In a recent announcement, the VCS organizing committee and Riot showcased their efforts to address the negative allegations hanging over the Vietnamese League of Legends tournament by allowing the top 4 teams to participate in the playoffs to determine the champion. Of course, this does not mean that VCS will definitely be present at MSI 2024. However, it is clear that providing the audience with the opportunity to continue watching thrilling matches instead of anxiously waiting for penalties aimed at professional League of Legends in Vietnam is a commendable positive direction from Riot and the VCS organizing committee.
Among the 4 teams participating in the VCS Spring 2024 playoffs, GAM Esports is perhaps still the strongest team. GAM also has 2 members under additional investigation. However, one is an ADC and the other is a Mid Laner. According to many observations, GAM has not relied on an ADC-centric playstyle for a long time. Therefore, the absence of an exceptional ADC has never been a problem for GAM in recent seasons. The ADC position has also seen the most changes in the yellow and black team’s lineup lately. Moreover, they have Bigkoro as a substitute and are ready to create surprises.
As for the Mid Lane position, GAM would have had to allocate many resources to it only when Kati was still in the roster, and Kati himself played an important role. If GAM does not have an outstanding Mid Laner, they will continue to stay loyal to the resource allocation for Kiaya – Levi. It can be said that as long as Kiaya and Levi maintain their high performance, GAM will still be one of the strongest teams in the VCS.
Meanwhile, for the other teams, their losses are much heavier. Two players from Team Whales, Gloryy and BeanJ, have been suspended from competition. This duo is currently one of the strongest Jungle – Mid Lane combinations in the VCS, helping TW become a counterweight to GAM. Now that both cannot compete, TW’s strength will certainly be significantly affected. The burden falls on Sparda and Artemis, but Sparda will find it difficult to perform well without BeanJ’s support.
Team Secret has also lost an important asset in ADC Eddie. This player has always been considered the core resource of the entire team. With Eddie no longer competing, Team Secret’s bot lane is now a vast emptiness.
However, for Vikings Esports, the situation is a bit different. In fact, the two most important cores of VKE, Kati and Shogun, are still there. Gury and Kratos have had fluctuating performances this season. Moreover, VKE has a very powerful “secret weapon” named SofM. In recent days, the former Suning star has been hinting at a possible return to competition. If this happens, VKE could inadvertently become GAM’s biggest counterweight in the playoffs. SofM’s abilities are unquestionable. Not to mention, if SofM leads directly in matches, it could boost the morale of the remaining players.
Of course, whether VKE can be a counterweight to GAM depends on SofM’s actions. But if we get to see SofM face off against Levi in an official match, it would likely be the best morale boost for VCS fans who are feeling down due to the ongoing trust crisis amid this negative drama.