The Siege Team in India

Bangladesh's gaming scene has primarily been focused on League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Dota for years now. The recent addition of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (R6S) to the scene in Bangladesh has completely changed that.

For those yet to be initiated, R6S is an online multiplayer based tactical shooter. The matches usually takes place between teams of five each, with one team trying to take an objective while the other tries to defend it. 

In the R6S community in Bangladesh, CSBD Anonymous has been the top team since its inception, and their success has been apparent with their undefeated LAN run so far, in both domestic and foreign tournaments.

The Anonymous Squad comprises of:

Reshad "ReshaD" Farhan

Salim "NotSha77e" Sadman

Wasi "Skyze" Sami

Raza "ExterR" Rahman

Arnob "Freaking.Blue" Imtiaz (Captain)

Shawon "SnoWw" Joy

Nahian "Rogue Hunter" Uchchal

Sudwipto Kumar Mondal – "Poseidon"

Most recently these young players showcased their talent by winning at the Indian Gamers Club (IGC) LAN tournament held in Goa and also the YouthZest LAN held in Dhaka.

Five out of the eight CSBD Anonymous members sat down with SHOUT to have a conversation about R6S, competitive gaming and their recent success.

Why the name Anonymous?

Arnob: There were a few incidents online during ranked games when other local teams accused us of hacking because we were playing so well. We decided to name our squad after the hacking group Anonymous as a joke after that.

How was the CSBD Anonymous squad formed initially?

Reshad: We initially started out as a PS4 based clan and almost all of us have been playing video games together for around 3-4 years now.

Salim: As more players started playing R6S on PS4, it got more competitive. At one point we moved to playing it on the PC, and formed the Anonymous Squad.

When did all of you start to take this seriously enough to begin competing?

Reshad: We were all playing together for fun, and have been since the PS4 days. Then when the first tournament, Gigabyte Gaming Tournament, featuring R6S came around we decided to participate and ended up winning.

Nahian: That first tournament win really gave us that confidence boost and realisation that we were good, and we could take on this competitive side of R6S.

What were the major sacrifices made when committing to R6S competitively?

Arnob: I think we can all agree that our social lives and studies are what really took a hit when we started competing. But we've somehow managed to find a balance between gaming and everything else.

What is the approach to strategy that is unique to CSBD Anonymous which is helping you guys stay above the competition?

Nahian: There is no single strategy or plan that we as a team follow. Our primary goal above anything is team work.

Arnob: R6S is mainly about adapting to maps and different characters/operators. We usually start off with a base strategy in each round, and then make adjustments to our strategies according to how our opponents are playing. R6S rewards those who are reactive, instead of those who just follow set strategies.

With the win at IGC, you've become one of the few Bangladeshi teams to win at a LAN on foreign territory; how was the run up till IGC and the win at the end?

Reshad: Leading up to IGC we had to participate in two online tournaments to decide who would qualify for IGC. We had great performances in both of them, and ended up going to Goa for IGC.

Arnob: We had won every LAN tournament we participated in leading up to IGC, so our confidence was at the highest level. In fact, we were almost undefeated on LAN, save one match that we lost to our own clan's CSBD Liquid squad. The IGC tournament really was a place for us to showcase our skill, and we were able to do so and win.

What keeps all of you motivated?

Nahian: We all just really want to win. There have been times, when we've played tournaments where the prize pool was just gaming gear. The motivation isn't to just win tournaments for prize money or trophies. It's about being the best, competing against the top team and coming out dominant on top.

How would you compare the R6S scene to those of Dota and CS?

Arnob: Every day the scene is growing. With each passing LAN, more players and teams are beginning to take the game seriously. I feel as more of our teams continue to participate in online and LAN tournaments both here and abroad, it inspires newer players to come try their hand at competing as well.

CSBD has started its own esports academy, could you give us some first-hand insight on that endeavour?

Salim: There are a lot of lower ranked players who are scared of participating in LANs. We want to help them get better at the game so that more of them participate in tournaments.

Reshad: The more players coming forward to play in LANs, the more the number of LANs will increase as well. So it's a win for everyone.

Nahian: Our main intention is to get more players in the competitive scene, so that the community continues to grow.

What are your current plans on elevating the team to the next level?

Nahian: Our chemistry really is our best trait, but chemistry can always be improved further. And that is what is keeping us ahead right now and will take us even further in the future. 

Arnob: The upcoming LAN events happening in India is another factor that keeps us working harder each day as we are looking forward to even more wins in the future.