After becoming North American League Champions in 2021, Soniqs set their sights on international competition. Six Invitational 2022, the Rainbow Six Siege world championship, presented the perfect opportunity to prove the team had what it took to not only conquer North America, but also be competitive against international teams.

During the group stage, Soniqs were placed in a difficult group which included Ninja In Pajamas, the reigning world champions. While many didn’t expect Soniqs to make it out of their group, the team proved otherwise. Despite tough competition, SANDBOX Gaming, MNM Gaming, Elevate, and DAMWON Gaming all fell to Soniqs on their climb into the playoffs. No match was easy, with some requiring heroics across Soniqs’ roster.

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Despite the challenge, one Soniqs player stood out amongst the masses. Gryxr entered the Six Invitational as one of the top players in North America but had yet to break out against international competition. This time, things were different. Gryxr showed his prowess and led the entire tournament in both Player Rating and Kill-Death Ratio. Both of these statistics highlight players who are superior in aim and game mechanics. His performance not only set him apart as one of the greatest players in the world but also helped Soniqs make it out of the group stage.

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Not only did Soniqs’ surprise their group and make it into the winners bracket, but they stayed there. In the opening round of the playoffs, Soniqs edged out Elevate 2-1 before facing the undefeated DAMWON Gaming in the quarter-finals. Even though DAMWON hadn’t lost a series yet, Soniqs sailed past them with a dominant 2-0 score.

After a strong start in the playoffs, Soniqs’ faced adversity against Team Empire, a team competing from the European league. Soniqs’ ultimately dropped the series 2-1 and moved to the lower bracket. Now 20 teams became  five, all in a heated battle to reach the top four. Soniqs versus the Brazilian team, FaZe Clan. The match began on Oregon with Soniqs on defense. The very first round of the match, Gryxr picked up a triple kill, leading to a completely flawless round for the Soniqs —an excellent start but unfortunately it was just that. 

Soniqs were only able to pick up one more round on defense before FaZe overtook them. The first half ended 2-4, FaZe favored. The second half on Oregon looked a lot better for Soniqs, but it was too little too late and FaZe grabbed the final 3 rounds they needed to take the first map. 

Round two of the semi-finals was on Villa. In an almost identical defender sided showing from Soniqs, they picked up two rounds to the four that FaZe managed to take. While on offense Soniqs were able to put up more of a fight, but faltered and were edged out by FaZe 2-0, ending Soniqs’ run at the Six Invitational.

Although this was the end of the tournament for Soniqs, the effort they put forth and the accomplishments they made exceeded all expectations. Going into one of the toughest groups in the tournament and ultimately finishing top-6 in the world was something no one foresaw. Soniqs went from no international presence to  contender within a year. This is no longer the fresh-faced roster that came together at the start of the 2021 season. Soniqs are now a seasoned team, ready to take on whatever challenges lie ahead in 2022.

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