On the 5th day of the MSI 2024 Play-In stage, GAM Esports (GAM) was unable to overcome Fnatic (FNC). This result is quite unfortunate as Levi and his teammates missed the opportunity to progress to the knockout stage. However, given their previous defeat against FNC, the chances for the VCS representative to make a mark against the Goliath from the LEC were slim. Therefore, the performance of GAM was what the audience was interested in during this match rather than the final result.
If you followed the recent match, you could see that the VCS representative performed much better than in their previous game. Instead of making risky plays and getting taken down repeatedly, the “black and gold army” showcased impressive team fighting skills in this matchup. Notably, in the second game, the Hoang Tưởng – Lệnh Sóng Âm combo successfully thwarted FNC’s attacks on several occasions.
Moreover, the aforementioned combo would struggle to succeed if the Orianna player had a low performance or made mistakes. The player previously seen as the “scapegoat” of the VCS representative in the previous match – Emo had a spectacular transformation to successfully execute the combo. Not only did Emo expand his champion pool, but he also demonstrated significant improvement in skill execution during the rematch against FNC. Thanks to Emo’s unexpected performance, the VCS representative received high praise from the international audience even though they were the losing team.
Indeed, looking back at the last spring season, it was an incredibly difficult time for VCS in general and the “black and gold army” in particular. The suspension of numerous players for investigations into negative activities directly impacted the strength of the teams. This led to extremely low expectations for the VCS representative’s performance at MSI 2024. Furthermore, this incident severely shook the domestic audience’s trust in the VCS.
However, overcoming these difficulties, Levi and his teammates still delivered a solid performance at MSI 2024. Moreover, this team also showcased notable improvement with each match. From a heavy defeat against FNC in their opening match, they secured an emotional victory against LLL and later posed significant challenges to the LEC representative in their rematch. The efforts of the “black and gold army” truly left a beautiful impression on the international audience.
In conclusion, the performance of the VCS representative at MSI 2024, amidst numerous challenges, can be considered acceptable. Hopefully, with the experiences gained from this tournament, Levi and his teammates will continue to grow and (possibly) secure a spot at the 2024 World Championship, creating a positive impression there as well.