By Sagar V. Mankar The BLAST R6 Major Montreal 2024, one of Rainbow Six Siege’s most prestigious tournaments, concluded with Brazil’s w7m Esports emerging victorious after an extraordinary run through the competition. The event, held at Montreal’s Verdun Auditorium from November 7-17, showcased top-tier tactical gameplay and featured a substantial $750,000 prize pool.
Tournament Format and Progression
The competition unfolded across three intense phases, each testing teams in different formats:
- Phase 1 featured eight teams in a double-elimination bracket
- Phase 2 expanded to a 16-team Swiss System format
- Phase 3 culminated in an eight-team single-elimination bracket
Road to Victory
W7m Esports entered directly into Phase 2 as one of the seeded teams, where they demonstrated exceptional skill in the Swiss System format. Their journey through this phase was nearly flawless:
- Round 1: Secured a close victory (8-7)
- Round 2: Dominated their opponent (7-3)
- Round 3: Swept their match (2-0)
With this impressive 3-0 record in the Swiss stage, w7m Esports secured their spot in Phase 3 as one of the top performers.
The Brazilian squad’s momentum continued to build in the playoff stage:
- Quarterfinals: W7m Esports vs. Spacestation Gaming: 2-0
- Semifinals: W7m Esports vs. Team Falcons: 2-0
In the finale, W7m Esports faced Team BDS, who had previously beaten them at the Esports World Cup finale in Riyadh.
The grand final proved to be a masterclass in strategic execution, with w7m losing the opening map on the Consulate before dominating the next three maps – Nighthaven, Clubhouse, and Kafe – to secure the championship.
Prize Distribution
The tournament’s substantial $750,000 prize pool was distributed among the top performers:
- W7m Esports: $217,000 + 350 points
- Team BDS: $92,000 + 260 points
- 3-4. FaZe Clan and Virtus.pro: $51,000 + 200 points each
- 5-8. Soniqs, Team Secret, Spacestation Gaming, and Team Falcons: $30,000 + 170 points each
Notable Performances
DoDez of w7m Esports earned the Tournament MVP title with his exceptional play throughout the event, particularly during the grand final where his stunning set pieces proved decisive.
Meanwhile, Team Falcon’s Robby distinguished himself by securing the most MVP wins (6) throughout the tournament.
Historical Context
This victory marks a significant milestone for w7m Esports, representing their third BLAST R6 Major championship in just over a year, following wins in Copenhagen (May 2023) and Atlanta (November 2023).
The organization’s success is particularly remarkable considering their complete roster overhaul after winning the Six Invitational in São Paulo earlier this year.
Viewership
According to Esports Charts data, the BLAST R6 Major Montreal garnered more viewers than its Manchester counterpart.
The 2024 BLAST R6 Major Montreal amassed over 5.2 million Hours Watched and reached a peak online viewership of 172.7K during the final match between W7m and BDS. It secured the second spot in viewership among all R6 professional tournaments in 2024, trailing only the Six Invitational 2024.
The Montreal 2024 event narrowly outperformed the Manchester 2024 major, with a slight increase in Hours Watched (+2.4% HW) and peak viewership (+6.5% PV), despite a small dip in average viewers per stream (-2.8%). Both events showed comparable performance levels and notably surpassed the major tournaments of 2023.
In May, beastcoast won the BLAST R6 Major Manchester 2024, defeating Team BDS in the final.
Looking Forward
As the 2024 competitive season draws to a close, the Rainbow Six Siege community now turns its attention to the Six Invitational 2025, scheduled for February in Boston. This upcoming event will provide another opportunity for teams to compete at the highest level of professional play.