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All Osaka Major teams agree not to use Tubarão–Noor wall-denial interaction during tournament
All 20 Rainbow Six Siege teams at the Osaka Major reportedly agreed not to use the Tubarão–Noor wall-denial combination after an unexpected interaction appeared during the opening day. Team Liquid’s FelipoX said BLAST consulted Ubisoft, which confirmed the behavior was intentional, though the players had not been told about it beforehand.
The Gentlemen's Agreement
FelipoX announced on November 7 that the teams had reached a gentlemen’s agreement against the combo. According to his account, several teams asked BLAST whether the interaction was intentional, and the organizer received confirmation from Ubisoft that it was.
FelipoX did not report an official ban, a rule change, or a penalty for using the combination. He said he hoped and trusted that every team would respect it. The exact terms are not public. The reported restriction concerns the Tubarão–Noor wall-denial interaction, with no broader impact like a ban on selecting both operators or on using either gadget separately.
What the Combo Does
Tubarão’s Zoto Canister creates a freezing area that pauses gadgets rather than destroying them. Ubisoft’s operator guide says Zoto can pause Thermite, Hibana, and Ace breach devices. Destroying the canister ends the freeze early.
Noor’s Horus Lance embeds in a surface and produces flames on both sides of penetrable barriers. Those flames can destroy hard-breach gadgets, including Thermite, Ace, and Hibana devices, when they are timed correctly.
Together, the gadgets create a wall-denial setup. Tubarão freezes the attacking breach device, while Noor’s Lance can destroy it from the other side of the wall.
The Disputed Timing
The combination itself was known before Osaka. Creators tested it against Thermite, Ace, Hibana, and a secondary hard-breach charge, and others tested the interaction and found that freezing Noor’s Lance stopped its drilling, with the gadget resuming from the same point after the freeze ended.
The issue reported at Osaka concerns a different outcome. The discussion tied to LOS against DarkZero describes Noor continuing to drill while the Zoto freeze is active, then activating his flames immediately once the freeze ends.
That sequence would give defenders a timing advantage. Attackers commit a breach device, Tubarão holds it in place, and Noor’s fire becomes ready as soon as the freeze ends. The attacking team then has little time to react before its utility is destroyed.
More Heat to the Flame
Noor’s ability to deny hard breaches was controversial before release. SiegeGG reported on August 21 that Ubisoft had corrected an activation time that was intended to be longer on reinforced walls. The report described concern that Noor could become an alternative to Bandit, Kaid, or Tubarão rather than only a counter to shields.
Early tests already showed a Tubarão interaction. VarsityGaming’s August 17 video found that freezing the Lance during drilling stopped it, and that freezing active flames paused them. Royal Penguin’s August 18 post confirmed that the combination worked against several breach devices.
The Osaka issue is therefore narrower than the existence of the combo. The reported surprise concerns a change in how the freeze and drilling stages interact, rather than the fact that Tubarão and Noor can be used together.
A Test of Trust
The agreement leaves the Tubarão–Noor interaction in the game but removes it from competitive use at the Osaka Major. Teams can still select both operators, but the wall-denial setup won't be abused, a decision that places responsibility on the teams and its players.
Until the moment of this writing, BLAST has not announced a penalty, and Ubisoft has not publicly explained the interaction. Until either party publishes a formal ruling or Ubisoft documents the behavior, the agreement depends on all rosters honoring it.
The case also raises a preparation question. If the behavior was really intentional, teams were expected to account for it in their game plans. Because they said they had not been informed of it, the dispute concerns additional subjects other than the interaction per se.
For now, the Osaka Major continues with the combination available in theory but avoided in practice. The outcome may depend less on whether a team finds counterplay than on whether every roster treats the agreement as binding.
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Feature image credits: Ubisoft
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