One of the most talked-about aspects since the VCS organizers and Riot announced that the Spring 2024 playoffs would proceed as usual is where the teams would find personnel to fill the positions left vacant by players under investigation. Subsequently, when all four teams announced their rosters simultaneously, anticipation surged within the League of Legends community in Vietnam. Everyone was eager to witness the showdown between SofM and Levi – two players hailing from Vietnam’s League of Legends scene whose fame has reached global heights.
However, SofM started in the Support role instead of Jungle, as many fans had hoped. Nevertheless, the matchup between the two players provided incredibly tense and dramatic moments for the audience. Of course, it is understandable that SofM did not play Jungle since VKE still has TomRio, and they were unable to find a truly quality Support to replace Kairi. Moreover, SofM has been away from professional League of Legends long enough that it would be difficult for him to handle a role that impacts the game as much as Jungle.
More notably, after the tense match, Levi still displayed absolute respect for SofM. Specifically, after the game ended and they went to shake hands, Levi bowed much lower than SofM. Notably, only SofM received this simple gesture that demonstrated the highest respect and professionalism from Levi.
In fact, Levi and SofM have previously worked together on the Vietnamese national League of Legends team during the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. Furthermore, SofM was the first Vietnamese player to compete in the LPL at a high level and also helped pave the way for Levi to have the opportunity to join JD Gaming. SofM’s contributions to Vietnamese League of Legends are immense. Moreover, Levi understands how talented SofM is, and this was an act of ‘hero respecting hero’.
Nevertheless, the VCS Spring 2024 playoffs could truly be SofM’s final adventure as a player. Although fans have yet to see SofM face Levi in the Jungle role, they might still feel satisfied witnessing a former World Championship runner-up competing in the VCS – something that, until the playoffs, seemed unthinkable.