Entering their first match at MSI 2023, GAM Esports was full of determination to win. Not only because Golden Guardians was a team that seemed relatively “easy to handle”, but a victory would also help GAM nurture hopes of advancing past the Play-In stage. International audiences, professionals, and many players also placed their trust in the VCS representative.
However, the result surprised many viewers. On a day of exceptional performance, every position of GG felt like they were a powerful representative from the LCK or LPL. Even players who had not been performing well like River or those aging like Licorice and Stixxay seemed to “revive”. GAM was completely obliterated, and even Stixxay managed to achieve the first pentakill of MSI 2023.
However, most discussions focused on GAM’s disappointing performance, especially from the core duo of Levi and Kati. As the most experienced player on GAM and the team captain, Levi did not show any impact or perform better than River. Even when using his “signature” champion Wukong, despite actively creating opportunities, Levi had several hasty engages that led to the team’s complete failure.
As for Kati, he dropped in performance when stepping onto the international stage. Notably, Kati had already delivered a disappointing performance at last year’s World Championship. Clearly, Kati’s psychological weakness has not truly improved. Even the player who often faces pressure in domestic competitions, Sty1e, stood out as the brightest name in GAM’s lineup. In both games, Sty1e did not fall too far behind veteran player Stixxay. In fact, in game 1, he even had a slight advantage before GAM lost complete control of the match.
– “Levi was too aggressive and had to pay the price”
– “Perhaps people have overestimated VCS. But frankly, I did not recognize GG anymore”
– “GAM’s defeat reflects the decline of VCS”
– “The mid-jungle duo from the Vietnamese team did not perform well in this match. Why did they bring out Orianna if she was useless?”
“Stixxay has revived. We could even defeat BLG”
GAM players still have at least one match against Movistar R7 to keep their hopes alive. However, both Levi and his teammates need to bounce back as quickly as possible. Because now, even if they face GG again or have to clash with BLG, GAM’s chances of victory remain extremely slim if they continue their recent forgettable performances.
