not for Spacestation Gaming's clutch overtime victory over MIBR, this team would be 6-1 and sitting pretty in the Six Invitational bracket. Instead they tied with Team Solomid, who earned the tiebreaker by beating them head-to-head, so now MIBR must deal with the versatile Team Liquid. If MIBR can get by TL, there's an Upper Bracket run with their name on it. 

Team Solomid took care of business when it counted, looking dominant and scary in all five of their wins. However they also played down to their opponents, a Group Stage loss to Giants Gaming being a huge red flag. TSM can do some damage in the Upper Bracket no question, but something about that Giant loss really worries us. 

Remember how we said the record may not match the team when we talked about Spacestation? The same applies here with Team BDS, whose 8-1 record is buffered by three overtime wins (and one loss). Those repeated high pressure situations could suit them, but in the Upper Bracket eventually that luck will give out. 

Team Liquid strikes us as a team that may fly under the radar despite their record. Two of their players were named to the five-man Team of Group Stage. They play tough on every map, a jack of all trades sort of team that can adapt to any situation. That versatility will serve them well, and we think they're a dark horse (no pun intended) pick as the champion.

Team Empire is one overtime loss away from an undefeated Group Stage. Their entire run has been buffered by the play of Team of Group Stage selection Danil "JoyStiCK" Gabov. Empire is familiar with winning, taking the November 2020 Major and placing second in the 2019 Six Invitational. We can't see anyone taking down the Empire where we sit; this is Team Empire's tournament to lose.

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