In the quarterfinals of the Paris Major 4 years ago on home ground, Olivier #Renshiro Vandroux, Valentin #risze Liradelfo, Bastien #BiBooAF Dulac, and Loc #BriD Chongthep all lost. Until now, that was perhaps the height of French competitive Siege. Now that two French teams are back in a Major’s quarterfinals, only one of them will move on.

Since choosing this squad at the start of the 2021 season, Wolves Esports have established themselves as the most reliable team in the world. No other team has been able to do that in the two years since, but they have improved every single stage even without changing the lineup.

On the other hand, Team BDS made their Major debut at SI 2020 and burst into the scene through the Challenger League in late 2019. Through the 2020 season, they solidified their position as the best team in Europe, but they lacked international competition to demonstrate their dominance over opponents from other countries. With the exception of the Gamers8, they have remained regularly at the top since then.

They are now one French derby and perhaps one NA team away from accomplishing a feat they have never accomplished before: reaching an international grand final.

Wolves’ Situation

The difference in Wolves Esports since we previously held this position three months ago is evident. Given that they are currently the top seed and because BDS only qualified for the playoff on the basis of round differential, they should likely advance to the semi-finals.

This improvement is definitely a result of the assault. Wolves had the lowest attacking round win rate among the playoff teams throughout Stage 2 and the Berlin Major, at 38.10. As a result, they had to play the lowest seeded team in APAC, the Gaimin Gladiators, in overtime.

Since they returned from Berlin, this record has increased to 56.82 percent, which is the second-highest out of the top eight.

This has been accomplished through team improvement, something they have repeatedly demonstrated to be capable of, rather than by the efforts of a single player or pocket strategy.

The lowest ranked Wolves player while attacking was risze, who had a SiegeGG Rating of 0.94, which is a very positive development. The fact that Wolves’ results are unmistakably the consequence of a coordinated effort to increase the level of play of every player is demonstrated by the fact that this is the joint-highest rating for a fifth-placed player, with Group C’s undisputed leaders w7m esports.

BDS Coming Prepared

For obvious reasons, the focus of discussion for BDS has been their new player, LikEfac, as a result of his addition, the team has risen from fifth in the EUL to at least joint-fifth at this Major.

However, like TSM and unlike Heroic or Dire Wolves, BDS have remained unapologetically themselves, in contrast to several other teams in attendance. Although their new player is fantastic, the team’s core still handles the bulk of the labor, and the new player complements an established system.

Elemzje has effectively relocated to the more adaptable position RaFaLe formerly occupied, while LikEfac has taken over Elemzje’s secondary entry role.

BDS’s entry record hasn’t changed much from the Charlotte Major, where they lost in the quarterfinals, but more kills have resulted from having more lethal players on the deadly operators. Together or independently, Shaiiko and LikEfac can dissect the lines of adversaries considerably more effectively than Shaiiko could previously.

Renshiro, though, has had trouble so far in the Major. He has only a 0.65 kill-death ratio and has lost all six of his entry-level battles. He wasn’t struggling nearly as much in the EUL, so it might get better after a day off or could decide the game between the two teams, especially given how hot Wolves are right now.

Trying to answer the question about who will win is pretty hard in this one. It comes down to a comparison of recent performance and earlier outcomes. The head-to-head results between BDS and Wolves are exceptionally impressive, as both teams won their groups and the previous two EUL stages. When it comes to Majors, the only form and records that typically count are those of the Major, which appear to favor the Wolves.