The only “blockbuster” deal of the mid-season transfer window in VCS is named Slayder as he joins GAM Esports (GAM) just after one season playing for SBTC Esports (SE). The addition of Slayder is seen as filling a long-standing weakness for GAM in the Marksman position, while also pulling away SE’s greatest strength. Additionally, with Slayder, GAM certainly aims for international competition, not just merely VCS.
Right after joining GAM, Slayder along with Levi and KIaya were also called up for the Vietnamese League of Legends (LoL) team for ASIAD. However, due to some paperwork issues, the Vietnamese LoL team could not participate in the Road to ASIAN Games 2022 in Macau. Therefore, the match against Slayder’s former team SE would be the first time VCS audiences could observe Slayder’s performance in the new jersey, with both new and old teammates.
In the reunion with his former team, Slayder’s performance could only be rated as average. In fact, he did not make as much of an impression as Vinboiz – the player who replaced Slayder at SE. In game 2, if SE had not made a critical mistake, Vinboiz with full equipment could have helped “Pink Chicken” secure a win. Previously, he had a moment of brilliance, earning himself a Quadra Kill after a skirmish near the Baron pit.
Notably, the criticism towards Slayder from the VCS audience includes quite a number from GAM fans themselves. In fact, many fans even admit that Slayder has yet to show anything particularly special compared to Sty1e, despite many hoping that GAM would recruit Slayder instead of Sty1e after MSI 2023.
While Slayder is a talented Marksman, it’s clear that at GAM, he cannot perform and showcase himself as he did at SE. In the recent match, it was apparent that Levi had to distribute resources evenly across all three lanes. Meanwhile, SE did not hesitate to funnel everything they had into Slayder in every attempt to catch GAM’s Marksman. There was even a moment when DNK and Vinboiz were ready to use nearly all their abilities just to take down a Slayder who had no Cleanse.
Slayder still has plenty of time to prove himself and in fact, he has built his brand over many years of competing in VCS. Perhaps fans also need to have a broader perspective, especially since Slayder has just donned the gold and black jersey in this year’s VCS Hoàng Hôn season.